how many sets for arms

[westidebber]

hey everyone
I was wondering, how many sets do you guys do for bis and tris?? I think that I'm  overtraining them. I do 16 total sets for bis and tris plus some drop sets, superset or rest pause.

I also have another  question on arms. I'm thinking about hitting some forearms. I've been doing indirct  forearm training. I do hammer  curls in my bis workout. can I get enough dirct work by using only one exerise. like wrist curls or reverse bb curls??

[Herc]

I personally usually do between 2 and 5 sets for my bicepts and tricepts as crazy as that sounds.  on one day ill do a warm up and then go really heavy for one set and call it a day for bicepts.  The other day I may do 5 sets with about half the wieght but doing 15 reps and only taking 45 sec. to 1min rests between sets. 

[Bluto]

18 sets

[Mike]

hey everyone
I was wondering, how many sets do you guys do for bis and tris?? I think that I'm  overtraining them. I do 16 total sets for bis and tris plus some drop sets, superset or rest pause.

I also have another  question on arms. I'm thinking about hitting some forearms. I've been doing indirct  forearm training. I do hammer  curls in my bis workout. can I get enough dirct work by using only one exerise. like wrist curls or reverse bb curls??

Here is a good thread on Forearms:

http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=131923.0

[pumpster]

hey everyone
I was wondering, how many sets do you guys do for bis and tris?? I think that I'm  overtraining them. I do 16 total sets for bis and tris plus some drop sets, superset or rest pause.

I also have another  question on arms. I'm thinking about hitting some forearms. I've been doing indirct  forearm training. I do hammer  curls in my bis workout. can I get enough dirct work by using only one exerise. like wrist curls or reverse bb curls??

I think you're doing too many sets, especially if also using drops, supersets, etc. The more you use intensity techniques, the less sets are necessary and the faster you can burn the muscle out. Right now i'm doing 4-7 sets for bis, 4-7 sets for tris-if you're willing to pay the price and really work the muscle intensely they're already fried. It's a sliding continuum-the more sets, the less intensity you can apply per set.

The main thing for increasing development IMO is progressing by increasing reps, weight and/or reducing rests between sets, so focus on that rather than worrying about marathon volume. In each case moderate reps 6-12/set, not more than 1.5 minutes between sets, or less. Try this for a couple of months. Make sure that you rationalize the exercise selection to ensure that you're only using exercises that are the most effective.

Also try somewhere in between what you're doing and above: 7-9 sets each for bis and tris. The higher you go, the lower the percentage of sets to use drops, supersets, etc.

After all that you might find you prefer higher volume, but IMO it's not necessary. The only place where i think it helps is possibly contest cutting and refinement.


Forearms: if you try direct work which i think is better, wrist curls in both directions is enough, 2-3 sets of each.

[mrt]

12 for bis 12 for tris

[peroni]

9 for bi's and 9 for tri's once weekly not including warmup, 8-12 rep range. All sets to failure and with good form. They're a small muscle group and don't need further stimulation than that. Chest, back, legs, etc,... those are different.

[thewickedtruth]

9 for bi's and 9 for tri's once weekly not including warmup, 8-12 rep range. All sets to failure and with good form. They're a small muscle group and don't need further stimulation than that. Chest, back, legs, etc,... those are different.

4-5 sets each after back and chest day.

[canadian_husker]

hey everyone
I was wondering, how many sets do you guys do for bis and tris??

depends...if you're 17 and workout at the gym i do then it's probably 20-25 sets...and you do arms at least 3 times a week

personally for me it's 9 sets max and second in a workout to a bigger muscle group

[myseone]

hey everyone
I was wondering, how many sets do you guys do for bis and tris?? I think that I'm  overtraining them. I do 16 total sets for bis and tris plus some drop sets, superset or rest pause.

I also have another  question on arms. I'm thinking about hitting some forearms. I've been doing indirct  forearm training. I do hammer  curls in my bis workout. can I get enough dirct work by using only one exerise. like wrist curls or reverse bb curls??

I personally do 1 work set per exercise, 2 exercises for the biceps and 2 for the triceps. The first exercise starts with a warm up set, the second one gets no warm up set. I make use of a lot of intensity enhancers, for example drop sets, forced reps, negatives, static holds, etc. An exercise can take 2 minutes to complete with all the drops. All work sets are done to temporary failure.

For forearms your going to need more than one movement to properly hit them. I suggest wrist curls and the forearm roller (done clockwise and counter clockwise).

[pumpster]

I personally do 1 work set per exercise, 2 exercises for the biceps and 2 for the triceps. The first exercise starts with a warm up set, the second one gets no warm up set. I make use of a lot of intensity enhancers, for example drop sets, forced reps, negatives, static holds, etc. An exercise can take 2 minutes to complete with all the drops. All work sets are done to temporary failure.

For forearms your going to need more than one movement to properly hit them. I suggest wrist curls and the forearm roller (done clockwise and counter clockwise).

Pretty close to classic HIT. Training's all a continuum-the more volume the less intensity per set and vice versa. Having a training partner's even more important with HIT; a huge help with an extended set like this both in terms of training farther into failure and being able to do it very safely. With the right motivation you can do without and find the right equipment to ensure safety.

[myseone]

Pretty close to classic HIT. Having a training partner's even more effective when you've got just one intense set to deal with, helps push the envelope beyond what you might normally want to do though you can get away with training solo if extremely motivated.

Yep, very close indeed. Having the workout partner definitely helps especially with leg and back work. I do like to do this stuff on my own sometimes though because it allows me to move at my own pace.

