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when weights get heavier.barbell curls


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Every month i add 5 kg more to my weightlifting schedule, and the first week of changing is always harder for me and most of the time i am not able to finish the reps especially when is about barbell curls.

generally i make 4x10, but this week i was only able to lift 1x10, 1x8 and 1x6 (i am actually lifting 40kg after 5 months of training), does this kind of workout still count and is it effective? or was just useless? should i lift even when my arms are tired and try to finish those reps?

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should i lift even when my arms are tired and try to finish those reps?

 

That's the difference between being successful and failing. When you're tired, that's when it can be the most important to finish those reps.

 

And with barbell curls, if 5kg isn't working, trying 2.5kg at a time. The bicep is a fairly small muscle to be progressively loading with 5kg at a time.

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I would say that all depends on your goals. Typically 8-10 rep sets are when you're trying to gain mass or "get a pump." If you're goal is to gain strength stay with sets of 5.

 

I would also start learning about the difference between progressive linear loading (adding a fixed amount of weight every fixed interval) and non-linear programming (cycling your workouts to fatigue for a period followed by a period of recovery where you realize gains). You can only progressively load in a linear fashion for so long before you are fatiguing yourself beyond the point where your body can fully recover and at that point you can no longer make gains by linear loading.

 

Personally, I don't directly train the biceps. I still consider myself a beginner at lifting and right now I'm focused on big compound lifts and training my CNS (central nervous system) or "muscle memory." So I'm not sure at what point it would be beneficial to start non-linear programming for the biceps.

 

Hope that helps.

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That'd be micro trauma caused by friction....

 

Remember that recovery (compensation) happens before growth (over compensation), and not just localized recovery, but full systemic recovery.

Full systemic recovery can take up to several days or longer (and there's sufficient evidence of this). Keep in mind, every training day is a kidney day, every training day is a myocardium day, every training day is a nervous system day.

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thanks man i guess i caused that muscular friction with over stressing arms especially with barbell curls and barbell row

and because i kept lifting even when i was tired and felt weak. i hope it will pass soon.

do you know some food or supplements that could help? i am taking reatine and eating more with the idea that food can help to recover faster

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i mean that in 1 month i make aba bab aba bab. i train 3 times per week

for example:

a days

squat 4x6

leg press 3x10

barbell bench press 4x6

dumbell flat bench flies 3x10

barbell row 4x6

pulley 3x10

barbel curls 4x10

crunches with weights and other abs exercises

 

B days

Deadlift 4x6

leg curls 3x10

lateral raise 3x10

incline bench press 4x6

lat machine 4x6

french press 4x10

calf raise 3x15

abs....

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thanks man i guess i caused that muscular friction with over stressing arms especially with barbell curls and barbell row

and because i kept lifting even when i was tired and felt weak. i hope it will pass soon.

do you know some food or supplements that could help? i am taking reatine and eating more with the idea that food can help to recover faster

 

As long as your making the effort to consume a varied well balanced diet, then there's really no need for any additional supplements. However, looking at your routine set-up, you could reduce the volume of your workouts, there's also quite a bit of over lapping going on, OR you could reduce the frequency of your training to just two workouts per week. This will have a positive effect on your recovery.

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The quantity of work Eden. To reduce overlapping for example, in your workout A, i would drop the squat and one of the rowing movements out of that workout (and possibly the flyes). I'd also recommend performing one or two warm-up sets per movement, followed by just one all out set to failure.

For long term progress, you must manage the training stress by properly regulating the volume and frequency of your workouts. As you grow stronger, so too do the stresses on our limited recovery abilities. When you properly regulate the volume and frequency of your training Eden, you will grow stronger in leaps and bounds every workout.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Late to the game, but a quick thought re: whether you should keep lifting with heavier weights -

If you look to popular programs such as stronglifts, it's usually recommended that you try to accomplish your intended sets with your chosen weight about three times before you drop it, and then drop it down ~10% if you still can't make your reps. For example, when you're trying to lift 50 kg, if for three sessions you can't hit your intended reps, drop it to 45 kg. When you're trying for 50 kg, though, don't drop to 45 within your sets. Push out as many as you can with 50 kg.

In general, though, I agree with the earlier sentiments about probably only bumping up 2.5 kg rather than 5.0 kg with accessory moves like bicep curls. Adding 5 kg to a squat isn't going to feel like nearly as much of a jump as adding 5 kg to a bicep curl. If you've got the option and feel like you've plateaued (and assuming you're curling a barbell and not dumbbells), baby plating is always a good idea.

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