hi I'm dr. Tom deters editor-at-large
for Muscle & Fitness Magazine I am
thrilled and honored to welcome you to
the Muscle & Fitness training system
this series developed by the world's
leading cutting-edge sports medicine and
bodybuilding experts is devoted to
showing you how to carve out exactly the
physique you've always wanted whether
it's a strong chiseled lean body or the
massive muscle of a champion bodybuilder
we're talking rock-hard abs massive arms
a thick chest and mighty back and
powerful legs all of these are now
within your reach because with this
series you'll learn the exercises and
the programs to achieve the physique you
desire
during this program we're going to
concentrate on showing you how to build
the arms you've always dreamed of if you
want tight muscular arms that say here's
someone who's strong and states fit then
pay close attention to the lean muscle
building exercises if you want massive
guns and I'm talking about world-class
artillery to drop jaws and stop
conversation then follow the mass
building exercises you don't get an
opportunity like this every day because
we've assembled the world's best arms to
demonstrate how to perform each exercise
for best results these world champion
athletes are here to inspire you and
coach you to train with maximum
intensity everybody admires well
sculpted bulging arms the first muscle
people notice is usually the biceps or
bryce eps brachii the muscle has a
plural name because it consists of two
heads which overlap one starting under
the deltoid up in the shoulder area and
the other on the upper arm and both
attach just below the elbow the purpose
of the biceps is to flex and curl the
arm as well as to supinate and turn up
the palm the basic bicep exercise is the
curl the triceps or triceps brachii are
actually a three-headed muscle
thus the Tri in triceps which originated
under the deltoid and upper arm and
attach below the elbow and therefore
extend or straighten the arm the basic
tricep exercise therefore involve
resistance against straightening the arm
from the bent position the forearm
muscles are called the flexors and
extensors running on the back the
extensors and the front the flexors of
the lower arm these muscles control the
action of the hand and wrist the job of
the forearm flexor muscles is to curl
the hand up and forward the form
extensor muscles bring the hand back up
toward the wrist as the first step to
any workout spend about five minutes
warming up your body that means
literally getting the blood flowing
raising the heartbeat core temperature
and metabolic rate with a few minutes of
aerobic exercise
stationary bike treadmill jump rope
whichever you prefer and whatever gets
your motor running get into a groove
don't waste a moment don't just look
around for these five minutes start
visualizing what you want to accomplish
in your workout see your goals and see
yourself charging toward them think like
a pro grow like a pro here's how we
break down the arm exercises for you in
this program the first two sections
focus on your biceps and the second two
sections on your triceps each of these
is split into two separate workout
routines for both biceps and triceps the
goal of the first routine is to build
mass and the goal of the second is the
sculpt and define let's start by
learning how to really pack meat onto
your biceps we're going to begin with
the standing barbell curl and pyramid
the weight up for each of five sets as
you raise the weight with each set
you're going to reduce your reps from
ten to ten to eight to six and six again
the second exercise the easy preacher
curl or pyramid down with each of three
sets here you'll start heavy and
increase your reps from six to eight to
ten then we'll move into the dumbbell
concentration curl two sets of 12 reps
each with enough weight to give you
serious resistance but not enough to
throw off your tightly focused form and
we'll finish this routine with a
dumbbell hammer curl doing three sets of
ten ten then eight making sure you use a
challenging weight
exercise is the granddaddy and one of
the best of all biceps exercises the
standing barbell curl start by standing
with your feet parallel and
shoulder-width apart toes pointing
slightly out grasp the barbell and about
shoulder width with a palms up grip and
with extended relaxed arms hold the bar
in front of your thighs now before we
get going a couple of essential tips 1
keep your body erect if you round your
shoulders or pull them back as you lift
you'll reduce tension on the biceps
weakening the effectiveness of the
exercise 2 don't start too heavy use a
weight that allows you to do the
exercise with strict form for best
results if the bar is too heavy you
won't be getting the full effect you
want
you'll be cheating by throwing your hips
or using your shoulders okay as you
begin your lift inhale slightly more
than usual and hold your breath as you
curl the barbell by flexing your elbows
see how he keeps his elbows in place
that aside don't let them move forward
it weakens the tension on your biceps
and reduces the effectiveness of the
curl keeping your hands in line with
your forearms curl up at a moderate
