Biceps & Triceps A
Legs are the hard day, so I try to keep myself excited by having a fun day after. This is where you get to blast your Biceps and Triceps. Leg Day is the least sexy of workouts. Arms are the exact opposite. Just remember to alternate the stimulation of the heads. Guys like activities that stimulate the long head… Ladies.
Workout Breakdown
Circuit 1) I have preached hypertrophy and you will get it in this routine but let’s start with some good old fashioned heavy lifting to get that pump going. By going heavy to start, we will get the blood flowing and get us set up for the higher rep counts down the line.
Barbell Curl: Grip is very important in Arm Workouts. A wide grip on the barbell works the inside of the bicep and a close grip or anything that curls the bicep across the chest works the outside of the bicep. For these heavy lifts, I like to perform these with a wider range of grip between each set. I like to start in with a closer grip for the first two sets and then work outward for the 8 rep counts. However, do not compromise your lifting form for more weight. LIFT the weight into position. Do not sling it.
Bench Dips: Now this is how to get your triceps ready for a great workout. As you progress and you want to stretch this to a new level, you can put plates on your lap to add to the weight.
Circuit 2) I know I have listed these as “barbell” but I perform both of these exercises with an EZ-Curl Bar and a free bench. It helps economize the set up times and keeps me from monopolizing the big rack.
Seated Barbell Close Grip Concentration Curl: Forward elbow position? Check. Close grip to stimulate the outer muscle walls? Check. Elbows locked against the inside of your knees to prevent swinging? Check. Sitting as far forward on the bench to keep your wedding business comfortable? Check. Time to get curling. And I’m not talking about that strange game from Canada with the ice and the brooms.
Lying Close-Grip Barbell Triceps Extension Behind Head: This is a great extension where you are really working against gravity. However, the hyperlink labels this with an aka of a “skull crusher.” I feel this is a mistake because I have a skull crusher in Routine B. With this exercise, you bring the bar to eye level and then you are going to angle the bar back so that when you let the barbell drop, it is going to behind your head. (What I call Skull Crushers takes the bar to your eyes.) So in this version, your elbows are positioned farther behind you.
Circuit 3) We now target that long head of the biceps and the outer head of the triceps.
Alternating Incline Hammer Curls: The trick to this exercise is to let your arms hang down behind the incline of the bench so that your arms are perpendicular to the floor. This will effectively put the elbow behind you. By performing this exercise with alternating reps, it does allow you to engage your core for twice as long.
Triceps Pushdown: This is that effective target of the outer head of the triceps. Imagine your elbows chained in place so that your only movement comes from the forearm. I like to stand close to the station and adjust the width of my grips slightly with each circuit. You can alternate this exercise between a bar and a rope extension to give you different grips from week to week.
Hammer Curls: I am electing for Hammer Curls simply because I like the neutral grip position. You can modify this to any other neutral grip curl of your choosing. And then if you want to engage your core longer, you can perform these with alternating lifts if you are using dumbbells.
Dumbbell One-Arm Triceps Extension: A solid triceps exercise, you will also see a version of this exercise in Routine B where it is performed two-handed with a single dumbbell.
One Arm Preacher Curls Over Incline Bench: Another mouthful of a title but this forward-elbow curl puts extreme focus on the short head and prevents any swinging and cheating to perform the maneuver.
Triceps Dumbbell Kickback: Don’t be discouraged if you have to use minimal weight on this one to begin. With the kickback, you want all movement to be solely through the forearm. Imagine a chain hanging from the ceiling and looped under your elbow, forcing your biceps to run parallel with your ribs. Less weight = good form
Circuit 6) The triceps has three heads and so this is where we get to stimulate that horseshoe that sits between the inner and outer head.
Standing One-Arm Cable Curl: In the hyperlink guide, the exercise recommends that you have your arm perpendicular to the floor. We are going to make a modification of this and instead, take a few steps out from the low pulley machine so that your arm is actually trailing behind you. You then perform the curl. This shifts the elbow from a neutral position to a rear position and stimulated the long head.
Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown: On paper, this looks pretty simple and it took me a long time to get this one right. My gym doesn’t offer a wide variety of handles so I was stuck with either looped straps or a wide or short bar for this exercise. The exercise was causing pain in my wrists because I was trying to bend my wrists with the pushdown. The secret is to lock your wrists and squeeze the bar as hard as you can. That maximizes the effectiveness.
