Tag: triceps workout
Lee Priest Shows Off Favorite Tricep Exercises Learned from Arnold Schwarzenegger
Bodybuilding veteran Lee Priest learned from the best during a career lasting decades. In a recent IFBB AMA video, Priest walked fans through Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s favorite tricep-building techniques that he’s kept in his arsenal. Even though Priest didn’t boast a tall stature, he proved himself against some of the biggest names in the sport. Having […]
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Barbell Triceps Workout for Mass and Strength
When it comes to triceps training, most exercisers make a beeline to the cable machine and start cranking out triceps pushdowns like their gains depend on it. And while all those sets of straight-bar, rope, and EZ bar pushdowns can be effective, cable triceps exercises have their limitations.
For starters, always doing your triceps training with your upper arms by your sides means you’re always emphasizing the same triceps head. In addition, it’s hard to go really heavy with any triceps pushdown variation, which could limit growth and strength gains. Use too much weight, and you could well feel pushdowns more in your core than your arms. Finally, if you work out at home, you may not even have access to a cable machine.
The good news is that you can address all these workout shortfalls with an old-school barbell. Barbell training is arguably one of the best ways to build mass and strength, even in your triceps.
In this article, we share a no-frills but high-effect barbell triceps workout that’ll kick your arm development into overdrive.
Triceps Anatomy Basics
Before we unleash our barbell triceps workout on the unsuspecting masses, let’s take a moment to look at the anatomy and physiology of this critical arm muscle.
The triceps brachii, commonly known as the triceps, is a three-headed muscle located at the back of the upper arm. Its primary function is elbow extension, which means it straightens the elbow joint. The triceps are also involved in shoulder extension.
The three triceps heads are:
Long head: The long head originates from the scapula (shoulder blade) and extends down the back of the arm. It plays a crucial role in shoulder extension and contributes to the overall size and shape of the triceps. Overhead triceps exercises emphasize the long head of the triceps.
Medial head: The medial head is located on the inside of the arm. It works with the other triceps heads to extend your elbows and contributes to the overall width/thickness of the triceps muscle. Exercises where your arms flare away from your sides emphasize the medial triceps head.
Lateral head: Located on the outside of the upper arm, the lateral head is responsible for the horseshoe shape often associated with well-developed triceps. It assists in stabilizing the elbow joint during extension. The lateral head works hardest when your upper arms are close to your sides.
Incorporating various exercises with different arm positions into your triceps workout routine ensures that you hit all three heads of the triceps effectively. That’s why focusing almost exclusively on pushdowns could hurt your triceps’ shape and size.
Barbell Triceps Workout – Overview
Now you’ve refreshed your triceps anatomy and physiology knowledge, it’s time to hit the gym and train!
Do the following workout 1-2 times per week as part of a weekly training split, where you train your remaining body parts on different days.
For example:
Days
Workout
1
Monday
Chest
2
Tuesday
Back
3
Wednesday
Shoulders
4
Thursday
Legs
5
Friday
Triceps
6
Saturday
Biceps
7
Sunday
Rest
But, before you lift any weights, make sure you warm up to reduce your risk of injury while improving workout performance. Start with a few minutes of easy cardio followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for your muscles and joints, focusing on your shoulders, elbows, and lower back.
Related: How to Warm Up for Strength Training
Warmed-up and ready? Then let’s get to work!
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Recovery
1
Barbell close grip floor press
4
6-8
3 minutes
2
Barbell overhead triceps extension
3
8-10
2 minutes
3a
Barbell skull crusher
3
10-12
90 seconds
3b
Barbell close-grip bench press
4
Barbell behind-the-back triceps extensions
2
12-15
60 seconds
Exercises 3a and 3b are to be performed as a superset. Do the skull crushers and then, without pausing, switch to close grip bench presses using the same bar and weight. Rest a moment and then repeat the pairing twice more to make three triceps-blasting supersets.
Exercise Instructions
There are two ways to do any barbell triceps exercise – the right way and the wrong way. The right way is safe and effective, while the wrong way is dangerous and usually less productive, even if it allows you to lift heavier weights. Follow these instructions to ensure you’re doing the exercises in your barbell triceps workout correctly.
1. Barbell close grip floor press
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, triceps, deltoids.
A lot of exercisers view the barbell floor press as the poor man’s bench press. While the floor press IS a good workout option when you don’t have a bench, it’s actually an excellent exercise in its own right.
The floor press forces you to lower the bar under control and push it up from a dead stop, and the close grip will hammer your triceps. Go heavy with this movement; it’ll pack on triceps mass like nothing else.
Steps:
Lie flat on your back on the floor. Grip your barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart. Hold the bar over your chest with your arms extended. Pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your abs.
Bend your elbows and slowly lower the barbell towards your chest until your upper arms lightly touch the floor.
Drive the barbell back up to full arm extension without locking your elbows at the top to maintain muscle tension.
Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Benefits:
A very shoulder-friendly exercise.
The close grip provides an excellent triceps workout.
No bench required, so it’s a great movement for home workouts.
Tips:
You can do this exercise with your legs straight or bent as preferred.
Lower the bar slowly and then extend your arms explosively to maximize muscle engagement.
Keep your upper arms close to your sides to maximize triceps engagement.
2. Barbell overhead triceps extension
Muscles targeted: Triceps.
The barbell overhead triceps extension is also known as the French press, although the reason why is unclear. Regardless of the origin of the name of this exercise, it’s a great way to build bigger, stronger triceps and preferentially targets that all-important long head. However, you will need good shoulder mobility to pull it off.
Steps:
Hold your barbell with a narrower-than-shoulder-width overhand grip. Raise the bar overhead so your arms are next to your ears.
Bend your elbows and lower the bar down behind your head.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Benefits:
An excellent triceps builder.
Preferentially targets the long head to the triceps.
Requires and develops good shoulder and elbow mobility.
Tips:
This exercise can be done seated or standing as preferred.
Avoid arching your lower back during this exercise. Keep your core braced to support your spine and maintain your posture.
Use a grip that feels comfortable for your shoulders, elbows, and wrists and doesn’t cause pain in any of these areas.
3a. Barbell skull crusher
Muscles targeted: Triceps.
If awards were given for the exercise with the most bad@$$ name, barbell skull crushers would be the outright winner! This exercise is so-called because if you fail mid-rep, you could hit yourself in the head with the bar. So, take care when doing this exercise, and always leave a rep or two in the tank.
Steps:
Lie on a bench and hold a barbell over your chest with an overhand, slightly narrower than shoulder-width grip.
Keeping your upper arms stationary, bend your elbows and lower the bar down slowly to lightly touch your forehead.
Extend your arms and repeat.
On completion, transition immediately to the next exercise.
Benefits:
A very effective triceps isolation exercise.
