Arms Like Whoa

Somewhere in a franchise gym near you, there’s a client asking his trainer how to build bigger arms. The client, probably going through the motions of his balance ball-heavy first session, is fixed on the idea of beefier, shirt-stretching triceps and sickly striated biceps peaks. The trainer, who probably landed his certification through a one-day seminar, is more comfortable espousing the virtues of single-leg overhead presses than heavy barbell curls — his spindly arms are telltale evidence. When you want to figure out how to get something, it’s good practice to find someone who already has it. So if an Arnold-like set of arms is your ultimate goal, you might be better off asking guys who have something in common with The Oak. Soak up every bit of wisdom that men of exceptional brachial swagger have to offer. Here, submitted for your hypertrophic enjoyment, we’ve assembled a panel of a half dozen well-armed IFBB athletes — men whose biceps and triceps are the ideal “after” to your “before” photo. So step away from the BOSU ball and read on for a VIP collection of arm-training strategies.

 

Hidetada Yamagishi

Hometown: Fullerton, CA
Height: 5´8˝
Contest Weight: 220 pounds

“I always think about my elbow [position] to ensure I hit each and every major aspect of the biceps and elbow flexors.”

When it comes to biceps training, for this Japanese phenom variety is the key. Upon closer inspection, his relatively “vanilla” selection of exercises reflects several arm angles, each putting a different stress on his biceps.
 
MMI: Do you always start your routine with the barbell curl?
Hidetada: Yes, this exercise is the best way to handle a lot of weight with the biceps. I switch between the straight bar and the EZ-bar each week for variety.

MMI: The incline dumbbell curl isn’t part of most guys’ routine. Why do you use it?
HY: This exercise really stretches the biceps and works the outer (long) head. But to keep the form good and avoid risk for injury, you don’t need to go super heavy.

MMI: The preacher curl is an excellent short head exercise. How are you able to get a good peak contraction?
HY: Well, I always aim to achieve a good peak contraction with this exercise. It’s about weight selection. You have to use a weight that lets you really feel the squeeze and hold it.

MMI: Are hammer curls important for total biceps development?
HY: Yes. Hammer curls and reverse curls — I switch from week to week — are important because they target the brachioradialis and brachialis, which help your biceps look bigger. If you want to get bigger arms, you need to train these muscles.

MMI: Do you have a favorite advanced technique for biceps?
HY: I think the easiest technique to use is forced reps, where you have a partner help you get 1–2 extra reps after failure. But if you train by yourself, I like rest-pause. So with barbell curls, if you want to get 10 reps but fail at eight, you can set it down for 5–10 seconds, and then continue for two more reps.

MMI: Do you have a favorite biceps exercise?
HY: If I had to pick only one exercise, I’d pick the preacher curl with a barbell or dumbbell. On this exercise, I feel the biceps very easily. Because it focuses mainly on the short head, it’s probably not the best exercise for everyone.

MMI: Do you like to train biceps alone, or with another bodypart?
HY: I train biceps with triceps. I’ve tried so many body splits but I found that when I train arms on the same day, I can get a greater pump and can focus more.

MMI: What do you think about heavy training for biceps?
HY: A lot of people tend to go too heavy for biceps; they’re small muscles so you shouldn’t worry so much about weight. You’re better off focusing on feeling the biceps.

MMI: Do you change anything about your biceps training at contest time?
HY: For me everything stays the same, not just for biceps but also for all my bodyparts, pretty much all year-round.

MMI: Your routine changes a lot but do you have a general plan of attack when training biceps?
HY: Yes, I always think about my elbows. I do one exercise with my elbows by my sides like the barbell curl, elbows forward like the preacher curl and elbows back like the incline dumbbell curl. Then, I do something with a neutral or reverse grip. That hits each and every major aspect of the biceps and elbow flexors.

Hidetada’s Biceps Routine

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curl	4	20, 8–10, 8–10, 8–10(1)
Incline Dumbbell Curl	4	10–12, 10–12, 8–10, 8–10(1)
Preacher Curl	4	8-12(2)
Hammer Curl	4	8-12(2)

Hide’s first set of the day is always done as a warm-up, not to failure.
(1) Hide adds weight each set.
(2) Hide uses the same weight each set, striving to stay within the 8–12 rep range.

 

Michael Kefalianos
Hometown: Kos Island, Greece
Height: 5´6˝
Contest Weight: 235 pounds

“I like barbells because of the raw mass and power you can produce lifting more weight.”

Stick to the basics, stick to the basics, stick to the basis. This, refreshingly, is the most resounding message in the biceps routine of Greece’s Michael Kefalianos. While he isn’t against more advanced training methods, he believes in always coming back to what works best — basic moves done properly in the right rep ranges.
 
