Arm Size And Strength_ The Ulti - Charles R Poliquin.pdf 3o5r5y

Ultimate Guide to Arms Size and Strength

By Charles R. Poliquin The Strength Sensei www.strengthsensei.com

Ultimate Guide to Arms Size and Strength

By Charles R. Poliquin The Strength Sensei www.strengthsensei.com Special Thanks to: Bryan Krahn Patrick Gagnon Louis Gagné Published by Strength Sensei © 2015

Disclaimer Before beginning any exercise program, please consult with your physician to make sure you are in good health. This ebook is not meant to replace proper medical advice by a qualified health practitioner. No liability is assumed by Charles R. Poliquin for any of the information contained in this document.

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Table of Contents Introduction The Program All 3 Heads Month 1 - Accumulation - Tri-Sets Month 2 - Intensification - High Threshold Motor Unit Training Month 3 - Accumulation - Classic Hypertrophy + Triple Drop Sets Month 4 - Intensification - Getting Strong the Doug Hepburn Way Month 5 - Accumulation - Agonist Supersets Month 6 - Intensification - The Value of Challenging Unilateral Work Thank You To Our Sponsors! The Author Would Like to Thank the Following Gyms for the Video Footage

Introduction The sheer volume of arm training information published over the last 50 years is staggering. I’ve offered my own take on the subject through countless articles and book chapters, even writing two books on arm workouts – Winning the Arms Race and Bigger, Stronger Arms: The Poliquin Way. But even with so much quality arm training information readily available, I continue to hear from bodybuilders looking for new ways to beef up their elbow flexors and extensors. In many cases, a helpful tip or two is enough to get trainees growing again. But sometimes even good advice is worthless if not taken in the proper context. In other words, even the “best” arm exercises are useless if the workout setup is ripped from the pages of Muscle and Fiction. That’s what this book will address. It’s six months of periodized arm workouts, designed to develop significant gains in both size and strength in even the most seasoned trainee. If your arms haven’t grown in years despite "trying everything," the answer isn’t to throw more exercises at them at random and expect a result. You need a well thought out plan. Let’s get started. Charles R. Poliquin

The Program The Ultimate Guide to Arms Size and Strength consists of six 30-day cycles. In each cycle you will train the arms every five days using a specific training method. After six exposures to a particular method you’ll then switch to the next routine. Note: You may not switch the order, as each routine is designed build off the previous one to produce further increases in size and strength. It’s best just to start at day one and take comfort in knowing the next six months of arm training has been well taken care of. To combine this program with your existing program, you first have to decide whether arms or legs are a higher priority for you. Five-Day Split, Arms are Priority Day 1: Arms Day 2: Legs, Abs Day 3: Rest Day 4: Chest & Back Day 5: Rest Five-Day Split, Legs are Priority Day 1: Legs, Abs Day 2: Arms Day 3: Rest Day 4: Chest & Back Day 5: Rest Sets & Reps To read the workouts, please note that “A1” and “A2” denote exercises performed in supersets. Perform one set of exercise A1, rest the prescribed ret interval, and then perform one set of A2, again taking the prescribed rest interval. Repeat until you have completed the prescribed number of sets for each of the two exercises. A tri-set, which is three exercises performed in consecutive sets, would be denoted as A1, A2, and A3. Tempo The notation that I use for tempo consists of four numbers. The first number is the duration in seconds

