The Baker Barbell Arm Specialization Program

Introduction

The following program is a 4-day per week strength and hypertrophy program. While the program
focuses on the development of total body strength & muscle mass, there is a prioritization on the
development of the biceps, triceps, and forearms.

The program should be utilized for approximately 12 weeks. After 12 weeks the trainee should consider
a deload week of lower intensity, lower volume training. After the deload week, the trainee can resume
the Arm Specialization Program or begin a different training program.

If the trainee begins to see stagnation or regression on this program prior to 12 weeks, he/she should
consider deloading after the 4th or 8th week. This program will operate in a series of 4-week mini-cycles
and a deload week could be inserted at the end of any 4-week mini-cycle before the next cycle begins.

With any program I issue I am always asked “Can I do this program while losing weight?” You can do any
program while losing weight. But you will NOT add inches to your arms while in a caloric deficit unless
you are relatively untrained. If you are looking to add significant muscle mass to your arms (and I don’t
know any other reason to do this program) you should consider eating at maintenance calories (at a
minimum) or in a slight caloric surplus (preferred).

Many of you will seek ways to add more arm training volume to this program. I assure you that this
program has plenty of volume for 99% of you. Bigger arms are not built by piling on set after set after
set of moderate effort low quality volume. Instead, seek to improve your effort on the sets you are
prescribed rather than adding more work. More on this later.

Many of you will also seek ways to add extra days for the rest of the body. Remember that this is an
arm specialization program. The idea of specializing in a body part doesn’t just mean adding more work
for that body part. It also means structuring your week for optimal recovery for the body part you are
prioritizing. You have a finite amount of resources available for recovery and training, so it most
definitely is a zero sum game. Adding in additional work/effort in one area also means curtailing
work/effort in other areas. Not simply to allow for the extra work, but to allow for the extra work to be
recovered from!!!!

I highly recommend you follow the training split I have laid out. The days are ordered in the current
sequence for a reason. Almost any imaginable adjustment to the training split will create a less than
optimal alternative. I also recommend you stick to the training template for each day. The exercise
selection and sequence are also there for a reason. Please remember that the programs I create have
been used by my actual in-person and online clients many times before I consider creating templates
available for wider use. Much of the trial-and-error has already been done on your behalf!

Lastly, you need access to a variety of equipment for this program to work. You don’t need to be at
Golds Gym Venice Beach but you need more than a barbell and a rack. It would be preferred to have
access to a barbell, EZ Curl barbell, dumbbells, and some cables/pulleys or bands. You don’t need all of
those items (but it is preferred), but at least 2-3 would be ideal.
Weekly Training Split
Monday: Biceps, Triceps
Tuesday: Legs, Abs
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Friday: Back, Biceps
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off

