3 questions for Ladies who Lift...

bicep curls?? you mean chin ups?

seriously, i used to scoff at the guys at my gym that were there obviously for bicep curl day. i mean, these guys would destroy their biceps with all manner of curls, and you could tell they were there fresh off the street.

my arms were looking pretty good from overhead press, chest press, dips, pull ups and chin ups. hell, even doing dead lifts work out your arms.

but it got me thinking, and i looked into it. mark rippetoe basically says that if your work out is your meal, then the meat and potatoes of it is your compound lifts and other exercises that make the use out of the most muscles. bicep curls are like dessert, and are at the end of your work out if you have time and energy.

also, if your biceps are too big, and your triceps don't match, it can give your chest a droopy appearance.

triceps > biceps

I've contemplated added bicep curls into my routine for mainly vanity reasons but then I wonder if I should also do triceps then, and yeah, ain't nobody got time for that...

Strong triceps stronger bench. I don't do much with bis but will always make time fro tris

I've contemplated added bicep curls into my routine for mainly vanity reasons but then I wonder if I should also do triceps then, and yeah, ain't nobody got time for that...

Strong triceps stronger bench. I don't do much with bis but will always make time fro tris

You don't find that your tri's are strong enough already?

No

LOL at everyone who doesn't curl or fly. Remember people, accessory work is also good for you. I like to hit my compounds first and then finish out the fatigue with accessory/iso work. My strength has increased quite well in my compound lifts with a combination of both.

Curl - 30-35lb dumbbells, 45-60lb barbells
Fly - 25-35lb dumbbells
Lifting - Consistently since 9/2011

Good grief, this place is full of hot heads.

Please allow me first, to point out, I am a female. Second, I LOL'd at people stating they don't do bicep curls or flies as if they aren't important. It's accessory/ISO work, and accessory/ISO work is important. Whatever form you chose, that's your business.

You'll notice I stated I do compounds first, and then fully fatigue my muscles with accessory/ISO work. That being said, I do have a dedicated arm day because I have the time to have a dedicated arm day and I enjoy them fully. The OP specifically asked about our curl and fly numbers. If she wanted to know about our compound numbers, she would have asked.

I've contemplated added bicep curls into my routine for mainly vanity reasons but then I wonder if I should also do triceps then, and yeah, ain't nobody got time for that...

Strong triceps stronger bench.

QFT.

LOL at everyone who doesn't curl or fly. Remember people, accessory work is also good for you. I like to hit my compounds first and then finish out the fatigue with accessory/iso work. My strength has increased quite well in my compound lifts with a combination of both.

Curl - 30-35lb dumbbells, 45-60lb barbells
Fly - 25-35lb dumbbells
Lifting - Consistently since 9/2011

Good grief, this place is full of hot heads.

Please allow me first, to point out, I am a female. Second, I LOL'd at people stating they don't do bicep curls or flies as if they aren't important. It's accessory/ISO work, and accessory/ISO work is important. Whatever form you chose, that's your business.

You'll notice I stated I do compounds first, and then fully fatigue my muscles with accessory/ISO work. That being said, I do have a dedicated arm day because I have the time to have a dedicated arm day and I enjoy them fully. The OP specifically asked about our curl and fly numbers. If she wanted to know about our compound numbers, she would have asked.

I do iso work.

I think the issue is that numbers don't matter with it. What matters is that you do it. Substantially more so than with compound lifts, with accessory work you can yeild as good or greater benefit with numbers FAR below your RM.

You can bench 405 and still see a benefit from 35-40 lb flyes.

The poster LOLing is female.

Son of a bi... could we please keep the profile images to something a little more traditionally gender specific so this doesn't keep happening to me?! LMAO

Edit: Wait... why DID I think that was a dude? Whatever, workout what you like lol. Just make sure your focus is on compound movements, the truely heavy and important ones.

It really doesnt matter what gender they are anyway. We are discussing lifting.

bicep curls?? you mean chin ups?

seriously, i used to scoff at the guys at my gym that were there obviously for bicep curl day. i mean, these guys would destroy their biceps with all manner of curls, and you could tell they were there fresh off the street.

my arms were looking pretty good from overhead press, chest press, dips, pull ups and chin ups. hell, even doing dead lifts work out your arms.

but it got me thinking, and i looked into it. mark rippetoe basically says that if your work out is your meal, then the meat and potatoes of it is your compound lifts and other exercises that make the use out of the most muscles. bicep curls are like dessert, and are at the end of your work out if you have time and energy.

also, if your biceps are too big, and your triceps don't match, it can give your chest a droopy appearance.

triceps > biceps

Tons of interesting info. I do appreciate the responses. Now I have a better idea of what to expect as far as goal weights in different areas. I realize each individual needs to work with their body and progress at their own rate. I will be adding more compound movements for a base as well. I do like the curls and flyes and rows etc. It sounds like balance is a great thing to incorporate all the way around. Thanks everyone!

I'd suggest against aiming to lift a specific amount of weight for isolation exercises.

more of a finesse thing than a power thing?

Basically, yes. Isolation work is good, by all means do it. But don't worry if you're not curling 72.512412 lbs after 10.16125 weeks of training, it doesn't matter. With compound movements weight on the bar really matters, not so much with accessory work.

1. 35
2. 55
3. Approx. 20 years

New Rules on Lifting for Women....Amazon or Kindle.

LOL at everyone who doesn't curl or fly.

lol at people who think they're necessary for everyone who lifts

You are at risk for elbow (and shoulder) problems by benching. Doing iso tri work can help mitigate some of that.

o_O

I suppose if you flare your elbows 90 degrees from your torso on every rep this might be true. Am I crazy for thinking that most people who train bench press regularly learn how to protect the joints involved?

You've competed.

How many elite level guys do you know that don't battle injury?

Am I crazy for thinking that if those guys who are the cream of the crop can get injured, that randoms on MFP might not be quite as well equipped to protect themselves as you seem to think.