of the eccentric or lowering phase. The second number is the duration of the pause in the fully stretched position. The third number is the duration of the concentric or lifting phase. Finally, the fourth number is the duration of the pause in the fully contracted position. For example, if you were to do a triceps dip with a 4010 tempo, you would take 4 seconds to lower until the biceps meets the forearm, then immediately drive your body back up to the top, and then begin the next rep without a pause at the top. Whatever you do, do not overlook this crucial aspect of program design and exercise execution. If you don’t control the tempo every workout, your reps mean nothing. Progressive Overload The body will not grow unless it has reason to. In order to elicit a favorable adaptation – namely increases in size and strength -- it must be challenged. And the way to do this is through progressive overload and changing the stimulus. By switching the workout after every sixth exposure, the need to change the stimulus has been taken care of. But the progressive overload is on you. As such, you must continually strive to use heavier poundages. A good rule of thumb is to try to add one rep per set each workout or roughly a 2.5-5% increase in load. While subtle, these small increases add up to significant gains over time. Why Such a Wide Repetition Range? Varying the repetition range allows the lifter to stimulate a greater range of motor units. Low reps (< 6 reps) tend to recruit the high threshold motor units better known as fast twitch fibers. These fibers are able to exert the greatest force and power but have little resistance to fatigue. Higher reps (20+) tend to recruit the slow twitch motor units. These fibers can resist fatigue for a longer time making valuable in activities where endurance is critical. Reps falling between these extremes tend to recruit fiber types with characteristics that are a cross between the two, hence the name intermediate fibers. Varying the reps will insure maximal loading of all fiber types favoring faster and greater gains. Why so many exercises? If you come from the same genetic stock as Ronnie Coleman, you can just do a handful of arm exercises and experience phenomenal gains in arm size and strength. For the rest of us non-mutants, a variety of exercises are required to propel past plateaus in arm size and strength. Even with above average genetics, you’ll still experience better results working with a wide repertoire of exercises. The order of recruitment of motor units is fixed for a muscle during a specific exercise. This means that certain motor units have a low recruitment threshold for one exercise and a higher recruitment threshold for another exercise. Changing exercises also allows you to target specific points along the strength curve.

For example, barbell curls target mainly the mid range of elbow flexion, while Scott curls target primarily the beginning range, and incline DB curls the end range. By intelligently selecting exercises you can ensure all points of the strength curve have been adequately trained, resulting in superior development. For these reasons, the exercises in the routines provided have been carefully selected. Though if you need to make substitutions (due to equipment challenges for example) the following list should help with choosing alternate movements. Exercises For the Elbow Extensors The triceps has three heads: the long head, the lateral head and the medial head. Because all three heads of the triceps at a common tendon to insert on the ulna (elbow bone), it’s impossible to purely isolate one single head of the triceps. However, by changing your body position to change the orientation of your upper arm in relation to gravity and to your torso, you can affect the percentage of contribution of each muscle. The association between the exercise selected and the targeted head comes from a variety of sources emanating from the research of P.A. Tesch to the writings of Frédéric Delavier (shown below. Used with permission from the author).

Front View

Rear View

Here are some specifics: The Long Head: The farther away the arms are from the belly button, the more recruitment of the long head of the triceps. Exercises that would fit this definition are triceps extensions performed on an incline bench (incline position) and the overhead triceps extension (perpendicular position). The Lateral Head: Performing triceps exercises on a flat bench will increase the contribution of the lateral (and long head) of the triceps. The Medial Head: As the arms get closer to the torso, such as during exercises performed on a decline bench, there’s an increase in the contribution of the medial head of the triceps at the end of the range of motion. To make it easier, here’s a breakdown: Long Head Key Concept: It is involved in all overhead pressing work Lying EZ Bar Extension Overhead DB Triceps Extension with Reverse Grip Pushdown with straight bar and narrow grip Pullover with Narrow Grip and EZ bar Medial Head Key Concept: It is considered the workhorse of elbow extension, hence works in all exercises. Standing Barbell French Press One-Arm Triceps Pushdown, pronated Narrow Grip Bench Press Dumbbell Kickback Press Behind Neck Semi-supinated Standing DB Press Lateral Head Key Concept: The more the upper arm is internally rotated, the more the lateral head is activated. Therefore, the Decline 10 degrees Elbows Out Narrow Grip Bench Press is the most bang for your buck exercise for the lateral head. Lying DB Triceps Extensions Standing BB French Press

