I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I was
downstairs in my basement and I had decided to curl
the sand weights of my fathers for the hell of it. I
was only 14 years old and I knew nothing about
weightlifting. But I knew how to do a curl. In fact
curls were about all I did or cared about for the
first 8 months of my weightlifting career. All I
wanted was big arms. I didn't care about anything else.
Now eventually over time I learned more and more
about weightlifting and nutrition principles that
helped me to eventually get big arms. Now I'll admit
it, my arms grow. They are my best body part by far
and they have always responded well to training.
However, I don't believe I got big arms by a genetic
fluke. Genetics helped but I think that hard work and
the proper routine were instrumental in helping me
reach my goal. When I first started training my arms
were only 12". Now they measure in at just a shade
less than 18". For an all-natural 20-year-old
bodybuilder I'd say that's not too bad.
How Did I Build 18" Guns, Natural at Age 20?
So how did I
build them you ask? Well it's really a bit strange.
I'm not a big advocate of extreme high volume
training or HIT I believe both work well for small
percentages of the population while the majority of us
respond best to a mid range of sets. I have found
this to be the case with me with all body parts except
for my biceps and triceps. Now some people will
disagree with what I have to say. Hell I don't quite
understand it myself; all I know is it worked and I
got results. Thus I feel obligated to convey it to
you.
My arms thrive on high volume. I do about 8-10
failure sets for biceps and 8-10 failure sets for
triceps. I don't know why but my arms have always
responded better when I worked them on a separate day
from everything else and when I used high volume.
When I began college my arms were 16.5". By the end
of that year they were 17.25". I had been using high
volume training that entire year up until my contest.
After my contest I switched to lower volume training
and did not work them on a separate day. My arms did
not grow a single centimeter for 6 months. I then
decided to revert to my old arm routine and low and
behold, they grew. In 4 months I added over half an
inch to my arms and they now are barely under 18".
A Theory On Why My Routine Works So Well
I do have a theory as to why my arms respond so well
to this routine. First off, my nutrition is
impeccable and I always keep myself in an optimal
recovery state allowing me to recover from more
intense workouts. Another reason is intensity. When
I was working biceps with back and triceps with chest
I was worn out by the time I got to biceps or triceps
because the previous large body part that I had spent
so much time on.
By working arms together on a
separate day you receive a two-fold benefit. The
first benefit being you will be stronger than if you
work them after back or chest. Another benefit is the
mental aspect. After working the chest or back I
didn't feel like hammering another body part. By
having a separate day for my arms I was able to devote
more intensity to them. In addition, working biceps
and triceps together cause a great deal of blood flow
to one area and create an incredible pump. I have
always been a firm believer in the theory that a good
pump usually means a good workout. It is for this
reason that I also superset my biceps and triceps.
Meaning I do a set for triceps and then immediately
after that I do a set for biceps. This creates a
better pump and also makes the workout go faster, and
more intensely.
I'll now dispense with the idle chit chat and reveal
to you my two most favorite arm workouts.
My Two Favorite Arm Workouts
*All exercises are preceded by 1-2 warm-up sets.
Workout #1
Seated overhead French curls (aka overhead triceps
presses)-2 failure sets of 6-12 reps
Super-set with
Standing barbell curls-2 failure sets of 6-12 reps
Overhead cable (using rope) triceps extensions- 2
failure sets of 8-15 reps
Super-set with
Cambered-bar preacher curls- 2 failure sets of 6-12
reps
Single arm reverse grip cable press downs- 2 failure
sets of 6-12 reps
Super-set with
Braced (against a bench) leaning over concentration
curls- 2 failure sets of 6-12 reps
Single arm dumbbell kickbacks- 1 failure set of 6-12
reps
Super-set with
1 set Barbell curls using the 21 method
Workout #2
Skull crushers on decline bench- 2 failure sets of
6-12 reps
Super-set with
Barbell Curls- 2 failure sets of 6-12 reps
Cable (using rope) press downs- 2 failure sets of 6-12
reps
Super-set with
Alternating dumbbell curls- 2 failure sets of 6-12
reps
Reverse grip cable press downs (using cambered bar)- 2
failure sets of 6-12 reps
Super-set with
One-arm dumbbell preacher curls- 2 failure sets of
6-12 reps
One arm cable kick backs- 1 failure set 8-15 reps
Super-set with
Cable curls- 1 failure set 8-15 reps
Advice and Notes
My advice is to use workout number one until you stop
seeing gains and then switch to workout number two.
Do not use this workout if you are dieting as this
workout will certainly cause you to overtrain if you
are in a calorie deficient state.
A note about performing some of these exercises.
When doing skull crushers or French curls:
Keep your
elbows narrow, if you widen them too much you will be
using more of your shoulders to lift the weight than
your triceps.
When performing barbell curls:
Do not
bend your back or move your elbow to lift the weight.
DO NOT bend your back, lean, or move your elbow in
order to lift more weight. The elbow is a fulcrum and
should not move the entire time! In order to keep
constant stress on the biceps I recommend bending at
the waist a bit while doing barbell curls. When you
use this method you are keeping constant stress on
your biceps, as opposed to normal curls where the
tension is reduced when you are in the contracted part
of the lift.
When performing any triceps exercise with a rope and cable:
you should also push the ends of
the rope out away from one another as you reach the
contraction point of the exercise.
21's are preformed the following way:
Start by only
doing the top half of a barbell curl rep and do 7 of
those half reps. Then do 7 full curl reps. To finish
up the 21's do 7 half reps of the bottom half of a
barbell curl. Tip- use a light weight and go for a
burn.
Tips While Working Arms
DO NOT
Lean
Use any part of your body other than your arms to lift
the weight
Perform a fast eccentric (negative)
Sacrifice form for weight
Work Slowly
Move your elbows when performing a curl or extension.
DO
Use proper form
Use a slow eccentric (negative)
Get a pump
Flex hard for a peak contraction on triceps and biceps
Use a full range of motion
Keep your elbows in the same position
Work quickly
Train intensely
Now get ready to load those guns up with some muscle!
As always if you have questions or comments regarding
this article please feel free to e-mail me at
biolayne@yahoo.com or find me on the message boards
under the screen name str8flexed!
biolayne@yahoo.com
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