Friday, November 03, 2006

Great GUNS with the 21 Day Arm Blitz

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How to Put Slabs of Cold Rolled Steel

On Your Arms in 15 Workouts!

By Vince Andrich

Quick, what pose would you most likely see if you ask a bodybuilder to flex? Yes, you guessed it, an arm pose. It could be a front double bicep, side tricep or just throwing up one GUN. The fact is, arm development is critical to a great physique, and to your psyche. So how do you train for great arm development?

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Gold Standard for Symmetry–Bob Paris

Balance through Specialization
In my opinion, highly developed arms are NOT impressive if the rest of your body is under-developed. Conversely, decent arm development on a balanced physique is very impressive. This is especially true when it comes to sporting a set of arms that get attention, or in a word: attractive.

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The Total Package–Rachel McLish
This may seem confusing to comprehend at first, but if you’ve ever studied the various body types that may be on a competition stage, you’ll easily see that your eyes seem to zero in on the athletes ‘flaws’ first. Sure, you will spot impressive body parts, but in the final analysis, he or she who has the least flaws will look the best. This is even truer in real life, and it is simply because the mind likes symmetry. Your mind processes images, but will repeatedly look for the most complete package. A good example is a car with a killer set of dubs (rims). At first you notice the shiny bright chrome, but quickly begin to assess if the car holds up to your initial impression. If the car doesn’t meet your expectation, many times the great looking rims take away from the cars entire look, thus defeating the purpose.

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The Mind Loves to Find Flaws–Train Accordingly!

This is why, I have always felt that the goal of any bodybuilder is to eliminate or diminish their flaws–and everyone has them. So if you believe your arms need more development to ‘match’ the rest of your body, here is a 21-day specialization program that will get your GUNS growing again.

The 21-Day Arm Blitz

  1. Focus nearly all of your recuperative power, and energy towards breaking down, and rebuilding your arms
  2. Work arms 3 times per week, and limit all other body-parts to 1 workout per week
  3. Do six ‘work’ sets of six reps for arm exercises (plus one warm-up set per exercise that is not counted as work set)
  4. Perform only one exercise for biceps, and one for triceps each arm workout
  5. You are doing low reps for maximum tension, but this does not mean use poor form!
  6. A good split is to do arms on M-W-F, but do no upper body work on weekends
  7. The best arm exercises are described below. Remember, do only one movement for triceps and one for triceps each arm session
  8. You must alternate the exercises below each arm workout for variety

Triceps (specialized exercises to beef up the high/meaty portion of the triceps)

Exercise 1. Triceps Barbell Pullover

This movement looks a bit weird, but it packs slabs of beef on the largest areas of the upper arm. To do the movement properly, lie on a flat bench with the top of your shoulders hanging slightly off the top end (you could look down and see the floor). Now, place a barbell held at arms length over your chest. This is not a pullover position, but a modified lying press position. The reason your shoulders are slightly off the top edge of the bench is to take the power away from them, and fully target the triceps. Your grip should be 12” wide. Keep your elbows in and lower the bar behind and just below your head. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Exercise 2. Barbell Rollover and Press

Lie on the same bench with your body in the same position as described in the previous exercise. From this position pull the bar over, close to your face and rest it on your chest. Now rotate your elbows out to the sides and press the bar to arms length over your chest. Try to press downward toward your feet to get a better contraction. Now lower the bar to the starting position and repeat the movement.

Biceps (specialized exercises to beef up the bottom and the peak portion of the biceps)

Exercise 1. Barbell Preacher Curl
I suggest you perform your preacher curls with the left foot forward under the bench and the right foot back. You can look up the preacher bench on bodybuilding.com for a review of this apparatus. Keep your stomach pressed against the elbow rest and your head and shoulders inclined forward. Your grip should be shoulder width apart and “thumb under” fashion. Start the movement by bending your wrists up and curl to the shoulders. Use smooth pumping reps and do not lean back at the top of the movement.

Exercise 2. Alternate Incline Curls

Lie back on an incline bench; keep your chin on your chest and knees slightly bent. Curl your left dumbbell first, keeping your elbows back. As the dumbbell comes up, lean to that side, look at the weight and forcibly contract the bicep when the weight touches the front deltoid. When lowering the left dumbbell, curl the right one using the same techniques.

Conclusion

Stick with this program for three weeks, and then assess your body for other areas that need specialization.

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