Pushdown, straight bar and narrow grip One-arm triceps pressdown, pronated Overhead, bent forward, rope extensions Narrow Grip Bench Press (adding bands or chains, makes this exercise even more effective) Press Behind Neck DB kickback Seated Semi-supinated DB press

Casey Viator

All 3 Heads Key Concept: Adding chains or bands matches the strength curve and further activates a greater percentage of the cross-section. Decline EZ Triceps Extension Overhead DB Triceps Extension, neutral grip Overhead DB Triceps Extension, with rotation Rope Triceps Pressdown One-Arm triceps pressdown, supinated Parallel bar Dips Bench Dips Exercises For the Elbow Flexors The elbow flexors are actually composed of four main muscles: the biceps brachii, brachialis, brachioradialis, and pronator teres. However, due to simple ignorance of anatomy most authors group all elbow flexors under “biceps”. To maximize hypertrophy, you need to train all four elbow flexors with the exercises and training methods best suited to do the job. Short Head of the Biceps: To work the short head of the biceps brachii, all curls where the elbow are forward to the body, such as concentration curls or Scott curls will do the job. Long Head of the Biceps: For the long head of the biceps, exercises where the elbows are behind the body, such as all the various forms of supine incline curls will do the job. The long head of the biceps also responds very well to higher velocity movements. Brachialis and Pronator Teres: As for the brachialis and the pronator teres, many bodybuilders neglect these muscles. This prevents them from attaining their full potential as the brachialis muscle in particular makes up roughly half of the upper arm elbow flexor mass. The brachialis is known in the biomechanics world as the workhorse of elbow flexion. That is, it works in all elbow flexions movements whether the forearm is pronated, supinated, or in between. When the forearm is supinated (palms-up grip), the biceps have an effective line of pull, however, when the forearm is pronated (palms-down grip), the biceps checks out and the brachialis lifts most of the load. This is why you commonly see trainees handle 35% less in reverse curls than they do in barbell curls. However if one trains the elbows flexors properly, that difference should be in the area of 18%. So if you can curl 100 lbs, then you should be able to reverse curl 82 lbs. If you don't already do one of the various forms of reverse curls or hammer curls as part of your

workout, the addition of some concentrated brachialis work could easily result in a half inch to a full inch of arm growth in a month's time. If you isometrically pause for two seconds at any point before reaching 90 degrees of elbow flexion, you’ll further activate the brachialis. The brachialis and pronator teres also respond favorably to low velocity movements and isometric pauses. To recap, here’s a breakdown: Biceps (Short Head) Key concepts: All curls with elbows in front of body and especially when done with a narrow grip Scott Curls Concentration Curls Face-Down Incline Curls (chest against bench) Lying overhead pulley curls Biceps (Long Head) Key concepts: All curls with elbows in line with body or moved towards the rear, especially when elbows are turned outward: Standing Supinated Barbell Curls Standing Supinated Pulley Curls Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls Seated Incline Hammer Curls Elbows Behind Back Twin Pulley Curls Curls on various machine brands, where the elbows are behind the torso: Atlantis, DAVID, etc.. Brachialis & Pronator Teres Reverse Curls (EZ bar, Barbell, or Pulley) Seated Zottmann Curls Scott Zottmann Curls Hammer Curls Scott Reverse Curls Don’t Forget the Forearms The role of the forearms in achieving maximal size is tragically unappreciated. As any kinesiologist