speed pausing at the peak of the
movement here now exhale at the top then
slowly lower the bar under control back
to the start position stopping just
short of full extension and immediately
begin your lift again with an inhale
that's it
repeat 4 reps keeping your back straight
your elbows in and you're on your way to
building and carving great biceps the
preacher curl done with proper technique
focuses tension into your biceps by
limiting the involvement of the back and
shoulders making this a super intense
exercise place the backs of your upper
arms against the incline support pad
adjusting the pad height so you're
sitting in a fairly erect stable
position hold the EZ bar or dumbbell
with a palms up grip bending your elbow
right from the start here's a
performance tip the top of the pad
should go all the way up into your
armpit to really stabilize the show
join now inhale slightly more than usual
and as you hold your breath slowly flex
your elbows to curl the weight up
exhaling as you reach the top of the
movement which should be with your
forearms vertical or slightly beyond now
return to the start position under
control stopping before your arms lock
straight out and you heavy lifters this
last caution is especially for you for
those of you who want to intensify the
muscle contraction here's an alternative
when you get fatigued only go down to
about a 90 degree angle in your elbows
then go back up and peak at the top
perfect
now finish it out with the maximum
contraction of the muscles pause and
lower back down to the starting position
the concentration curl is a fan
the exercise for increasing biceps and
brachialis mass making it a powerful
overall upper arm builder it's called a
concentration curl precisely because it
concentrates so much tension in your arm
and it requires your full attention to
get the most out of the exercise sit at
the edge of your exercise bench with
your legs apart and your feet flat on
the floor let's start by working the
right arm lean forward and place your
left elbow or hand on your left hip or
thigh for support place your right
triceps on the inside of your right
thigh a key performance tip keep your
triceps pressed against your thigh at
all times during the exercise now
holding the dumbbell on your right hand
with an overhand grip and with your
elbow slightly bent and Hale fairly
deeply and hold the breath as you curl
the weight up so that it comes close to
touching your chest as you reach the top
point pause exhale and return to the
starting position under control to vary
your workout and work the biceps a
little harder turn the dumbbell up or
supinate slightly as you curl toward the
top of the movement then return back to
a straight wrist or neutral position as
you lower down to the starting point
with the hammer curl you're not using a
palms up or palms down grip but a
neutral grip just like a hammer which
really targets the brachialis and
brachioradialis shown here again like in
all the standing curls keep your elbows
locked in at your side throughout the
full range of motion try not to lean
back as you lift or push your hips
forward when you start the motion if you
find yourself doing that you're probably
using a bit too much weight so ease back
on the weight until you can do the
movement with strict control okay
let's get started stand upright holding
a dumbbell in each hand at your sides
inhale and hold your breath as you can
track your biceps to raise the dumbbells
towards your shoulder curl up slowly
pause then exhale as you lower the
weight to a near straight arm position
pause a second and repeat with the other
arm
remember don't turn your wrist at all
during execution keep them firm at all
times or you'll lose the concentration
and the tension in your brachioradialis
if you want to get a bit more tension at
the top of the contraction hold for one
to two seconds and really squeeze before
returning to the start of the position
now with the following four exercises
we're going to focus on adding
definition to your biceps we'll start
with the standing EZ bar curl four sets
Pera meeting up with each set 12 12 then
10 then 8 then we're going to do the
seated dumbbell alternating curl
beginning with a heavy weight for two
sets then lightening up for the third
eight to ten reps for the first two sets
then 12 for the final set the third
exercise we're about to demonstrate is
the two arm high cable curl two sets of
fifteen at decent resistance and finally
the dumbbell unilateral preacher curl
two sets of 15 with moderately heavy
weight this is the last of the exercises
of this routine so take it to failure
and now we ready to move on to you
guessed it the standing easy barbell
curl adding the EZ bar to the standard
barbell curl gives you a little more
extension in your arms which is useful
for adding definition basically you're
going to do the same motion as a
standing barbell curl stand with your
feet shoulder width apart toes pointing
slightly out grasp the bar about
shoulder width with a palms up grip and
with extended relaxed arms hold the bar
in front of your thighs keeping your
body erect inhale slightly more than
