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I would have to say that the most commonly written, as well as the most popular, training articles are about the arms. I guess it kind of makes sense though. I mean, when someone comes up to you and asks you to “make a muscle,” I am sure you don’t flex a trap or whip out a calf! Nope, you roll up your sleeve and squeeze out a biceps pose for all you are worth! Of course, a truly impressive arm will not only show a massively developed biceps when flexing, but an equally awesome triceps underneath.
Now, the most interesting thing about most arm articles that are written is that…well…they are not really interesting at all! Maybe that’s because, like I said, there have been so many written, that there is little left to say. Or, maybe it’s because the people that are writing them are not being very creative with their own workouts, and they are simply passing this along to you. Who knows?
Well, my goal is to present you with an arm training article that is different and interesting! Like the title mentions, I am going to discuss how to get “higher bi’s” and “sweeping tri’s” through targeted training. This simply means that I am going to present exercises meant to bring about a specific goal. In addition, I am going to tell you about a method of training called “Add-On-Sets,” that is certain to throw a little “intensity wrench” into your normal routine.
Before I go any further, however, I am going to make mention of the topic of genetics in regards to your arms. If you are a fan of bodybuilding I am sure you have seen pictures of the various champions of our sport, and how different all of their arms look. Basically all IFBB pros have absolutely huge arms, but it is amazing how uniquely all of them are shaped. Some guys have extreme peaks on their biceps, while others have more roundness. Many pros have biceps or triceps that are rather short, inserting well before they reach the elbow, while others have muscle bellies with seemingly no end! Look at photos of Coleman vs. Levrone, Arnold vs. Lou, or Beckles vs. Oliva, and you will see six pairs of utterly massive, but yet completely different looking arms.
The question is, did all of these unique shapes come about from various training techniques or special exercises, or are they simply a function of genetics? The answer is, “a little of one and a lot of the other!” Yes, the role of genetics is huge, as we can do nothing about how our muscles insert, nor how they are shaped (for the most part). However, what we can do is utilize certain exercises that either target a specific “head” of a muscle, or create the illusion that you have enhanced a specific portion of a muscle. In other words, while we cannot alter the genetic map for specific muscles, we can change the overall look of the landscape by throwing a little extra dirt on just the right spots! Huh? Yeah, it’s a little confusing, but read on and you will see exactly what I mean…
Can I Sneak a Peak?
One of the greatest desires of most of the bodybuilders I meet is to achieve a more dramatic peak on the biceps. They simply want a higher, more “mountainous” look when they flex their arm. The problem is (aside from the limitations of genetics) they don’t realize that most biceps exercises will do almost nothing to help them achieve this goal. Yes, most curling movements will help to bring about hypertrophy of the biceps muscle itself, which will then showcase whatever natural height you might have, but if you want to physically “push” the biceps muscle up higher, you are going to need to specialize! “Specialize on what,” you ask? The brachialis my peak-seeking friends, the b-r-a-c-h-i-a-l-i-s! This often overlooked muscle lies underneath the biceps, and when fully developed, looks like a thick knot of muscle that pops out of the side of the upper arm when they are flexed and viewed from the rear. The brachialis is a very cool muscle because it gives the upper arm a much more complete look, and as it gets larger and larger, it will help shove the biceps skyward!
Now, the problem with the brachialis is that while doing most curling movements, it is a weak flexor of the upper arm. “So what do I do?” I’m glad you asked! What needs to be done is to put the biceps in a mechanically weak position when performing curling movements, so that the brachialis needs to be activated to a much greater degree. Like I said, most curling movements will not “get-er-done,” as it takes specific hand positions and/or curling angles to force the brachialis to take the brunt of the load.
The following is a list of exercises that will let the biceps get a bit lazy while the brachialis steps into the curling spotlight:
-Reverse Curls: These are performed just like regular barbell curls, but with your palms facing down rather than up. Make sure to keep your elbows locked into your sides at all times, and keep the movement strict. No need to go for record poundage on this exercise. If you find performing the reverse curl with a straight bar uncomfortable, try it with an EZ-curl bar. You can also do this exercise on a cable machine or even on a preacher bench for variety.
