There are a few things that need to happen in order to produce muscle growth. You need to use significant load when lifting weights Enough time under tension to create structural damage to the muscle tissue Enough stimuli to up-regulate anabolic hormones and increase protein synthesis Proper recovery and workout nutrition Many people often think that if they lift as heavy as possible, or use as much volume (sets and reps) as possible they will […]
There are a few things that need to happen in order to produce muscle growth. You need to use significant load when lifting weights Enough time under tension to create structural damage to the muscle tissue Enough stimuli to up-regulate anabolic hormones and increase protein synthesis Proper recovery and workout nutrition Many people often think that if they lift as heavy as possible, or use as much volume (sets and reps) as possible they will […]
There are a few things that need to happen in order to produce muscle growth. You need to use significant load when lifting weights Enough time under tension to create structural damage to the muscle tissue Enough stimuli to up-regulate anabolic hormones and increase protein synthesis Proper recovery and workout nutrition Workout #1 When I think of athletes with huge quads, I think of Olympic lifters. They perform a ton of fronts, heavy. So […]
During the last several years, the loaded carry (most notable the farmers carry) has exploded on the scene. Everyone from bodybuilders to Cross fitters has started to include various loaded carries into their routines and for a good reason. A loaded carry is where an athlete picks up and carries a heavy object and walks with it for an extended period of time or distance. This can be done with various objects, such as dumbbells, […]
The longer that I am in the lifting game, the more I look to be more efficient with my workouts. In a perfect world, I would write programs for my clients and myself that would include the following: Soft tissue works with various foam rollers and massage balls Corrective exercises to improve any dysfunctions Mobility work Stretching Groundwork (rolling, crawling, Get-ups, etc.) Nervous system development/power work (med ball throws and plyos) Strength training Conditioning/cardiovascular work […]
The best way to build muscle is to perform full-body strength training sessions frequently throughout the week. The combo of lower and upper-body movement that involves multiple muscle groups done in a circuit fashion stimulates anabolic hormones and protein synthesis which are two of the major players at stimulating muscle growth. Performing multiple full-body strength routines must be done correctly in order to produce results. Hitting each muscle group 3 to 4 days per week […]
Power training is a vital piece of the functional training puzzle for both competitive athletes & general population clients. Progressive exposure to high-velocity movements trains the nervous system to recruit high-threshold motor units, reflexively stabilize joints and develop the local tissue resiliency necessary to withstand the demands of high-velocity sports, making it a valuable tool for both performance enhancement and injury reduction. Throwing low/moderate weight medicine balls with intent and at high velocity promotes the […]
In 2017, I wrote a Complete Programming Guide For Small Group and Large Group Personal Training Since then, there has been over 100 of our intern at State of Fitness that have read the manual. Each semester, our interns are required to turn in a detailed summary of what they learned from the manual. One of our amazing interns, Maryam Abbasi, has written a fantastic summary I wanted to share. You can click io the […]
Real Workouts. Real Eating. Real life.
There are a few things that need to happen in order to produce muscle growth.
This is crucial if you are looking to build a huge set of arms. There has been some controversy in the strength and conditioning field as to how much we should be training the biceps and triceps. Some feel that we need to lift a lot of weight for low-reps. Some feel you need a lot of volume with moderate weight and high reps. some even feel that as long as you are lifting the big lifts heavy, you don’t need to lift your arms at all.
Well, I have to agree with all of them. Some people focus too much on their arms and forget to squat, bench and deadlift. Others totally disregard direct arm training in favor of the latter. The truth is if you want to get your arms to grow you have to have a strategy.
I have found that focusing on some sound direct arm training twice a week is the best way to shock your arms into muscle growth. You need both a heavy day that includes compound movements to increase strength and density and a day for some detail work to drive blood into the muscle and isolate to stimulate muscle growth. All that we need is 2 exercises, 1 for each of the biceps and triceps, done either on an off day or after your heavy compound movements to get them to grow. Give me less than 20-minutes and some hard work, and you will see some progress and the need for larger shirts.
Workout #1
If you look at anyone with big arms, they can perform a fair amount of dips and chin-ups. Their arms are not only big, but they are dense, hard, and strong. While you are fresh in the first part of the week, we will be lifting heavy.
Exercise Sets Rep Tempo Rest Period
1A parallel bar dips 5 5 1/1/3 90 seconds
1B chin-ups 5 5 1/1/3 90 seconds
Notes: Perform these two exercises as a superset. Perform 2-3 easy warm-up sets and then proceed to your work sets. If 5 reps are too easy, add weight to a belt or use a weight vest.
Workout #2
For this workout, we are looking to flush as much blood into the arms as possible and break down a ton of muscle fibers. We really want to isolate the muscle to dig deep into the mind-muscle connection of the exercises. The barbell curl done with higher reps is sure to leave every muscle fiber in the arms screaming that the chin-ups did not do on day 1. The overhead triceps extensions with the rope provide a big range of motion to completely nail all three heads of the triceps for the week.
Exercise Sets Rep Tempo Rest Period
1A Barbell Biceps Curl 3 10-12 1/1/3 60 seconds
1B Rope Overhead Triceps Extensions 3 10-12 1/1/3 60 seconds
Notes: Perform 1-2 light warm-up sets and then start at a weight that is about 65% of your 1-rep max. Add weight on each set until you reach about 80% of your 1-rep max. Make sure to rest at least 48-72 hours before you perform your next workout.
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