Whether it’s triggering your triceps or getting brutal on the biceps, MAXIM fitness guru, Alexa, shares some important tips on winning when it comes to loading up those Guns…
Canadian bodybuilder, entrepreneur and co-founder of the IFBB (International Federation of BodyBuilders), Jo Weider, once said, “Show me one person who wants to feel strong and I’ll show you 10 people who want to look strong.” And as much as I want to say I’m all for the former, truth is, the latter is always a great incentive. You only have to look at history to see exactly when barbell curling became one of the three instinctive human conditions after survival and procreation. And that would be in the ’70s thanks to the release of three infamous movies – Pumping Iron, Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a lot to answer for.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
There are three main body parts that people argue about when it comes to direct training: abs, calves and arms. Should you isolate them or are the big lifts enough? And when it comes to the arms, there are plenty of great minimalist coaches (somewhat supported by science) who are firm believers that if you’re doing plenty of pulling and pushing work, the biceps and triceps will get enough stimulation to grow. And I agree to a certain extent, especially if the main goal is strength or athletic performance.
Isolation exercises in these scenarios are usually about bringing up any lagging muscles that are holding back your gains in the bigger lifts. BUT if your goal is predominantly maximal hypertrophy, then the classic versions of those big lifts might provide a great base from which to work, but they are likely NOT going to be enough to reach your aesthetic objective.
THE SIX KEY LIFTS
Charles Poliquin, one of the great “arms dealers” of his time, believed that there were six key lifts that, in most cases, took a 5kg increase in strength and translated that into 0.5kgs of lean muscle on your frame; The Close Grip Bench Press, Dips, Lying Triceps Extensions, Scott Curl, Incline DB Curl and Reverse EZ Bar Curl. This would mean that by increasing your close grip bench from 100kgs for six reps to 125kgs would equate to 2.5 new kgs of muscle mass.
BRINGING UP THE BICEPS
Aesthetically the biceps are seen as an important muscle group, but it might surprise you to know that athletically, they also play a big role. You don’t need to be a bodybuilder to appreciate the usefulness of elbow flexion. Anatomically the biceps has two distinct heads. At the most basic level, doing barbell curls with a narrower grip will emphasise the long head, with a wider grip biasing the short head. But in order to maximise the size of your biceps peak and arm circumference, you can’t overlook the brachialis – the often forgotten elbow flexor that lies directly underneath the biceps and literally pushes the whole muscle up as it grows itself. Make sure you include neutral grip exercises like dumbbell hammer curls in your repertoire if you want to develop arm “thickness”.
Biceps Brutality:
If you’re looking for a truly sadistic “shortcut” to success, you can’t go past the 100 Reps Method. Grab a partner and challenge one another to perform 100 cumulative repetitions with a specific weight in as few sets as possible. A good starting weight is about your 20RM in that particular exercise. You’ll take it in turns to perform as many reps as possible until you reach failure. Your partner will then try to beat your score. Keep going until both lifters have performed 100 reps. Try using this once every three weeks, or whenever your body tells you that a heavy lifting session is just not in the cards that day.
Top Tip: TAKE A LOAD OFF
Seated bicep exercises (e.g.: Scott curls, Incline DB Curls) trump standing ones when it comes to EMG studies – a scientific method that measures the electrical activity of muscles. This is likely due to the fact that there is no effort wasted on neural drive.
TRIGGERING THE TRICEPS
Having bigger and stronger arms is more than just curls for the girls. It pays to remember that from a cosmetic standpoint, the triceps are far more important than the biceps when it comes to strutting around looking studly, given that they’re actually the largest muscle group in the upper arms and are always in a potentially impressive semi-contracted position compared to the biceps which often remain flaccid when not flexed. They also contribute greatly to real world strength. If your triceps suck, chances are your bench press does too.Just like a tricycle has three wheels, the triceps has three heads – the lateral, the medial and the long head. And your girlfriend was right, position matters. Especially in exercise selection when it comes to hitting each one. The lateral head works best in positions where the arms are by your side as in tricep pressdowns, close grip bench press and close grip pushups. The medial head, while harder to isolate, is often targeted most effectively when using a reverse grip ie pressdowns with palms up. And the long head comes into play most effectively when it’s in a fully stretched position as in overhead tricep extensions, or even incline bench skullcrushers.
FOREARMS
They’re often an afterthought, but your forearm strength is often the missing link in lifting. And while they can be built by getting in reps of deadlifts, rows, chins, pullups and carries, building Popeye-esque forearms – the type that make even the beefiest of beefcakes think twice before shaking your hand – requires additional work. This simple 3 minute protocol, completed as the last exercise of the last training day of the week, could be a game changer. Set your forearms up on a bench and perform 3 x 10 rep sets each of barbell/dumbbell wrist extensions (palms down) superset with wrist curls (palms up). Start with a weight you can use for 8-10 reps (it will probably be more for the curls). Given your only rest time is while training the opposite side of your forearm, you may have to drop weight each round. Try to increase the reps each week until you hit 15, then drop back to 10 and increase the weight.
SAMPLE PROGRAM: TOTAL ARMS TRAINING
A1. 4 x 6-8 Full Range Chin-ups (or to near failure)
A2. 4 x 6-8 Full Range Dips (or to near failure)
2-3 mins rest
B1. 4 x 12-15 Narrow Grip Bench Press/Floor Press
B2. 4 x 8-12 Barbell Curl
90-150 secs rest
C1. 4 x 10-12 Ezi Bar Skull Crusher
C2. 4 x 10-12 Seated Incline DB Curls
90-120 secs rest
D1. 4 x 12-15 Overhead Cable Triceps Extension
D2. 4 x 12-15 DB Hammer Curls
60-90 secs rest
E1. Forearm Finisher: Wrist Extension/Curl Supersets
Top Tip
Find a gym that has fat grip dumbbells and barbells. Thick grip training will recruit more muscle in your forearms (and the rest of the kinetic chain) and shoot your grip strength up almost overnight. Strong grip + strong forearms = all round bigger arms. In their absence, ropes can be great tools to use for pull-ups and curls.
By ALEXA TOWERSEY
ABOUT ALEXA
“Action Alexa” is an internationally published celebrity trainer, sports model and nutrition and lifestyle coach with over 15 years’ experience in the health and fitness industry, and has worked with NZ’s world champion rugby team, the All Blacks. She has qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Champs and was named as one of the Five Toughest Trainers in Asia during her seven-year stint in an MMA gym in Hong Kong.
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