A low-tech but high-effect exercise for building bigger, stronger triceps.
Works well even with lighter loads.
Tips:
Lower the barbell under control, avoiding any sudden or jerky movements.
Keep your elbows tucked in and pointing upward throughout.
Use the same bar and weight for the next exercise. There is no need to change your position.
3b. Barbell close-grip bench press
Muscles targeted: Pectoralis major, triceps, deltoids.
Following skull crushers with close-grip bench presses will blow your triceps up! This demonic combo isolates your triceps and then uses your pecs and deltoids to push your triceps even further beyond failure. It’s gonna hurt, but this pairing will add slabs of muscle to the backs of your arms.
Steps:
Lie on a bench and hold a barbell over your chest with an overhand, slightly narrower than shoulder-width grip.
Bend your elbows and lower the bar down to your chest
Drive the weight back up and repeat.
Benefits:
A great way to finish off your triceps after skull crushers.
Delivers a skin-splitting pump and deep triceps burn.
An excellent exercise for mass and strength.
Tips:
Keep your shoulder blades together and your chest up to maintain stability during the exercise.
Keep your upper arms close to your body to emphasize the triceps.
Use a spotter to assist you, especially when using heavy weights.
4. Barbell behind-the-back triceps extensions
Muscles targeted: Triceps.
You won’t see many people doing this exercise, but that’s their loss! Barbell behind-the-back triceps extensions are a kind of kickback exercise that hammers your triceps, especially the long head. This is your final exercise, so push yourself to failure on both sets.
Steps:
Hold a barbell behind your back using an overhand, hip-width grip.
Bend your knees slightly and lean forward until your shoulders are level with your hips.
Extend your elbows so your arms are straight, and then bend them until the bar lightly touches the back of your legs. Keep your upper arms parallel to the floor.
Continue for the prescribed number of reps.
Benefits:
A uniquely challenging old-school triceps exercise.
Prioritizes the triceps’ long head.
The perfect end to a barbell triceps workout!
Tips:
Keep your upper arms close to your body to emphasize the triceps.
Avoid using your legs or lower back to help you lift the weight. Do as much work as possible with your triceps.
Go light – this exercise is much more challenging than it looks.
Barbell Triceps Exercises – Benefits
Not convinced that barbells are the best tool for building massive horseshoe triceps? Consider the following benefits and then decide:
Time-efficient
Barbell triceps exercises train both arms simultaneously, which could save you a lot of time compared to working each limb individually.
Ideal for heavy weights
Barbells are ideal for building strength with heavy loads. Lifting heavy weights can also increase muscle density. Most barbell triceps exercises are compound, meaning they involve multiple muscle groups. This means you can lift even heavier loads, pushing and developing your strength to its limit.
Accessible
No matter where you train, you should have access to barbells and weights. Most commercial gyms have rows of barbells, and they’re standard equipment in most home and garage gyms, too. While home cable machines do exist, they’re pretty big and expensive, so they may not be practical for many people.
Versatile
There are lots of different barbell triceps exercises to choose from. Whether you want to hit each triceps head with laser-like precision or just build the strongest muscles possible, barbell triceps training will help.
Barbell Triceps Exercises – Drawbacks
While barbells are an excellent triceps training tool, there are a couple of drawbacks to consider, too:
Safety
Exercises that involve holding a weight over your chest, neck, or head can be dangerous. A failed rep can leave you pinned under a heavy load. As such, you should stop your set with 1-2 reps left in the tank or, if you plan on training to failure, make sure you have a spotter on hand.
Joint stress
Some barbell triceps exercises can be hard on your joints. In contrast, the same movements done with dumbbells are often more joint-friendly, allowing you to rotate your wrists, elbows, and shoulders more naturally.
Not practical for drop sets
A drop set is where you rep out to failure, reduce (or drop) the weight by 10-15%, and immediately rep out again to take your muscles beyond failure.
Taking weight plates off a bar takes too long for drop sets to be practical. You’d need to use fixed-weight barbells to do drop sets effectively. That’s why most drop-set workouts involve dumbbells or selectorized weight machines, both of which allow for quick load changes.
Starting weight
The average Olympic barbell weighs a not insignificant 45 pounds or 20kg. This may be too heavy for some lifters, especially beginners or when doing barbell triceps isolation exercises like skull crushers.
FAQs
Do you have a question about our barbell triceps workout or building bigger arms in general? Don’t worry because we’ve got the answers!
1. Can beginners do this workout, or is it more suitable for experienced lifters?
The volume, training methods, and difficulty of some of the exercises in this workout mean that it’s better suited to intermediate and advanced lifters. It’ll probably be too long and hard for a beginner.
If you are new to working out, focus on building some basic strength and improving your training tolerance before attempting this program. Even then, consider doing fewer sets and stopping each set short of failure to get used to this type of training.
2. How many times a week should I do this workout?
Most exercisers will get good results by doing this program 1-2 times per week. However, avoid doing it immediately before or after your chest and/or shoulder workouts, as both also strongly involve your triceps, which might be too much for you to recover from. Arrange your workouts so you do this program before a leg, back, or biceps workout.
3. Can I use an EZ-curl bar for the exercises mentioned in the workout?
While this is a straight barbell workout, there is no reason you can’t use an EZ bar if that’s what you prefer. The angled handles of an EZ bar may put your wrists, elbows, and shoulders in a more comfortable position. Also, you could use an EZ bar for some exercises and a straight barbell for others. Experiment with both options and see which you prefer.
4. Can I combine this barbell triceps workout with other muscle groups on the same training day?
This barbell triceps workout would combine well with a similar biceps program. You could also do it after a back workout. However, it’s already quite lengthy, so expect to spend well over an hour in the gym if you combine this workout with another.
Related: Biceps and Triceps Superset Workout
5. How long should I rest between sets during this workout to optimize performance and recovery?
Generally, the harder and heavier you train, the longer you need to rest between sets. In this program, you’ll rest for three minutes between heavy compound lifts but just 60 seconds between lighter isolation exercises. This is both logical and practical.
However, you should rest for as long as it takes for your muscles to recover and feel ready to attack your next set. If your reps drop significantly or you need to reduce the weights, you probably need to rest a little longer. It’s generally best to rest too long rather than not rest long enough.
6. Can women do this barbell triceps workout, or is it tailored more for men?
While this IS a fairly guy-orientated workout, that doesn’t mean women can’t do it, too. However, its purpose is to build muscle and strength rather than improve muscle tone or burn fat, so bear that in mind if you’re a woman considering this program.