-Hammer Curls: Either seated or standing grab two dumbbells and hold them at your sides with the palms facing inward toward your thighs. Curl the dumbbells up as you normally would but keep the palms facing inward (just as if using a hammer) throughout the set. Again, lock your elbows into your sides and do a strict and controlled movement. At the peak contraction point squeeze extra hard before lowering the bells back to the straight-arm position. Hammer curls can also be done seated on an incline bench, on a cable machine using a rope attachment, or even in concentration curl style.
-90 Degree Preacher Curls: For these you will be curling off the vertical, not angled, side of a preacher bench, although some gyms might have “spider curl” benches just for this purpose. First, position yourself over the bench and make sure your armpits are snugly pressed into the top. If you have never done these before I suggest you start with about 50% of your normal barbell curling weight, as this is meant to be a very strict movement, with no swinging or jerking. Start with your arms completely straight, and without allowing your elbows or shoulders to move from their position, slowly curl the bar to the fully contracted position. Squeeze tightly at the top, and lower the bar with total control until the arms are once again straight. This exercise can also be done one arm at a time with a dumbbell, an EZ curl bar, or even at a cable machine.
-Overhead Cable Curls: This is my personal “brachialis bashing” favorite, although I rarely see it being done in any gym I have been to. Begin by placing a flat bench in front of a weight stack on one side of a cable crossover machine. Make sure that the bench is at least a foot or so away from the stack, as I want you to peak your bi’s, not flatten your face! Lay down with your head on the side of the bench near the weight stack, and either bend your legs and place them on the bench, or simply plant your feet on the floor. Have someone hand you a short straight or EZ curl bar attached to the upper pulley. Start with your arms perfectly straight and then begin curling the bar both down and back, so that at the full contraction point, the bar is actually behind your head. As you curl you will need to draw your elbows back slightly and to tip your head forward in order to achieve this exaggerated range of motion. Once again, squeeze like you mean it before slowly returning to the straight-arm position.
Got a Broom? I Wanna Sweep!
You know what makes a truly impressive arm? One that can simply hang down…unflexed…and still look as if it belongs on a gorilla, rather than on a human. That look does not come about from having huge biceps, but from having thick, meaty, freaky triceps! More specifically, it comes from a highly developed inner (or long) triceps head. This is the head of the triceps responsible for that “sweep” under the biceps in a front biceps pose, and the dramatic thickness on the back of the upper arm seen in a back lat-spread pose. Probably the most impressive arms I’ve seen in this regard belonged to Kevin Levrone when he was competing. When he would hit that back spread, his inner triceps head would wrap over his arm like a mountain, and literally threaten to burst through his skin! And when Kevin’s arms were simply hanging down relaxed, they looked more like trees than arms! He had more “sweep” to his triceps than most bodybuilders have on their thighs.
Ok, so what magic tricks are needed in order to achieve a pair of “sweeping” triceps? Sorry Houdini, no need for illusions here…just intelligent, targeted training. Just like it takes specific movements to force more brachialis than biceps recruitment, it takes certain types of triceps exercises to get more inner head activation. The key lies in choosing exercises that force the elbows up by the ears throughout the movement. EMG studies have shown that this is the optimal arm positioning to utilize when looking for the strongest activation of inner (long) triceps head fibers.
Here are three of the most effective “sweep-producing” triceps movements around, and luckily none of them require a broom…
-Incline Overhead Barbell Extension: Lie down on an incline bench set at about 60%. Make sure you are up high enough on the bench so that your head is just off the top. Have someone hand you a straight or EZ curl bar, and take a grip at just inside shoulder width. Point your elbows up toward the ceiling and keep them locked in that position throughout your set. Lower the bar slowly back behind your head and allow for a deep stretch of the triceps. As you bring the bar back up, do not allow those elbows to creep forward or you will rob your triceps of major growth stimulation! Lock the arms out straight by intensely contracting the triceps, not by hyper extending at the elbows. This movement can also be done using a single dumbbell in both hands.
