Can't Feel The Muscle

[Primal]

Disclaimer: This is going to sound really stupid, but it's an honest problem. Ok, just like the title says, some days and on some muscle groups I can't feel my muscle being worked at all. For instance today; It was my back and biceps day. Hit back just fine (started incorporating bent over rows into back days and they feel great, thanks again Prae) but when it came to biceps it all crumbled. I started out with the heavy barbell curls and I could do about 70% of my max weight only which was weird because I was really focused and usually I can do 80-90% of my max weight when my mind is in the groove. My biceps weren't stiff either, the felt... normal, no pump or anything. I've had this happen before and I've tried many ways to try and counteract it. Heavy weight first? Don't work. Longer warm up time? Doesn't help either. Higher reps? Even from starting? Nope. Giving biceps its on day even, plenty of volume and small amounts of volume, hitting it 2-3 even 4 times a week, isometric holds, lighter weight, isolation exercises only... None of them work. I'm so lost as to what to do, it seems like it only happens on my bicep days and I can't figure out why. My form for all of the movements is good, I'm certainly not cheating my self. But it seems that I just can't work it some days. Like I said up top, it's a really stupid question but it affects me so bad. Yes, I feel like crap, still got this stupid stomach thing and yes I'm really stressed out from school still but this shouldn't be affecting this right?

What do you guys think? Even with the compound movements, like deadlifts, chins and pullups, the biceps cannot be felt.

-Primal

[cog]

Try a set of reverse grip preacher curls to warm up for 12-15.Back of your tricep firmly against the pad,all the way down slowly,no rockin and rollin.Performed with the easy curl bar.12-15.

[TT Eric]

Personally I would not do biceps after huge back workout, particularly if your arms are a weak part, if you work your back hard, the biceps will work also and it's almost a workout in itself, they will be tired and never will be 100%.

Since they are a small muscle they tired fast, but they also recuperate fast, so you can work them 2 days later and they will be fresh, even if the back is not.

From a guy who dealt with having chopsticks arms, nothing beat doing biceps in supersets with triceps, best for growth and you will feel the pump believe me. The blood rush from one side to the other after at every sets, not only it gives a great pump, but when working the antagonist muscle, you trigger recovery of the opposite muscle, so you're stronger then usual, you move more weights.

Eric

[Primal]

Try a set of reverse grip preacher curls to warm up for 12-15.Back of your tricep firmly against the pad,all the way down slowly,no rockin and rollin.Performed with the easy curl bar.12-15.

Thanks for the tip! I tried it today and even with low weight the muscle was 'trembly'. I don't know if you guys experience this (this happens with my abs too sometimes) I'll get the bar up fine (ie. concentric is good) but when I slow down for the eccentric the muscle starts trembling. It looks like there's an earthquake in my arms on the way down seriously. Same thing, I can't feel the muscle being worked but it seems like it has an infinite of micro-sticking points on the way down. I know it sounds weird, hope I'm explaining it ok. This is after I do my warm ups too.

-Primal

[steve_d]

Thanks for the tip! I tried it today and even with low weight the muscle was 'trembly'. I don't know if you guys experience this (this happens with my abs too sometimes) I'll get the bar up fine (ie. concentric is good) but when I slow down for the eccentric the muscle starts trembling. It looks like there's an earthquake in my arms on the way down seriously. Same thing, I can't feel the muscle being worked but it seems like it has an infinite of micro-sticking points on the way down. I know it sounds weird, hope I'm explaining it ok. This is after I do my warm ups too.

-Primal

Seems to me your muscle is just tired if its trembling. Happens to me if I have a good workout. If I squat good, my leg extensions will tremble on the eccentric. Same idea. It doesn't sound like a bad thing. I would try what TTeric says, and see if that helps. I don't have a problem working biceps on a back day other than time - I typically spend quite a bit of time doing back, so if I combined biceps on a back day I might be in the gym too long. I've combined back and biceps for years though with no issue. Although bicep is a strong point, so it's not like the short bicep workout held me back.

