Building Massive Biceps : Pro Observations

Most competitive bodybuilders fall into 1 of 3 categories:
1. Limb Freaks - big arms and (maybe) legs but lacking in torso thickness
2. Torso Freaks - Massively thick pecs and back but with less well developed arms and (maybe) legs
3. Symmetry Queens - small but evenly developed all over.

And typically - though there will always be exceptions - bodybuilders in each of these categories tend to use similar training styles:
1. Limb Freaks are often pumpers: they train with high volume, high frequency routines and often make effective use of cheat, forced and partial rep techniques.
2. Torso Freaks are often 'Powerbuilders': they train with massive poundages on the basic compound lifts.
3. Symmetry Queens are often technique fanatics: they never increase their training poundages at the expense of perfect form.

But the correlation to note is that trainers who use higher volume, looser style, "pump" training typically often develop better arms than their heavy, power training brethren.

An excellent current example of this correlation is Lee Priest. Lee has arguably the best arm development ever and he is well known for being a high volume, 20set per bodypart man. Yet, unfortunately, Lee's chest and back thickness have always been criticised as his weaknesses. The same applied to a lesser degree to past greats Flex Wheeler and Paul Dillet.

On the flip side, Dorian Yates, Art Atwood, Johnie Jackson and Branch Warren come to mind as recent bodybuilders who are well respected for their power training with unbelievably heavy poundages. All exhibit huge torso thickness and yet all complain of their arms being difficult to develop.

Then, of course, you have guys like Ron Coleman and Kevin Levrone who are proportionately massive everywhere and train with medium volume using massive poundages. The relationship here is still clear: get massively strong on everything and you will have massive muscularity everywhere... if you don't break first.

👉 Building Massive Biceps : Basic Training Principles
👉 Building Massive Biceps : Lessons from SEO's
👉 Building Massive Biceps : Training the Arms
👉 Building Massive Biceps : Arm Workout Structure
👉 Building Massive Biceps : Training Splits
👉 Building Massive Biceps : Exercise Selection
👉 Building Massive Biceps : Exploiting Exercises' Unique Attributes
👉 Building Massive Biceps : Rep Schemes
👉 Building Massive Biceps : A Word on Diet