Kolumne 38 | Ein Weg zu mehr Armumfang - Demo-Frey-Nutrition

Column 38 | A way to increase arm circumference

SO THAT THE FIGHT FOR PROGRESS DOESN’T BECOME A STRUGGLE AS WE GET OLD.

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Column 38 - A way to increase arm circumference
I am 42 years old and have been training for about 25 years. My best bench press is 150 kilos and my arm circumference is 42 to 43 centimeters. Unfortunately, I have not been able to improve my performance in recent years, although I would really like to have a larger arm circumference. Since my training performance did not improve and in some cases even declined, I tried out several training methods.

I usually concentrate on compound exercises like bench presses, pull-ups, bent-over rows, deadlifts or squats in a rep range of six to ten. However, I could hardly achieve the so-called "pump feeling" with this. It was only when I went up to 20 to 30 reps per set that I felt a burning sensation in the target muscles and a nice pump. For example, I was able to pump up my arms to 44 centimeters. Unfortunately, they didn't get any bigger when they were cold. Does this pumping up actually do anything? Or does it just fill the muscles with blood without causing them to grow? What is better for building muscle: sets of up to ten reps without pumping or sets of 20 to 30 reps with pumping? Maybe a combination would make sense, that is, a heavy set followed by a light one for pumping. Perhaps I have already reached my limits at 42. But I'm not giving up and hope that you can give me a tip.

ANSWER

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Andreas Frey answers
The reason for the lack of further progress may be that your body is too adapted to your previous training. Unfortunately, you didn't write anything about the duration and extent of your workouts. Stagnation is usually due to these parameters; many bodybuilders, for example, train too much rather than too little.

World champion Alexej Kauz at the 2013 World Cup in Russia
Especially when you're over 40, you should be careful not to do too much, otherwise you'll quickly end up overtraining. Your workout shouldn't last longer than 60 minutes and shouldn't exceed ten sets for large muscle groups and six sets for small muscle groups. Remember: Muscles grow during rest, not during training! Furthermore, a number of repetitions of eight to ten is not necessarily the optimum for muscle hypertrophy: train in the range of eight to twelve. On the other hand, I don't think 20 to 30 repetitions are useful, as they tend to improve your strength endurance and capillarization, which of course creates a good pump, but is not responsible for building muscle.

If you want to train holistically, i.e. across the entire repetition spectrum, in order to develop both more strength and an enormous pump, the Hatfield training system is for you. On the following page you will find more information about the Hatfield system as well as other well-known training systems: TRAINING METHODS .

To build muscle effectively, I recommend 8 to 12 repetitions per set.
In order to force the arms in particular to grow, I recommend that you do more than just compound exercises within the number of sets I mentioned. These are actually very good for promoting general muscle growth. However, smaller muscle groups in particular, such as biceps and triceps, can benefit from additional machine training that stresses and stimulates them in isolation.

In addition to training, nutrition is also important
For consistent progress, it is not just training that is important, but also nutrition. This is even more important the older you get. I recommend a balanced, vitamin-rich diet with plenty of protein and a moderate amount of carbohydrates and fat. Fatty and rich meals in the evening should be avoided, as the metabolism slows down with each year of life. This means that you put on fat more quickly as you get older.

The use of supplements is also worth considering. CREATINE is known to be the best means for building strength and muscle. Together with a MULTI-COMPONENT PROTEIN as well as  MALTODEXTRIN Immediately after training, you will have a good stack for new personal bests in your arsenal.

Of course, when you're over 40 you can't expect any gigantic leaps in performance. Even if that's a little disappointing, you have to face reality and not waste any more time thinking about it. In my opinion, it's already a success if you maintain your existing muscles and performance at this age. But that doesn't mean that you'll only experience stagnation and regression. It just takes a lot longer to make progress than it did before.

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