[Redwingenator]

I think you're doing too many sets, especially if also using drops, supersets, etc. The more you use intensity techniques, the less sets are necessary and the faster you can burn the muscle out. Right now i'm doing 4-7 sets for bis, 4-7 sets for tris-if you're willing to pay the price and really work the muscle intensely they're already fried. It's a sliding continuum-the more sets, the less intensity you can apply per set.

The main thing for increasing development IMO is progressing by increasing reps, weight and/or reducing rests between sets, so focus on that rather than worrying about marathon volume. In each case moderate reps 6-12/set, not more than 1.5 minutes between sets, or less. Try this for a couple of months. Make sure that you rationalize the exercise selection to ensure that you're only using exercises that are the most effective.

Also try somewhere in between what you're doing and above: 7-9 sets each for bis and tris. The higher you go, the lower the percentage of sets to use drops, supersets, etc.

After all that you might find you prefer higher volume, but IMO it's not necessary. The only place where i think it helps is possibly contest cutting and refinement.


Forearms: if you try direct work which i think is better, wrist curls in both directions is enough, 2-3 sets of each.

Pumpster hit the nail on the head.  I use to do 3 drop sets per exercise with 3 exercises for back/bi, and 3 exercises for chest/tri, then 3 more sets on just bi's and 3 for just tri's.  24 total sets of all drop sets.  I loved the intensity, but I was overtraining and stopped making gains.

My current regiment is similar to my previous one except that I am up to 30 sets and I do 2 standard sets to failure then a static contraction set for 3rd and final set.  I have seen some great gains so far, but loading plates for the static contraction set gets tedious.  The 2 standard sets leading up to the static contraction set works really good because I have security knowing that I am hitting the muscle groups hard enough, and it prepares the muscles and joints for the increased load during the static contraction set.

[controldenied33]

9 for each, but that is straight sets, and not all of them are to failure.  When doing drop sets or other "shocking" techniques, I'll do less.

[UK Gold]

Overtraining is a myth invented by lazy people. 16 - 20 sets should do you fine, just make sure you're eating enough food!

[thewickedtruth]

Overtraining is a myth invented by lazy people. 16 - 20 sets should do you fine, just make sure you're eating enough food!

I like this guy, he brings the funny.

[pumpster]

I like this guy, he brings the funny.

Sometimes he's the butt of jokes.

[pobrecito]

2 working sets is satisfactory. I like olympic barbell curls and seated preacher curls.

[pumpster]

2 working sets is satisfactory. I like olympic barbell curls and seated preacher curls.

Unless that's 2 HIT sets that's on the light side. I'm all for brevity but that's too low IMO unless there are extended reps being done after failure.

[Get Rowdy]

Lately ive just been doing about 2 sets with 2 exercises.  Usually barbell curls to positive failure, continue using cheat curls, then strip some weight and repeat.  I also like to add slow negatives at the end of the set. Then one armed dumbbell curls to failure with some cheats to finish the set, when i finish my right arm go straight to left arm, then back to right, repeating this 2 or 3 times. 

For triceps i use a similar format, with overhead barbell extensions and one armed overhead dumbbell extensions.  With the dumbbell extensions i also use partial reps at the end of the set to really burn the muscle.

I dont see much point in doing endless sets when you can smash the muscle with a couple.

[pumpster]

Lately ive just been doing about 2 sets with 2 exercises.  Usually barbell curls to positive failure, continue using cheat curls, then strip some weight and repeat.  I also like to add slow negatives at the end of the set. Then one armed dumbbell curls to failure with some cheats to finish the set, when i finish my right arm go straight to left arm, then back to right, repeating this 2 or 3 times. 

For triceps i use a similar format, with overhead barbell extensions and one armed overhead dumbbell extensions.  With the dumbbell extensions i also use partial reps at the end of the set to really burn the muscle.

I dont see much point in doing endless sets when you can smash the muscle with a couple.

Sounds good; the muscle's fatigued either with small numbers of sets and post-failure work, or more sets cutting back on the amount of work after failure. Only difference is whether you want to do it all the work in a few extended sets or spread the effect out over more sets with less work per set.

[Dr. D]

I have used Charles Poliquin's Book:
Winning the Arms Race.
Hardcore and probably the best periodization program as well.

[pumpster]

I have used Charles Poliquin's Book:
Winning the Arms Race.
Hardcore and probably the best periodization program as well.

Hard to believe it would be particularly hardcore. Poliquin went to the same university and university gym as i through the early and mid 80s. Never saw him train hard then suddenly he was maybe 30 lb. heavier with a drug look, still not training hard. A lot of his stuff is recycled from other sources and like any program might be worth trying.

He was also given the opportunity to buy new equipment for the gym and did a poor job with equipment selection, including an expensive and extensive line of hydraulic equipment that no one ever used. We didn't get along to well when the administration there went with my layout over his for changes to the weightroom.

[Dr. D]

Hard to believe it would be particularly hardcore. Poliquin went to the same university and university gym as i through the early and mid 80s. Never saw him train hard then suddenly he was maybe 30 lb. heavier with a drug look, still not training hard. A lot of his stuff is recycled from other sources and like any program might be worth trying.

He was also given the opportunity to buy new equipment for the gym and did a poor job with equipment selection, including an expensive and extensive line of hydraulic equipment that no one ever used. We didn't get along to well when the administration there went with my layout over his for changes to the weightroom.

well, that's great info but the training protocol in this book is pretty intense and I think an overkill even for the most advanced BB. Makes a lot of sense now because reviewing all the training periods, you need to be on "something" to recover quickly to handle the next phase every 5 days that he prescribes.