When Saturday and Sunday say “Off” it means “No Training”. If you want to go on a brisk walk
outdoors to break a sweat and get some circulation going that is fine. But no hard training, no
long distance running, no Crossfit classes, etc. The rest and recuperation today is setting you
up for Monday’s dedicated arm session. Remember that the stimulus is what creates the
adaptation. We want to apply a significant stimulus on Monday with our dedicated Arm Day
and for that purpose we want to be rested and recovered to apply maximum loads and
maximum effort every Monday.
After Monday, we want two full days of rest before the biceps or triceps are trained again. So
Tuesday we fit in our lower body session and Wednesday is another off day.
Thursday is primarily a session for the Chest & Shoulders (which incorporate a substantial
amount of tricep stimulus) but we still finish this session with a brief bout of direct tricep
training. Overall tricep volume will be lower than Monday.
Friday follows the same pattern in that the majority of the session is oriented towards training
the upper back, lats, rear delts, etc, but we’ll finish the session off with another brief stimulus
for the biceps and forearms.
4 Week Mini-Cycling – Why?
The training program is broken into 3 different 4 week mini-cycles. Strung together, this makes
a nice neat 12-week training program. However, as I alluded to earlier, trainees have the
option to deload in between training cycles. Factors that might influence deloading would be
general soreness, general lack of recovery, severe fatigue between sessions, lack of
performance and energy during sessions, or nagging injuries that need time to heal. It is
certainly recommended that if this 12-week program is to be repeated that a deload is taken
after Week 12.
The 4-week mini-cycles are also there as a means to intelligently implement and organize some
variety in exercise selection. Variety is not there because we get bored and we want to be
entertained during our workouts (although variety can help some personalities with
motivation) but more importantly it’s there to keep us progressing and growing. In the old
days, some of you might remember the Weider Principle of “Muscle Confusion” that was often
referenced in the popular bodybuilding magazines. The evidence-based exercise science crowd
used to find this terminology laughable and snickered and sneered at the idea that a muscle
could be “confused.” Well, as it turns out, much of the modern day exercise “science” crowd,
has more or less come around to the idea that a muscle can and does grow “stale” and perhaps
even non-responsive to a repeated stimulus and that some variety in exercise is likely better for
hypertrophy than the same movements repeated over and over again. “Novel Stress” is the
new terminology that has been used as of late to replace the outdated concept of “Muscle
Confusion.” So whether you want to listen to the meat-head in the gym or the scientist in the
lab – variation will help you grow!
There is also some evidence to support the idea of “regional hypertrophy” in a muscle. This
simply means that by changing the way in which a muscle group is trained (usually be altering
the angle of 1 or 2 of the joints that it crosses) that we can in fact create a growth stimulus that
is biased toward a certain area of a muscle. As an example, a Tricep Extension performed with
the arms in an overhead position will put more stress on the inner head (or long head) of the
tricep, while a Dip may put more stress on the outer head of the tricep. While the entirety of
the tricep is engaged in both exercises, it’s not all necessarily engaged equally, and is therefore
likely that the development of the tricep may not be optimal if only one type of exercise is
trained.
In practice, this means that for optimal growth we probably need a variety of movements to
completely develop a muscle group for aesthetic purposes. We likely don’t need 25 different
movements, but perhaps 4-8 staple exercises to rotate through would be ideal.
So during the course of this program, the trainee will use a handful of different movements for
the biceps and triceps.
Another way in which we intelligently introduce variety into our programming is by
manipulating exercise order and rep range. As an example, in the first 4-week minicycle of this
program we will start our bicep routine with heavy barbell curls in the 6-8 range and then move
to lighter dumbbell curls in the 8-12 rep range. In the second 4-week minicycle, we simply
switch the order and rep ranges – we begin with heavy dumbbell curls in the 5-7 rep range, and
then move to light barbell curls in the 10-12 rep range. This very simple switch generally results
in the trainee experiencing a massive pump in the biceps – a good indicator if we are pursuing
continual growth. This very simple strategy has been used by bodybuilders for decades as a
means of continually progressing strength, especially on exercises that train small muscle
groups where continued strength gains can be harder to come by. When we can get stronger
on an exercise that is in a pre-fatigued state (by training it second or third in the workout) it will
be that much stronger when we rotate it back to the beginning of the workout where it can be
trained fresh and with heavier loads. And training it with heavier loads in a fresh state will
allow us to use even heavier weights when we cycle it back to the middle or end of a workout.
The repetition of this pattern over and over again will allow the trainee to continually progress
his training weights at a variety of rep ranges and thus continue to grow.
Lastly – the 4-week mini-cycles allow us to avoid nagging injuries. The elbows in particular are
sensitive to the stress of high volumes of direct bicep and tricep training – especially tricep
training. A proven method to avoid this is by rotating through different exercises fairly
frequently. 4 weeks is a good middle of the road approach to rotate exercises in and out. It’s
long enough to allow for familiarization and progression, but short enough to avoid stagnation
and inflammation.

The Arm Day Workout

Monday – Biceps, Triceps
It’s recommended that you start your dedicated arm session with biceps first and then triceps.
To avoid some of the potential inflammatory effects of direct tricep training it’s useful to have
the elbows warmed up as thoroughly as possible and the bicep workout will do a good job of
this.
Cycle I (4 weeks)

• Barbell Curls 3 x 6-8

• Seated Dumbbell Curls 3 x 8-12
• Reverse Curls (ez-bar) 3 x 8-12
• Close Grip Bench Press 3 x 5-7
• Dead Stop Lying Tricep Extensions (barbell) 3 x 8-12
• Single Arm Overhead Extensions (dumbbell) 3 x 8-12
Cycle II (4 weeks)

