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How many sets do you do for biceps and triceps including the warmups.
I do about 10-14 each including warmups (2-3 sets of these)
I do about 10-14 each including warmups (2-3 sets of these)
How many sets for biceps and triceps?
- Thread starter MuSuLPhReAk
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gymtime
New member
I used to do that many. After doing some reading on this board, many of the mods and vets told me to hit the smaller muscle groups, such as arms, with only two excercises, 3 sets each. But to make sure you hit them very hard. So now I'll do one warmup set for each, then two hard exercises, three sets each.
I just started this so I'm not sure how it will go, we shall see.....
I just started this so I'm not sure how it will go, we shall see.....
MonStar1023
New member
I use around 9 I guess or something along those lines.. not TOO many I mean maybe 3 exercises to really hit my arms hard. I superset arms for a GREAT pump..
GenetiKing
New member
6 sets is plenty for each. I prefer 2 sets of 3 exercises for either bi's or tri's, not counting one light warm-up set.
Each set should be to complete concentric failure though.
Each set should be to complete concentric failure though.
GenetiKing
New member
AMP 33 said:
Barbell curls and lying tricep extensions are not compound movements. They are isolationary.
Here's a dumb rookie question.....why do a warm-up set? I guess if you are doing a chest/bi - back/tri split or something like that I can see the validity, but I think a lot of people do chest/tri - back/bi, right? In that case, why do warmup? That's my current split, and I just skip warmup and go right to work, since I'm already pre-exhausted from the compound movements of the large muscle group exercises.
Just my .02, but then again I'm a rook, so I dont' know my ass from a hole in the ground either..
Just my .02, but then again I'm a rook, so I dont' know my ass from a hole in the ground either..
Cackerot69
New member
Currently 2 for bi's and tri's.
JG1,
How the hell do you do 6 sets to failure for bi's? Dude, after doing back, I come over to bi's and can do 30 lbs alternating dumbell curls, 10x and I'm smoked...for my second set, I'm dropping down to 20 lbs, and can usually only get out about 7 or 8....but I'm going slow on my negative, and not much rest between sets, so my muscles don't have much time to recover....I'll throw in two sets on cybex bicep machine, hammer position, and that's it for me...toast!
How the hell do you do 6 sets to failure for bi's? Dude, after doing back, I come over to bi's and can do 30 lbs alternating dumbell curls, 10x and I'm smoked...for my second set, I'm dropping down to 20 lbs, and can usually only get out about 7 or 8....but I'm going slow on my negative, and not much rest between sets, so my muscles don't have much time to recover....I'll throw in two sets on cybex bicep machine, hammer position, and that's it for me...toast!
GenetiKing
New member
Guinness said:
Granted, you won't be as strong if your pairing bi's with back or tri's with chest or shoulders. However, it sounds like you might be incorporating too much bi's into your back work. Your bi's should still be fairly fresh even after hitting your back with heavy rowing and pulling movements. A lot of people don't like them but straps help me to keep the majority of the workload on my back. Also, use a false grip whenever possible. Oh well, I'll shut up now. I'm probably preaching to the choir, LOL!
BTW...I like the sig bro...
GK,
Absolutely not bro...I'm still a bigtime novice in the Iron Game...lifted on and off since I finished high school (12 years ago), but never seriously...I've been serious about it for the past year and 3 months, but I've got a long way to go to catch up with my fellow elite bros....
Right now, I'm going with HIT training. Main reason, I want to hit the muscles hard, fast and infrequently. So, on my back day, I'm really not doing very many exercises or sets for back...A typical back routine is comprised of Hammer Strength Iso High Row (this one is a killer if you do it right) which is really more akin to a pulldown motion and then some sort of rowing motion like Cybex Machine Row or T-Bar or possibly cable rows. I've kinda abandoned pulldowns, just because too often, on my last reps, I wasn't able to pull all the way down to my chest and I felt like I was cheating myself outta good back work because of that. With these other exercises, especially the machine ones, you can really squeeze hard and pull through the entire rep (at least until you reach concentric faillure) and smoke your back nicely. I think I've seen some good development in my lats since moving to this system. time will tell...
but, with any of these exercises, my bi's are always pumped when I'm done..unfortunately, we don't have a pullover machine at our gym, and I've never been all that excited about the dumbell pullover, so there's really not a good way to pre-exhaust or isolate my lats, at least not that I've found....I actually warm up with push ups, heavily empasizing the eccentric (5-8 seconds down) and then go into my regular routine. But honestly, I just can't see how to get bi's out of the picture...I try to go as wide a grip as possible to minimize bi involvement in my back movements, but they are still working to control the weight while I'm going through the rep....