will tell you, forearm action contributes to elbow flexion. Therefore, increased forearm strength will allow you to use higher loads in elbow flexion exercises thus creating more tension, and more muscle growth. Other bonuses of forearm training include decreased risk of elbow flexors tendonitis, as well as better aesthetics and symmetry. An 18-inch arm above a 13-inch forearm looks grotesque, and only genetic mutants like Casey Viator can sport huge arms and forearms without direct forearm work. Use Thick Bars and Handles Trainees often experienced renewed growth in their upper arms and forearms by training with thick grip training implements. These implements have oversized handles (2-3 inches in diameter) resulting in arm movements with a more open grip, leading to faster strength gains. There are a number of American companies that produce thickened bars and pulley accessories. However your local welder can add extra sleeves to thicken your dumbbells, barbells, and attachments at a fraction of the cost. If your gym does not have the thick grip bars and dumbbells option, the solution is to buy thick grip handles. Those are handles you place on the bar or dumbbells and they augment the circumference of your implements’ regular handle, making them thick grip. My recommended handles are the Fat Gripz™

With Curls, Bend the Wrists Backwards Cocking the wrists is an effective way to maximize loading on the elbow flexors. Keeping the wrists extended down during the flexing portion of the curl diminishes the involvement of the forearm flexors, thereby increasing the loading on the elbow flexors. You will have to temporarily reduce your curling poundages, but the rewards in of biceps growth are appreciable. Another advantage of using this trick is that if you’re stuck in the middle of a rep, you can do a forced rep on your own simply by flexing the wrist and improving leverage to the point where you can overcome the sticking point. Another variation, called curls à la Poliquin, consists of curling the wrists in towards you in the concentric range, and extending them away from you during the stronger eccentric range. Try it and see if you can brush your teeth the next day without cursing me. Feel The Muscle, Not The Weight Many aspiring train their arms too heavy. You must learn to control the weight; the weight should not control you, and many trainees have experienced renewed growth simply by slowing down their movements. By keeping the duration of the set between 40 and 60 seconds per set, one will insure the optimal time under tension to stimulate hypertrophy. Neck Alignment Finally, your efforts in the gym can be wasted if the neural conduction to the muscles is sub-par. If you’re stuck in an arm size or strength plateau, an impingement of cervical nerves from the vertebraes C5 and C6 may be impairing neural drive to these specific muscles. Consult a qualified health practitioner and get this issue treated. I often have found over the years that trainees who get great soft tissue work on the anterior muscles of the neck instantly increase poundages, especially if neck work for the extensors is added to the mix. I have the best results with Active Release Technique, Rolfing, and fascial abrasion techniques.

Month 1 - Accumulation - Tri-Sets Those familiar with my views on periodization will know that I am a firm believer in alternating between accumulation and intensification phases. The origin of this training concept takes its roots from Eastern Europe. An accumulation phase emphasizes volume, determined by how much work is performed. These phases will typically feature higher repetitions performed with relatively lighter weights. An intensification phase on the other hand emphasizes intensity, which is how much weight is lifted. Workouts in this phase will usually feature lower reps performed with heavier weights. When it comes to arm training, most lifters tend to favor higher volume “pump” work, which somewhat resembles accumulation-type workout design. However, an effective accumulation phase for the biceps and triceps is a lot more nuanced than just banging-out high rep sets of your favorite arm exercises. To get the most out of accumulation training, other variables like eccentric and concentric tempo, the rest interval, and the biomechanics of each exercise must be considered to stimulate the most muscle units and increase the total time under tension for the associated muscle fibers. With that in mind, your introduction to accumulation training is with the tri-sets method. I was still in school when I first learned of tri-sets. It was in an Iron Man magazine article written by the late bodybuilding journalist Don “The Ripper” Ross, whom I was a big fan of, and documented the arm training of Swedish bodybuilding champion Ehrling Wahlgren. I being hypnotized by the overwhelming mass of the big Swedes arms and couldn’t wait to try the methods outlined in the books. However, because my English was so basic, I had to look up many of the words in the English-French dictionary to fully understand the methodology. The reason tri-sets are so effective for hypertrophy training – Mr. Olympia winner Larry Scott was also a big fan -- is because they affect two powerful growth-producing stimuli. Tri-sets: •Increase the time under tension •Involve a larger pool of motor units Simply put, tri-sets work more muscle fibers for a longer duration. The methodology originally practiced by Don Ross used three different exercises for the same muscle group performed back to back, with no rest between sets. Since then I’ve drawn upon experience and my background in exercise physiology to make a subtle but significant improvement to the protocol. Simply adding 10 seconds of rest between exercises makes a huge difference in of the result achieved.