I am not quite sure I understand the idea of not feeling the muscle. If you take a weight, say 30 pound dumbells, and curl it with strict form, you have no choice but to feel it in your biceps eventually. Unless you stop way before failure.

[cog]

How light was the light Primal?Shouldnt be any sticking points,you should be able to smoothly control the weight.

[Primal]

Seems to me your muscle is just tired if its trembling. Happens to me if I have a good workout. If I squat good, my leg extensions will tremble on the eccentric. Same idea. It doesn't sound like a bad thing. I would try what TTeric says, and see if that helps. I don't have a problem working biceps on a back day other than time - I typically spend quite a bit of time doing back, so if I combined biceps on a back day I might be in the gym too long. I've combined back and biceps for years though with no issue. Although bicep is a strong point, so it's not like the short bicep workout held me back.

I am not quite sure I understand the idea of not feeling the muscle. If you take a weight, say 30 pound dumbells, and curl it with strict form, you have no choice but to feel it in your biceps eventually. Unless you stop way before failure.

Yeah I think I'm going to try switching over to what Eric said, just to mix it up a bit. I've been doing back and biceps on the same day for a few months and I liked the feeling of having an only arm day. For me biceps is a very weak componet so maybe focusing on just the arms in a day will help it grow.

Hmm, ok I'll try to explain it a bit better. If I take 30 lbs and start curling with strict form, I will get a pump but it's not an engorging pump you know what I mean? It's a dull sort of pump, the muscle feel flat and there is a small amount of blood but nothing close to a real pump. If I do some high reps, eventually my bicep gets that tremble thing going on. So it's not the fact that I can't feel it per se, its the fact that it takes me much longer and much more effort to feel something so small and insignificant that on a different day would take me drastically less time and I'd feel the muscle contract and squeeze so much better. Like some days, I'll get a pump in biceps so good that I feel like it's going to explode. When I go to the locker room after, I try to splash water into my face and I can't even bend my elbows it's so good. But with days like yesterday, my bicep just feels deflated, flat and incredibly trembly. Today, I hardly feel anything in my biceps, it's almost as if I didn't work them at all!

I can't help but notice that when I have some sodium before hitting back and biceps that I can get a much more efficient workout in... Could this have anything to do with whats going on? Right now, I'm on low carbs, just holding out till the doc can look at me and diagnose some stuff. Still, weight loss has been going good, lost a good 5 lbs and strength hasn't changed yet. Also, the pump I was talking about above was just an example, I'm still doing heavy curls and focusing on strength. Hope I explained it a bit better this time around. Thanks all!

-Primal

[Primal]

How light was the light Primal?Shouldnt be any sticking points,you should be able to smoothly control the weight.

Well I like using the ez-e curl bar, and heavy for me is 45's on either side which in total is about 100 lbs. I did it today with 30 on each side and as I mentioned above, small sticking points all the way down. Of course it was sticking for like a full second or anything but it was around half a second. This is what I mean by the trembling, it always happens like this with the sticking points. It could be like steve mentioned, my biceps could be tired but this happens all the time when they should be fresh too.

-Primal

[scottlove]

This may sound a little odd, but I have certain shirts I wear for different workouts. If I have a lose, baggy shirt on to do my arm workout, I just don't feel the same pump as when I wear something that feels snug and lets me feel the pump and the muscle working, same goes for back day and chest day.

[Praetorian]

If you are trying to build arms I would really suggest as Eric did to do biceps and triceps on a separate day...and not right after back either. The arm grows best when both muscles are worked in the same workout and you get a crazy pump as well. Doing biceps after back day is like trying to sprint after running the 5000m...not very efficient. If you already have fairly big arms ie 20+ then I dont see it as a problem..if not then you need to prioritize arms and give them the work they deserve.

P

[cog]

Primal,I agree with what Prae says above,but you can't let your ego get in the way of a warmup.Go lighter all the way down until your elbows rotate inwards slightly.

[Primal]

Ok so I'll lighten the warmups when I have these days and I'll switch to an only arm day. I'll also give the baggy shirt thing a try, no harm in that! Thanks all!

-Primal