7. Can I combine barbell triceps exercises with other training modalities?
There is no law that says you have to use the same type of equipment for your entire workout. Using different equipment will make your program more varied and interesting, leading to a more enjoyable training experience. For example, instead of using a barbell for all the exercises in our workout, another approach would be:
Diamond push-ups
Cable overhead triceps extension
Barbell skull crusher
Barbell close-grip bench press
Dumbbell triceps kickbacks
The movements are largely the same, but you’ll be using different tools and methods to for some of the exercises.
Barbell Triceps Workout – Wrapping Up
Building bigger, stronger triceps is seldom easy, but this workout is designed to help you achieve the arm size and strength you’ve always dreamed of.
Keep in mind that while barbell triceps exercises are incredibly effective, it’s usually best to combine them with other types of training to keep your workouts fun and challenging. You don’t have to go all barbell all of the time.
Now, armed with your new knowledge of triceps anatomy and the power of the barbell, go forth and conquer your triceps-building goals! Remember, though, that muscles don’t grow overnight, but with determination and consistent effort, you WILL see the results you desire.
The 30-Day Arm Challenge for Dramatic Size & Strength Gains
Big arms demand immediate respect.
They are the body’s “show muscles,”; the most frequently displayed part. So the faster we can add size to our biceps, triceps, and forearms, the better.
However, most lifters fail to grow their arms. You might be one of them.
Are you having trouble making your forearms bigger? Have your biceps reached the height of their potential? Are you unable to get that amazing triceps horseshoe out?
What’s needed is an intervention — a short, sharp arms shock that will leave your bis, tris, and forearms no choice but to respond.
This 30-day arm challenge is designed to do just that.
Understanding the Arm Muscles
The arms consist of the following three muscle groups:
Biceps
Biceps Anatomy
The biceps brachii muscle comprises two heads — long and short. The short head originates higher than the long head on the scapular. The radius, or forearm bone, is connected to the one tendon that traverses the elbow joint and receives both the long and short heads.
The biceps are responsible for extending the elbow. They also have a small impact on shoulder flexion, which occurs when the arm extends in front of the body.
Triceps
The triceps is situated behind the biceps, on the upper arm. The biceps and triceps are opposing muscle groups so that when one contracts, the other relaxes. Since its purpose is to straighten the arm, any exercise that requires you to do so while facing resistance will engage your triceps.
The triceps muscle has three heads:
Medial
Lateral
Long
The region immediately below the side of the shoulder is known as the outer or lateral head. This head gives the arm a thicker, more robust appearance when fully developed and originates at the shoulder socket on the scapula. The long and medial heads originate at the top of the humerus, or upper arm. The triceps tendon is attached to the olecranon process of the ulna, the bigger of the two forearm bones, where all three heads of the triceps insert.
When completely developed, the triceps give the back of the upper arm a horseshoe shape.
Forearms
The muscles of the forearms can be divided into four groups:
Flexors
Extensors
Rotators
Extrinsic muscles
The flexor muscles are located on the side of the palm. The extensor muscles are on the side of the back of your hand. The forearm rotators supinate the hand, rotating it externally. They also pronate it to move in internally.
The fingers are moved by very small muscles divided into extrinsic muscles on the forearm and intrinsic muscles in the hand itself.
The forearm is capable of six actions. These are:
Wrist Flexion
Wrist Extension
Wrist Abduction
Wrist Adduction
Forearm Supination
Forearm Pronation
Should Women Train Their Arms Differently?
No, women should not train their arms differently from men. Men and women should not only perform the same forearm, biceps, and triceps movements, but they also shouldn’t use different rep ranges. In the past, women have been advised to tone their arms by using those lovely pink lightweight dumbbells and focusing on high repetitions. That counsel, however well-intentioned it may have been, will not produce the outcomes that most women desire.
Any lady I have ever met with strong, athletic arms has managed to lift what seemed like a heavy object to them. These women’s lack of testosterone, rather than their training methods, was the main reason their arms didn’t get bulky.
The musculature of men and women is the same despite our hormones being different. As a result, this 30-day arm challenge is just as effective for women as it is for men.
30-Day Challenge Overview
The 30-day Arm Challenge is divided into four 7-day phases as follows:
Strength A
Hypertrophy A
Strength B
Hypertrophy B
Strength and size go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. Each week you will develop greater arm strength to propel muscle growth. You will train each body part (biceps, triceps, and forearms) twice to thrice weekly.
Let’s now drill down on each of the four training phases:
Phase One: Strength
Rep ranges: 4-6 & 6-8
Focus: Strength development / Balanced strength across arm muscles
Rep Style: Straight sets
Main Stimulus: Central nervous system
The exercises selected for this stage are those that most people struggle with. As a result, you can improve your arm strength and balance, preparing you for the hypertrophy phase.
You will gradually increase the weight with each set during each strength phase. Your final set will be the heaviest weight you can lift while maintaining perfect technique. As a result, if you are performing eight reps, a ninth rep would be impossible for you to complete with good form.
Phase Two: Hypertrophy
Rep range: 10-12, 12-15, 15-20
Focus: Muscular development (hypertrophy) / targeting muscle heads
Rep Style: Tri-sets
Main Stimulus: Muscular system
The goal of Phase Two is to build the various muscle heads. Tri Sets are a part of your Phase 2 exercises. You perform these three exercises back-to-back. You can rest for 10 seconds between exercises and 120 seconds before your next round.
Phase Three: Strength
Rep ranges: 3-5 / 5-7
Focus: Strength development / Balanced strength across arm muscles
Rep Style: Straight sets
Main Stimulus: Central nervous system
During your second strength phase, you will lower your reps slightly from Phase One. Your body has already adapted to the 4-6, 6-8 rep range, so you need to go lower to continue getting stronger. You will be alternating between biceps and triceps exercises over four exercises. Rest between sets ranges between 60 and 120 seconds.
Phase Four: Hypertrophy
Rep range: 12
Focus: Muscular development (Hypertrophy) / targeting muscle heads (double emphasis)
Rep Style: Supersets
Main Stimulus: Muscular system
During this phase, you will double down on a particular muscle head by performing supersets (i.e., Scott curls and prone incline curls for the short biceps head). This forces the body to recruit maximal muscle fibers. After each superset, you will rest for 90 seconds. The workout will consist of a bicep superset (A1 & A2) followed by a triceps superset (A3 & A4). Then, move on to your second biceps superset (B1 & B2) and a final triceps superset (B3 & B4).
