Training lagging body parts is something everyone who wants to compete in a bodybuilding show needs to pay attention to. A few weeks ago my adviser informed me that he wanted me to add a fourth day to my weight training. He didn't want me to spend this on just anything, he wanted me to find a body part I wanted to improve and hit it with an intense training session each week.
As I thought about what body part I wanted to work on, I had to consider what was lagging behind. I had to consider the fact that when I get down to less than 10% body fat, which body part is not going to be where I want it. My conclusion was that my arms needed some work and my adviser approved me working them on the extra day.
Training lagging body parts is tricky. To my way of thinking, they most likely are lagging because they are not as responsive as the rest of your body. This can be for a lot of reasons, not the least of which could be too much training. Yes, the arms get worked when a lot of other body parts are worked, so the over training issue was something I had to consider. I have only had minimal success with building my arms over the years, so I decided that this was an area I would focus on.
I change up my training each week, but here is one workout that I am doing that really hits the arms hard.
Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets of 8 repetitions
Incline Alternating Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets of 8 repetitions
Preacher curls – 3 sets of 8 repetions (last set being an X-Rep set)
Wide grip chin ups – 3 sets to failure
Narrow grip chin ups – 3 sets to failure
Because my lagging body part is my arms I am being careful not to use too many sets. In addition, what I do is focus on my biceps and then rotate in some exercises for the triceps every other week. My triceps really are the best part of my arms, so I am basically training them with a lower frequency. So far this system seems to be working as my arms are getting much more defined.
Training lagging body parts is tricky. At the same time, you have to plan your program to include that issue. Any good plan is going to create a balanced looking body. That's the ultimate objective, wouldn't you agree?
