You probably follow a traditional bodybuilding routine. Perhaps you hit chest on day 1, back on day 2, shoulders on day 3, arms on day 4, and legs on day 5. This is a very common, traditional workout which has yielded great results for bodybuilders for decades. You strive for symmetry, balance, and you employ an approach to lifting that takes all factors into account. However, despite your efforts to keep everything in balance, and everything in check, you’re seeing a problem develop. Your arms and chest are just growing slower than every other body part.

Maybe you’re overtraining them. Maybe you’re undertraining them. There can be many reasons. Let’s look at a few solutions for bringing chest and arms up to par with the rest of your body parts.

More frequent training

Hitting arms twice per week has worked for many bodybuilders seeking a boost in their training. Keep the volume and weight lower when using this system, as they can quickly become overtrained. Also, avoid hitting other body parts twice per week when using this technique for arms. You certainly will not grow if you’re training every body part twice per week!

Change your rep range

What rep range do you normally employ for arms? If it’s 6 to 8 repetitions, then it may be time to bump up your reps to 12 to 16 for a bit. If you’ve been training light for a lot of reps, then perhaps you should try training them with lower repetitions for heavier weights. You need to recruit both the slow and fast twitch muscle fibers, and varying your rep schemes is the way to do that. Break out of your rut!

Check your form

If you’re training chest and arms like crazy, and they’re not growing, it may be because you’re not training them correctly. Have a more experienced friend or personal trainer honestly evaluate your form as you train. They’re probably itching to critique your form, although good gym etiquette usually dictates they say nothing, as long as the form isn’t dangerous. If you believe the trainer or friend might be able to find errors, ask him or her! If your form is too sloppy, you may be limiting the amount of stress actually being placed on the chest or arms, and you might not even know it.

Try powerlifting

Very often, bodybuilders with stubborn chests will train with a powerlifter for a month or two, and will see new results. The low rep scheme, focus upon explosive lifting, and overall intensity are something that the bodybuilder will very rarely see. Give it a shot, and see if it helps you to break out of your mold!

Give it time

Patience is probably the most overlooked virtue when trying to make gains in the arms and chest. These are, after all, the showcase muscles that you will always be asked to show off. If they’re weak, you’re probably going to overtrain them, use too much weight, or short-circuit your efforts in some other way. Instead, give it time, show some patience, and let those babies grow!

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