The Workouts
Here’s what the workout split for the four phases looks like for this 30-day arm challenge:
Strength A: Days 1-8
Hypertrophy A: Days 9-16
Strength B: Days 17-23
Hypertrophy B: Days 24-30
You won’t train your arms daily, as it can lead to over-training. Instead, you will train them every 48 hours. Recent research shows this is the ideal time frame for optimal hypertrophy and recovery. [2]
Here is an overview of your training days:
Day 1
Workout One
Day 2
Day 3
Workout Two
Day 4
Day 5
Workout Three
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Workout Four
Day 9
Day 10
Workout Five
Day 11
Day 12
Workout Six
Day 13
Day 14
Workout Seven
Day 15
Day 16
Workout Eight
Day 17
Day 18
Workout Nine
Day 19
Day 20
Workout Ten
Day 21
Day 22
Workout Eleven
Day 23
Day 24
Workout Twelve
Day 25
Day 26
Workout Thirteen
Day 27
Day 28
Workout Fourteen
Day 29
Day 30
Workout Fifteen
Phase One Workouts: Days 1-8
Your phase one workout consists of a pair of superset exercises that have you alternate a biceps and triceps exercise. Moving between the superset exercises should take you at most 10 seconds. That means you must have each exercise set and ready to go before you begin your workout. Rest for 90-120 seconds between supersets.
Superset A
Optimized Exercise Form:
Preacher Cable Curls:
Take an underhand grip on the barbell or EZ curl bar before settling into a preacher curl bench position. Your chest and upper arms should be in touch with the arm pad once you adjust the seat.
Keeping your chin tucked the entire time, extend your arms down the pads with a slight bend in the elbows. Keep your wrists in a neutral position and use a relaxed grip.
Squeeze your biceps and bend your elbows to start the upward movement while keeping your upper arms in touch with the arm pad. Lift until your shoulders are in line with the barbell or EZ bar.
Squeeze your biceps in the top contracted position.
Slowly straighten your elbows to bring the barbell back to the beginning position.
Close-Grip Bench Press:
Lay down on a flat bench with your feet planted on the floor. Grab a barbell with a grip that is just inside your shoulder width.
Unrack the bar.
From a starting position with the bar hovering above your chest, slowly lower the bar to your lower chest while keeping your elbows close to your body.
Press the bar firmly back up to the starting position.
SuperSet B
Close-Grip Chin-Ups: 4 x 8,6,6,4
Dips: 4 x 8,6,6,4
Forearms:
Reverse Curls: 3 x 12,10, 8
Optimized Exercise Form:
Close-Grip Chin-Ups
Reach up and hold the bar with a supinated grip and your little fingers about six inches apart.
Pull your chin up to and over the bar by pulling with your biceps and back.
Holding your arms in the highest contracted position, squeeze your biceps as hard as possible for a two-second hold.
Lower back to starting position under control.
Dips
Grab parallel bars with a neutral grip, then lift yourself until your arms are completely extended. Maintain an upright body position with straight legs.
Now, descend by bending your elbows to bring your torso toward the floor (do not allow your elbows to flare out to the side).
Push through the triceps to return to the start position.
Reverse Curls
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells held at arm’s length with a pronated grip in front of your thighs.
Maintaining a neutral spine and keeping your elbows at your sides, bring the weights up to shoulder level.
Lower under control and repeat.
Phase Two Workouts: Days 9-16
Your phase two workout consists of a pair of tri-sets. Moving between each exercise in the tri-sets should take at most 10 seconds. Rest for 120 seconds between tri-sets.
TriSet A
Alternate Dumbbell Curls: 3 x 20/15/10
Tricep Pushdowns: 3 x 20/15/10
Incline Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 x 20/15/10
Optimized Exercise Form:
Alternate Dumbbell Curl
Hold dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing inward towards your thighs while standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Turn your right wrist to the front while keeping your elbow at your sides. Curl the weight up until your bicep is fully contracted.
Lower under control reversing the wrist motion so that your palms face your thighs in the bottom position again.
Repeat with the other arm.
Tricep Pushdown
Stand in front of a high pulley cable with a rope attachment. Hold the bottom of the rope handles with your elbows pinned to your sides.
Your hands should be at mid-chest level at the start position. Extend your arms down and slightly outward to fully extend the triceps.
Return to the start position under control and repeat.
Triceps Kickbacks
Grab a light dumbbell in your right hand and stand with your torso at a 45-degree angle and your left hand resting on your thigh.
Fully extend your right arm back from the starting position.
Revere and repeat, making sure not to use momentum to lift the weight.
TriSet B
Skullcrusher: 3 x 20/15/10
Barbell Curl: 3 x 20/15/10
Triceps Kickbacks: 3 x 20/15/10
Forearms:
Zottman Curl: 3 x 20/15/10
Optimized Exercise Form:
Skullcrusher
Lie on a flat bench with your feet firmly set on the floor. Hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands and hold them above your chest. Angle your arms slightly toward your head.
Keeping your elbows in, bend at the elbows to slowly bring the weight down and over your head. Do not move the position of your upper arms as you lower the dumbbells.
Press through the triceps to return to the start position.
Barbell Curls
Grab a barbell with your hands at shoulder width.
Keeping your elbows at your sides, bring your forearms up while squeezing your biceps. Contract as strongly as you can in the top position.
In that position, your knuckles should be at the level of your shoulders.
Now, slowly lower the bar to the start position. This eccentric portion of the rep should take twice as long as the concentric lifting portion.
Zottman Curls
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells held at arm’s length with a neutral grip.
Supinate the dumbbells during the eccentric motion. Your palms should face the ceiling when your hands are at your chest level.
Rotate your hands into a pronated (palms down) position.
Slowly lower the dumbbells to the start position.
Rinse and repeat.
Phase Three Workouts: Days 17-23
In phase three, you will do straight sets. Your total focus is on lifting maximum weight with perfect form. Rest as long as needed between sets to fully recover for the next set. At this stage, you should use a dip belt to add poundage to your bodyweight exercises.
Close-Grip Bench Press: (warmup 15 reps) 4 x 7,5,5,3
Close-Grip Chin-Up: 4 x 7,5,5,3
Barbell Curls: 4 x 7,5,5,3
Dips: 4 x 7,5,5,3
Reverse Wrist Curls: 4 x 12, 10, 8, 8
Optimized Exercise Form:
Reverse Wrist Curls
Sit on the edge of a bench with a pair of dumbbells held with a palms-down grip. Your hands should be about eight inches apart. Rest your forearms on your knees with your wrists hanging over the edge of your knees. Make sure your forearms are parallel to each throughout the movement.
Extend your wrists down all the way as you allow the dumbbells to roll down your fingers.
From the bottom position, flex your forearms to bring the dumbbells back to the start position.
Phase Four Workouts: Days 24-30
Your phase four workouts consist of nine exercises. They are divided into four supersets, two each for biceps and triceps and a standard set for forearms. Rest for 90 seconds after each superset.
Superset A1
Preacher Cable Curls: (warmup 15 reps) 4 x 12
Incline Dumbbell Curls: (warmup 15 reps) 4 x 12
Optimized Exercise Form:
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Set the angle on an incline bench to 45 degrees.
Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on the bench with your arms hanging at your side.
Rather than starting with your arms hanging down in a fully vertical or neutral position, begin the exercise with your forearms about 10 percent from the vertical position. Your palms should be facing the ceiling.
Flex at the elbow to bring the right-handed dumbbell to the shoulder; contract the bicep in the top position.
Lower under control, again stopping 10 percent short of full extension.
Repeat with the left arm and continue alternating to complete your rep count.
SuperSet A2
Single-Arm Triceps Pushdown: 4 x 12
Reverse Dips: 4 x 12
Forearms:
Farmer’s Walk: 3 x 20 paces
Optimized Exercise Form:
Single-Arm Triceps Pushdown
Attach a single-handle attachment to a high pulley cable.
Stand in front of the pulley, facing it. Grasp the handle in your right hand and hold it at chest level with your elbows at your sides. Adjust your positioning so that the cable is taut in the start position.
Extend your arm and contract your triceps.
Reverse the motion to return to the start position, keeping your elbow at your sides.
Reverse Dips
Position yourself in front of a chair with your palms resting on the chair seat and feet on the ground about two feet in front of it. Your hands should be about six inches apart and your knees bent.
Lower your body toward the floor by bending at the elbows, going down all the way.
Push through the triceps to return to the start position.
Farmer’s Walk
Grab a heavy pair of dumbbells off the rack and hold them at arm’s length by your sides.
Walk around your workout area, taking 20 paces away from the dumbbell rack and then returning. This should take 3-60 seconds.
Replace the dumbbells on the rack.
SuperSet B1
Close-Grip Chin-Up – (warmup 15 reps) 4 x 12
Alternate Cable Curls – (warmup 15 reps) 4 x 12
Optimized Exercise Form
Alternate Cable Curls
Set the cable pulleys at their lowest level.
Stand in front of the machine, facing away from it, and grab the cable handles.
Adjust your position so the cables are taut, with your arms slightly behind your torso and elbows at your sides.
Flex the right elbow to curl your hand up to your shoulder. Squeeze the biceps tightly in the top position.
Lower under control and repeat with the left arm.
Alternate sides to complete your rep count.
SuperSet B2
Close-Grip Bench Press: 4 x 12
Triceps Push-Ups: 4 x 12
Optimized Exercise Form:
Triceps Push-Ups
Get down in the standard push-up position, but with your hands together under your body so that your thumbs and first fingers are touching. The gap between your hands will form a diamond shape.
Maintaining a tight core and a straight line from head to toe, lower your chest to the floor.
Push back to the start position.
30-Day Arm Challenge Nutrition
You will never grow your arms unless you eat a personalized nutrient-dense diet. Your body can only work with the building materials you provide it. Even if you are following the best arm workout on the planet, you will not add a single gram of muscle to your body without creating the right sort of caloric surplus.
Your workout places stress on your muscles. The type of workouts in this program will cause micro-tears in the muscle fibers. As a result, when you walk out of the gym, you will be weaker and smaller. Only when you feed the muscle with the protein and carbs needed to repair the micro-tears in your muscle fibers can you benefit from all your hard work. Besides repairing the muscle, your body will add a little bit more size to the muscle fiber to meet a similar challenge in the future.
You must create a daily caloric surplus to give your body the nutrients needed to build muscle. That means you are taking in more calories than you use.
To determine how many calories you need, multiply your body weight by 20. So, a 180-pound guy needs to consume 3,600 calories to give his muscle cells the building blocks for creating new mass.
Those 3,600 calories should be divided into six meals of equal size and spaced around three hours apart to get the most benefit from them. Each meal should have 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 20% healthy fats as its macronutrient ratio. Aim for one gram of protein per pound of body weight.
These are the best protein sources to include in your mass gain diet:
Eggs
Dairy products
Whey protein powder
Lean beef
Chicken breast
Lean pork
Fish
You should also be consuming generous servings of these starchy and fibrous carbohydrates:
Potatoes
Yams
Brown rice
Corn
Pumpkin
Broccoli
Asparagus
Brussels sprouts
Cauliflower
Maintaining Your Gains
The week after you complete the 30-day arm challenge, you should take a break from training your biceps. Then follow a periodization program where you spread out each training phase from a week to a month. Here’s how it will look:
Month One: Hypertrophy 1
Month Two: Strength 1
Month Three: Hypertrophy 2
Month Four: Strength 2
Take a week off from training at the end of the second and fourth phases. You can follow this periodization program continuously to make ongoing gains.
Myths Around Arm Training
Several persistent myths surrounding arm training must be wiped away before every lifter can get the best bang for his lift. Let’s put straight the four most common arm workout fallacies:
Myth #1: You Can Build Arms with a Partial Range of Motion
Everywhere you look, whether in your local gym or on YouTube, you see guys doing partial reps, usually with weights that are far too heavy for them. Make no mistake; this is not a smart way to train. You need to work a muscle through its full range of motion for full development and maximum strength.
Myth #2: Standing Barbell Curls Are All You Need
The standing barbell curl has been the go-to exercise for the biceps since the beginning of organized weight training. As a result, you see a lot of guys rely on it as their sole bicep builder. That, however, is a mistake. Barbell curls allow you to use a lot of weight but have limitations. They do not allow for grip supination to target the different heads of the biceps.
When it comes to the triceps, a lot of guys spend their time on exercises of dubious value that do not allow for much weight, such as triceps kickbacks, when they could be doing moves that allow for a lot of weight, like close grip bench press and dips.
The bottom line is that you do not want to rely on just one or two exercises for arm development – variation is a must for overall development.
Myth #3: It’s All About the Weight
The standing barbell curl has got to be the most abused exercise in the gym. The reason is simple — people try to impress others with how much weight they can curl. As a result, they use so much body swing and momentum that their biceps are getting no stimulation at all.
Don’t be like those guys — leave your ego behind and focus on perfecting your exercise form and increasing your strength. Remember, 5 pounds curled perfectly is much better than 10 pounds with a bad form.
While we’re on the subject of weight, progressive overload should be gradual. So, rather than jumping from a 10-pound to a 15-pound dumbbell on the curl (a 50% increase), look to add just a single pound on the next set (a 10% increase). If your gym has microplates, you can make jumps of just 1-2%, which is even better.
Myth #4: You Can Wing It
The old saying that those who fail to plan, plan to fail is as true on the gym floor as anywhere else. You cannot turn up and train by feel if you are serious about getting results. Instead, you should record every exercise, set, rep, and weight in a training journal. That will allow you to know exactly how many sets, reps, and pounds to target on the next workout.