Circuit 7) One last forward elbow position and we start to alternate to the Trapezius to blast those out before we conclude.
Cross Body Hammer Curl: I started out performing these with alternating lifts (going right, left, right, left) but I found I got more stimulation by performing all my reps on one side and then alternating to the other. This is a prime example of learning the rules and then playing with them for maximum results but learn the rules first.
Dumbbell Shrug: Remember, with any type of shrugs, you are shrugging the weight into position. Let your arms hang like sausages when performing these. Take them completely out of the equation to get the full effect. Try to pull your shoulders up to your ears and when you get close to the end, shrug and then hold it for as long as you can.
Circuit 8) We don’t want to forget about the forearms so we are going to close out with an exercise to hit those.
Reverse Grip Pronated EZ-Bar Curls: Any curl that is performed with a reverse grip is going to stimulate the muscles between your thumb and elbow. While the hyperlink guide shows this with a barbell, you can perform it with an EZ-Curl bar, cables, dumbbells, or even bands. This is a good workout to perform towards the end of the routine because it is going to wear your hands and grip out.
One-Handed Dumbbell Upright Row: This is a repeat but that is only because it is worth doing multiple times in a week.
Biceps & Triceps B
Routine B almost directly mimics the set up Routine B just with a variation of the exercises performed because there are just a load of different arm exercises but the formula of elbow positioning and stacking exercises remains.
Workout Breakdown
Circuit 1) The same as Routine A, we want to front load the first circuit with heavy lifts. Hypertrophy will come later. For now, let’s lift heavy weight.
Standing EZ Curl: The slight angle of the hands provided with an EZ-Curl Bar might make these lifts easier for you. With that said, if you are doing it right, there is nothing easy about an EZ-Curl Bar.
Close-Grip EZ-Bar Press: I know this looks like a bench press but by positioning your hands in tight together, it shifts the focus less from your chest muscles and more towards your triceps. For an economy of set up, I perform this with the EZ-Curl bar that I used for the curls and rather than slow down by changing out plates, I simply up the rep count.
Circuit 2) We stick with the same formula of switching the elbows forward.
Sitting Preacher Curls (w/ EZ Curl Bar): The only preacher curl station I have is at the cable machine where I do my rows. For economy of space, I perform this exercise with an EZ-Curl Bar. This puts tremendous focus on the short head. You can also vary your grip width to hit the outer wall.
EZ-Bar Skull Crushers (w/ EZ Curl Bar): Similar to the triceps extension we did in Routine A, in this exercise your arms remain more perpendicular to the floor and I literally bring the bar down to (lightly!) touch my forehead. I try to see my eyes in the chrome of the bar. Obviously, this exercise requires precise control.
Incline Hammer Curl: When you have a good exercise, it is worth repeating. Remember, let your arms hang down behind the incline of the bench so that your arms are perpendicular to the floor. This will effectively put the elbow behind you.
Triceps Pushdown: This is that effective target of the outer head of the triceps. Imagine your elbows chained in place so that your only movement comes from the forearm. I like to stand close to the station and adjust the width of my grips slightly with each circuit. You can alternate this exercise between a bar and a rope extension to give you different grips from week to week.
Standing Dumbbell Triceps Extension: A variation from Routine A but this time it is performed two-handed and with a single dumbbell.
Dumbbell Concentration Curls: Locking your elbow in against the inside of your knee prevents you from cheating by swinging the weight into position.
Standing One-Arm Cable Curl: Another repeat from Routine A but there are just not as many rear elbow position exercises.
Decline Dumbbell Triceps Extension: I cannot say why but this exercise is a lot more fun than you would expect.
Circuit 7) This is a repeat of Routine A but we are attacking the traps with a different exercise
CrossBody Hammer Curl: Another repeat but when this exercise starts to cause that vein in my bicep to start to show up, it gets repeated.
Barbell Shrug: Eliminate your arms from the equation, pull your shoulders to your ears, and hold as long as you can on that final rep.
Circuit 8) We close out with forearms and a final trap row.
Reverse Grip Pronated EZ-Bar Curls: Repeat from Routine A. You can change this by switching to Dumbbells.
Barbell Upright Row: Repeat from the chest routine. Be mindful of your hand placement. Keep them roughly shoulder width.
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