• Seated Dumbbell Curls 3 x 5-7

• Barbell Curls 3 x 10-12
• Cable Curls w/ Rope Attachment 3 x 12-15
• Close Grip Bench Press 3 x 8-12
• French Press (EZ Curl Bar or dumbbell) 3 x 8-12
• Lying Tricep Extension w/ dumbbells 3 x 12-20
Cycle III (4 weeks)

• Single Arm Preacher Curls 3 x 8-12

• Cable Curls 3 x 10-15
• Dumbbell Hammer Curl 3 x 8-12
• Cable Tricep Pressdowns 3 x 12-20
• Close Grip Bench Press 3 x 5-7
• Lying Tricep Extension to Forehead (EZ Curl bar) 3 x 10-15

The recommended number of sets does not include warm up sets. These are work sets only.
Depending on your level of strength on each exercise, it is recommended that you perform at
least 2-3 warm up sets for the first exercise for each muscle group. For the follow on exercises,
you may need just 1-2 quick warm up sets in order to familiarize yourself with the exercise.
Since you are already “warm” you don’t need to do an excessive amount of reps for the 2 nd and
3rd movement each day. The Close Grip Bench Press may require a longer warm up for those of
you who are using a good deal of weight on this exercise.
The work sets should be performed as close to failure as possible for the given rep range.
Failure is when the muscle can no longer perform another rep in strict form. Do not be afraid
of taking most of these exercises to actual muscular failure. That means training until an
attempted rep fails to be completed. But this also means keeping your form 100% strict and
maintaining full range of motion. Do not aim for more reps by using excessive amounts of
momentum, shortening the range of motion, using your entire body to complete the rep, etc.
More on this to follow.
For the Close Grip Bench Press you may train within 1-2 reps of failure since this is the only
exercise that represents any significant risk on a failed rep. If you do not have a training
partner to safely spot you, then you can perform this exercise inside of the power rack off of
pins set about 1-2 inches off the chest. You may also use a Smith Machine for this exercise.
The Chest, Shoulder, Tricep Workout
Because this is an arm specialization program, there is plenty of room to individualize your
approach to training the rest of the body. The following protocol is what I recommend for this
particular workout, but the entire workout isn’t necessarily set in stone. However, the exercise
selection, and the order of exercises has not been chosen at random, and I caution against
significant deviation from this template. In the case that you want to simplify the approach
(ex: just perform a bunch of bench presses and shoulder presses) you can do that, but I would
not add additional exercises to this template.
Cycle I (4 weeks)

• Incline Bench Press 4 x 4-8

• Flat Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8-12
• Seated Dumbbell or Seated Machine Press 4 x 8-12
• Side Delt Raises (use dumbbells, machine, or cables) 4 x 10-20
• Dips or Dip Machine 3 x 12-20
• Cable Tricep Pressdowns 3 x 12-20
Cycle II (4 weeks)

• Flat Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 6-10

• Incline Bench Press 4 x 8-12
• Seated Dumbbell or Seated Machine Press 4 x 8-12
• Side Delt Raises (use dumbbell, machine, or cable) 4 x 10-20
• Dips or Dip Machine 3 x 8-12
• Cable Tricep Pressdowns 3 x 12-20
Cycle III (4 weeks)

• Bench Press 4 x 4-8

• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8-12
• Standing Barbell Press 4 x 8-12
• Side Delt Raises (use dumbbell, machine, or cable) 4 x 10-20
• Dips or Dips Machine 4 x 5-8
• French Press (ez curl bar, dumbbell, or cables) 3 x 12-20

