In bodybuilding, special attention is paid to the problem of biceps training. However, triceps form up to 70% of the arm's volume, and all extensor muscles of the human body are 2-2.5 times stronger than flexor muscles. That is why in the process of pumping up the arms it is necessary to work on triceps muscles not only and not so much on biceps.
For their proportional development the total load on triceps must be 2.5 times more than the load on biceps in terms of weight. To explain the above statement, let's take a simple example.
For triceps you should perform 2-3 exercises (for example, narrow grip press and/or push-ups on parallel bars and French press), for biceps similarly - 2-3 exercises (dumbbell or barbell lifts on biceps standing/on Scott Bench, and/or pulling-up with backward grip), but with less weight. Usually the working weight in triceps exercises is 1.8-2.2 times more than in biceps exercises. In this case, you must perform one more lift on the triceps than on the biceps. It is somewhat more difficult to do pull-ups and push-ups on uneven bars, when an athlete has to overcome only his own weight. As a rule, working up to a muscle failure, an athlete who can do 20 repetitions on push-ups, does 12-14 on pull-ups. In order not to add an extra approach to push-ups, they are performed with additional weight in the form of discs or weights suspended from the athletic belt.
Rest duration in triceps exercises must not exceed 90-120 seconds, and in biceps exercises 60-90 seconds (except pull-ups, where rest duration up to 2 minutes is also allowed). Triceps and biceps exercises can be performed sequentially, loading first one muscle and then the other, or alternating superseries and supersets. Superseries are an exercise of the triceps followed by a biceps exercise, then a triceps exercise, and so on until the entire program is completed. The efficiency of the method is explained by the fact that muscles react to the load only during the first 40-45 minutes of training, after that they work at half strength due to depletion of energy reserves (first of all, glycogen - the main source of energy for the "white" sites of muscle fibers).
Supersets imply that the approaches of one exercise are mixed with the approaches of another. It means to perform a triceps approach and at once, without a break (or a short rest of no more than 30 seconds) an exercise on biceps. This method allows you to significantly reduce the training time, but it is very heavy. It should also be remembered that both methods prevent so-called pumping - the pumping of blood into the muscle being trained. Therefore, when training with supersets and supersets, the arms do not look as massive as they would if only one muscle group was trained. Blood plays a positive role by supplying the muscles with nutrients, so the lack of pumping can also be seen as a negative phenomenon.
It is believed that triceps and biceps grow better if they are loaded on the same day, however, triceps fully recovers in about 72 hours and biceps in 48 hours. Therefore, there are two opposing methods of training them: the micro-trauma system, when the muscles are loaded each workout to a state of near failure. Or, taking into account total recovery time (3 times biceps exercises, 2 times triceps exercises) but until complete failure. Regardless of the chosen method of training, the greatest effect is achieved by regular performance of several exercises: pull-ups, push-ups on uneven bars, and the narrow grip press. All these exercises involve muscles in their entire length, provoke the production of testosterone - a powerful anabolism. It seems reasonable to include at least one of these exercises in every workout.
To pump up arms do not forget about the brachial muscles. They are well worked out in the course of pulling-up with straight grip and are well loaded in all exercises of supersets. But they also have some own, isolating movements: bending/extending arms with barbell, work with wrist expanders. The following scheme of pumping up arms seems to be the most universal and effective: pulling up with straight and reverse grip on biceps (push-ups or narrow grip on triceps) - pulling of barbell with reverse grip in tilt or lifting of barbell with lower grip on biceps (French standing or lying on triceps) - lifting of barbell/dumbbell on Scott bench, dumbbell "hammer" or supination lifts or concentrated dumbbell lifting (straightening arms in tilt, pulling block on triceps). Perform one of the suggested exercises in the specified sequence. Once a week complete the training with exercises on the brachioradialis.
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