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Table of Contents
- 1. Overview
- 2. How often should you train your biceps in a week?
- 3. How to Decide Bicep Training Frequency per Week?
- 3.1. Overall Volume of Your Training
- 3.2. Your Availability for Training
- 3.3. Your Ability to Recover
- 4. Why is the Recovery Period Important?
- 5. Bicep Weekly Training Frequency for beginner level
- 6. Bicep Weekly Training Frequency for intermediate and advanced level
- 7. Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Overview
The question of how many times a person should train their biceps each week is frequently debated, especially when the goal is to gain maximum size and strength.
The truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. You can train your biceps from two to six times a week depending on your goals and requirements.
This article will explain how many times you should work your biceps in a week based on different factors and why proper recovery time is important.
2. How often should you train your biceps in a week?
Ideally, it is advised to work your biceps at least two to three times per week.
But the number of days you should train your biceps depends on what you want to achieve (strength or size) and the time frame in which you want to achieve it. (longer or shorter time period).
2.1. For Bicep Growth or Size
For bicep size, It's not about how many days you train your biceps per week, it's about how much volume (too much, too little, just right) you train them over time.
- According to a study published in a male physique, training your biceps even once a week can lead to muscle growth.
Another study in 2016 by Brad Schoenfeld revealed that training biceps more than once each week was more effective in enhancing muscular growth. Working biceps two to three times per week resulted in roughly twice the muscle growth compared to baseline (3.7 percent vs. 6.8 percent).
2.2. For Bicep Strength
For bicep strength, it’s about how much weight you are trying to lift. If you are lifting heavy weights, you should train your biceps for three non-consecutive days per week to build enough muscle strength.
3. How to Decide Bicep Training Frequency per Week?
The frequency at which you should train your biceps depends on the following factors:
3.1. Overall Volume of Your Training
- Start by calculating your overall weekly training volume (work sets per week) and plan your workout plan accordingly.
- Training volume is critical in deciding how many times you should work your biceps in a week. If the total weekly training volume is more, you can break it up into smaller sessions so that your biceps are exerted evenly throughout the week.
- 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. You can do this either by training twice a week with four sets per session or by training four times a week with two sets per session.
3.2. Your Availability for Training
- Another important factor in deciding bicep training days is your availability. You can create your own schedule based on your daily routine.
- For instance, if you’re available to exercise daily, you can break your weekly bicep training into seven days.
- If you can only spare time for two to three days per week, then you can figure out your bicep workout routine accordingly.
3.3. Your Recovering Ability
Training too little or too often will result in little bicep growth. This is because excessive training will not allow your arms to recover and rebuild. Therefore, you must give yourself enough time to recover in between your bicep workouts.
Generally, a 24-48 hour resting period is sufficient to avoid any injury. In case you’re using heavy weights, make sure to rest at least for two consecutive days.
4. Why is the Recovery Period Important?
Some people may overwork their biceps in a desire to develop these muscles quickly. But this approach can do more harm than good as it does not give your muscles enough time to repair themselves.
If you don’t rest properly, your muscles will not heal from the previous strain. Consequently, more workouts will create further injuries to the already damaged tissues.
So make sure you're getting the most out of your recovery and staying within your weekly training volume (work sets per week).
5. Bicep Weekly Training Frequency for Beginner level
If you’re a beginner who has just started training biceps, you first need to work on your base before jumping to a higher frequency.
Hence, training your biceps twice a week will be more beneficial at the start.
| Bicep Training Frequency per week | Sets Per Week |
|---|---|
| 2 to 3 days (Based on total Training Volume) |
8 to 12 |
6. Bicep Weekly Training Frequency for Intermediate and Advanced level
| Bicep Training Frequency per week | Sets Per Week |
|---|---|
| 2 to 3 days or More (Based on total Training Volume) |
10 to 14 |
It is recommended that intermediate lifters should do 12-20 total training sets per week.
The weights used to exercise the biceps can vary, but heavy weights (less than 8 reps) should be avoided because they might cause damage. Throughout a training routine, a mixture of moderate (8-15) and higher rep (20-30) exercises should be completed .
7. Frequently Asked Questions:
7.1. Is it alright to work biceps every day?
Working biceps every day is usually not recommended. This is because your biceps will lose their power and strength if exerted excessively.
Hence, you must take some time off to allow your biceps to recover following an exercise. After a proper resting period of 36-48 hours, your muscles will actually grow stronger due to supercompensation, enabling you to do more strenuous workouts.
7.2. Can I train my biceps every two days if my bicep is lagging?
Yes, it is alright to work your biceps every two days because this is enough time to give your muscles to properly rest.
In fact, it’s more important to focus on the number of sets, repetitions, exercises, and intensity rather than on the frequency of exercises in a particular week.
7.3. Is it enough to do two biceps exercises per week?
It may be enough in the beginning but it is best to perform at least three exercises per week that vary in movements. For example, a mixed set of standing curls, incline curls, and preacher curls will be more beneficial.
7.4. Is it a good idea to train your biceps just before your back workout?
No, training biceps before a back workout is not a smart idea since the back is a pull activity that incorporates the biceps and forearms. If you train your biceps before a back session, your biceps will already be sore, resulting in a deficient and weak workout.