Five potential oversights contributing to arm growth inhibition:
Gain sweat-drenched biceps and defined triceps is a dream for countless gym rats, yet, no matter how many reps of bicep curls or tricep pushdowns you churn out, you might still be grappling with the reality of stagnant-arm growth. Fret not, as you're far from the only one making these common blunders in arm training. That's just the revelation from Dr. Mike Israetel, an experienced exercise scientist, who outlines five common pitfalls that plague gym-goers in his latest YouTube video. It's time to cut down on the time wasted and start seeing tangible gains instead.
1. Over-obsessing with rep ranges
Constantly debating whether high-rep or low-rep training creates the best muscle growth is a frequent dilemma people face. Despite what often seems to be the popular belief, focusing solely on specific rep ranges (like 8-12 for biceps or triceps) can hamper your progress. Just remember that muscle growth can occur over a broad spectrum, ranging from 5 reps to a hefty 30. The secret, as per Dr. Israetel, is to experiment with various rep ranges, evading tunnel vision, and mixing things up when needed.
2. Combining arm workouts on the same day
Having a dedicated 'arm day' when you train both biceps and triceps in the same session is a practice that works for many, but Perpetuating the notion that this is a must-do can lead to some drawbacks, as Dr. Israetel explains. Having an overly-pumped bicep, for instance, can hinder the triceps' range of motion, keeping them from getting the full-on high-load stretch they need for proper growth. On top of that, the triceps are a larger muscle group that usually requires more recovery time than biceps, so continually attempting to train them together leads to an unnecessary reduction in the amount of effort or volume provided for triceps and an excessive one for biceps.
3. Neglecting the deep stretch
Insufficient muscle stretching is not a small problem, according to Dr. Israetel. He maintains that many lifters fail to move their muscles through their entire range of motion, opting instead for partial reps, which might be impeding muscle and strength gains. To remedy this issue, Dr. Israetel recommends exercises that emphasize the stretch phase of your lifts, like lying dumbbell curls for biceps or skullcrushers for triceps.
4. Overlook the forearms
Regardless of the size of your upper arms, Dr. Israetel contends that strengthening the forearms will drastically improve overall appearance. A bit of work on the forearms won't take much of your time, either – just 3 to 6 sets of a forearm exercise a couple of times per week is sufficient to yield visible results.
5. Under-training the arms
If your arms haven't shown any improvement over the past few months despite giving them consistent weekly training, you might just be training them too sporadically. "Due to their size, these small muscles do not require as much recovery time," says Dr. Israetel. They can handle more frequent sessions than you might think, and his recommendation is to aim for at least two sessions a week, or even three to four if your body can handle it.
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- In their pursuit of muscle growth, many gym-goers may overlook the importance of science-backed approaches like exploring various rep ranges for effective arm training, instead of focusing solely on specific ones such as 8-12 for biceps or triceps.
- Health-and-wellness conscious individuals might be misled into assuming that combining arm workouts on the same day is the only effective approach, but it can lead to limited tricep growth due to an overly-pumped bicep hindering their range of motion and recovery time needs.