Most Common Arm Training Mistakes
There is generally no shortage of enthusiasm when it comes to arm training. There are, however, many common mistakes that tend to hold people back from getting anywhere near achieving their potential. Here are three of the common arm training mistakes and what to do about them:
Over-Reliance on Isolation Exercises
Which exercise will get you to bigger arms faster, curls or chin-ups? Pushdowns or triceps dips?
When you encounter someone who trains frequently but has poor arm development, they are usually weak for their body weight in the fundamental heavy compound pulling and pushing exercises.
All exercises can be divided into two main groups — isolation (single joint motions) or compound (gross motor activities). Compound movements often involve two joints, whereas isolation movements only involve one. Curls are single-joint exercises solely using the elbow, whereas chin-ups are compound exercises using both the elbow and the shoulder. Compound movements are the type of exercise that contribute the most to muscle growth. So, you won’t be able to add inches of thick, powerful muscle if you don’t focus on getting stronger at challenging pulling and pushing exercises like chin-ups or presses.
Lack of Arm Training Frequently
In the early stages of weight training, before drugs and protein powders, the training methods differed significantly from those employed today. They worked out their entire bodies three to five days a week, including their arms. Nowadays, training a body part more than twice per week is uncommon. In fact, the most popular bro split involves working out one body part per day and then working out every body part once weekly.
The introduction of steroids is credited with starting the tendency to train body parts sparingly. After bodybuilders began using steroids, training more than once weekly became unnecessary. All they had to do to gain muscle was pound a muscle group long and hard once every week. But for the vast majority of natural lifters, this simply does not work.
You transmit a signal to your muscles to grow when you lift weights. This signal can be measured using a process known as “muscle protein synthesis.” According to studies, this signal increases significantly after exercise, peaks at around 24-48 hours, and then rapidly declines. It reaches baseline and even deviates from baseline after 48 to 72 hours. [1]
This is not a concern for steroid users, but it is for natural lifters. Additionally, studies reveal that the duration of this muscle-building signal decreases with expertise. Only 14 hours may pass with an elevated signal for advanced lifters. You need to frequently send that muscle-building signal if you are like most participants in these trials. Maybe even every day. Sounds simple enough, but if you train and pound your arms daily, the cumulative damage will make you extremely sore, swollen, and over-trained. So, how can we circumvent this issue?
By adjusting the intensity.
Start by exercising your arms thrice weekly at a relatively high intensity. On these days, work out hard, but don’t lift to failure; instead, stop one or two reps shy of it. Divide the volume you currently perform for your arms each week into three workouts.
For most people, this translates to 12–21 sets overall per week for each muscle. For instance, if your objective is to complete 12 sets over the week, perform four sets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Allowing Workouts to Get Stale
The saying “everything works, but nothing works forever” is certainly true when it comes to gaining muscle. No matter how great your training plan, exercise, and rep range, your body will eventually stop responding. People who find themselves in this scenario frequently increase the intensity or make minor adjustments, such as concentrating more on muscle contractions. They usually end up hitting the dreaded training plateau.
Unless you regularly alter your programming, your body won’t be able to build muscle consistently. Although switching up your workouts is crucial, switching up your rep range is even more important. Most rep ranges are beneficial for gaining muscle, but training in each one is a completely distinct experience.
Consider contrasting sets of 20 reps with sets of doubles. Both rep ranges create muscle, although being very different. Low reps (1–5 reps), moderate reps (8–12 reps), and high reps (15–20 reps) are the three main rep ranges for gaining muscle. Each one of them has been shown to increase muscle mass.
Use low rep ranges to maximize the development of grinding strength, use the low rep ranges. The traditional bodybuilder rep range for muscular development is the moderate rep range. In research, the 8–12 rep range consistently produces the highest muscle growth when other rep ranges are compared head-to-head. Most people undoubtedly get trapped in this rep range for this reason, and after being locked for a few months, their muscles cease reacting.
When used in a cycle with other rep ranges, going as high as 30 reps, this rep range is fantastic. Workouts with this rep range may seem like marathon sessions. They produce the craziest skin-bursting muscle pumps, but they are also draining. Remember that up to 70% of your arm’s volume consists of fluid and non-muscle fiber components. By increasing the ability of your arms to hold more non-muscle fiber structures and fluids, they will grow bigger if you train them to produce insane pumps with high reps. Start with a single rep range, then switch to a different range after a few weeks. Each time, observe how your arms respond.
Key Arm Training Principles
Here are five principles that need to form the foundation of your 30-day arm challenge:
1. Intensity + Volume
Many people who want to focus on arms development are relatively weak in terms of their arm strength. As a result, they cannot lift enough weight to build bigger arms consistently. You will not progress unless you combine intensity with volume.
2. Variety
If you repeatedly do the same thing, your body will adapt and stop responding. As a result, periodization has been a part of organized weightlifting from the beginning. That is why you must switch between intensification (strength work) and accumulation (hypertrophy work).
3. Targeted Stimulation
The key job of the arm muscles is elbow flexion and extension. The elbows flexors consist of four muscles:
The brachialis
The brachioradialis
The pronator teres
The bicep brachii (long head + short head)
Each of these muscles responds differently to stimuli. For example, the brachialis responds better to force, while the brachioradialis responds better to speed. Changing the grip also changes the focus of the exercise. A pronated grip targets the brachialis, while a supinated grip hits the biceps brachii. Even though the exercises may seem similar, they have a very different effect on the arm muscles.
4. Prioritization
To prioritize your arm development, you must train them at the beginning of the week. This applies to your training week cycle and your specific workout. So, arm training should be on Day One, and you should train your arms first during that workout. That way, you can pour all your training energy into your arm workout while you are fresh.
5. Progressive Overload
When you work a muscle, the stress leads to micro tears within the muscle fiber. Proper nutrition and rest allow the muscle to get bigger and stronger to meet that stress in the future. So the muscle can meet the previous stress level in the next workout. Unless you add extra stress in the form of either more weight or reps, it will not be overly stressed, and the micro-tears that lead to growth will not occur.
Read also: Progressive Overload: The Science Behind Maximizing Muscle Growth
Bonus Section: How To Improve Arm Vascularity
Nothing says badass like a pair of big and vascular arms. Vascularity refers to the clearly visible veins running throughout the body. A vast network of veins crisscross your body. These veins are typically not visible as they are covered by body fat that lies underneath the skin.
The pinnacle of fitness is having a muscular body that is also vascular. It announces that you are in excellent physical condition with little body fat. Of course, there are a lot of folks who have never set foot inside a gym but have visible veins. Some people are genetically predisposed to develop insane vascularity. There are also several medical problems that increase a person’s vascularity.
Even if you were born on the wrong side of the veiny genetic pool, there are definitely things you can do to improve your vascularity:
1. Reduce Your Body Fat Percentage
The more fat you have, the less noticeable your veins will be. Therefore, reducing your body fat percentage is the first thing you should do to highlight your vascularity.
