TOTAL-BODY WORKBOOK version

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THE MUSCLE GROUPS 1 BICEPS 2 TRICEPS 3 FOREARM FLEXORS

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Experience has taught us this littleknown muscletraining secret: if you build the rest of your body, your arms will grow by default. Thats because theyre involved in virtually every exercise you do. Youll never see a man with wide shoulders, a meaty chest, a V-shaped back and puny arms. But plenty of blokes spend hours on their arms and look as if they hardly work out at all. There are times when your arms should be the centre of attention, however, and not just when youre updating your tattoo collection. If youve been following our Total-Body Workbook programme from the beginning, youll have spent time working your shoulders, chest, back, abs and lower body. Youre bigger, stronger and probably better at every physical activity you attempt. But now your arms may be holding you back. And not because your ex-girlfriends name is still engraved on your left biceps. So, the next eight weeks are going to be all about arms starting with this, the first of two four-week programmes. You should notice the difference in obvious and subtle ways. Youll get stronger in exercises like the bench press and pull-up because your arms will provide better assistance. And when you finally get your new girlfriends name tattooed on your arm, well, youll be able to use bigger letters.
WORDS ADAM CAMPBELL. WORKOUTS MICHAEL MEJIA. PHOTOGRAPHY RICHARD CORMAN. WORKOUT PHOTOGRAPHY BETH BISCHOFF

Chapter 7 of our ten-part series thatll teach you how to build the body you want, one muscle group at a time

Arms(1)
The rest of your workout
BEGINNER
Do a total-body workout two or three times a week. For example, do one set of 8 to 12 repetitions of the following exercises once youve finished your arms. 1. Lat pull-down 2. Squat or leg press 3. Leg curl 4. Dumb-bell chest press 5. Cable or dumb-bell row 6. Crunch

Do these arm exercises before working on your other muscle groups. After that, its up to you how to fit in exercises for other muscle groups. Here are some suggestions.

INTERMEDIATE

Divide your programme into two workouts, one for your upper body and one for the lower. Perform your arm exercises on the day you do your upper-body workout. Alternate between the two workouts, taking a day off after each. So, for example, you might do the upper-body workout on Monday and Friday one week, and the lower-body workout on Wednesday, then the following week do the opposite. Upper-body workout: After doing the arm programme in this instalment, choose one exercise each for your chest, back and shoulders. Do two or three sets of the chest and back exercises and one or two sets of the exercises for your shoulders. Lower-body workout: Choose one hip-dominant lift an exercise that emphasises the hamstrings and gluteals (such as step-ups and deadlifts). Then choose one knee-dominant exercise, meaning the emphasis is on the quadriceps muscles of the front of the thigh (squats, leg presses and lunges qualify). Do two or three warm-up sets and two work sets. (A work set means youre using the most weight you can for that number of repetitions. The warmup sets should be percentages of that weight maybe 40%, 60% and 80%. Do fewer reps in each warm-up set.) Add your choice of abs and calf exercises.

ADVANCED

Divide your workout into four sections. Carry out each part once a week, with a day off between workouts. 1. Arms and shoulders 2. Knee-dominant exercises (see Intermediate section), plus abdominals and calves 3. Chest and back 4. Hip-dominant exercises (see Intermediate section), plus abdominals and calves again

YEAR

PL ANNER
Shoulders Chest & Back 1 Chest & Back 2 Legs & Glutes 1 Legs & Glutes 2 Abs & Lower Back Arms 1 Arms 2 Total-Body Muscle Total-Body Fat Loss

May: June: July/August: September: October: November: December: Jan/Feb: March: April:

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Arms(1) beginner
If youre new to lifting or are returning to it after a long lay-off, consider yourself a beginner.
Do the four beginner exercises for four weeks.

