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Pump large biceps, changing the number of repetitions

The hands stopped growing in volume? It’s time to give them new training incentives by changing the repetition scheme!

There is nothing wrong with attacking the large biceps in each exercise with the proven 3-fold scheme 10 times. Many sets, reduced to 10 repetitions, fall exactly in the middle of the range, which, and this is proved by experiments, stimulates muscle growth. It’s unlikely that you will find a representative of sports science who does not agree with such a concept.

However, even the methods proved by science do not work forever. Of course, the muscle fibers of the biceps respond to the training stimuli in the form of 3 sets of 10. They become bigger and stronger … but up to a certain point. If you stick to one protocol for several months, the growth rate slows down until it turns into turtle.

To regain the growth of the large biceps on high-speed rails, you must stimulate quick-twitch muscle fibers – the ones that grow best in response to medium-repetition training – with new stimuli. You can do this in various ways. You can increase the working weight, do more repetitions, add approaches or shorten the rest periods between sets. All these are examples of “progressive overload”.

If you do not already see the increase in the amount of hands or strengths, chances are that you are too comfortable in the arms of the current training program, and you have ceased to test yourself for strength in the gym.

Solving the problem of slow growth

Changing the repetition scheme is the first way to restart the strength training program, because in this scenario, the muscle fibers begin to receive new stimuli.

For example, you are used to lifting the EZ barbell to a bicep with a weight of 40 kg, doing 10 reps. Instead of performing the next set with the 40th, increase the weight of the bar to 50 kg. It may very well be that you will not raise it technically more than 5 times, but do not despair; You just gave the large biceps a completely new stimulus due to the heavier load!

Sets with a repetition number of less than 6 are usually better suited for developing strength, not mass, but as you get stronger, the number of repetitions in these heavy approaches will increase, and this is a sure recipe for building muscular arms.

Another common and time-tested method of developing power indicators is the 5×5 scheme, that is, 5 approaches for 5 repetitions. Popularization of this protocol in the seventies was contributed by Bill Starr, the legendary strength training coach. The catch is that you should not use the 5×5 method in lifting the barbell to biceps, because it is much more effective in multi-joint, rather than single-joint exercises. Therefore, instead of flexing, we will choose pull-ups with a back grip with weights, which give the biceps a smart growth stimulus.

The task is to take a certain weight and perform 5 sets of 5 repetitions, resting for 2 minutes between sets. To begin with, the best weighting option will be the weight of 6PM, that is, weight (body weight plus pancakes on the belt), with which you can pull up only 6 times. Your 6PM weight should be somewhere around 85% of 1PM (one-time maximum).

The correct weight is the one that will allow you to execute 2 sets of 5 repetitions, but not three. (Stop for 5 repetitions, even if you can do more.) Adjust the load if it is not. In time, when you have enough strength to complete all 5 approaches for 5 reps, add 2.5-5 kg ​​and start again.

Unfortunately, sooner or later even methods like 5×5 become less effective, so other options are needed. You can take the working weight, with which you will reach the point of failure at 8 or even 12 repetitions. This will also give the large biceps absolutely different training incentives. And adding to this another and fourth approach, increasing the total amount of workload, you will get even greater variability in the stimuli of muscle growth!