It appears that you are looking for the "right" way to lift, when in reality....there is no such thing. I am not sure how advanced you are? Also, what are you goals?
However, there are so many variables to throw at your muscles that it is honestly mind boggling! And you must remember that everyone is metabolically, physiologically, and mentally different. That being said, each of us will respond uniquely to all these various training techniques.
Seems confusing, and it really can be if you let it. Basic weight training techniques are rather simple. If you are training for strength, lift lower reps and heavier reps. If you are training for muscle hypertrophy (growth), train with higher reps and lighter weights. I like to use between 3-6 reps for strength and 8-12 reps for size with my clients. It seems that on average, this will fit those two unique goals.
I also find that on average, many people get used to a training program within 3-6 weeks. What I mean is, their muscles adapt after a short time, and once this happens, it becomes very hard to make gains. If you are lifting for strength you will notice you are reaching plateaus with your weights. If you are lifting for size, you will notice that you might also be hitting plateaus with your weights lifted, as well as you will notice your body will stop responding.
Far too many individuals get stuck training the same way day in and day out. They don't realize how amazing our bodies are. And if you if you don't train intelligently, your body will be VERY stubborn.
I am not saying that you have to completely overhaul your routine every few weeks. However, you better at the very least, change some variables of the routine up. Also, don't fix what is not broke. If you find a routine that is working for you, ride it out for as long as your body allows.
There is nothing better then educating yourself about all the various training techniques. There are great books out there that describe different routines and exercises. If you want some good reading material, check out my website which offers suggested readings at .
Me, personally, change my routine up every 2-8 weeks depending on the different responses I am experiencing from the different routines I use. I notate every single routine I use in my training log and will rate each and every routine. If it rates high, I will use it again later in the year. If not, I may change it up a little to tweak what I think was wrong, or might completely throw it out.
Some routines are heavy to increase my strength and some are meant for hypertrophy. Sometimes, I find myself doing 30 reps sets!!! Sometimes I could be doing 2-3 reps. There is no cookie cutter approach.
Regarding some of your specific questions, when you are training your back, you are training biceps too. Really focus on the compound movements primarily. Too many individuals over-train their secondary muscles such as bis and tris. If you want to throw some other bicep exercises into your routines, try curling with different angles from what you are used to. Train with cables opposed to a barbell, or dumbbells. Do reverse curls. Use the preacher bench. Hammer curls. The options are limitless, just remember not to throw too much at your biceps all at once.
Most of the time, you should be focusing on the big compound movements while throwing some isolation training in later in each routine. However, that does not always have to be! If you are hitting a rough patch in your routine, try pre-exhausting your big muscle groups by performing your isolation exercises before your compound movements. For instance, you may do standing cable flies first, then follow that with Flat Bench Press.
I hate to ramble, but I really want to stress the importance of not falling into the trap of searching for that one correct way to train, because it does not exist. Try different routines and exercises. Track your progress. And note, that none of this matters if your nutrition is off.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask away, I just wanted to get some convo started regarding your questions.
