The Minimum Effective Volume (MEV) for biceps requires you to perform at least eight sets of direct bicep workouts per week. It means that you need to complete eight sets of biceps throughout the week.
If lifting heavier weights (enough so that you can only complete six to eight repetitions), rest at least two days between bicep workouts. If your goal is endurance and lean muscle, stick with one to three sets of 12 to 16 reps with at least one day of rest in between.
Three sets are not enough to build muscle. Increasing the number of sets of each exercise, even while only performing 10 reps, can build muscle because you will be pushing your muscles to fatigue because they are under tension longer.
1-2 sets of about 15 reps a piece will do. Working Sets: Start your workout with a heavy duty bicep This way you'll get the most out of your arms when they are fresh. You'll then transition to a less dense exercise but will still use heavier weights since the rep range will be between 6 and 8 reps.
2 Studies by Barbalho et al. (2018, 2019) find that when training a muscle only once per week and trying to train to true momentary muscle failure, the optimal training volume is only 5-10 sets per week. Groups doing 15 and 20 sets per week achieved worse muscle and strength gains.
The biceps and triceps should be trained using rep ranges between 5-20 reps to best maximize strength, muscle growth, and overall development of the muscles.
The number of exercises that make an effective arm workout can range from 1-3 movements per session, with any more than that resulting in excessive fatigue and inconsistent form and technique. It is common that an arm routine consists of 1-3 arm exercises per muscle each workout.
Howell is a fan of relatively light weight and high volume (reps in the 12 to 15 range) for biceps training, as the volume will tax both slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers over time. Incorporating a large variety of biceps exercises performed with high sets and high reps will also help you build bigger arm muscles.
There are two main training errors people make that keep their biceps from growing. These are overtraining the biceps (often unintentionally) and a lack of variation in training techniques. Adding additional biceps focused workouts and trying multiple biceps exercises doesn't work.
For instance, our biceps grow best when we train them with a mix of chin-ups and biceps curls. Dr Israetel also points out that weekly volume needs to be split up intelligently over multiple training sessions, with around 4–12 sets coming from each workout.
BICEPS TRAINING
Recommendations suggesting 12-20 total work sets per week for intermediate lifters. Performing as little as 6-8 sets per week can also suffice for some lifters who are performing a lot of pulling, as the biceps are also responsible for this movement.
For dumbbell curls, begin by using a weight that you can control for 2–3 sets of 8–12 repetitions. Choose a weight that allows you to maintain good technique throughout all sets and repetitions.
If it's twenty hard sets per session for a single muscle group, yes, it's definitely too much. Past ten hard sets, you aren't really stimulating any more gains-check the triangle line below, for muscle protein synthesis. You ARE, however, generating fatigue.
There is no set weight to start with when using dumbbells, some people may feel comfortable beginning at 5kg and others at 15kg. It is important to start with a manageable weight, nothing too light or too heavy, as you want to be able to feel some impact.
Through weightlifting exercises, you may be able to put an inch of muscle on your biceps in a week. You may be able to gain another inch in two weeks, but soon your body will plateau and you won't see that kind of growth every week.
It all comes down to reps
People lift weights with the goal of making their muscles stronger (and, for some, to get those bulky biceps or lean-looking arms). For those looking to develop large muscles, they will likely opt for a heavier weight, while people who want to get lean will stick to something smaller.
Biceps get a lot of attention at the gym, and many people can overwork them in an attempt to get gains fast. When struggling to grow your arms, it can be easy to just keep on adding to your routine, but this can easily go wrong. Biceps are different from larger muscle groups, where additional exercise is always better.
Many fitness beginners and even bodybuilders have difficulty in building up their biceps. This is not solely because the biceps is an isolated muscle that is naturally hard to develop, but mostly because they may just be doing the wrong bicep exercises for long-term results.
Overtraining arms is easily done. You often involve biceps and forearms during back training, with triceps getting a beating on chest day. If you're on a split that has you train through the entire body twice per week you could be hitting the same muscles almost every day, directly or indirectly.
If you overtrain, your muscle fibers tear and your body does not have enough time to heal the muscles before you go back into the gym and tear the fibers again. This is overtraining! If you overtrain your muscles will not grow in size or strength and can actually get weaker or smaller.
Researchers found progressive overload — gradually increasing the weight and number of repetitions of exercises — to be effective for increasing bicep strength and muscle growth in both men and women.
Up to 20 sets are less significant from an ROI perspective, but worth doing if you're an advanced lifter looking to maximise your progress. 20 to 30 sets is where some people can make minor extra gains, but many would step into the realm of overtraining.
If you've been training properly for less than a year, perform 10-15 sets per muscle group per week. If you've been training properly for one to five years, perform 15-20 sets per week. If you're very advanced and have been training properly for over five years, perform 20-25 sets per week.
You should work out your biceps two to three times a week, following a strength-training schedule and gradually working your way up to a greater number of sets and repetitions.