TOTAL-BODY WORKBOOK version

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1-2 sets of 10-12 repetitions of each exercise Weeks 3-4 2-3 sets of 10-12
Weeks 1-2

SEATED PREACHER CURL Grab an EZ-curl bar with an underhand grip. Rest your upper arms on the sloping pad of the preacher bench and hold the bar at arms length in front of you, your elbows bent about 5 degrees. Lift the bar as high as you can without moving your upper arms off the pad. Pause, then slowly lower the bar to the starting position.

OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION Grab an EZ-curl bar with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Hold the bar at arms length over your head. Without moving your upper arms, bend your elbows to lower the bar behind your head until your forearms are just past parallel to the floor. Pause, then return the bar to the starting position by straightening your arms.

STANDING HAMMER CURL Grab a pair of dumb-bells and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders, and turn your palms so theyre facing each other. Curl the dumb-bells up as high as you can without moving your upper arms forward. Pause, then slowly lower the weights to the starting position.

LYING DUMB-BELL TRICEPS EXTENSION Grab a pair of dumb-bells and lie on your back on a flat bench. Hold the dumb-bells above and slightly behind your head with straight arms, your palms facing each other. Your upper arms should be angled back. Without moving your upper arms, bend your elbows to lower the dumb-bells until your forearms are nearly

perpendicular to the floor. Pause, then lift the weights back to the starting position by straightening your arms.

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Arms(1) intermediate advanced

An intermediate has been lifting for at least six months to a year, and has seen gains in strength and muscle mass. An advanced lifter has been lifting consistently for more than a year, has seen considerable gains in strength and size, is proficient at squats and several varieties of deadlifts, and can do at least five pull-ups.
An intermediate should do the four intermediate/advanced exercises shown here and on the next page for four weeks.
Weeks 1-2 Weeks 3-4

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SINGLE-ARM UNSUPPORTED CONCENTRATION CURL

Grab a dumb-bell with

2 sets of 8-10 2-3 sets of 6-8

An advanced lifter should do the four intermediate/advanced exercises shown here and on the next page (with heavier weights) for four weeks.

2 sets of 6-8, after a thorough warm-up with lighter weights Weeks 3-4 2-3 sets of 4-6, after the
Weeks 1-2

warm-up

your left hand and stand with your feet shoulderwidth apart. Keep your back flat and bend at your hips and knees until your upper body is almost parallel to the floor. Let your left arm hang straight down from your shoulder and place your right hand on your right thigh. Curl the dumb-bell towards your chin as high as you can without moving your upper arm. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position. Finish the repetitions with your left arm, then switch to your right to complete the set.

INCLINE ZOTTMAN CURL Set an incline bench at about a 60-degree angle and grab a pair of dumbbells. Lie on your back

on the incline bench and let the dumb-bells hang at arms length straight from your shoulders, with your palms facing forwards.

Curl the weights up as

At the top of the curl,

At the bottom of the

high as you can without moving your upper arms forwards.

rotate your wrists so your palms face the floor. Slowly lower them in that position.

curl, turn your palms forward again to start the next repetition.

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Arms(1) intermediate advanced (continued)

DUMB-BELL OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION WITH FEET ELEVATED Grab a pair of dumb-bells and sit on the end of a bench with your back straight. Hold the dumbbells at arms length above your head, your palms facing each other. Lift your feet off the ground a few inches by raising your thighs slightly. Without moving your upper arms, lower the dumb-bells behind your head until your forearms are just past parallel to the floor. Pause, then straighten your arms to return the dumb-bells to the starting position.

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BODY-WEIGHT TRICEPS EXTENSION Set the bar-bell supports of a squat rack about a metre or so above the floor and place a bar across them. Grab the bar with

an overhand grip, your hands 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) apart. Still holding the bar, back up until youre in a modified press-up position: your arms are straight, your

body nearly forms a line from your head to your ankles, and youre standing on the balls of your feet. Lower your head towards the bar by bending your elbows until your head

nearly touches the bar.

Pause, then push

yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.

Just click any of the pictures and well zip you off to our website to see the move played out in full. MISSED A CHAPTER? Each costs just 1 from www.menshealth.co.uk/ totalbody

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