-Seated Single Arm Overhead Dumbbell Extension: Sit on a bench that has support that does not extend passed your upper back. Grab a dumbbell in such a way that the meat of your hand by your pinkie finger is right up against the plates. Hold the dumbbell overhead with your palm facing almost completely to the front. Make sure the elbow is pointing straight toward the ceiling and lock it there. Slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head, but keep the palm facing almost forward, so that the bell angles toward the opposite ear as it descends. Just make sure you do not slam the dumbbell into the back of your head (especially if there is a hot chick around)! The exact angle that you are able to use during the eccentric contraction will depend largely on your shoulder flexibility. Make sure to get a full stretch at the bottom before using pure triceps power to then re-straighten the arm. Heavy weight can be used in the exercise, but never use a weight so heavy that it turns into a half-press. This is a very common training mistake that will rob you of much of the benefit of this movement.
-Cable Overhead Extensions Using Rope Attachment: Attach a rope to an upper pulley at a cable crossover station. Grab the ends of the rope while facing away from the weight stack. Bring one leg forward until you are in a lunge-like position, and lean over until your torso is about parallel to the floor. Your elbows should be right up by your ears and they should remain there throughout the set. Starting from the stretched position, use pure triceps strength to begin to straighten the arms. However, as you are doing so, turn the palms from their initial position (facing the head) to a downward position (facing the floor). This will cause the ends of the rope to spread away from each other and allow for a very powerful “cramping” of the triceps. Squeeze hard at the peak contraction point, and then reverse the movement into a full stretch once again. As strength begins to dwindle it will become increasingly difficult to continue spreading the rope at the top of the movement. When this occurs, simply keep the palms facing, from stretch to contraction, and you will find you can get a few extra reps.
“Add-On-Sets”(TM) to Add On Size!
Add-On-Sets are similar to Supersets, Tri-Sets and Giant Sets, but with a slight twist. Add-On-Sets allow you to set up a hierarchy of movements, based on which ones you need most to target a specific area of a body part. While using an Add-On-Set workout, you will decide which exercises will be prioritized and thus get the most work sets. This will result in a radically intense workout with laser-like muscle-sculpting precision! Check out this bi-peaking and tri-sweeping Add-On-Set workout to see exactly what my mad-scientist brain is thinking…
-Target: Higher Biceps
-Precision Movements: 90-Degree Preacher Curl; Lying Cable Curl
-Other Movements: Barbell Curl; Incline Dumbbell curl
Add-On-Set Workout:
-90-Degree Preacher Curl: 1 x 8-10 (rest 1 minute)
-90-Degree Preacher Curl: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), Lying Cable Curl: 1 x 8-10 (rest 2 minutes)
-90-Degree Preacher Curl: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), Lying Cable Curl: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), Incline Dumbbell curl: 1 x 8-10 (rest 3 minutes)
-90-Degree Preacher Curl: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), Lying Cable Curl: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), Incline Dumbbell curl: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), Barbell Curl: 1 x 8-10
-Target: Sweeping Triceps
-Precision Movements: Incline Overhead Barbell Extension; Cable Overhead Extensions Using Rope Attachment
-Other Movements: V-Bar Pressdown; CG Bench Press
Add-On-Set-Workout:
-Incline Overhead Barbell Extension: 1 x 8-10 (rest 1 minute)
-Incline Overhead Barbell Extension: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), Cable Overhead Extensions Using Rope Attachment: 1 x 8-10 (rest 2 minutes)
-Incline Overhead Barbell Extension: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), Cable Overhead Extensions Using Rope Attachment: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), V-Bar Pressdowns: 1 x 8-10 (rest 3 minutes)
-Incline Overhead Barbell Extension: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), Cable Overhead Extensions Using Rope Attachment: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), V-Bar Pressdowns: 1 x 8-10 (no rest), CG Bench Press: 1 x 8-10
Note: Add-On-Sets is an extremely effective hypertrophy-producing technique, but it should not be used often. Maybe once every four weeks for each body part, otherwise over training can occur.
Genetics Shma-netics
Ok, now that you are “armed” with all the information you need to change the shape of your arms, I hope you will stop worrying about the limitations of your genetics, and rather will begin to explore them! Use targeted training and precision movements to sculpt the body you are after.
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