group. I’ d recommend this training plan for around 4-6 weeks and no longer as your body will be unable to recover. We will use this period as an overkill cycle. Return back to training arms normally for 4 weeks then return back to the above cycle for another 4-6 weeks.
One huge factor that people also forget when trying to bring up lagging body parts is adapting their nutrient intake. I always recommend increasing macronutrients. Whether it be carbs, proteins or fats or all 3, it’ s a MUST for optimal growth.
Some of my athletes will use cheat meals and some will use a high quality carbohydrate powder. This will all depend on the individual.
MONDAY Bis and Tris
TUESDAY Delts
WEDNESDAY Tris and Back
THURSDAY Legs
FRIDAY Bis and Chest
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
Rest days
Q Hi Nathan I’ m very new to training and have heard people say I should stick to basic movements and should stay away from machines until I can perform basic lifts. I’ m female and really want to work on the back of my arms as I hate them, can you please tell me what to do.
Jenny, Scotland.
A When I first got into the industry I heard the same sort of stuff. A lot of my approach is very common sense based. If you’ re told to do a deadlift but don’ t see any progression in your tricep area are you likely to continue to train? No is the answer. What I recommend to all newbies is train all body parts equally, using machines and free weights. This way your body will learn certain movement patterns that are assisted and unassisted until you can master all movements. Please don’ t forget it’ s very important to have a good diet and cardio regime as this will help you to lose the fat around the body part creating a tighter and harder looking physique.
Q What should my rep and set range be for working arms.
Matt, Colchester
A Like all muscle groups, I recommend hitting a variety of different rep ranges to stimulate growth in all fibre types. Our muscle is made up of slow and fast twitch fibres, which react differently depending on how they are stimulated.
I’ d never recommend going any lower than 8 reps, as I feel with arms this could be asking for injury. Shaun Jospeh-Tavenier will go as high as 30 reps on biceps and triceps. Some may be surprised but each individual is very different and what works for one person may not work for the next.
I’ m a high volume guy so I love this style of training. Volume can also be increased with the amount of sets performed. For example, you could train a weak body part for 4-5 exercises, 5-8 sets, with 8-30 reps. If you have a weak arms include drop sets, super sets and partials into your program, as this will shock the body and increase muscle break down and optimum nutrient uptake. If your arms are good just do the basics of 3 exercises with 3-4 sets and 8-12 reps.
Q How important is forearm training for competing? I see some athletes with huge biceps and triceps and little development in the forearm area.
Rich, London
A This is a great question. Like the inner thigh it’ s probably the most neglected body part by bodybuilders. Some athletes just have great genetics and don’ t need to train them as they are stimulated enough from training the rest of the arm and grow indirectly as a result, and some people are just damn lazy and never directly train them when they really should.
The brachialis and brachioradialis muscles really set off the rear double, side chest and most muscular poses by closing the gap between the forearm and the bicep. This creates a thicker looking arm with no gaps. It’ s important to use hammer curls, reverse-grip curls( with a thumbless grip), reverse grip wrist curls and wrist curls. What’ s most important is also finding the angles that suit your body best. If you feel the muscle working better in a certain position, be sure to use it! Just because a machine is made in a certain way does not mean it’ s right for you!
98 FLEX | FEBRUARY 2018