Undoubtedly, every guy who ever walked into the gym, wished for big arms. Some of them achieve huge arms in no time while others take decades to build. So, what makes the latter ones left behind?
Make no mistake, building strong arms requires much more than just lifting heavy. Well, if you are among those who are sick of flat arms, then you certainly need to read this. Here are some of the major reasons that are hindering your bicep growth –
You Train Your Arms Daily
The term overtraining has mixed opinion in the world of fitness and bodybuilding. But make no mistake, Overtraining without proper rest and nutrition is certainly wrong for your muscles[1]. So, when you overtrain a small muscle group like biceps without due recovery period, you are unlikely to get any growth. For a person with no extraordinary herculean genes, overtraining is a curse.
Let’s see how you can curb overtraining your biceps and get some serious gains –
Tip #1 – An optimum recovery period of 2-3 days is must for a muscle group to heal.
Tip #2 – Prepare a workout routine that includes all muscle groups equally so that you don’t overtrain any muscle group.
You Have Sacrificed Right Motion for Lifting Heavy
No matter how much you lift, if you can’t keep enough tension in the muscles, for example, biceps, then you will probably never get any gains. Many a times, people feel ashamed to lift light and jump start their bicep training session with the maximum weights they can handle. In most cases, it not only affects their form but also increases chances of injury.
Here’s what you need to follow –
Tip #1 – First of all, master the exercise and its range of motion and then go heavy.
Tip #2 – Perform a couple of warm up sets prior to lifting heavy. This will ensure that you are less prone to injuries during heavy training.
You are Not Trying Anything New with Your Biceps Training Routine
When you are too consistent in your workout, your muscles will slow down the growth and there are chances it might hit a plateau. Plateau is a condition where muscle adapts the workload and dampens the growth thereby making it more difficult for an individual to make new gains.
Here’s how you can avoid hitting a plateau and get the most out of your bicep training routine –
Tip #1 – Vary your workout intensity. For example, vary rep ranges, drop sets, ladder sets. Also, you can think of adding resistance bands for stronger arms.
Tip #2 – Don’t let your muscles adapt conditions. Think of different by which you can always keep your muscles guessing.
“Your muscles tend to become complacent and resist growth if you are constantly doing the same workout for them. But if you try all different types of training methods, exercises, weights, set-rep combinations and training tempos, you keep the muscles off balance”, suggests Arnold.
Now, after you’ve known the major mistakes and their fixes in bicep training; give your best shot in the next arm workout session and get some fresh gains.
References:
[1]. J Nov Physiother. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2013 May 9. Published in final edited form as: J Nov Physiother. 2013 Feb 16; 3(125): 11717. doi: 10.4172/2165-7025.1000125
