I'm just curious how long it takes some of you before you can start adding more weights when doing free-weight excercises or any sort of weight training. Right now it's taking me a while to increase the amount of weight that I can lift. Like for ex:


Biceps: 20lb @ 10 reps , 3 sets.
Triceps: 15lb @ 7 reps, 3 sets

^ For a guy that seems pretty crappy doesn't it?


I do each one of the exercises once a week. But I don't think that's going to help me build muscle mass faster at all.

How long has it taken you guys to start pumping up more iron? Any suggestions for me?

last summer I (foolishly) tried to lose weight and build muscle at the same time. gains came really slowly...

now that I'm on the "see-food" diet (eat everything in sight) gains are coming way faster (increasing almost every workout)

so my advice, from my experience, is eat eat eat if you're not already

Agreed- for most average types if you are not cutting, you should be able to increase either weight or reps (even 1 rep) just about every session.

I'm just curious how long it takes some of you before you can start adding more weights when doing free-weight excercises or any sort of weight training. Right now it's taking me a while to increase the amount of weight that I can lift. Like for ex:


Biceps: 20lb @ 10 reps , 3 sets.
Triceps: 15lb @ 7 reps, 3 sets

^ For a guy that seems pretty crappy doesn't it?


I do each one of the exercises once a week. But I don't think that's going to help me build muscle mass faster at all.

How long has it taken you guys to start pumping up more iron? Any suggestions for me?


What other exercises are you doing for your workouts? You said you want mass. Are you working your chest, legs and back? Compound exercises like bench press and palms up pullups will build your tris and bis. Isolation exericses like you are doing will only take you so far.

Dumbell curls are one of the hardest to progress to higher weights so you just have to find other ways to increase intensity.
In the standing alternating bicep curl, ive only progressed from 33lbs to 50lbs in 1 year, i cant see myself getting past 65lbs in the future so i dont worry about it too much, i find bicep machines easier to progress on. :db:

Like for ex:


Biceps: 20lb @ 10 reps , 3 sets.
Triceps: 15lb @ 7 reps, 3 sets

^ For a guy that seems pretty crappy doesn't it?



There really isn't a standard on what is good or bad for a guy. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses. If you are looking for gains, I hope that you are bulking and not cutting.

If you are bulking, try increasing your caloric intake while making sure you are working your WHOLE BODY OUT, NOT JUST YOUR ARMS AND CHEST. Make sure you are doing those squats and dead lifts.

If you are cutting, gains will come slowly, but I'm sure they will come. I've been lifting for about 5 weaks on a cutting diet, and I've started gaining on most of my weights, some more than others, but slowly it is coming along.

Right now it's taking me a while to increase the amount of weight that I can lift. Like for ex:
Biceps: 20lb @ 10 reps , 3 sets.
Triceps: 15lb @ 7 reps, 3 sets

Any suggestions for me?

Next time increase weights by 5 pounds, do as many reps as possible. Come back and report reps for sets.

Think of lifting as a rep range not a target. Try 8-12 reps. Push yourself.

Paradigm.. You stated you only do "one of each exercise once a week".. You are 18 years old right?? you can easily handle 3 times a week I would think.. At the weights you're lifting you won't grow zip doing them once a week.. How long you been lifting for?? What's your height and weight?.. any medical problems?

Paradigm.. You stated you only do "one of each exercise once a week".. You are 18 years old right?? you can easily handle 3 times a week I would think.. At the weights you're lifting you won't grow zip doing them once a week.. How long you been lifting for?? What's your height and weight?.. any medical problems?

Yep, 18.
About 6"1 ... might be taller since I last checked.
[edit] Whoa 6"2 now! Awesome!
Overweight too.

I've been weight training on and off since around Dec '03. Dunno if that means anything.
My weight training schedule is pretty much the same as John Stone's. So I don't work the same body part doing via isolate exercise more than once a week. If I can do three times a week, that'd be interesting. The reason I'm scared of diong that is because I already have lots of stretchmarks to deal with on my body. Even biceps. :)

As far as medical problems go, just psoriasis. that's it.

Yep, 18.
About 6"1 ... might be taller since I last checked.
[edit] Whoa 6"2 now! Awesome!
Overweight too.

I'm scared of diong that is because I already have lots of stretchmarks to deal with on my body. Even biceps. :)

How much do you weigh now? You should be much stronger than you are. Stretch marks are there, weights won't put them on.

When you do the arms with more weight alternate between bicep and tricep each set - super sets. For about a week, why not work just work arms? Fix this problem, arms are used in many exercises and lack of strength will hold you back. Experiment, what you have been doing isn't working.


Something is wrong for you to be so weak after working out for a year and a half. How strong are you on other exercises? Have you always done max-ot, John Stone way?

Focus on heavy compounds squat, deadlift, inclines..... several times a week. Eat like a horse, and there is no way you can't grow (strength-size), unless you have a worm in your belly.

If anybody tells you that you are overtraining, just write them off as lazy, and eat and train some more..

I enjoy a push/pull training split ABxABxx

I do this on top of construction work, and still have plenty of energy!

I'm just curious how long it takes some of you before you can start adding more weights when doing free-weight excercises or any sort of weight training. Right now it's taking me a while to increase the amount of weight that I can lift. Like for ex:


Biceps: 20lb @ 10 reps , 3 sets.
Triceps: 15lb @ 7 reps, 3 sets

^ For a guy that seems pretty crappy doesn't it?