usual and hold your breath as you curl
the EZ bar by flexing your elbows don't
let your elbows move forward that
reduces the tension in your biceps as
well as the effectiveness of the curl
keeping your hands in line with your
forearms curl up at a moderate speed
exhale at the top then slowly lower the
bar under control back to the starting
position stopping just short a full
extension it immediately begin your lift
again by sitting the dumbbell curl
eliminates the urge to throw your hips
into the lift so you can get more
concentration on the biceps and other
forearm muscles as always strict form
means greater effectiveness that means
no swinging no jerking no momentum to
smooth controlled focus movements let's
have a look to start straddle the end of
the bench contract your lower back to
hold yourself erect with normal spinal
curvature hold the dumbbell in each hand
with a neutral grip palms facing your
sides inhale slightly more than usual to
stabilize your torso and hold the breath
as you raise the dumbbells by slowly
bending your elbows after the dumbbells
pass your thighs supinate or turn your
wrists up so that your palms face up at
the top of the movement
pause briefly at the top then exhale as
you lower the dumbbells under control
pronating or turning your palms down
until your arms are fully extended and
your palms are facing each other
sure you've noticed by now that one of
the key messages of this training series
is that strict control during lifting
maximizes effectiveness as well as
reduces the chances of injury with the
two arm high cable curl you especially
want to do two things first keep your
upper arms as motionless as possible
with movement only occurring at the
elbow second you want to keep your
wrists firm and unflexible pulleys and
that you are balanced if you can adjust
the pulley height so the handles start
at about 12 to 15 inches above shoulder
level
now grasp the handles with a palms up
grip and stand or sit midway between the
stacks if you're sitting be sure to keep
your feet planted firmly on the ground
and your bodyweight planted in your hips
take your starting position see how his
arms are slightly flexed out to his
side's they can be positioned level with
the ground or just above now inhale and
hold your breath as you bend your elbows
pulling the handles toward your head
until your forearms are well past the
vertical position pull as tight as you
can
then hold and squeeze for two seconds
then exhale and return with strict
control back to the start position pause
momentarily here keeping the muscle
tense then repeat for reps you know this
exercise has tons of benefits for
bodybuilders and power lifters but it's
also crucial in any kind of athletics
that involve pulling or flexion at the
elbow such as climbing pull-ups
gymnastics basketball tennis martial
arts you name it across the board just
make sure you get the biomechanics right
you can really make your biceps scream
with one arm dumbbell preacher curl x'
but you can also curl both arms
simultaneously to save time either way
this is a fantastic exercise to isolate
your biceps start by sitting on your
preacher curl bench and lean slightly
forward from your hips place your arms
over the arm support pad and grasp one
or two dumbbells with a palms up grip
keeping your wrists straight in line
with your arm remember you want maximum
extension in your arms but you don't
want to hyperextend so keep your elbows
just slightly bent and the weight under
slow control when you reach the bottom
of the movement to begin
inhale slightly more than usual and hold
your breath as you smoothly curl the
dumbbells as high as possible without
ever losing arm contact with the support
pad as you reach the top of your lift
exhale and hold the peak contraction and
really squeeze for a second before
lowering the dumbbells under control as
you reach the bottom pause briefly
without letting the tension off your
biceps or allowing your elbows to
hyperextend and then start the next rep
okay now that we've reviewed how to
build massive biceps to burst the
sleeves of your t-shirt let's look at
balancing out that with massive triceps
we're going to start with the close grip
bench press para mating up the weight
with each of five sets ten reps ten reps
then eight then six then six hey you
want mass right alright then the next
exercise is the bench dip where we'll do
three sets of perfectly executed reps
ten each then we'll demonstrate the
seated Easy Bar French press three sets
pair meeting down each set with six reps
at first then eight then ten push
yourself start heavy whenever you
pyramid down as you will with the fourth
exercise the rope press down where we'll
do three sets at eight reps then 10 then
ten reps again or until failure
the close grip bench press is an
excellent mass building compound
exercise for the beginning of your
triceps workout move through these reps
when you're fresh and you can handle a
little bit more weight before your
triceps are fatigued with isolation
exercises the key here is to slide your
hands inward a bit and grip the bar with
your hands narrower than shoulder width
apart find a comfortable spot where you
can balance the bar with certainty and
not overcompensate with the rest of your
body begin by lying on your benchpress
station with your head shoulders and
gluts resting on the bench and a slight
arch and your lumbar spine the barbell
should be racked above you and an
accessible height directly above your
head if you don't have access to a rack
have your spotter give you a lift off
grabbing the bar palms up press it up to
release it and lock your arms directly
above your chest this is your starting
position inhale slightly more than usual
and hold your breath as you lower the
bar to your chest as you come close to
touching your pecs reverse direction
decisively and press the bar back up do
not stop or pause in the bottom position
because that will bring in your pecs
more than you want but that doesn't mean
you bounce off your chest either push
steadily upward and as you reach the top
exhale and lock your elbows pause a
moment at the extended position before
beginning your next rep continue at a
moderate rate of speed remembering not
to arch your back with each lift if you
find yourself arching lighten up on your
weights with strict form keeping your
elbows close to your sides during both
ascent and descent this will be a great
mass builder for you so watch the elbows
the back and the width of your grip and
you'll be on your way
the bench dip is one of the few compound
exercises that's known for its pump as
much as it's gross stimulation your pecs
and anterior deltoids will contract
strongly at the beginning of the up
phase but if you keep your elbows
pointed back and close to your body your
triceps will be doing the majority of
the work start by placing two benches
parallel to each other about two and a
half or three feet apart sit like this
on the middle of one bench placing your
hands by your hips fingers cupping the
edge of the bench and your elbows
pointing directly rearward now support
your body and straight arms and place
your feet on to the other bench inhale
as you bend your elbows to slowly lower
your upper body between the benches
until you feel a stretch in your triceps
and shoulders after you reach the bottom
position hold your breath and push
yourself upward until your arms are
fully extended you can lock your elbows
if you want here as long as you don't
overextend exhale at this position when
you get to the top pause for a second
then slowly lower yourself and work
methodically through your reps you want
to keep your eyes and focus directly
forward throughout this exercise some
performance tips on this if you're a
beginner or if you've never done this
exercise before keep your range of
motion short before gradually increasing
the depth of your depth work into it
for those who want extra resistance as
their practice develops have a partner
place a weight plate on your thighs
but if you're going to double or triple
up on plates make sure that your partner
hangs on to them to prevent them from
slipping and helps take them off at the
end of each set
here we've got another excellent triceps
movement and I'm going to give you a
rule to emblazon into your mind
throughout this exercise keep your elbow
stationary and pointed toward the
ceiling at all times straddle your
exercise bench with your feet flat on
the floor grasping your barbell keep
your torso erect and your eyes looking
directly forward bend your elbows and
raise your arms overhead
allowing your forearm and the bar to
hang down behind your head so your
elbows point where were you listening
that's right
directly upward toward the ceiling now
inhale slightly more than usual hold
that breath during the up phase and
keeping your upper arm stationary press
the bar upward until your arms are fully
extended your little fingers should
point forward ensuring that you are
using a neutral grip remember not to
round your back or lean forward which
decreases the impact of the exercise as
well as it puts excessive stress on your
vertebra and shoulder joints when you
hit the peak point in the movement lock
your arms for an even stronger
contraction of the triceps so always be
careful not to overextend your joints
and have I mentioned this keep your
elbows pointed toward the ceiling the
whole time
head back to the gym and see how the
rope press down is done with a rope
press down you can really pack on the
mass if you isolate your triceps with
immaculate form stand in front of a high
cable pulley and grasp the rope
attachment with a neutral or palms and
grip your feet should be parallel or if
you want one foot can be slightly in
front of the other
lean forward from the waist to more than
about 10 to 15 degrees and position your
elbows slightly in front of your body
with your hands at approximately
shoulder height take note the slight
forward position of your elbows is key
to this exercise keeping your elbows at
your sides and your upper arms and torso
motionless inhale slightly more than
usual and hold your breath as you push
down with your hands if you want to get
a little extra contraction out of your
triceps twist your palms fully downward
as you execute the press down you'll
feel the difference especially as you
pass the 90 degree position push those
palms down pulling the ropes apart
slightly as you reach the bottom
straighten your arms fully then exhale
as you return to the initial position
under control where your forearms are
just past parallel to the floor keep a
firm grip through the movement so that
your hands and forearms remain in a
straight line at all times to pull
maximum efficiency here remember to
maintain a motionless torso and
motionless upper arm position at all
times during the execution both on the
push down and the ascent back up with
these next three exercises we focus on
defining your triceps rather than adding
mass we'll begin with the lying French
press where we'll para mid up the weight
during each of four sets 12 reps twice
then ten then eight reps next we'll go
through the dumbbell kick back two sets
of 15 with the same weight both times
then we'll round out the program with
two sets of the reverse grip press down
with moderately heavy weight again as
this is the finisher exercise take this
one too high
failure the French press is sometimes
called the lying triceps extension and
sometimes the nose busters but you won't
break anything if you follow strict form
and use a spider this exercise is
probably one of the best ways to create
mass building contractions of the hard
to develop long head of the triceps
running right here to begin like face up
on a flat bench with your feet squarely
on the floor not up on the bench grasp
an EZ bar or barbell with the palms up
shoulder-width grip
fully extend your arms upward above your
chest then move them to about a 45
degree angle toward your head this
starting position stretches your triceps
you should feel this tension throughout
the entire exercise if you don't that
means you're moving your elbows around
so stay aware of the constant tension in
order to monitor your form now inhale
slightly more than usual and hold your
breath keeping your upper arms in place
lower the weight until you reach a 90
degree angle and your elbows perfect now
raise the weight under control extending
your forearms and squeezing hard at the
top quickly exhale then inhale again and
go into your reps a couple of tips use a
weight that's light enough for you to
maintain proper arm position this is
especially important at the end of the
movement where you want to fully extend
your arms to maximally shorten and tense
all heads of the tricep
especially the long head also we suggest
you have a spotter for safety like every
exercise we are giving you in this
series form focus and full motion make
every millimeter of every movement count
when you watch
included on each of these programs on
the 27 wheter principles you'll see just
how important it is to vary your
workouts to attack your muscles from
different angles with a variety of
different approaches the dumbbell
kickback is a way to do just that and
work your triceps from a different angle
to stimulate new growth as always to get
maximum effectiveness you're going to
have to give maximum attention to strict
form that means avoiding the temptation
to let momentum take over okay let's
begin place your inside hand on your
exercise bench to support your upper
body your arms should be straight and
directly below your shoulder bring your
inside leg forward and move your outside
leg back so you can bend over from your
hips and bring your torso into a
horizontal position grasp a dumbbell in
your outside hand using a neutral grip
with your thumb side of your hand
forward keep your upper arm parallel
with your body or slightly above bend
your elbow so your forearm is vertical
inhale slightly more than usual and hold
your breath to stabilize your torso as
you now straighten your elbow while
keeping your upper arm in place in the
top position your extended arm should be
in line with your torso or slightly
above exhale here as you reach the top
of the lift hold this peak contraction
for a moment then slowly return to the
start position under complete control
without swinging the dumbbell that goes
for the up motion as well be sure you
avoid any swinging movement as you
transition from the down motion that's
the basic movement but be careful there
are lots of ways to diminish the
effectiveness of the kickback exercise
as I said don't let momentum take over
don't swing the weights also you need to
keep your torso stabilized and in a
horizontal position if you let your body
angle up with your shoulders higher than
your hips you'll end up using momentum
to raise the weights whether you like it
or not another thing since a kickback
involves all three heads of the triceps
you've got to achieve the full range of
motion the exercise offers that means
don't overdo the weight make sure you
fully extend your elbow and raise your
arm slightly above the level of your
back don't
twist on the lift use only your arm not
your shoulder to raise the dumbbell now
let's head over the gym one last time
for triceps and see exactly how the
reverse grip press down is done this
press down exercise is a great finisher
for the triceps workout like any
isolation exercise you want to keep in
mind some of the general rules we've
