I get tired of seeing training articles every month in the muscle mags. I
read some of them to keep up on what is happening in the weight world - not
for the training articles. Ironman is almost all training articles; I don't
read it anymore. Why? Because once you learn the exercises, these training
articles aren't anything new because the authors just rehash and repackage
the same exercises.
What The Magazines Are Doing...
The new thing these authors do that really pisses me off is to try and make
training something complicated and one author in one of the more popular
muscle mags recently said "There is a science to training the arms, a
science that will help you achieve the gains you want and should expect from
your training". Bull pukey! I suppose the guy has to make a living by
writing articles. He even copyrighted tables of exercises in the article!
HAH! I think I am gonna try and patent the air we breath! I am gonna give it
to you straight and I am going to start with the most important aspects of
arm training first.
Let's start with genetics. You have to face facts, the size of your arms are
gonna be limited by the genes your ancestors blessed you with. You can't
build peak if you don't have the genetics. Boyer Coe is an example. He has a
split in his bicep. People actually ask him how he got it! The answer is
that he got it from his dad who has the same split and doesn't even train!
Look at Boyer's abs - he never had abs... and never will. Just like
7UP... Never Had It... Never Will!!
So How Do I Get Huge Arms?
Next on the list is overall body size. You can't have 19 inch arms and have
a bodyweight of 160 pounds. IF YOU WANT TO GET SIGNIFICANTLY BIGGER ARMS YOU
MUST INCREASE YOUR OVERALL MUSCLE MASS. Notice I said muscle mass. Anyone
could eat themselves into oblivion and get big arms - but they would be all
fat! How do you gain more overall muscle mass? Squat, bench press, and
deadlift are three good ways to more muscle mass. Do these exercises once a
week and consistently hard, take in enough good food, and get at least 8
hours sleep a night, and I'll bet you that your arm size increases.
So what exercises should you do for biceps? Well there are tons of curl
variations for biceps. Don't expect me to list them in a table and try and
copyright it! One of the bicep favorites is barbell curls. I personally did
these for years and I think... they basically suck. Why? One big reason is
that it is too easy to use other muscle groups to cheat. Plus you don't need
any extra low back strain and most people end up doin curls that look more
like power cleans.
It wasn't until I made the preacher bench my biceps
friend that I really got full development. You can do them either with a
dumbell or barbell or even use a cable. Full range should be used and you
need to concentrate on squeezing the muscle at the top - do your reps like
you are pumpin up a tire - your biceps tire. Also, concentrate on using the
biceps only and not use your upper back to assist the rep. How many sets? I
say 2 to 3 sets and vary the reps schemes.
You need to carry each set to
positive failure. I can hear some people all ready..."What, only 3 sets!!!,
but Mr. Joe Universe does 15 sets!". Forget the "other training articles"
to; the ones by champion bodybuilders. You should question whether they even
do the routines in the mags and remember that 99% of these bodybuilders are
chemically assisted. Work your biceps and your back on different days.
The
biceps should get HIT pretty well on back days as well. Most of the "gurus"
of training articles fail to mention the importance of doing heavy back
exercises in biceps development. But, I won't - doing heavy back exercises
will contribute greatly to your biceps development. So in essence, you will
be HITing your biceps twice a week.
What About The Triceps?
If I read another training article that says - "The
triceps are 2/3 of the muscle mass of the arm, don't neglect tricep
training" I am gonna puke! The fact is that the triceps get HIT in all your
pressing movements.
If you are working your chest hard with pressing
movements, you can bet your weight belt that you don't need much direct
triceps work. First off, stay away from elbow busters like lying triceps
extensions a.k.a. skull crushers. Most people can't do these for years and
not suffer some elbow pain. I like the close grip bench press for an overall
tricep movement.
How many sets? One or two is what I recommend. Vary your
rep scheme. Concentrate on squeezing the triceps. The second exercise to
finish with would be tricep pushdowns. Don't hump yourself over and turn it
into a bench press! Stand erect and work the triceps! There is no need to
let the weight come up to your forehead either!!!
So there you have it, some tips to BIG GUNS. Training biceps is simple and
straight forward (just like all the other body parts). Science? You don't
have to be Mr. Spock to lift weights and make gains, just remember part of
my paycheck doesn't come from the muscle mags.
Thanks,
none
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