Help Arm training

[nordan]

At the risk of sounding like I'm calling you out, I'd have to see pictures to see how a truly dominate muscle group could become a lagging one in just 8 weeks. You'd have to have been growing like CRAZY everywhere else... For MOST folks, changing the "symmetry" of lagging or unbalanced muscle group development takes years to remedy if that ever happens.



What I'm trying to do is show you how to use the finer points of training to bring about the results you seek.

Progressive overload is a staple principle of FT, but the other aspects of the program are there for a reason. (Even in Jordan's case, in the time we've worked together, we've changed some things up - stuff not in the published FT system as of yet - to bring up aspects of his physique.)

For MANY people, heavy loading type training (low reps) is not as beneficial for increase increasing arm size and actually CAN be detrimental in that is brings about an inordinate risk of developing tendinitis (biceps an triceps) compared to a higher rep approach.

Both mechanical load and metabolic stress are stimuli for muscle growth. If you would like to include both, that's a possibility without adding loading sets on top of the standard FT approach, by:

• Choosing weight for your MRs so that you're failing in the 4th set (and keeping the weight drop to a minimum such that you can barely seek out the 4th rep on the 6th set.)

• Make your Pump sets absofrigginlutely diabolically painful by extending them with partials, etc. Make metabolic stress ridiculous here.

• Choose strategies for the Pump sets that you can duplicate relying upon the same exercises so that you can make Pump sets progressive in nature, too. You might be sure to use a rope triceps press down each time you do triceps pump sets, employing a 5's into the Hole approach an nothing the weight and the point in the set where you could no longer complete any of the full repetitions (finishing with partials). Be progressive here using the same exercises week in and week out (as long as you're not getting any niggles) and drop them only to pick up another that you exploit... OR - Formally rotate these exercises in a manner like you do for Loading sets

• Be progressive with the MRs for arms, too, paying close attention to your pool of MR arm exercises and even including a rotation there, as well.

• Pick exercises you may have never done before here. Ever do DB curls seated on an inclinde bench (elbows behind your back) or an overhead cable curl using a lat pulldown machine?... Supine cable curls to the forehead?... How about triceps pressdowns using a ab crunch machine or close grip MR floor presses on a smith machine?...

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So these are some option that will help you learn how to drive adaptation in the future, as your physique progresses when simply adding on more volume really isn't a viable option.

If you get progressively and substantially stronger using the above (AND ARE EATING FOR GROWTH and GAINING WEIGHT in general) over the next 8-12 weeks and can say that your arm Pump sets look like suicide attempts to a casual onlooker, and your arms haven't grown, then - IMO - some other strategies might need to be employed.

-S

Scott, thanks for the response. I shall look into the points you mentioned regarding the heavy MR's inc. the other points and implement them.

I shall keep you posted in the future as to how I am getting on.

D