The short rest greatly improves to neural recovery, allowing you to use significantly greater loads than if no rest were taken, thereby increasing valuable tension on the muscles. Considering hypertrophy is determined in large part by both the time under tension and load, the reduced loads that must be used when moving immediately from one exercise to another produces a sub-optimal training effect. Once a tri-set is done, I like to give the trainee a full two minutes rest. Despite the ample recovery period, expect to have to drop the weight by 5 to 7% following each tri-set. To ratchet up the effectiveness of tri-sets even further, I’ve added another of Don Ross's favorite recommendations: the 6-12-25 protocol. With this method the first exercise in the tri-set is done for 6 reps, to tap into the high threshold motor units. After a 10 second rest – again, this rest is key -- a second, slightly different exercise (to tap different motor units from the pool) is performed for higher reps (12) to hit mid-threshold motor units. Finally after another 10 seconds rest, 25 reps of a third exercise are perform -- enough to pulverize any muscle fiber still standing! Don’t be surprised if the soreness is so bad that you can’t raise your arms overhead to wash your hair for three days. That’s what baseball caps are for.

Don “The Ripper” Ross

Larry Scott

Month 2 - Intensification - High Threshold Motor Unit Training To build big arms fast, you’d best get accustomed to the idea of getting stronger by lifting heavier loads. Chuck Sipes, an elite bodybuilder from the 1960’s, was known for two things: the size of his arms and the massive weights he used in curling exercises. While extremely heavy arm training has since fallen out of fashion, most bodybuilders in a growth slump would benefit by drawing inspiration from Sipes and cranking up the weights they use. Yes, performing 6-12 reps with heavy weights is an effective hypertrophy method. However, using 6 to 12 reps exclusively in your training simply won’t teach you to handle the very heavy loads required. The bottom line is you need to include phases where you chase heavier poundages. These phases are called intensification phases. As you’re coming off a month of extended set accumulation work, you’re primed for a switch to lower reps, higher intensity work. Your first intensification phase draws inspiration from both Sipes and old-time Canadian strongman Doug Hepburn. Hepburn, despite being born with a number of physical limitations including a club foot, was a strength training pioneer. He was the first man to bench press 500 pounds, drug-free, and also push pressed 500 pounds, military pressed 420 pounds, and deadlifted over 800 pounds Hepburn was a staunch believer in using only a few big, basic exercises, but working them extremely hard and for low reps. This philosophy is well represented in the workout. The biggest mistake trainees make when performing low rep work is not doing enough sets to achieve the optimal training stimulus. To that end, you’ll notice that more sets are performed in this phase. This compensates for the loss in time under tension (TUT), conforming to the principle that there should be an inverse relationship between the number of sets and reps. In this program the A1 and A2 exercises are done for 8 sets each, including: 1 set of 8 2 sets of 3 7 sets of 2 From experience, the first set of 8 reps seems to activate or "potentiate" the nervous system's ability to recruit fast-twitch muscle fibers for the rest of the set/workout. In effect, you’ll be stronger for the entire workout than if you’d simply started off with sets of 2 reps. This seems to hold particularly true for elbow flexor training, something that countless hours of

coaching and record keeping has shown to be true. To round out the day, the B1 and B2 exercises are done for 4 sets of 4-8 reps. This serves to add a functional hypertrophy stimulus to the already recruited high threshold motor units. Chuck Sipes would be proud!