Dips are the staple exercise for the triceps today, but also contribute some to the chest and
shoulders. Dips will be performed each and every week, although the rep ranges will change
each cycle. The rep range goes from lightest to heaviest and is designed to be the inverse of
what is happening with the close grip bench presses on Monday. As the close grip bench
presses get lighter with each cycle, the dips get heavier. Don’t mess with this. As many of you
will struggle with strength on dips (especially at higher rep ranges), there is the option to do the
dips assisted with bands or to use an assisted dip machine. In many commercial gyms there
will also be Seated Dip machines that allow you to mimic the motion of a dip from a seated
position. I can’t recommend these machines highly enough if you have access to them and
struggle with actual bar dips. Especially for the higher rep range cycle. If you can do weighted
dips and still stay in the target rep range for a given cycle then you should do so. Especially on
cycle III, if possible, the idea is to load up on some weight for heavy dips in the 5-8 rep range.
Preceding the Dips each week is an exercise for the side delts. These are placed here in order
to give the triceps a “rest” from the chest and shoulder pressing exercises that begin the
workout. And while many consider this a “fluff” exercise, it is the primary mechanism in which
we can create growth and development of the side delts. For those looking for a better and
more aesthetic “upper arm” the side delts are an extremely important component for this
visual.
The final exercise of the day is a high rep extension movement that fits a pattern that is not
used on Monday. Tricep Pressdown are used in Cycle I and Cycle II – if you want to increase
variation, you can switch the handles up on the cable – straight bars, cambered bars, v-grip
bars, and rope attachments are all viable options.
The Back & Bicep Workout
As with the Chest, Shoulder, Tricep workout, there is tremendous flexibility and
individualization in how you go about training your back. The following is simply a
recommended program to follow for excellent results for those looking to fully develop their
lats and upper back. Again, it would be unnecessary to add additional movements to this
program, but you could certainly simplify the approach (i.e. just do a bunch of pull ups and
barbell rows) or sub in your favorite exercises to the appropriate slot.
Cycle I (4 –weeks)

• Dumbbell or Machine Pullovers 3-4 x 8-12

• Chin Ups or Reverse Grip Pulldowns 3-4 x 8-12
• Barbell Rows 3-4 x 8-12
• Seated Machine Rows 3-4 x 12-15
• Single Arm Preacher Curls – DC Rest-Pause Set*
• Dumbbell Shrugs 3 x 10-15 (no straps)
Cycle II (4-weeks)

• Wide Grip Pull Ups 4-5 x max reps

• V-Grip Pulldowns 3-4 x 8-12
• Single Arm Dumbbell Row 2-3 x 6-8
• Seated Cable Rows 3-4 x 10-12
• Cable Curls – DC Rest Pause Set*
• Dumbbell Shrugs 3 x 10-15 (no straps)
Cycle III (4 weeks)

• Barbell Rows 3-4 x 8-12

• Single Arm Dumbbell Row 2-3 x 10-12
• Wide Grip Pulldowns 3-4 x 8-12
• Dumbbell or Machine Pullovers or Stiff Arm Pulldowns 2-3 x 10-12
• Barbell Curls – DC Rest Pause Set*
• Dumbbell Shrugs 3 x 10-15 (no straps)
*A DC Rest-Pause set is the creation of bodybuilding coach Dante Trudel and has been in use
now for several decades as an effective approach for delivering a powerful stimulus for growth
in a very short period of time. In order to perform a DC Rest-Pause set for our purposes you
will be doing ONE main activation set that ends in FAILURE in the 12-20 rep range. It’s very
important that the set actually reach failure or at least within 1 rep of failure without breaking
form. From there you will take a rest of exactly 30 seconds (Dante uses 10-15 big deep breaths
which is approximately 30 seconds, but people tend to cheat this, lose count of breaths, etc).
After 30 seconds perform a second set to failure with the same weight. You will likely achieve
somewhere between 25% - 50% of the reps of set one. After the second set to failure, rest
another 30 seconds and perform a third set to failure. Then you are done with the exercise.
For the single arm preacher curls in cycle I, perform all sets on the right arm, and then all sets
on the left arm.
An example Rest-Pause set might look like this:

• Barbell Curl 65 lbs x 16

• Rest 30 seconds
• Barbell Curl 65 lbs x 8
• Rest 30 seconds
• Barbell Curl 65 lbs x 4
• Done
The next time you do this exercise you can either keep the same weight and try and add to your
total number of reps, or add a small amount of weight.
The session concludes with 3 sets of Dumbbell Shrugs that are performed without the use of
straps. This provides an obvious stimulus for the Traps, but has the additional benefit of
stressing the forearms with a prolonged isometric contraction via the grip. For the rest of the
back exercises, straps are recommended where needed. We aren’t trying to turn the entire
workout into a grip/forearm training session. Straps will allow for heavier weight, more reps,
and a better mind-muscle connection on many back exercises. Especially on exercises such as
Pull Ups, Barbell Rows, Dumbbell Rows, etc straps are recommended if not mandatory for
productive back training. If you want to use other shrug variations from time to time you can –
barbells, trap bars, machines, or farmer walk handles can all be used for shrugs.
The Lower Body Workout
Since there is no arm training today, there is tremendous flexibility in how today’s session is
performed. If you are more of a strength focused trainee, then this session could be as simple
as several sets of Squats and Deadlifts. If you are a more physique or bodybuilding oriented
athlete then you can follow the template I have laid out below. If you want to create your own
customized leg training day, you are free to do so.
Cycle I (4 weeks)

