August 2, 2008 -

Many people that workout have body parts they love to train. For me, it’s arms – and nothing beats the pump that comes from a few sets of curls and triceps extensions.  On the other hand, many people also have body parts they hate to train, such as legs, back or abs.   

The bugaboo for me was abs.  Oh I wanted a shredded six-pack like the ones on the covers of bodybuilding magazines – but I hated the work required to flatten and tighten my abs.  Then I tried staggered sets of arms and abs training and entered the brave new world of the washboard waistline. 

What are “staggered sets?”  Staggered sets integrate your favorite body part training with a workout for one that you’d otherwise avoid training.  For example, if you love to work your chest but hate to train calves, with staggered sets you’d do one set of calf training for every three sets of chest work that you completed.  A sample chest/calves staggered set workout would be three sets of bench press followed by one set of standing calf raises, then three sets of dips followed by one set of seated calf presses, then three sets of incline bench press followed by one set of seated calf raises.   

When I used staggered sets to train my abs, I integrated my abs work into my arm training in this same 3-to-1 fashion to ensure that I trained my core.  For every three sets of arm training I completed I also did one set of abs work.  Since I loved training arms so much, before I knew it, my abs became flatter and tighter than I ever imagined because of the staggered sets workouts. 

If you’ve got a body part that you hate to train, try working it with staggered sets.  You may never fully enjoy training this body part, but it’s a lot easier to take this “medicine” when you combine it with your favorite workouts. 

A common mistake with standing barbell or EZ Bar curls is what I refer to as “elbow push.”  Elbow push occurs if you lift or push your elbows upward as you complete the curling motion during what should be peak contraction of the biceps.  Moving the elbows upward shifts resistance from your biceps to your shoulders and defeats the entire purpose of doing curls.   In other words, you can’t build mass and shape in your biceps by using your shoulders to complete your curling motion.   

For maximum efficiency during your biceps training you must make sure that they do the work during your standing curl workouts.  To ensure peak contraction of your biceps at the top of the curling movement, keep your elbows at your sides throughout this exercise.  Otherwise, poor training technique – as exemplified by “elbow push” – will delay your progress and ultimately frustrate your training efforts.    

If you really want big and ripped biceps, triceps and forearms, try flexing them in between sets during your arm-building workouts.  Hitting a double or single biceps pose in between sets of curls is great for hardening those “peaks” you’re trying to build.  Similarly, extending and tensing your triceps after a set of Skull Crushers or pushdowns can help you build a sharply defined “horseshoe” in this muscle region. Arnold and other bodybuilding greats used this flexing technique to bring out maximum muscularity in their arms when preparing for a bodybuilding contest.  Even if you’re not a competitive bodybuilder, flexing in between sets can still help you build the rock-hard, chiseled GUNS that you desire.  Give it a try, and don’t worry if you get funny looks from anybody else at the gym.  Believe me, when they see your results you’ll soon see them flexing in between sets during their arm-building workouts!      

There’s a popular theory in bodybuilding circles that you can build big, muscular arms by doing squats.  To be blunt, this is load of garbage.  While squats can release growth hormones that produce an overall anabolic effect in your body, there’s no science showing how this growth is distributed among various body parts or how much of it might actually go to your arms.  Even if squats could make your arms “bigger,” just adding size doesn't produce the shape, symmetry and power that you need for Truly Awesome Arms™.  Muscular hypertrophy comes from the targeted overloading of the muscles that you intend to build.  That means if you want to build big, muscular arms you’ve got to train them directly with heavy weight and proper technique.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that you can get awesome arms by focusing on your legs.  Squat to train your legs…period!  When it comes to building big, muscular arms, stick to arm training!!    

I usually train in “the dungeon” which is what I like to call my home gym (the name seems to fit since it’s crammed into a cold, dark corner of my garage).  But the other day I had a guest pass for 24-Hour Fitness so I used it to get a quick workout there.  It gave me a chance to see what most people are doing to train their arms – and to find out that most of what they’re doing is still wrong!  It’s no wonder so many people can’t make any real progress when it comes to adding mass and shape to their arms.  As usual, there was lots of huffing and puffing with “heavy” cheat-curls, very little triceps training and nobody training their forearms. 

This all looks good to the untrained eye, but it’s ultimately a recipe for failure.  You can’t get massive and powerful arm development using lousy training technique!  And you won’t build big, symmetrical arms if you don’t train your biceps, triceps and forearms!  While this may seem like obvious advice, it’s amazing how many people don’t realize this “obvious” truth.  Balanced training with proper technique is and always will be the key to arm-building success!               

Muscular adaptation is your body’s natural response to repetitive exercise activity.  When you repeat your workouts without sufficient variation, your body adapts to this fixed training routine and fails to show improvement.   Avoid doing the same workouts over and over again by periodizing your training for continued gains.  And make sure to integrate active recovery periods to avoid muscular burnout and ensure maximum growth.