Men must be in the 10 to 12 percent body fat range to have clearly visible veins. On the other hand, women must be even lower.
The first thing you need to do is enter a negative calorie balance. The difference between the calories you burn off and consume should ideally be 500 calories.
Second, drastically reduce your complex carb intake. The timeframe immediately following your workouts is the only time you should be eating carbohydrates. Approximately an hour after your workout, consume a meal or smoothie that is 50% carbs and 30% protein.
Add steady-state cardio to your weight training sessions if you’re trying to get vascular. Most of the calories you burn while exercising with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) will come from your glycogen stores. The calories you burn from steady-state cardio will come from your body fat reserves.
2. Strength Training
Contrary to popular belief, doing a lot of high rep sets with lesser weights is not the greatest approach to developing arm vascularity. The best technique to develop size and vascularity simultaneously is through heavy training in the 8–12 rep range. Blood pumps through the body more intensely the harder you train. The veins enlarge as a result, making them easier to observe.
You should end your workout with high-repetition sets to achieve a maximum pump. This will saturate the working muscle with blood, giving it the impression that it is about to explode. This kind of exercise is a component of Hany Rambod’s FST-7 program for bodybuilders trying to get into a super-ripped (and veiny) condition.
3. Include Isometrics
You should perform isometric holds during your recovery period and after your workout to further improve your vascularity.
4. Cut Water
A layer of fat beneath the skin will prevent your veins from peeking through. Water can also get between your veins and your skin. The bodybuilders on the Mr. Olympia stage appear so diced because they have removed most of the water from under their skin.
Wrap Up
The 30-Day arm challenge works. So long as you stick to the plan, you will develop significantly bigger and stronger biceps, triceps, and forearms. And those arms will not only be big but also defined. Put your all into this program with total dedication, belief, consistency, and grit, and you’ll be rewarded with arms to impress!
References
MacDougall JD, Gibala MJ, Tarnopolsky MA, MacDonald JR, Interisano SA, Yarasheski KE. The time course for elevated muscle protein synthesis following heavy resistance exercise. Can J Appl Physiol. 1995 Dec;20(4):480-6. doi: 10.1139/h95-038. PMID: 8563679.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/frequency-66701244
Michal Krizo Smashes A Punishing Back, Shoulders And Triceps Workout
Michal Krizo has turned down the training intensity just a little bit after emerging victorious at his most recent Pro show appearance. But he is still active and tackled a back, shoulder and triceps exercise in the gym.
It’s not an overstatement to say that Michal ‘Krizo’ Krizanek is the face of Slovakia’s bodybuilding community. The 33-year-old bodybuilder has established himself as a worthy competitor in the IFBB Pro League’s Men’s Open division. He now awaits his second opportunity to elevate into the top echelons or Olympia competitors.
Krizo made a name for himself in the IFBB Elite Pro League where he dominated with insane muscularity, sheer size and muscle definition. He eventually made the switch to NPC and kickstarted the Olympia campaign. After earning the IFBB Pro card with a dominant win at the 2022 Amateur Olympia Italy in October, he made a quick turnaround and won the 2022 EVLS Prague Pro. The show was an Olympia Qualifier and Krizo got his first big opportunity to compete on the grandest stage of bodybuilding.
However, competing against the best is easier said than done. In spite of huge expectations, Krizo only managed to secure a twelfth-place finish at the 2022 Olympia. But the relatively inexperienced Krizo gained valuable experience and started the 2023 competitive season with an impressive win at the 2023 Empro Classic Spain Pro that took place from June 16-18 in Alicante, Spain.
He is now taking a break to let his body recover from the intense prep. However, the Slovak is active in the gym and does not want to lose touch with his craft.
Michal Krizo went through a back, shoulder and triceps training session in the gym and answered some interesting fans’ questions as he trained. So without further ado, let’s get to know more about Krizo through the summary of this workout and Q&A session.
Michal Krizo goes through a back, triceps and rear delt workout
Lat Pulldown
Lat pulldowns primarily target the latissimus dorsi, the large fan-shaped muscle in the back. Krizo started his training session with this movement and performed a few good sets to set the tone of the workout.
Bent Over Dumbbell Rows
If you want your back to grow, you have to row. While vertical pulls like lat pulldowns build a wide back, horizontal pulls/rows give it the thickness it needs. This results in the overall development of back muscles. Bent-over dumbbell rows work all the pulling muscles in the upper body and hence they should be a part of your back training schedule without a doubt. Krizo got some solid sets of this exercise under his belt and walked over to the seated rows machine.
Seated Cable Rows
Krizo took to this rowing movement next to work the upper posterior chain of muscles. Seated cable rows work latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, traps as well as spinal erectors, and contribute greatly to building upper body strength. Additionally, it is a potent way of improving upper body posture, especially in people that have slouched shoulders due to prolonged hours of desk/computer work.
The 33-year-old annihilated all the sets of this exercise to shift his focus on working the shoulders next.
Seated Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raises
Rear delts are a crucial muscle group for maintaining postural health, lifting posture as well as aesthetics. However, it is difficult to isolate it unless targeted with specific exercises. This could be the reason why posterior/rear delts often get neglected. Rear lateral raise is one of the best ways to isolate this muscle group. Krizo performed some good sets of this exercise and shifted his focus to working the triceps with the next couple of exercises.
Triceps Rope Pushdown
This isolation exercise served as the first tricep builder in the Slovak’s training routine. Rope pushdown is effective for building strength and muscle while working all three triceps heads. Krizo cranked out a few good sets of the exercise and carried on with his training session.
Seated Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions
The long head of the triceps is most active when the arms are overhand and the triceps are in the stretched position. Overhead tricep extension is an isolation movement that works the triceps from a stretched position and helps build size and strength.
There are many ways of performing this exercise but dumbbell and cable machine variations are the most common. Krizo capped his workout with the cable overhead triceps extensions. Cable machines keep the muscles under tension throughout the duration of the movement. Additionally, the cable moves along a fixed axis, which eliminates the need to control the weight. Together, these two factors contribute greatly to muscle hypertrophy. After pushing through some heavy sets of this exercise to add the last bit of stimulus to the muscles, Krizo wrapped up the training session.
Overall, the workout included:
Krizanek answers fan questions during the workout
Fans are often fascinated by the sheer size of bodybuilders and rightfully so. Open division competitors are some of the biggest human beings you would ever come across and a fan tried to address his curiosity by asking Krizo about his on-stage and off-season weight.
Krizo stated that he was actually 125 kg (275 lbs) during the 2022 Olympia and might have been 122 kg (269 lbs) at the time of recording the video. However, those are just estimates as the 33-year-old is not obsessed about maintaining a certain weight.
“I am only gonna tell you the estimates for both. Because I didn’t weigh myself because I compete the Open class. I don’t carry a scale with me. It’s useless for me.”
He further stated:
“We don’t know or aim for weight. It’s just about looking better, harder. Also, doesn’t even have to be much bigger. Just more quality.”
Krizo’s favorite cheat meal
A stringent diet that does not necessarily satisfy the taste buds is an inseparable aspect of bodybuilding and the one that’s probably most difficult to adhere to. However, it is equally important to indulge in your favorite food once in a while even if you’re Michal Krizo. But what does he like to eat the most? Here’s the answer:
“It changes all the time but I like rice pasta with quark, vanilla sugar and butter. And what else? This is my favorite,” Krizo answered a fan’s question.
But how often does the Slovakian bodybuilder indulge in his favorite cheat meals? Well, there isn’t a set pattern to it, at least in the off-season. Krizo eats cheat meals pretty much whenever he wants during the off-season.
“I don’t go 100 percent on the nutrition now (during off-season). But I try to eat around 70 percent clean.”
But competition prep is a different story as he restricts his favorite meals to Saturday and does not deviate from his diet for the rest of the week.
What are his thoughts on moving to the USA for training?
Krizo comes from a tiny nation in Eastern Europe. While most people from these and many other parts of the world would jump at an opportunity to migrate to the United States for the perceived benefits of it, Krizo thinks he has everything he needs in his motherland. So when he was asked by a fan if he would move to the USA, Krizo replied:
“Not yet. Not this year… I don’t see a reason (in the future either).”
Michal Krizo attributes improved conditioning to cardio and diet
Michal Krizo’s conditioning came under heavy scrutiny when he showed up for his first pro bodybuilding show – the 2022 EVLS Prague Pro. The Slovakian bodybuilder managed to grab a W at the show but had a lot of scope for improvement in that area. However, he showed up with great conditioning at the 2023 Empro Pro. A fan asked Krizo how much cardio did he do during the competition prep. Krizo replied:
“20 minutes cardio on a stationary bike. I wouldn’t do cardio when I trained legs. Plus, posing for half an hour every day in the evening after the workout, which is even more than doing cardio.”
Incorporating cardio really differentiated Krizo’s 2023 Empro Pro competition prep from his Olympia prep. He also made quite a few changes to his training routine and trained every body part at least twice a week. The results showed primarily in his back. Although he might have had the separation in the back muscles already, improved conditioning made it more visible on stage.
“Also very important was fixing my digestion. That was probably the main issue so that everything works the way it should. If the digestion isn’t good, then the physique won’t be either,” Krizo said while answering a question about the difference in his prep for 2022 Olympia vs 2023 Empro Pro.
What’s next for Krizo? Maintenance or bulk and cut?
Having earned the direct qualification to the 2023 Olympia, Krizo now has to utilize his time in a smart way to improve his standing and become a top contender. But fans wonder – how is he planning to approach the next few months – Whether he will be bulking or cutting? Whether he will just maintain the physique that he now has? Here’s Krizo’s answer:
“It’s off-season now. I’ll be resting until the end of July. Then I’ll jump into diet. I might try to gain a bit at the start, during, maybe the first month. But only quality and then hardcore diet all the way to the Olympia. Tow months of hardcore diet for sure.”
Krizo intends to work a lot on presentation and bring the best version of himself to the 2023 Olympia stage. It will be interesting to see how much ground he covers to go up against the top contenders of the division.
You can watch the full workout and Q&A video here, courtesy of Michal Krizo’s YouTube channel:
Published: 28 June, 2023 | 9:19 AM EDT
Flex Lewis Shares Top 3 ‘Tried and Tested’ Movements for Better Triceps
Bodybuilding legend Flex Lewis continues to give back following a successful career in the IFBB Pro League. In a recent Instagram video, Lewis offered tips for building triceps with triceps pushdowns, seated pushdowns, and dumbbell skull crushers.
Lewis tested his talents as a Men’s 212 Bodybuilding competitor for over a decade. He rose to the top quickly, having earned the 212 Olympia title in 2012. He used his muscle detail and hardness as a weapon during his reign, which saw him earn a total of seven titles until 2018. While building his legacy, Lewis defeated mainstays in the category like Derek Lunsford, Kamal Elgargni, and Jose Raymond.
While he stopped competing following his final Olympia win, fans expected Lewis to switch to the Men’s Open class before calling it a career. There were rumors that he would receive a special invitation for the Mr. Olympia show, however, they never materialized. Last May, Lewis closed the door on his career once and for all and announced his retirement. Instead, Derek Lunsford received the special invite and earned second place in his Open debut at the 2022 Olympia.
While enjoying retirement, Lewis teased the possibility of competing in a recent Straight Outta the Lair podcast. Joined by Steve Kuclo, Lewis shared that a seven-figure price tag would lure him back on stage. In his latest undertaking, Lewis shared his go-to exercises for building sharper triceps.
Flex Lewis Shares How To Build Olympia-Level Triceps with Top 3 Favorite Movements
Lewis favors rope triceps pushdowns, seated pushdowns, and dumbbell skull crushers for building his triceps. He offered tips for each exercise which you can find below:
“This is my top three triceps movements: exercise number one, the tried and tested rope triceps pushdowns, I’m contracting the triceps at the very bottom as you can see I’m stretching it all out; controlling the weight past 90 degrees getting a full stretch at the top and getting a full stretch at the bottom. As I said, these are tried and tested these are better to grow the biceps.
I’m a big fan of mixing up reps with heavy weight as you can see on this second movement – with this second exercise the seated pushdown, I’ve changed my body to face the actual machine. As you can see here I’m pushing some serious weights along with some serious reps, try this along with some heavy reps next time.
Last of all is number three: the dumbbell skull crushers, I’m a big fan of these, I’ve been doing these since I was a teenager. If it’s not broke why fix it. Try these, the dumbbell skull crushers in your next workout,” Flex Lewis shared.
The 39-year-old has been open about life post-bodybuilding. He showed off his ripped physique in an update where he revealed major changes to his diet and training plan. At the time, Lewis was weighing 200 pounds and mentioned that his current goal was to pack on 10 or 15 pounds of muscle. To accomplish this objective, Lewis shared that he’s regularly consuming six meals daily.
Aside from ‘The Welsh Dragon,’ four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler also offers consistent training tips and techniques. The legend took to his YouTube channel in March to explain how he built an Olympia-caliber chest with just four exercises.
In retirement, Lewis continues to offer value to the bodybuilding community. Considering the muscle maturity and detail Flex Lewis displayed in his prime, fans can learn a lot from his technique breakdowns.
More Triceps Workout:
Published: 4 May, 2023 | 9:07 AM EDT