talked about keeping your torso stable
no swaying no arching no bending you
want all your movement coming from the
flexion and extension of your elbow no
where else start by standing sideways in
front of a cable machine so that your
working arm lines up with the upper
pulley cable position the leg farthest
from the pulley slightly in front of the
other if you're working the right arm
your left foot should be slightly out in
front of your right foot grasp the cable
handle with the palms up grip your
starting position is complete when you
pin your elbow firmly at your side and
keep your upper arm in line with the
side of your body now inhale and hold
your breath as you pull down squeezing
your triceps to pull the handle down
keep that working elbow pin there at the
side of your body right in there nice
and tight don't let it move push down
until your arm is completely extended
and hold the contraction for one to two
seconds exhale under control lower the
weight now until you return to the
starting position which should be with
your forearm only slightly above
parallel to the ground
don't let the handle come up to your
chin or anything like that complete a
set with one arm then turn around and
repeat with the opposite arm a couple of
performance tips keep your working hand
in line with that forearm through the
exercise the wrist should never flex or
extend keep your abs tight throughout
and allow your spine to maintain its
natural curvature finally this exercise
puts a bit of pressure on the thumb if
it's uncomfortable back off on the way
there are three crucial non optional
steps you must do to wrap up your
workout warm down stretch and replenish
I don't consider these as part of a post
workout routine because every serious
trainer knows that these elements are as
essential to your program as any lift
crunch or pulldown when you are finished
with your workout move into a 5-minute
low intensity aerobic exercise hit your
bike the treadmill or whatever suits you
best but keep your heart rate under 100
beats per minute this allows your
metabolism to slow gradually and your
body to recover in a controlled fashion
the second step of wrapping up your
workout is to stretch the muscles you
have just worked for more detail on the
importance of stretching refer to the
stretching pot at the end of this
program for now remember that you should
move through stretches with slow
deliberate controlled movements with no
bouncing or jerking we know that the key
to an effective stretching routine to
get your body on its way to a healthy
recovery is to target the muscles you've
been working the hardest please review
the stretch pod included at the end of
this program for more details and
benefits on the science of stretching
for now let's concentrate on the biceps
and triceps for the triceps we perform
the overhead tricep stretch brings one
arm overhead and rest your biceps
against your ear bend your elbows so
that your hand drops behind your head
with your other hand grab the elbow of
the bent arm exhale and slowly pull the
elbow with gentle force no jerking
behind your head hold steadily for
twenty to thirty seconds don't forget
breathing and stretching is just as
important as it is with lifting inhale
deeply and as you stretch gently exhale
and relax for your biceps stand with
your back to a long pole or doorframe or
machine lifting one arm to shoulder
height internally rotate the shoulder
grasp the pole or frame exhale and roll
your
biceps upwards keep your shoulders
stable when you feel the stretch hold
for 20 to 30 seconds repeat for both
arms at least twice replenish your body
right after you're finished training see
the nutrition segment of this program
for more information
truly successful resistance training has
much to do with the power of your mind
as it does with the size of your biceps
with all the insight and expertise our
team has brought to you through this
series I want to make sure that one
point is made loud and clear
concentration means everything not just
physically concentrating tension in your
muscles but mentally concentrating and
technique preparation nutrition and very
importantly on staying motivated what
motivates the most successful resistance
trainers you might think it's the kind
of arms you see every month in muscle
and fitness or increased athletic skill
or weight loss or improve metabolic
health sure all these things go a long
way but true motivation the kind of
motivation that will stay with you
through the hard times when results
aren't showing as fast as you'd like
comes from here every time you execute a
curl or press you should mentally be
tracking every element of the movement
that means you're watching your
breathing pattern your technique keeping
your shoulders and back out of the lift
you're on guard against recruiting
extraneous muscles against throwing your
body around to compensate for too much
weight on the bar it means you are
concentrating on your arms as you work
them imagine visualize they're exploding
right through your skin as you fully
extend and contract them throughout the
full range of motion shoot out all
external influences and master your
mental focus
you