MMI: This routine seems very basic. How did you arrive at this as your go-to for biceps?
Michael: I feel that when you find what works, you should stick with it. I’ve been training for decades and after a lot of trial and error I’ve found what works best for my arms. The four exercises in my program provide me with complete biceps stimulation and development, leaving nothing out.

MMI: What do you do when your biceps training hits a rut?
MK: I follow this routine pretty much year-round, changing only rep ranges and adding advanced techniques when I want to shock the muscle into new growth.

MMI: Do you have advanced techniques that you prefer for biceps?
MK: I use super-slow reps, negatives and peak contraction primarily but I love triple drop sets. With a triple drop, the aim is to reach 100%, complete muscle failure and leave nothing on the table. The pump is pretty sick, too. I use these mostly as I prepare for a contest to bring out quality and hardness. I don’t do it very often because I don’t want to risk overtraining or injury. Ideally, I do it on the last set of the last 1–2 exercises.

MMI: Do you prefer barbells or dumbbells? Both?
MK: I like both for different reasons. I like barbells because of the raw mass and power you can produce lifting more weight, maybe doing a few cheat curls, too. I like dumbbells because they allow me to isolate each side more and I can feel more muscle fibers being engaged during the movement.

MMI: Is there a particular rest period that you stick to when training biceps?
MK: In the offseason I don’t think about it. As long as it takes to feel ready again, I guess. Precontest, 45–60 seconds at the most because I’m moving faster and want to keep rest periods short.

MMI: Do you like to train biceps alone, or with another bodypart?
MK: I almost exclusively superset biceps and triceps together. Working antagonistic muscles like that is a great way to drive more blood into the area you’re working and it’ll also produce some very good results if your arms are lagging behind other bodyparts.

MMI: How often do you use machines or cables for biceps?
MK: I mostly do free weights. However, if I feel I need a little bit more variety, I’ll change from the free-weight version of one exercise to the cable version.

MMI: Do you ever do any heavy, low-rep lifting for biceps?
MK: In the offseason when I’m trying to add mass, I’ll drop the rep range a little bit, allowing me to lift more weight. The lowest I go is 6–8 reps.
 
MMI: What’s your best advice for building better biceps?

MK: My suggestion would be to pick three basic exercises that have been proven to provide good results for everyone, and work at them seriously, concentrating on perfect form and on each repetition, giving emphasis to the peak contraction and the negative part of each rep. As you get better and better, add more advanced techniques and different angles to keep challenging the muscle. The biceps are smaller muscles and can be easily overtrained, especially since it's engaged in a lot of pulling and rowing movements for back.

Michaels Biceps Routine

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curl	4	8–12
Preacher Curl	3	8–12
Dumbbell Curl	3	8–12
Hammer Curl	3	8–12

Essa Obaid
Hometown: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Height: 5´8˝
Contest Weight: 250 pounds 

“Never push it over the limit because it doesn't do you any good to incur an injury.”

When you’re blessed with big arms, your main concern becomes developing quality. Dubai-based IFBB newcomer Essa Obaid made a splash in his rookie debut by winning the 2010 Europa Super Show, thanks in large part to his arm development. His biceps have improved in quality in recent months as a result of the pump-heavy, FST-7 training system developed by trainer Hany Rambod.

MMI: What are your favorite advanced techniques for biceps?
Essa: Supersets and forced reps.

MMI: What’s your favorite exercise for biceps?
Essa: Standing EZ-bar curls.

MMI: Do you like to train biceps alone, or with another bodypart?
Essa: No, I like to train them with back.

MMI: Do you have to train your biceps any differently to keep your arms from dominating your physique?
Essa: No. I train my biceps as hard as any other bodypart.

MMI: Do you change anything about your biceps training at contest time?
Essa: I focus on increasing sets, reps and weights at contest time.

MMI: Do you ever use machines or cables to train biceps?
Essa: I prefer the free weights for biceps.

MMI: Do you ever do any heavy, low-rep lifting for biceps?
Essa: Yes I do, and it works for me.

MMI: What’s your best advice for building better biceps?

Essa: I just say do whatever you feel comfortable with. Never push it over the limit because it doesn’t do you any good to incur an injury that’ll just set you back.

Essa’s Biceps Routine

Exercise	Reps	Sets
Standing EZ-Bar Curl	3	8–12
Hammer Curl	3	8–12
Concentration Curl	3	8–12
Spider Curl	FST-7(1)	8–12

(1)Essa performs this exercise FST-7 style, which involves seven segments of 8–12 reps done to near failure with 30–45 seconds of rest between sets. 

Troy Alves
Hometown: Glendale, AZ
Height: 5´8˝
Contest Weight: 230 pounds 

“I believe for a smaller muscle like triceps that volume is the best way to induce hypertrophy.”

