if you work bis and back on the same day?

Question

how much extra do you do for bis after doing the back because you use bis to do back.

Answer 1

Yes, you are correct that you use biceps when working your back. Likewise you work your triceps when working your chest.

For a combination day when you intend to work your back and biceps most would start with a warm up of pullups (or pulldowns depending on your fitness level). And by the time you have completed your set of rows, etc your biceps are feeling fairly tired. At this point it is a good idea to drink down some water and stretch the muscles. If there is a spare Smith Machine I set the bar at about hip level, backup to the bar, put my palms on top of the bar and then lean forward. With your arms stretched out behind you the biceps are put at maximum strech, hold this stretch for at least 30 seconds. This gives the water a chance to hydrate your biceps. You might do a couple of sets of this stretch just to give them a little chance to recover from the back workout.

Now that you have stretched the biceps back out you are ready to concentrate on working them out. The back exercises you performed did not fully contract the biceps since part of the load was (obviously) taken by the back muscles. So you want to use your last remaining energy to contract the biceps under maximum overload. I prefer concentration curls at this point since you have already done plenty of compound movements, so you so an isolation movement is fine to do at this point. Pick a weight that is heavy enough that you cannot do 7 reps, but light enough that you can do at least 4 reps. At the top of the exercise when your bicep is at maximum contraction, really lean into the movement and give yourself a mental image of a walnut being trapped between your bicep and forearm. Concentrate on attempting to crack that nut and hold that contraction as hard as you can for at least 3 seconds. Don't go too quickly when lowering the weight, take at least twice as long to lower it as it took you to raise it in a very controlled movement. When raising it back up you want an explosive fast movement.

After you have completed your set of 4 to 7 reps, perform the stretch again. Then return and do a second set of concentration curls. Two sets at this level of weight will probably leave your arms fried, but do a third set if you can. At this point quickly drink down a whey protein isolate with some simple carbs to boost your insulin level and after finishing it do a final set of stretches and picture the protein rushing into your fully stretched bicep muscles.