Chuck Sipes

Month 3 - Accumulation - Classic Hypertrophy + Triple Drop Sets When I first started weight training, I bought almost anything I could find on strength and hypertrophy training. While much of the information available back then left much to be desired (at least what was published in English), one effective set and rep protocol that became highly recommended for gaining mass was the 10,8,6,6,15 system. In this system, the trainee increases the load each set to a top set of 6 reps, and then finishes off with a back-off set of 15 excruciating reps. Champion bodybuilders Rick Wayne and Arnold Schwarzenegger both endorsed this set/rep scheme for gains in arm size. Granted, both gentlemen also possessed tremendous genetic potential for arm hypertrophy, but it still proved to be an excellent system for quick, reliable gains in arm size. Since then, I’ve found adding a second exercise to the protocol for the biceps and triceps greatly enhances the training effect. However, these additional exercises are best performed as triple-drop sets. For “triple drops,” start with a weight that you can perform for 6 difficult reps. As my student Preston Greene defines it, that’s 5 clean reps, 1 able rep, and concentric failure on the 7th rep. Upon reaching concentric failure, rest 10 seconds and then drop the weight just enough so that 6 more able reps can be done. Rest another 10 seconds, drop the weight again, and perform a third 6-rep bout. Then rest 75 seconds and repeat the process with the paired exercise. Keep alternating in the same manner until you’ve performed 3 sets of triple-drops for B1 and B2.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Month 4 - Intensification - Getting Strong the Doug Hepburn Way Shortly after World War 2 -- well before anabolics were commonplace -- a few notable strength athletes emerged whose incredible strength and sound training methodologies helped reshape the growing field of strength training and bodybuilding. One such athlete was the brutally strong Marvin Eder. Yet what isn’t appreciated or even widely known is that Eder's prodigious strength was a product of following another relatively unknown lifter’s training methodology -- one of my favorites: Doug Hepburn. While I touched on Hepburn’s practical wisdom in month 2, it only scratched the surface of what can be learned from this unheralded giant of strength training. Here are 4 key principles that I learned from Hepburn that I continue to use in my practice today. 1. The key to maximal strength is the law of repeated efforts. Hepburn’s methodology for increasing maximal strength revolves around doing loads of basic work. One of the main reasons I’ve been able to stay ahead of the game can be summed up in 5 words: basic work, lots of sets. It all boils down to doing only a few things, but doing them extremely well. Any real expert on strength training will tell you that this is a very basic yet essential training success principle. 2. You will get most of your benefits from two lifts a day. As Leonardo da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” If you get strong on two basic lifts per workout, those strength gains will transfer over to smaller muscles through a process known as the irradiation effect. For this reason, whenever possible I pair antagonistic exercises together, such as pull-ups and overhead presses. 3. Recruit high-threshold motor units, then hypertrophy them. Many successful weightlifting coaches also use a variation of this approach. From China to Finland, the principle used is identical: first recruit the high-threshold motor units, then make them grow by prolonging the duration of the stimulus. To make the fundamentals of the Hepburn system even more effective I simply added standardized rest intervals and tempo prescriptions. 4. Take your time The hallmark of Doug Hepburn’s approach was patience. Hepburn preached taking your time to adjust the load upwards, something my mentor Pierre Roy has also been strongly endorsing. For example, to increase your squat the Hepburn way, do 2 reps using a weight so challenging that if you attempted to do 3 reps your spleen would pop out your left eye socket. Now repeat that for 8 sets. Then, in every subsequent workout, try to increase the total number of reps by adding just one rep per

set. Only once you can complete all 8 sets of 3 reps it is time to increase the weight. You can’t get a more solid formula for strength training than what Doug Hepburn practiced so many years ago. Though he died in 2000, his steps are still used by the best coaches in the world, and his lasting legacy proves that the human body has not dramatically evolved in the last 50 years. Newer is not always better. Basic hard work prevails. That’s the Doug Hepburn way.