When it comes to learning how to build better triceps, there may be no better pro to learn from than Troy Alves. The 43-year-old IFBB veteran suffered from a huge triceps deficit early in his career because of his affinity for biceps training, but he’s been forced to learn through extensive trial and error how to coax new growth out of this muscle group. A huge proponent of symmetry, he’s turned his biggest weakness into an obvious strength.

MMI: You’ve said that triceps used to be a weak point for you. How did you change that?
Troy: They were a weak point — that’s why I’ve been pushing them so hard. Before I got into bodybuilding, it was all about biceps. I had 18 1/2-inch arms and was 160 pounds, with the majority of my arm being biceps. Today, my body is all about symmetry.

MMI: So have you had to change the way you train your biceps to maintain that balance?
Troy: I don’t beat myself up so much on my biceps — just my triceps. I may do two exercises for biceps and four for triceps.

MMI: Where do reverse-grip skullcrushers fit in?
Troy: This is definitely different but I like it because you get more of the outer (lateral) head when you do it this way.

MMI: You superset your reverse-grip skullcrushers with close-grip push-ups. Why?
Troy: I do the push-ups weighted. I start with a plate on my back, then I rep to failure and have my partner remove the plate so that I can continue to failure again. I love the push-up! I feel like it’s a volume thing.

MMI: Do you feel like there’s an ideal rep range for growing your tri’s?
Troy: I believe volume is the best way to induce hypertrophy in smaller muscle. I always do 10–15 reps for my arms.

MMI: You’re not opposed to using machines for triceps?
Troy: No. My favorite triceps exercise right now is the seated dip machine. With the machine, you stay in a set position, keeping your body still and controlling the weight. On the bodyweight version, you tend to use your whole body, especially your shoulders and pecs, to complete reps. You can do a lot of close-grip benches and stuff like that but you also need to volumize. So I like to do a bit of both.

MMI: How structured is your triceps training these days?
Troy: I’ve never had traditional workouts. I don’t plan a single thing. I know what I have to do to work the muscle but there’s no real order or plan.

MMI: Is there any good, general advice for building better triceps?

Troy: My best advice is to evaluate your physique and to play with different training methods. Try low volume for a month, then high volume for a month, then blend them together for a month and see what your body responds best to.

Troy’s Triceps Routine

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Rope Pressdown	3	15
Weighted Machine Dip	4	10-15
Overhead Dumbbell Extension	4	10
Lying Reverse-Grip Skullcrusher -superset with- Close-Grip Push-Up (weighted)	3/3	10-12/12-15

 Troy does rope pressdowns as a warm-up for his triceps; none of these sets are taken to failure.

 

Ed Nunn
Hometown: Anderson, IN
Height: 6´1˝
Contest Weight: 255 pounds 

“I’ve always had better results doing high reps. I grow fast off that.”

Free weights, cables, different grips, unilateral work — there’s nothing that IFBB pro Ed Nunn doesn’t do on triceps day to elicit the most growth possible. But for this triceps-heavy bodybuilder, restraint is also key to maintaining progress. In order to avoid injury and muscle imbalances, he limits his training frequency and keeps mostly to moderate weight loads, and his meaty, hanging triceps haven’t missed out one bit.

MMI: Your warm-up protocol here is very extensive. Can you explain it in more detail?
Ed: I just try to work the weight up gradually so that the muscles and joints are prepared for the work ahead. I don’t care how much weight I’m using. I start at 10–15 pounds and work up the rack until I get to 50–60 pounds for each arm.

MMI: So even though you consider this a warm-up, it must have some muscle-building benefit.
Ed: Yes, because to do these right requires such strict form. I keep one hand across my chest on my rib cage and this attacks my meaty long head, which is responsible for most of your triceps mass.

MMI: Your routine includes reverse-grip single-arm pressdowns. Why do you like these?
Ed: An underhand grip hits the inside of the triceps (medial head) and a lot of guys won’t do that because of their wrists — it can be uncomfortable — but I like the way it feels. This particular move really helped my triceps to take off.

MMI: Because your triceps are a strong point, how do you keep them from dominating other bodyparts?
Ed: To be honest with you, I don’t have to train them as much. They start getting a little freaky. I might skip them one week and then do them the next. After you develop a muscle so much you have to watch it because you don’t want it to overpower the rest of your physique. For me, it was just genetics. I just make sure that my biceps are just as big. I’ve always had big bi’s, so I do a lot of 21s on the EZ-curl bar to keep them full.

MMI: Do you like to train triceps alone, or with another bodypart?
Ed: I like to train them alone, usually. If I train them with another bodypart, like chest or shoulders, my triceps tend to take over with other moves.

