tricep/bicep exercise selection

S

S_F_H

New Member
I saw on the main page that they were suggesting either lying tricep ext. or tricep push down... which one would be prefered over the other and why??
also, on the tricep push down, be better to use which kind of handle? the ropes? the straight bar? the triangle-shaped bar?

and about the biceps.. again on the main page, they say to switch frequently the "any single arm curling exercise" and then in the FAQ it says that switching isnt really necessary.. what to think then?
im doing the one arm curl... by the way, would it be better seated or standing??
thx alot for sharing ur knowledge everyone!
 
I like incline curls for biceps and either one arm extensions or skullcrushers for triceps - mainly because these exercises give a better stretch.

Check out vicious's customising thread for reasons to choose isolation exercises that emphasise strectch...

Cheers

Rob
 
Exactly - the stretch factor seems to be the most important thing when selecting isolation exercises to complement the compounds.

This would then suggest that skullcrushers (or similar) is the no. 1 selection for triceps, and that seated incline biceps db curl would be a good selection for the bi's, since you can achieve added stretch by adjusting the degree of incline.

I switch exercises, but really only for variation or lack of equipment when training in a different gym. If you would like to switch between exercises, I would suggest doing so cycle-to-cycle instead of week-to-week. This will make it easier to keep track of increments and give you a better sense of your progess.

Regards,
/ R
 
cool! thx for advices!
but u're talking about isolation exercise right now... Which compound exercise could i use then for Bi/Tri? (if theres one)
 
Hey :)

Your arms will grow as your poundages in the heavy core compound movements (like bench, dips, chins/pulldowns, deadlifts) keep on piling up.

"Targeting" the bicpes/triceps specifically using an exercise for them is less effective simply because of the limited poundage you can use because they are much smaller muscles compared to the likes of chest and back.
 
Yes there are

Biceps - Most rowing and chins hit biceps nicely

Triceps - Dips, bench specially close grip, to a lesser degree mil press.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jvroig @ Sep. 16 2005,12:44)]Hey :)
Your arms will grow as your poundages in the heavy core compound movements (like bench, dips, chins/pulldowns, deadlifts) keep on piling up.
"Targeting" the bicpes/triceps specifically using an exercise for them is less effective simply because of the limited poundage you can use because they are much smaller muscles compared to the likes of chest and back.
Click to expand...
Isolation movements may be less effective than compound but that doesn't mean using movements that emphasise stretch in addition to compound movements isn't a good idea
 
Very true robefc

Giving up curls and other isolation exercises with the intent of building big arms is not a good idea at all.

Joe G
 
so main idea is to keep the one arm curl and the skull-crusher?? and maybe switch to chins and dips on another cycle? also, i dont have a weight belt, so doing dips/chins is getting too light sometimes to do the 5s... would that mean that i should change the exercise or simply do them slower to burn my bi till the 5th one??

thx again and again!!
 
No you're getting slightly confused (probably our fault!) - dips or chins are not interchangeable with curls and skullcrushers.

Dips are for your chest, chins are for your back. However because they are heavy compound movements they will also work your tris/bis respectively. Because of the weight involved isolation movements are only worth doing if there is a greater stretch involved in that movement than in the compound movement.

So first things first, make sure you're doing your main compound movements, then select which isolation movements you include.

Like I said I like incline curls for bis (doesn't have to be one arm at a time) and both skullcrushers and one arm extensions for tris....these are only done after my compound exercises though.

Hopefully that's helped...oh the other thing, buy a dip belt, best thing I ever bought for weight training. Otherwise use lat pull down instead of chins and dumbell bench press or incline for chest, doing the rep more slowly is not the same thing as increasing the load.

Cheers

Rob
 
yep! now it cleared it! :)!! i saw the dips mostly as a tri movement, thats why it probably confused me.. same for the chin up which i probably confused with the pull ups.... cuz right now my chest exercises are flat bb bench press and incline DB press and my back exercises are lat pulldown and seated cable row...

thx again so much everyone!!
 
Actually, I do dips as a triceps exercise. When focusing on chest, lean forward, and when focusing on tri's, use a more upright position.

/ R
 
Dips hit the triceps hardcore! My tris have taken on a whole new dimension since I started doing dips a couple of years ago.
 
Robefc,
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
Quote (jvroig @ Sep. 16 2005,12:44)
Hey
Your arms will grow as your poundages in the heavy core compound movements (like bench, dips, chins/pulldowns, deadlifts) keep on piling up.
"Targeting" the bicpes/triceps specifically using an exercise for them is less effective simply because of the limited poundage you can use because they are much smaller muscles compared to the likes of chest and back.
Click to expand...
Isolation movements may be less effective than compound but that doesn't mean using movements that emphasise stretch in addition to compound movements isn't a good idea
Click to expand...

I didn't say they weren't a good idea. If you'd review so many threads about which isolations ot use, you'd see I kept on consistently telling people to choose exercises with the best stretch, namely skullcrushers and inlcine curls.

That post of mine you quoted out of context is in response to his question of which "compounds" will work his arm best, so I told him basically not to worry about it, and that they'll grow as he gets heavier and heavier with his core compound movements. Previously, he was already told which isolations are best, so that wasn't the topic anymore at the time I made my post. He asked which compounds, and so I gave him my answer, which was not meant to say "forget the isolations."

Clear?

Regards,
-JV
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Rain @ Sep. 16 2005,5:30)]Actually, I do dips as a triceps exercise. When focusing on chest, lean forward, and when focusing on tri's, use a more upright position.
/ R
Click to expand...
i also change the width of the handles wide for chest closer for tris :D :
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jvroig @ Sep. 18 2005,11:50)]Robefc,
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
Quote (jvroig @ Sep. 16 2005,12:44)
Hey
Your arms will grow as your poundages in the heavy core compound movements (like bench, dips, chins/pulldowns, deadlifts) keep on piling up.
"Targeting" the bicpes/triceps specifically using an exercise for them is less effective simply because of the limited poundage you can use because they are much smaller muscles compared to the likes of chest and back.
Click to expand...
Isolation movements may be less effective than compound but that doesn't mean using movements that emphasise stretch in addition to compound movements isn't a good idea
Click to expand...
I didn't say they weren't a good idea. If you'd review so many threads about which isolations ot use, you'd see I kept on consistently telling people to choose exercises with the best stretch, namely skullcrushers and inlcine curls.
That post of mine you quoted out of context is in response to his question of which "compounds" will work his arm best, so I told him basically not to worry about it, and that they'll grow as he gets heavier and heavier with his core compound movements. Previously, he was already told which isolations are best, so that wasn't the topic anymore at the time I made my post. He asked which compounds, and so I gave him my answer, which was not meant to say "forget the isolations."
Clear?
Regards,
-JV
Click to expand...
Hey man, I wasn't casting doubts on your knowledge, just wanted to make sure the guy didn't get the wrong idea.

I didn't mean to cause offence, sorry if I did

Cheers

Rob
 
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