Can't feel it in my biceps

[Warboss Alex]

and what about 20 rep squats ? .

the lower body is a different animal to the upper body in that respect, you cannot compare the two

a 20 rep bench for example would not get you the equivalent growth a 20 rep squat would

 

[Warboss Alex]

but you should be varying reps and sets every time you work out.

so how can you actually measure what is working if you keep changing it

 

[Drum&Bass]

You'll know when you were only able to do 10 reps with 135 and making a jump in strength to 10 reps of 185 I also meant to say varying the weight as well You measure with any significant change that occurs with your biggest numbers.

 

[danielzxc]

Markovski, yes it's normal not to "feel it much" in the biceps. I wouldn't consider it a sign that you're not working them "enough". As long as you've got an intelligent rep-set system worked out, and you're at or close to failure towards the end of the sets, you're working them.

I wouldn't worry about these guys who talk about buliding arms without direct work. They have heart attacks as soon as they hear someone doing curls or, their favorite target, triceps kickbacks. Sure, most beginners can do without this stuff, but there's no doubt the best arms come from doing direct work. Having said that, if you're not doing "big lifts" like squats and deads, then you definitely need to get them into your routine (and make them a key part of it).

 

[cuzza]

Just do a set of curls at the end of your routine, that's solid and should be fine for the purposes of building up the biceps. Try and be strict with form, it's possible you're doing them wrong. Also, try the variations: hammer curl, preacher curl, etc.

 

[Quagmire911]

Drum-what Warboss said on the leg front. 20 rep squats are great for leg growth.

As for the OP he can curl his arms and put .5" on them, or he can squat, dead, and bench, eat s*** loads of protein and food over the course of a year and put a couple of inches on them-his choice.

Quagmire

 

[stronglifts]

Hey guys. I have recently started working out again, but, as usual, I seem to be having trouble with my biceps. I can feel the burn in all the muscles I work except for my biceps. I use dumb bells and I do all I can, but for some reason my biceps just don't ache like the rest of my muscles do. Am I doing something wrong? Is it normal to not "feel it" in my biceps? Thanks.

Focus on the big picture: squats, deadlift, rows, etc. Vs. focussing on small muscles. Work the big muscles the small muscles will follow.

You're losing time working your biceps.

 

[danielzxc]

As for the OP he can curl his arms and put .5" on them, or he can squat, dead, and bench, eat s*** loads of protein and food over the course of a year and put a couple of inches on them-his choice.

A couple of inches? In a year?

Couple of inches of what? Certainly not muscle!

A couple of inches is transformative. You go 14" arms to 16", with no change in bodyfat, buddy, that is a lifetime effort for the vast majority of lifters. (For naturals, anyway.)

I have the impression you haven't got a fkkn clue what you are talking about -- just like the vast majority in the 20-squat army. "The big lifts" bbuilding advice is like a freakin religion, it really is. "Anything" is possible to these guys as long as it (a) sounds roughly believable ("couple of inches") and (b) it involves squats and deads.

(Funniest is how they ignore the ugly bodies power lifters have -- they are either fat, or when lean, nothing special. This despite being able to squat a small car.)

 

[Warboss Alex]

A couple of inches is transformative. You go 14" arms to 16", with no change in bodyfat, buddy, that is a lifetime effort for the vast majority of lifters. (For naturals, anyway.)

for 2" on your arms you need about 30-40lbs of overall muscle mass added to your frame - you're saying this will take a lifetime to achieve? certainly not, it can be done in a year to a year and a half depending on genetics and whether the lifter does everything right (which few do).

(note that this rate of progress will dramatically slow down but that's the sort of gains a lifter can expect doing everything right within his first 12-18 months of serious lifting)

my arms went from 15" to 17" in my first year of training and I never touched a drug.. I couldn't even afford creatine (cheap as it was/is) after I bought my food so I didn't even use that. just because you cannot achieve something, don't think it's impossible.

I agree however that it is transformative and will require a MASSIVE amount of effort and dedication from people to actually gain those 30-40lbs (most will simply not eat enough for fear of getting fat - I wasn't worried about getting fat but diligent cardio, carb timing, high protein, nutrient partitioning and some green tea make you a fat burning machine and as a result my waistline stayed exactly the same).

but impossible? if in your mind it is impossible, then you will never achieve it. I visualised a 200kg deadlift by the end of my first year.. and I got that, as well. there are limits to what you can achieve, but if you think it will take you a lifetime to gain 2 inches on your arms, then it will.

just like when people think a 5lb gain in a year is awesome - it is not (unless you're advanced), and unless you've already gained 40-70lbs of muscle mass in your earlier years and you're at an advanced stage, eating the right foods, doing the training and the cardio, being consistent etc for a whole year JUST for 5lbs extra at the end of it and still barely looking as if you train, that's simply a waste of time - consider it a wasted training year. (unless your goal was to gain just 5lbs in which case more power to you I am talking about people wanting to add significant size to their frame)

 

[mrRuckus]

Most of you could really use a thorough read of this:

http://www.musclemayhem.com/front/content/view/72/201/

From a trainer of some of the most elite bodybuilders...



here's one key quote:

The absolutely best advice I could ever give a guy starting out lifting is "go train with an established powerlifter" and learn all the principles he trains with. There would be a lot more happy bodybuilders out there.