Do you guys train back and bicep on the same day or different days?

Do you have 1 day which is purely back and another day which is purely arm?
Or do you do back and bicep (and inevitably forearms) on the same day and leave triceps for a different day?

I currently have a back day and an arm day but I have trouble growing my biceps.

I wondered if it might be worth trying to combine biceps with back ie. Do several sets of EZ bar curls and hammer curls to failure to start the session so that the biceps have already been exhausted before moving onto compound exercises that will use both the back and biceps like chin ups and rows etc so even then the biceps are still working and so now is the back. And finish of the back with deadlifts and farmers carries.

Which would of course hit the forearms and then I might as well finish off with some direct forearm work.

Then I would have trained back, biceps and forearms in one session through compound exercises leaving triceps for another day.


Do you think this would be a good idea?

ie

Bicep:
EZ bar curls
hammer curls (plus brachialis)

Bicep and back:
weighted chin ups
barbell row or 1 arm dumbell row

back and forearms:
weighted pull up
deadlift
farmers carries

Forearms:
resistance band wrist curls (just to finish off)

For most of my life I avoided training biceps on back day and triceps on chest day, in the last year instead I started training both bi and tri on both back and chest day with good result, actually thats how I grew arms.

I have an average to bad genetic so if it works for me guess it will work for you as well just try to mix it up, I mean perform an exercise for bi then one for tri, never do two exercises for bi or tri following each other.

Regarding your option of training biceps before back I strongly suggest you to avoid it, big compound exercises are your priority to grow since the more intensity you have there, the more anabolic hormones will flood your body thus leading to growth in every department.

Also keep your best shape for most demanding exercises.

I post you my schedule which goes against most suggestions given everywhere, however it granted me gain in lean mass and size in my arms.

Monday back+arms
Deadlift 12-10-8
pull-ups /lat machine 12-10-8-6
bentover rows/machine 12-10-8-6
hyperextension with two dumbbels with which I open my arms in the up position

Bicep curls dumbbels 12-10-8
both hands togheter, one arm per time doesnt pump me enough and doesnt make me run out of breath

French press/skull crusher 12-10-8-6

Biceps curls at the cable with rope down to up 12-10-8

Overhead triceps extensions 14-12-10 (pump is great here)

Biceps concentrated machine 20-16-12 great pump low weight slow motion

triceps extension cable, one harm with palm facing me (low weight ofc) 12-10-8



Wednesday shoulders+legs
Dumbbels overhead or overhead press machine 12-10-8-6
standing lateral raises 14-12-10-8
lateral raises while on a bench inclined 45 degrees forward 10-8-6
back raises 14-12-10-8 low weight of course since the muscle is small

leg press 20-16-12-8
leg extension 10-10-10
leg curl 14-12-10
standing calf 16-14-12

(right now Im not training legs since they get bigger just with the dead lift and the cardio pre and post workout, still cant believe it people compliment me on them).

Friday Chest+arms

Bench press 12-10-8-6
Incline dumbbels 12-10-8-6
Cable flyes up to down 14-12-10-8
Cable flyes down to up 14-12-10-8

Arms as monday exactly the same.

Abs and lower back at will any day, cardio as well just listen to your body and how it feels after the compound exercises.

Again I know it goes against most dogmas but its making wonder for me.
In case you believe you cant do so much stuff or you fear catabolism, I suggest you a huge meal 3 hours before, bcaa and arginine or better yet a good preworkout 30 min before and plenty of water during your session.

To bring up any lagging body part, you should train that body part first on the day you train legs. There have been several studies that show the body part you train first in a workout tends to grow the most, and other studies that show whatever you train with legs grows faster than other body parts, likely due to the much greater growth hormone and testosterone output caused by training these big muscles...

Personally I would do sets of weighted chinups, alternating days of lower weight/higher reps and heavier weight/lower reps followed by squats. Weighted chinups will get you bigger arms than all the different types of curls you can think of put together. You can also train biceps additional days during the week, which is another good way to bring up lagging body parts...simply train them more often---throw them in 2 or 3 times a week, don't need to do crazy amounts of exercises or sets, but just the stimulus of them getting extra work will cause them to grow.

I train back & biceps. That's how i've seen growth. It varies from each individual really.

Inclined DB curls is one of my personal favorites. Don't focus on reps or weight, just the TUT (Time under Tension).

Espi said:

I just think, at the end of the day, it all boils down to consistency. The guy who hits the gym hard 3-4 days or even 5 days a week and follows a strict eating program will almost always fare better than the guy who attends the gym, doesn't sweat, and eats "somewhat clean."

Click to expand...

Agreed 100%. If you consistently move heavy **** at a high intensity level and you do it consistently with a good diet, you will be built better than most average joes you see out or at the gym.

My standard routine is a 4 day split.

Back/bi's
Chest/tri's
Shoulders
Legs

Seems to work pretty well for me.

Thanks for the responses guys. I asked because I have no more than 4 available gym days on any given week, sometimes only 3 so I was wondereing how to fit everything in.

Someone suggested

day 1: back and triceps finishing with forearms
day 2: chest and biceps finishing with forearms
day 3: legs and shoulders

Everything covered and if day 4 is an option, do whatever, deadlifts or something.

bradd80 said:

Espi, you look like a fvcking animal. Very impressive. Can I suggest you post a thread where you outline in detail your workout routine and diet/nutrition schedule? I'm sure the noobs here would learn a lot from it, and I for one would love to read it too. Sets, reps, weights, your eating schedule, and any other details would be a great addition.

Click to expand...

I won't post a picture of me, it might scare you, lmao

I train bicep and chest on the same day.

Back is isolated by itself.

ughh Have you guys ever left the gym feeling sick?

Because of the christmas period and my working pattern I won't get as many gym sessions as normal over the next few weeks so I thought I'd really go at it for lagging parts today. Biceps.

I don't know how much truth there is about squats and deadlifts increasing test and HGH levels but I decided to give it a shot. Squats followed by chin ups.

I loaded the bar with as much weight as I can squat with good form and did several sets to failure (as always). Once I could no longer do it with good form. I dropped 10KG and did more sets. Again once I could no longer do it with good form I dropped the weight and went again. Down to there was just a 20kg plate on each side and I was getting high reps before failure.

I've never done that many sets of squats before!

After one set of chin ups to failure I felt close to throwing up. Didn't improve so I had to leave really. My legs are still shaking from it.

Have you ever left the gym feeling sick before? I probably shouldn't have done that many sets of a heavy compound movement.

Yeah it was at the start. With around 1 minute of rest between each set. Each rep to parralel and only just getting up on each of the last reps. I'm always hydrated and I didn't each too soon beforehand. It was probably just a one off.

I just hit a new personal best on body weight pull ups, first set: 16 reps to failure.