Actually, I'm pretty pleased with my bi development lately....doing alternating dumbell curls with a 2/1/4 pacing, using strict form (no bending at the waist to throw the weight up, and shit like that), and really squeezing at the top of the movement has my bi's smoked in no time...talk about a pump and a half....yikes!
Absolutely not bro...I'm still a bigtime novice in the Iron Game...lifted on and off since I finished high school (12 years ago), but never seriously...I've been serious about it for the past year and 3 months, but I've got a long way to go to catch up with my fellow elite bros....
Right now, I'm going with HIT training. Main reason, I want to hit the muscles hard, fast and infrequently. So, on my back day, I'm really not doing very many exercises or sets for back...A typical back routine is comprised of Hammer Strength Iso High Row (this one is a killer if you do it right) which is really more akin to a pulldown motion and then some sort of rowing motion like Cybex Machine Row or T-Bar or possibly cable rows. I've kinda abandoned pulldowns, just because too often, on my last reps, I wasn't able to pull all the way down to my chest and I felt like I was cheating myself outta good back work because of that. With these other exercises, especially the machine ones, you can really squeeze hard and pull through the entire rep (at least until you reach concentric faillure) and smoke your back nicely. I think I've seen some good development in my lats since moving to this system. time will tell...
but, with any of these exercises, my bi's are always pumped when I'm done..unfortunately, we don't have a pullover machine at our gym, and I've never been all that excited about the dumbell pullover, so there's really not a good way to pre-exhaust or isolate my lats, at least not that I've found....I actually warm up with push ups, heavily empasizing the eccentric (5-8 seconds down) and then go into my regular routine. But honestly, I just can't see how to get bi's out of the picture...I try to go as wide a grip as possible to minimize bi involvement in my back movements, but they are still working to control the weight while I'm going through the rep....
Actually, I'm pretty pleased with my bi development lately....doing alternating dumbell curls with a 2/1/4 pacing, using strict form (no bending at the waist to throw the weight up, and shit like that), and really squeezing at the top of the movement has my bi's smoked in no time...talk about a pump and a half....yikes!
JG1,
yeah, I tried a split like that for a while...loved the way my arms felt on upper arm day, but had problems with back and chest day....whichever one I did second (and I varied this), just didn't do as well...I was already pretty smoked by the time I got to the second body part, and I felt like I was selling it short on intensity...chest and back are pretty damn big muscle groups, and I try to keep my big groups to one a day, hence the back/bi - chest/tri split....and then of course legs/shoulders on day 3....
But yeah...if that works for you (that kinda split) then I could see where you could do 6 sets of bi's to failure, since you really aren't working them doing chest (although I've noticed a pretty good pump for bi's when I do cable flyes or pec deck on chest day).
yeah, I tried a split like that for a while...loved the way my arms felt on upper arm day, but had problems with back and chest day....whichever one I did second (and I varied this), just didn't do as well...I was already pretty smoked by the time I got to the second body part, and I felt like I was selling it short on intensity...chest and back are pretty damn big muscle groups, and I try to keep my big groups to one a day, hence the back/bi - chest/tri split....and then of course legs/shoulders on day 3....
But yeah...if that works for you (that kinda split) then I could see where you could do 6 sets of bi's to failure, since you really aren't working them doing chest (although I've noticed a pretty good pump for bi's when I do cable flyes or pec deck on chest day).
JG1
New member
Thats why I do compound sets for Chest and Back. I do one set of Chest, rest a minute or two, and do a set of Back, then rest a minute or two, and go back to chest. I do 9 sets to failure for chest, and 9 sets for back.
I do all my sets like this. I'm able to keep my strength threwout the workout. I know it probably won't work for everyone, but it sure works for me.
Welsh power house
New member
3 exercises, 2-3 sets for each...
GenetiKing
New member
Guinness said:
I think you'll be pleased with HIT. Some people are not impressed with it but I think that's because you have to be extremely hardcore with it and follow its principles to a T. No bullshitting around between sets and no half-assed efforts. Just hit it hard and quick. Genetically, everyone will differ in their recovery ability as this involves several variables (i.e. hormonal responses to training, nervous system adaptability, protein synthesis, etc). Additionally you must consider diet, down time (rest), AAS usage, nutrition, supplementation practices, etc. before you can fully asses how you will respond to HIT. I think HIT can work for most people but I don't think it always does for one of the above reasons...in other words, your ducks have to be in a row before you can try it IMO. Good luck with it and let us know how you like it.
Guinness said:
Well, they are always gonna be pumped to a degree after you work back...that's unavoidable due to the biomechanics of rowing and pulling motion execises which constitute the majority of back work.
I used to have the same problem. My bi's would always get super-fried doing T-Bars, DB rows and chins, then I had nothing left for curls. You always hear about the mind/muscle connection in bodybuilding but here is where it's most useful. Some people can almost get away with arbitrarily slinging around weights and see gains in other bodyparts but you really have to focus on what your doing if you want to effectively train your back. Nearly every exercise desiged to target that area is compound to begin with which makes it difficult. Just keep your focus on where you want to feel the workload being placed. Sometimes it takes a little shifting of your waist or lower back position and it will make a huge difference. Just concentrate on feeling it work. For instance, on chins think of "pushing your elbows down" ...instead of simply "pulling yourself up." I heard this a few years ago and it's helped me tremendously. Envision your arms as hooks, allowing your back to facilitate the movement and try not to sqeeze so hard with your forearms and bi's (this is where straps help me).
Good luck bro!
Great advice GK...yeah, I really do work at trying to concentrate on squeezing my back muscles when I'm going through the exercises...its' easy to get lazy working back, because as you said, just about every movement is compound, so it's easy to try and shift more emphasis to bi's, shoulders, etc.
I'm gonna lobby our gym to get a pullover machine...or one that I really liked was an old Nautilus machine that had pads that fit under your elbows. Your arms started up by your head, and you pushed down on the pads with your elbows until they were in the contracted position down by your waste...man, that used to be a great lat iso exercise for me....couldn't do much weight, but my lats would actually get a pump, which is hard to achieve right now for me....I know they are getting worked, because once I'm done with my set, I'll sit there and flex hard in the butterly position, and damn near cramp them up....!!!!! But, they don't get that pumped feeling like quads, bi's tri's or even chest gets....
Again, thanks for the advice...so far, I'm pretty sold on HIT..I know I look like a freak at our gym working out with the low weights I"m doing, and going as slowly as I"m going through my contractions, while so many of the big boys are slangin' big weight, with shitty form for a whole lotta sets. That's why I just put my head phones on, and do my own thang....Good progress this first year...can't wait to see where I am this time next year....
I'm gonna lobby our gym to get a pullover machine...or one that I really liked was an old Nautilus machine that had pads that fit under your elbows. Your arms started up by your head, and you pushed down on the pads with your elbows until they were in the contracted position down by your waste...man, that used to be a great lat iso exercise for me....couldn't do much weight, but my lats would actually get a pump, which is hard to achieve right now for me....I know they are getting worked, because once I'm done with my set, I'll sit there and flex hard in the butterly position, and damn near cramp them up....!!!!! But, they don't get that pumped feeling like quads, bi's tri's or even chest gets....
Again, thanks for the advice...so far, I'm pretty sold on HIT..I know I look like a freak at our gym working out with the low weights I"m doing, and going as slowly as I"m going through my contractions, while so many of the big boys are slangin' big weight, with shitty form for a whole lotta sets. That's why I just put my head phones on, and do my own thang....Good progress this first year...can't wait to see where I am this time next year....
bigpoppadrew
New member
I do 9 sets each and do bi's and tris on the same day. I superset them to get a great pump in my arms. My arms feel like they are going to explode after I am done with them.