I do each one of the exercises once a week. But I don't think that's going to help me build muscle mass faster at all.

How long has it taken you guys to start pumping up more iron? Any suggestions for me?



I think you got some good advice up above - heavy, compound exercises are the way to go. Work your chest, legs and back and your arms will get big. The biggest and strongest guys at my gym are powerlifters and they don't do any curls or tricep isolation exercises. In my opinion, until your arms are 18" or so, there is no need to spend a lot of time with isolation exercises. It is like you are trying to finish your basement before your house is built. A little isolation is OK, but I would focus first on building your whole body, then do the finish work after you get some size on your frame.

Weighted dips and close grip bench (and reverse close grip bench) will do more for your tricep size than any isolation exercise. Same with weighted pullups and bent over rows, palms up - those will make your biceps big and work your lats, too. Don't forget your deep squats too - go parallel - none of this 1/3 of the way down crap.

I often see guys at the gym do set after set of curls and tricep pushdowns. I seriously want to butt their heads together. On chest day, they will do some bench, then some flys. On leg day they come in and do leg extensions and leg press. They have skinny legs , weak backs, lats and shoulders and they wonder why they are not getting big. It is because they are not building their whole body and are taking the easy way out by doing too many isolation exercises. Often, they ask me what I do for arms. I usually say *very little* (although I actually do isolation) just to get the point across about compound lifts. Few listen and go back to what they were doing: set after set of curls, year after year, going nowhere.

If you want to get big like you say you do, then do your compound lifts.

I think you got some good advice up above - heavy, compound exercises are the way to go. Work your chest, legs and back and your arms will get big. The biggest and strongest guys at my gym are powerlifters and they don't do any curls or tricep isolation exercises. In my opinion, until your arms are 18" or so, there is no need to spend a lot of time with isolation exercises. It is like you are trying to finish your basement before your house is built. A little isolation is OK, but I would focus first on building your whole body, then do the finish work after you get some size on your frame.

Weighted dips and close grip bench (and reverse close grip bench) will do more for your tricep size than any isolation exercise. Same with weighted pullups and bent over rows, palms up - those will make your biceps big and work your lats, too. Don't forget your deep squats too - go parallel - none of this 1/3 of the way down crap.

I often see guys at the gym do set after set of curls and tricep pushdowns. I seriously want to butt their heads together. On chest day, they will do some bench, then some flys. On leg day they come in and do leg extensions and leg press. They have skinny legs , weak backs, lats and shoulders and they wonder why they are not getting big. It is because they are not building their whole body and are taking the easy way out by doing too many isolation exercises. Often, they ask me what I do for arms. I usually say *very little* (although I actually do isolation) just to get the point across about compound lifts. Few listen and go back to what they were doing: set after set of curls, year after year, going nowhere.

If you want to get big like you say you do, then do your compound lifts.

Great post. I've seen most all of what Swole has stated. The guys who don't do the compound movements in a progressive manner, while eating alot of nutritious calories, will a) always look the same or b) look worse then when they started.

My biceps and triceps only went up about 5lbs of weight with increasing reps each session, as for my triceps they went up about 10 lbs in 7 weeks. My legs increase every single week about 5-10 lbs, I find biceps, triceps and shoulders harder to progress more then anything else.

of course this is for people not on a cutting diet ... correct?


what are some compound lifts that you all would recommend for a cutting diet and only using the standard at home bench and wieght set?

squats and deadlifts and what else?

of course this is for people not on a cutting diet ... correct?


what are some compound lifts that you all would recommend for a cutting diet and only using the standard at home bench and wieght set?

squats and deadlifts and what else?

A compound lifts affect more than one joint. I will give you a short list, you can find out more when you check an exercise at exrx .net

leg press
bent-over row
overhead press
bench press
chins
dips

I think you got some good advice up above - heavy, compound exercises are the way to go. Work your chest, legs and back and your arms will get big. The biggest and strongest guys at my gym are powerlifters and they don't do any curls or tricep isolation exercises. In my opinion, until your arms are 18" or so, there is no need to spend a lot of time with isolation exercises. It is like you are trying to finish your basement before your house is built. A little isolation is OK, but I would focus first on building your whole body, then do the finish work after you get some size on your frame.

Weighted dips and close grip bench (and reverse close grip bench) will do more for your tricep size than any isolation exercise. Same with weighted pullups and bent over rows, palms up - those will make your biceps big and work your lats, too. Don't forget your deep squats too - go parallel - none of this 1/3 of the way down crap.

I often see guys at the gym do set after set of curls and tricep pushdowns. I seriously want to butt their heads together. On chest day, they will do some bench, then some flys. On leg day they come in and do leg extensions and leg press. They have skinny legs , weak backs, lats and shoulders and they wonder why they are not getting big. It is because they are not building their whole body and are taking the easy way out by doing too many isolation exercises. Often, they ask me what I do for arms. I usually say *very little* (although I actually do isolation) just to get the point across about compound lifts. Few listen and go back to what they were doing: set after set of curls, year after year, going nowhere.

If you want to get big like you say you do, then do your compound lifts.

u got it :cool: