So we all hit the plateau. We check that arm size a few times a month and the damn things just stop changing. We all know that we need to change our routines and keep our bodies guessing. We need to eat big to get big. But what happens if you're doing all that and still see nothing. So I went on a search to find out how I can really punish my arms and force them to grow. I think I found it. On my last two cycles I've managed to bump up another half inch with a major increase in volume training in an effort to attack another variable limiting our muscle gains. What is it? Muscle fascia... So my plan was to stretch the shit out of his fascia to give my muscle more room to grow. So I looked at the pump and how to get it keep it and increase it past my normal routine just to get that quick pump size in hope to train my arms in this case to be able to get that extra room to grow. I did this by adding the following new training routine which I have listed out at the end of this post. But first I wanted to explain what I found and why I thought it could work and appears it got me past my sticking point for now.

The idea here is to force as much blood into the arms as possible. With that blood comes all the nutrients, assuming you are eating properly, needed for growth and repair. Also, the idea with this routine is to get that amazing skin splitting pump to help force the muscle to grow by stretching the muscle fascia that covers your muscles. This fascia needs to be stretched out and taken past its limits to allow for your muscles to grow past its current size.
What is it?
A fascia is a connective tissue structure that surrounds muscles, groups of muscles, blood vessels, and nerves, binding some structures together, while permitting others to slide smoothly over each other. Fasciae are classified according to their distinct layers, their functions and their anatomical location: superficial fascia, deep (or muscle) fascia, and visceral (or parietal) fascia.

So in our case we are looking to stretch this deep (or muscle) fascia to allow for some room for our arms to continue with hypertrophy.

Lots limitations of exist for muscular growth. Some are the bodies unwillingness to invest so much energy in hypertrophy. I hat you eat and how much limit you. Cortisol and other inflammatory hormones along with myostatin. However, one major limiting factor to muscle growth is the volume restrictions based on the fascia that surrounds the muscle. This tight connective tissue encapsulates and puts a strong hold on your muscle and resists the increases in volume and size us lifters are looking for.

If you are like me in search for new size and ways to improve this may help. While I was looking to overcome this barrier I found a lot on this topic with a simple google search.

I found an article on bodybuilding.com that talks about extreme stretching. Another good way to help past some barriers and r agh some goals.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/extreme_fascial_stretching.htm

"Your muscles are trapped in a tough interconnected network of fibrous tissue which can severely restrict your ability to pack on size and strength. Using cutting-edge research and innovative training strategies, we've developed a hardcore stretching program for you to obliterate this frustrating muscle limiting barrier. Remember to consult your doctor before starting any diet and exercise plan...."

Now what about me and what I did to help make a change. Like I said above I went with crazy volume to get that supper pump and keep it as long as possible. The idea was to force my body to adapt through growth and repair.

This is the routine that worked for me. I did this routine every other week for 2 months. The weeks I didn't do this routine I did my standard 4-5 exercises with rep range of 10-12 for both biceps and triceps about on average about 16 sets per muscle group. Then I took a month off of this volume training after 2 months and just did a month of my standard training. After that I then added this routine back in everyone's week. I then randomly check arm size and to my surprise and twilight it worked!! The first week you do this it will make you sore. It did for me. To move the session along faster I employed supersets. So I did a set of biceps and then went and did a set of the tricep exercise. Otherwise the whole routine took a long time. So while I did it I did experiment. The first time I did it. I did a full bicep exercise then full tricep and so on. Just took too long. So I tried the superset and I liked it better. Holy hell is the pump amazing. Nothing like a good his and tris pump at the same time.

Give it a go and see what you think.

Arms routine:

The 1000-Rep Arm Training Workout

Exercise Sets Reps Rest

A EZ Bar Curl 5 20 2-3 min.
Perform a few warm up sets first.

B Straight Bar Pushdown 5 20 2-3 min.
Perform a few warm up sets first. Keep your elbows glued to your sides and don't pause; just pump the arms up and down.

C Cable Curl 5 20 2-3 min.
Use an EZ-curl style handle and attach it to the lower cable.

D Overhead Cable Extension 5 20 2-3 min.
Use a rope handle attached to the high pulley. Grasp the handles and face away from the machine. Bend over at the waist and starting with the handles behind your head, extend your arms straight out in front of you.

E Dumbbell Hammer Curl 5 20 2-3 min.
Keep your elbows at your sides and curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders. Do both arms at the same time.

F Lying Extensions With Chain 5 20 2-3 min.
Lie flat on your back and perform a skull-crusher type movement with chains attached to an EZ curl bar, D-handles, or the grenade-type handles if you have them. These can be performed with straight weight if you don't have access to chains.

G Seated Barbell Curl 5 20 2-3 min.
Use a straight barbell for these. Sit on a bench and curl the weight from the tops of your thighs towards your shoulders. Touch your thighs at the bottom of the movement, but don't rest the weight on them.

H Dumbbell Kickback 5 20 1-2 min.
Grab a pair of dumbbells, bend over at the waist, and extend both dumbbells at the same time. Keep your upper arms parallel to the floor and pause the reps briefly at the top with full extension while flexing the triceps.

I EZ-Bar Reverse Curl 5 20 2-3 min.
Keep your form strict here and limit the amount of body swing.

J Bench Dip 5 20 1-2 min.
Bodyweight is all you should need by the time you get here. Use two benches of the same height.

Key Points
Perform this program every 14 to 28 days to rapidly increase arm size while avoiding overuse.
Strictly adhere to the prescribed sets, reps, and rest periods to reap the maximum benefit of the program.
It's okay to decrease the amount of weight used as fatigue sets in, but keep it at a level that's still challenging.

Perform your normal arm workout during the weeks you're not killing yourself with this program.