First of all, each person has their own personal gym preferences. If you do a push/pull routine or a full body workout every other day, stick with what works best for you. But we want to highlight a few points that might give you an idea or two when it comes to arm training.
There are pros and cons of exercising biceps and triceps on the same day or separately. A lot of it depends on how you break down the body parts during your training week and what makes the most sense for how you do it.
Benefits of training pectorals and biceps together
There are several benefits of working pectorals and biceps on the same day.
- Chest and biceps do not interfere with each other. When you do chest and triceps together, you will inevitably get tired when it’s time to train the second muscle. The chest and biceps combination allows you to train each muscle when you’re fresh and rested, which means you can use heavier weights and stimulate more growth.
- Chest and biceps training on the same day allows you to focus on the muscle that needs more attention. In general, it’s a good idea to train the muscle group you prioritize first in your workout when you’re strongest and most energized. Combining chest and biceps allows you to do this. Since your biceps are not directly involved in training your chest, you can start your workout with either muscle and still do your best.
- If you train your entire body in one workout, you can’t do multiple sets for each muscle group without spending half the day in the gym.
If you only train one muscle group per workout, you’ll need to train almost every day to cover your entire body. Combining chest and biceps is a great compromise that allows you to train each muscle once or twice a week, depending on your preference.
How often should you train your arms?
How often you train your arms can vary depending on your level of experience with resistance training and your goals. If you want to get bigger biceps and triceps (as most of us do), you’ll need to train them more each week. What matters is the total number of games you complete in a week. Whether you do a few sets every day or move your arms once a week is really up to you.
If you’re in your first year of weightlifting, stick to 9-10 sets per week of exercises for biceps and triceps. In later years, 20 games per week is more appropriate. The biceps, in particular, seem to respond better to higher sets and reps than they do to heavy weights.
Should you work biceps and triceps on the same day?
Should biceps and triceps be worked together on the same day? Yes, working your biceps and triceps together on the same day is a tried and true way to build muscle in your arms.
Since biceps and triceps exercises don’t interfere with each other, you can train bis and triceps at the same time without sacrificing your strength in the slightest.
Can I work these two muscles on the same day?
In a word, yes.
Most professional lifters and strength trainers prefer “supersets”, which means doing one set for the biceps, immediately followed by one set for the triceps. For example, performing a set of heavy barbell curls, then a superset with a seated triceps press or military press would be a great bi and tri exercise alternative.