Doug Hepburn

Month 5 - Accumulation - Agonist Supersets A superset, or grouping two exercises together, is a versatile and effective way of setting up a workout. A superset that pairs two opposing muscles together (like the biceps and triceps) is an antagonist superset. The lifter does a set of curls, waits for the prescribed rest interval, then does a set of triceps pressdowns and waits the prescribed rest interval before returning to the biceps exercise. This approach is great for maximizing recovery versus just performing straight sets of either exercise. However, pairing two exercises that train the same muscle is also a very effective hypertrophy method. This is called an agonist superset. By targeting the same muscle group instead of opposing muscles, you significantly increase the stress on that particular muscle group. Using minimal rest between exercises further increases the stimulus and will help you tap into a greater percentage of muscle fibers, thereby creating even more growth. The choice and order of exercises play a significant role in agonist supersets. For example moving from an exercise with lower mechanical advantage to one with a greater mechanical advantage (like incline dumbbell curls to barbell curls) will allow you to delay fatigue and work more muscle fibers. Even changing hand positions – like from pronated to semi-supinated – can alter the mechanics enough to create a greater training effect. The following agonist supersets are designed to challenge different portions of the elbow flexors and extensors. Pay close attention to the exercise set-up cues following the routine, as well as the rest interval. You need to rest 10 seconds between agonist exercises to allow partial but not complete recovery of the fast twitch fibers, and 75 seconds between antagonist exercises for more thorough nervous system restoration.

For A1, lie facedown on an incline bench angled to 45 degrees. This puts the overload in the top range. It’s a superb isolation exercise for the elbow flexors. As you move to A2, the reverse off-set grip forces supination of the wrist, thereby activating the short head of the biceps even more. A3 begins by activating the triceps with very low incline close grip presses. Then, after a 10 second rest, you annihilate them with triceps extensions with chains. This ensures the triceps are completely overloaded at every point of the strength curve.

Month 6 - Intensification - The Value of Challenging Unilateral Work Over the years I’ve found that lifters who need to bring up their arms will benefit tremendously by starting arm workouts with unilateral exercises such as One-Arm Concentration Curls and Scott Curls. Science appears to my observations. Research from the neurophysiology field suggests that the body more easily/readily recruits the high threshold motor units (HTMU) during unilateral movements compared with bilateral exercises. This is especially true for novice and tall or lanky lifters, commonly known as hard gainers. From a mechanics perspective, unilateral work also doesn’t lock the elbow ts into a position, thereby making for a safer warm-up exercise before the barbell work that normally follows. Furthermore, I find that it teaches the athlete better concentration skills, which bodybuilding media affectionately refer to as the “mind muscle connection.” Dorian Yates and Lee Labrada are among the many professional bodybuilders who’d adopted this approach. Not surprisingly, both are among the sports’ most intelligent competitors. One of the best exercises to start your elbow flexor workouts is the One-Arm Barbell Scott Curl. Yes, you read that right: “BARBELL” not dumbbell. This is a nasty exercise as the width of the barbell forces you to intensively engage the supinators of the elbow in order to keep the barbell parallel to the ground. Believe me, the soreness in your elbows flexors the next couple of days will make writing your name a challenge. For the triceps/extensors, MRI studies have shown that the One-Arm Pronating DB Overhead Triceps Extension is one of the most bang for your buck triceps exercises at your disposal. After the unilateral work, it’s time to progress to the “larger” barbell movements. For B1, we use floor presses as a way to overload the top of the strength curve on the triceps in pressing movements. For B2, the Seated Zottmann Curl is a top-level exercise that allows one to overload eccentrically the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles. Since you curl the dumbbells with the palms up, you allow the biceps brachii to have a good line of pull, and lift the greatest weight. On the eccentric portion, the brachialis and brachioradialis are loaded eccentrically as the palms are facing downward, and now the biceps brachii has an ineffective line of pull. Since this your sixth routine, we now cut out one set of each exercise from workout 3, and two per exercise in workout 4. Don’t worry, you won’t atrophy – you’ll likely experience more growth during those weeks.

Lee Labrada

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