MMI: Do you change anything about your triceps training at contest time?
Ed: I don’t want to get hurt, so around contests, I train a bit smarter. Nothing crazy, just moderate weight, focus on getting the pump and that’s it. I hit them once every other week.

MMI: Do you ever use machines or cables to train triceps?
Ed: I don’t mind using them as long as nothing hurts — some machines are uncomfortable for my body frame.

MMI: Do you ever do any heavy, low-rep lifting for triceps?
Ed: Never. And I’ve never been injured. I never do heavy weight/low reps for my triceps. I feel like, what’s the point? I’ve always had better results doing high reps. I grow fast off of that and I get the results I’m seeking.

MMI: What’s your best general advice for triceps training?

Ed: I truly believe that the key is keeping your elbows tight to your sides and your form strict. So many guys let their elbows flare out on a lot of exercises like dips, skullcrushers and pressdowns, and that compromises how well they’re targeting the muscle. You also have to find out what weight loads work for you — heavy or light. I can’t do the same workout that Branch Warren can and there are some guys out there that can’t train the way I do.

Ed’s Triceps Routine 

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Single-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Extension	1	10-15(1)
Single-Arm Triceps Pressdown -alternated with- Single-Arm Reverse-Grip Pressdown	4	12
Rope Pressdown	4	12
Skullcrusher	4	12

(1) Ed uses this movement as a warm-up, starting at 10–15 pounds and working his way up the rack, alternating arms for 10–15 reps at each weight before going to the next.

Leo Ingram
Hometown: Atlanta
Height: 5´9 ½˝
Contest Weight: 268–270 pounds 

“Volume is pretty much everything for me.”

The routine you see here is not a typo. It is not a mistake. Leo Ingram, a U.S. Navy vet who tips the scales near 270 pounds at contest time, built his triceps like he did his other bodyparts — with ungodly volume. His 24 sets of triceps work is composed of a diverse selection of exercises, allowing him to hit them from all angles. Though this may be considered a “shock and awe” day for most gym goers, it’s just another day at the office for Leo Ingram.

MMI: You do 24 sets for triceps. Isn’t the norm somewhere between 12–16 sets for small bodyparts?
Leo: Because of where I’m at today, I train a single bodypart per workout so I tend to use a lot of volume when I train. It gives me a little more time to recover between workouts. Volume is pretty much everything with me. But if you don’t get adequate rest, overtraining can become an issue.

MMI: It’s strange to see skullcrushers so late in a triceps routine, while cable and machine work is placed up front. Isn’t this backward?
Leo: I like to start with cables and machines because I can get more blood in there. I had some problems with elbow tendonitis a few years back and found out that if I get a lot of blood flowing through cable or machine work, I tend to feel better, stronger. But I’m still able to sustain my heaviest loads at the end of my workouts and do a fair amount of weight.

MMI: So do you prefer cable work now?
Leo: On any given day, you’ll find me doing single-arm cable pressdowns. For me, it’s the constant tension. You get to really enjoy the positive and negative parts of each rep. You can also reduce momentum and control the weight better.

MMI: You perform heavy reverse-grip pressdowns early in your routine, but many bodybuilders consider that a finishing move. What’s your reasoning for that?
Leo: You have to supinate your wrist (use an underhand grip) in order to hit a different part of your triceps. I feel these most in the medial head.

MMI: Why do you use the seated dip machine in this program?
Leo: I like this exercise and go very heavy on it. I usually have 4–5 45s on each side. I tend to keep my elbows close to my side to keep the emphasis on my tri’s instead of my chest. There are some occasions when I flare them out to bring in my chest, but never on a triceps-only day.

MMI: Do you have an exercise you like to use when your triceps have hit a plateau?
Leo: Weighted dips or close-grip bench presses. When you use these two, you can really overload your triceps more than you can with most traditional triceps exercises.

MMI: Do you ever train triceps with other bodyparts?
Leo: If my routine changes, I’d likely train it with chest. A lot of people like push-pull, where you use opposing muscle groups. I figure you’re going to use your triceps to push on chest day, so why not just finish them off? For some people it might not work, but I like it.

MMI: Do you change anything about your triceps training throughout the year?
Leo: I really don’t. If anything, if you can believe it, I’ll add more volume. And that depends on how they look going into a contest.

MMI: Do you ever do any heavy, low-rep lifting for triceps?

Leo: Yes I do. On days when I’m not scheduled to train, I’ll work all free weights, using as much weight as I can. I just push until I can’t push anymore.

Leo’s Triceps Routine

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Single-Arm Pressdown	4	8–12
Reverse-Grip Single-Arm Pressdown	4	8–12
Seated Dip Machine	4	8–12
Single-Arm Overhead Extension	4	8–12
EZ-Bar Skullcrusher	4	8–12
Rope Pressdown	4	8–12