Hey Guys, Sean Nalewanyj here of SeanNal.com and BodyTransformationTruth.com and in this
video I want to answer the question of whether or not direct isolation exercises for your
biceps and triceps are really necessary, or if the stimulation that these muscles receive
on heavy presses and chin ups and rows is sufficient to maximize your upper arms gains.
And the answer here is ultimately pretty simple.
Assuming that muscular hypertrophy is your primary goal then yes, you certainly should
include some direct arm work in your program.
Now is this an absolutely crucial part of your training routine?
Do you need direct arm work in order to build impressively large arms?
Well, no, and in fact, the majority of your bicep and tricep gains is going to come as
a result of consistently adding more weight to your heavy compound exercises for your
chest, shoulders and back.
Now there’s no way for me to put an exact number on it, but I would estimate that basic
presses and chin-ups and rows and overhead presses will probably account for somewhere
between 75 all the way up to 90 percent of your total upper arm growth.
However, that’s the point of isolated arm work.
It's to squeeze out that extra 10-25 percent.
Obviously it’s possible to build big arms without ever performing a single bicep curl
or tricep extension, but I would assume that your goal here is to maximize your gains and
to achieve the very best arm development possible.
And if this is the case, I can’t see any good reason to not include a few basic arm
movements in your routine.
It only requires a few sets of a few basic exercises, it’s fun and it isn’t going
to eat into your overall recovery time in any significant way because direct arm work
is not very taxing on your central nervous system.
Sure, if you have a nagging elbow injury or a wrist injury or a shoulder problem and it's
aggravated by performing direct arm work and the trade-off doesn’t really seem worth
it to you then go ahead and skip it.
Or if you’re an athlete or a powerlifter whose only goal is to develop total body functional
strength, then again, skip it.
However, if you’re a bodybuilder, or if you're just someone who wants to develop their
physique to the best degree that they possibly can, then curl and extension movements certainly
have their place.
Just make sure that you don’t go overboard, and that you include your direct arm movements
only after you’ve completed your basic compound exercises first.
And again, keep it simple.
To fully stimulate your biceps, go with 2-3 sets of a basic palms up curl such as a barbell
curl or a cable curl followed by 2-3 sets of a supinating dumbbell curl for 5-7 reps
each, and you can optionally include 2-3 sets of a reverse curl as well using a barbell
or a cable in order to hit the brachioradialis which is the upper portion of your forearm,
using a rep range of about 8-10 for that lift.
For triceps, start with 2-3 sets of a close-grip bench press for 5-7 reps.
This exercise is optional however, since you’ll already have several compound pressing exercises
included in your routine already for your chest and your shoulders, followed by 2-3
sets of 5-7 reps on the tricep pressdown, followed by 2-3 sets of an overhead dumbbell
extension, either one handed or two handed, for 8 to 10 reps.
There are of course many different ways to lay out an effective direct arm training routine
but this is a great template for you to follow.
And that’s really all there is to it.
Sure, direct arm training may only account for a smaller portion of your total bicep
and tricep gains in comparison to the basic compound lifts, but that doesn’t make it
unnecessary or a waste of time.
If you want to optimize your arm development and achieve the very best results possible
then treat your curls and your extensions in the same way as you would any other lift
by hitting them with good focus and intensity and consistently adding weight to the bar
over time.
So thanks for watching this video lesson.
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Talk to you again soon.