Lack of pump in biceps

[Raphael3636]

Idk what’s been going on lately but I feel like I’m totally lacking pump in my biceps, therefore I feel like I trained like shit and am not promoting growth. Usually I will do biceps on back day, following my back workout. I try to hit all heads of the bi, constant tension, flex at peak of exercise. But still nothing. My back feels great right now, nice and full and pumped, my bi’s on the other hand don’t even feel like I hit em. What can I do to correct this, should I perhaps change my routine and hit arms on a separate day? Any help is appreciated fellas. Thanks.

 

[TG1]

Post up your exact routine on biceps and how you are performing the exercises.

 

[Raphael3636]

Today
Alternate dumbell curls - pyramid in weight 25lbs-40lbs and back down. I’ll switch from curl and hammer curl back and forth. 4 sets

Concentration curls w/ dumbell on curl bench
30lbs-35lbs 4sets 12 reps , 2 sets curl, 2 sets hammer

Standing rope curls - 4 sets, pyramid in weight, 25-55lbs rep range 10-20

Standing over head double bicep curl with cables
4 sets pyramid in weight, rep range 15-20

More or less concentration excercises, still to early in my recovery after surgery to be hitting heavy barbell excercises.

 

[Raphael3636]

Id like to add I like to go into the gym sometimes and just freestyle excercises and just go with what my body is looking like and telling me

 

[Ironside]

It looks to me like your pyramids may be the source of the problem here. Pyramids can have great uses but I’m a firm believer in function. I personally set a rep range to hit but I push the weight to failure. Meaning i pick a weight that is semi difficult to hit X amount of reps even on the first set. Then with each set after the workout becomes significantly more difficult and I end up failing reps a little more each time. By the time I get to the 4th or 5th set i might only be getting 4 to 6 reps instead of the intended 12 but i know I’ve pushed myself to the max.

 

[375benched]

Good stuff! Every so often with Biceps, if I feel I’m stalling out, I’ll end my workouts with negatives and isometrics, just to extend the pump and failure feeling as long as possible. Monster pumps!

 

[PHD]

I agree with @Ironside but want to add try getting training arms away from back. We use a lot of bicep
When training back (even when we try not too). Move biceps to shoulder day or chest or train arms on a separate day.

 

[Raphael3636]

Awesome guys thanks for the replies, I’ll shift around my routine a little and train arms separately and try what @Ironside mentioned with a set weight. I only really started doing pyramid style not to long ago I felt like it would sculpt the muscle more as oppose to growing the muscle. To be honest though now that I think about it I feel like my sessions were much more intense when i would stick with a set weight. Thanks guys.

 

[Ironside]

That’s some good advice that I should follow more often as well. I do switch up training biceps first vs training back first and vice versa and I have trained strictly arms and another small muscle group together and I have trained strictly arms. I notice the most growth and strength with hitting only arms on a single day combined with one day in the week of back/bi’s and 1 day of the week chest and Tri’s.

 

[SKYBOUND_423]

I like this. I’ve usually always done biceps and back together & when I finish with back my arms are already tired. Unlike Berserker, I’ve always been in a pattern of just doing back first.

 

[TBU]

Doesn’t everyone do Arm day on Friday night before hitting the club?!? Club out guns out. Size Med baby gap T-shirt?
On a serious note, I do arms on Wednesday’s to give my body a sort of rest from Monday Tuesday. I’m a chest Monday back Tuesday Arms Wednesday shoulders Thursday legs Friday kind of guy. One week heavy weights low reps. One week heavy reps med weight.

 

[Stratfordave]

Bro just a few months ago I started a routine Where you train arms and calves every other day… but only 4-5 sets per specific body part part … an old school (60s) trainer/ bodybuilder from my gym claims this was a Venice beach practice in the 70s…I’ve heard Robby Robinson And Danny Hester talk about this … great pumps with moderate weight … mix it up!

 

[PHD]

I kind of do the same with John meadows gauntlet training.

 

[Raphael3636]

Now say on a arm day would it be more logicl to do tris first then bis, or would you say going back and forth on excercises?

 

[Stratfordave]

I simply finish with arms or calves after the larger body part … every other day… I switch it up, regard triceps or biceps first, I mix it up … sometime I superset them

 

[PHD]

I like to mix it up. Example one day start with bis next time start with tris next time superset bis and tris

 

[Raphael3636]

Thanks fellas , definitely going to be changing some things up and see how it goes

 

[TBU]

Just remember. Everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you. But give them a try for at least 60 days. Record the data. And review results. That’s you best growth method available. Good luck!

 

[TG1]

Record the data.

Especially this. Give it enough time and document. Keep notes on diet, sleep, drugs etc. Everything for the day.