The allocation of a whole day for pumping is discussed by many supporters and opponents of this step. Find out the pros and cons of a separate day for hand training. On many specialized forums, the topic of a separate day for hand training is discussed very vigorously. Proponents of this step assure that when performing exercises with a low working weight, it will not be possible to create large arms. At the same time, you can find videos of professionals performing a large number of reps with low weight. Let's break down the pros and cons of a separate day for arm training to find the truth.
The Positives of a Single Hand Training Day
Everyone knows that in order to be truly strong, the muscles must develop harmoniously. Many well-known bodybuilders do a lot of hand development work.
No one will argue with the fact that if you constantly load the muscles, they will grow. If you look closely at the visitors of the halls, then you can see a large number of people who focus on the arms, and the rest of their muscles are much less developed.
Due to the peculiarities of genetics, some athletes simply cannot become owners of powerful arm muscles by performing only basic exercises. At the same time, they will perform a large amount of work, but their hands will not grow. The main reason for this is the active involvement of other muscles. In this case, the allocation of a separate day for hand training seems to be very effective.
Almost all athletes believe that only hard training can bear fruit. But today there is scientific evidence that causing a large number of microtrauma to tissues can be harmful. There are 2 processes that can accelerate hypertrophy without using a lot of working weight.
- The first is to activate the mTOR pathway. Today it is known for sure that mTOR and especially TORC1 are a kind of switches that trigger the production of protein compounds. In the course of numerous studies, it has been proven that mTOR can be activated during the lowering of the projectile, and not due to micro-tissue damage, as was previously thought. It also found that you only need to use 60 to 70 percent of your one-rep maximum to do this. The most important thing here is the slow execution of the negative phase of the movement.
- The second way to accelerate hypertrophy is oxygen deficiency. When doing the exercise, you need to limit the supply of oxygen to the muscle tissues. When muscles contract, blood cannot flow to them, which leads to oxygen starvation. During hypoxia, the synthesis of insulin-like growth factor, which is a powerful anabolic, is accelerated. The state of hypoxia can be easily achieved by doing, for example, the French press.
Negative points of a separate day for hand training
If you do not want to gain extra weight, then a separate day to work on your hands is definitely not a good choice. Also, if your arm muscles grow well from basic exercises, you don't need an extra training day. Doing a lot on the arms can lead to inflammation in the tendons. To a greater extent, this applies to biceps training.
As a result, we can take stock of today's conversation. Of course, the muscles of the arms will become larger if you actively work on them. At the same time, maximum results can be achieved using basic movements. Heavy training is not the only way to achieve hypertrophy.
It should be said right away that novice athletes should focus on basic exercises and the technique for performing them. At the beginning of your career, you definitely don't need a separate day for arm training. But when the muscles stop responding properly to training, then you just need to pay attention to working on the triceps and biceps.
For more information on whether to set aside a separate day for hand training, see here: