Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Question for JL!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Question for JL!

    Greetings John,

    New to the board. Mind if I pick your brain??? Your very knowledgable with training, and I was wondering if you think beginners (or, simply those who want to gain weight/mass) should stick with COMPOUND, big exercises, such as Squat, DL, Dips, Chins, Bench Press, etc ... not just for overall size but for ARM DEVELOPMENT as well.

    I'm someone who used to do alot of arm exercises as a young kid (curls, dips, extensions) and as I got older I realized I had big arms but a small torso. I then began training with strictly compound exercises such as those listed above, and not only did my whole body grow but my arms continued to grow.

    My question is, how important do you think "arm day" is for someone who is just looking to bulk up, not neseccarily compete like yourself. Do you think the arms get enough stimulation through compound exercises to develop???

    Thanks !
    Renegade

  • #2
    hmmm,, that is an interesting question. I don't think there's one answer in this case that would apply for everyone, because too many factors goes into the success of a training routine, any training routine.

    I think the most important factor, and the ultimate trump card, is genetics. Genetics, of course, does not only have the ability to determine how big we get but also how big each individual body part gets. This is where things get difficult, because some people with genetics can get huge, with the exception of one or two bodyparts.. And then, there are those who have the genetics to have huge arms, but nothing else grows... the list goes on...

    Having said that, I think it's important for people to discover their bodies as best as they can instead of relying on theories that others have written for themselves. It's important to me to have a well-rounded training regimen not only for the best development of every muscle but also for a chance to truly understand your body. With so many variables tossed into training and so many unknowns in the overall scheme of bodybuilding, I think it's especially important that we not only let our bodies mature but also our mind and our views toward training, diet, and supplementation.

    For me, arms are a stubborn area. If I neglected them, no amount of stimulation from my chest and back workouts would allow my arms to grow.. In my case, I have to train arms.. In fact, in my training routine, I train everything twice in an 8 day period.. It goes like this:

    chest/back
    legs
    arms/shoulders
    rest
    chest/back
    legs
    arms/shoulders
    rest

    I do two exercises per bodypart, 3-4 sets each, reverse pyramid.

    I have not concluded that this is the best form of training. What I HAVE concluded is that THIS is the best form of training for me RIGHT NOW... The important things are 1) knowing your body and 2) adapting to natural changes and 3) understanding the purpose behind any particular method of training..

    Sorry I could not give you a short answer to your question..
    www.elitefitsystems.com

    Now with CL and all your other favorites

    Comment


    • #3
      lol...Thank you, that answer was more than satisfactory. That's interesting, reverse pyramid. Could you elaborate on that a little? Do you start with heavy weight, than go to low weight, and work your way back up???

      I know most guys that want to grow, they are recommended to do all big movements, as it activates the most muscle. for me personally, i know deadlifts will work my traps better than doing 100 shrugs.

      Personally, I have found my body operates as more like a single unit than a unit with many sections, IE I've found that doing exercises like deadlifts, squats, clean & press will build me up quicker than working each muscle group individually.

      5 years down the road, it may be the opposite...!

      Comment


      • #4
        reverse pyramid:

        couple of warm up sets, anywhere from 20-30 reps each...
        1 primer set.. medium weight, 5 reps..
        prime set: heaviest weight i can handle.. all out set... 6-8 reps.
        1 unloading set: medium weight, as many reps as i can do.. usually 10-15 reps
        www.elitefitsystems.com

        Now with CL and all your other favorites

        Comment

        Working...
        X