• Back Squats 3-4 x 5-8

• Stiff Leg Deadlift, RDL, or Goodmornings 3-4 x 5-8
• Leg Extensions 3-4 x 10-15
• Lying Leg Curls 3-4 x 8-12
• Standing Calf Raises 3-5 x 10-15
• Abdominals (your choice) 2-3 x 15-20
Cycle II (4 weeks)

• Deadlifts 4 x 4
• Leg Press 3-4 x 15
• Leg Press Calf Raises 3-5 x 10-15
• Seated Leg Curls 3-4 x 8-12
• Leg Extensions 3-4 x 10-15
• Abdominals 2-3 x 15-20
Cycle III (4 weeks)

• Lying Leg Curls 3-4 x 8-12

• Leg Extensions 3-4 x 10-15
• Back Squat or Hack Squat 3 x 10-12
• 45 or 90 Degree Back Extensions 3 x 15-20
• Seated Calf Raises 3-5 x 10-15
• Abdominals 2-3 x 15-20
Progression on Exercises – The Log Book!
The key to growth on any body part, including the arms is progressive overload. Over the long
term, in order to get bigger you must get stronger. For hypertrophy oriented training, stronger,
has nothing to do with your 1-rep max. It has to do with progression of load across medium to
medium high rep ranges on a variety of movements. It literally is as simple as that. There is no
secret formula in how to do that other than pushing yourself as hard as possible to constantly
be trying to add more reps and/or more weight to the right exercises, within a defined set/rep
range, with perfect or near perfect form. That doesn’t necessarily mean you will be capable of
progressing every exercise at every session. You won’t. But if at the end of say 6 months to a
year, you are performing the same weights for the same reps, you will not have grown. Period,
end of story. Without progressive overload, then all other training variables, such as volume,
frequency, etc are of little consequence.
It is not optional to maintain a Log Book for this program. I prefer good old fashioned
notebooks and a pencil, but if you want to use spreadsheets or a fancy App on your phone, that
is fine too. But there must be some mechanism of recording, tracking, and planning each
session you perform. This stuff can get messy and include lots of details and notes which is
why I generally abhor an app or spreadsheet. A paper notebook is hard to beat.
After every workout (or better yet – during each workout) you should log exactly what you
performed that day in terms of exercises, sets, reps, rest times, and weight, as well as any
pertinent notes to yourself. Prior to the next session this content needs to be reviewed and
you need to set target goals for the upcoming session.
For each exercise in the program I have issued a recommended set and rep range. The idea is
to try and progress within that rep range by either adding reps with the same load as last week
or adding load, and if you get lucky, sometimes it’s both.
For instance let’s look at a hypothetical arm workout:

• Barbell Curls 3 x 6-8

• Seated Dumbbell Curls 3 x 8-12
• Reverse Curls (ez-bar) 3 x 8-12
• Close Grip Bench Press 3 x 5-7
• Dead Stop Lying Tricep Extensions (barbell) 3 x 8-12
• Single Arm Overhead Extensions (dumbbell) 3 x 8-12
You perform the following:

• Barbell Curls 95 lbs x 7,6,6

• Seated Dumbbell Curls 25 lbs x 12,10,8
• Reverse Curls 65 lbs x 10,10,9
• Close Grip Bench Press 205 lbs x 7,7,5
• Dead Stop Lying Tricep Extensions (barbell) 65 lbs x 12,10,8
• Single Arm Overhead Extensions (dumbbell) 20 lbs x 12,9,8
Here is my general rule of thumb:
1. If at least ONE set hits the top end of the rep range (12 reps if the rep range is 8-12) and
NO SETS fall below the bottom end of the rep range (8 if the rep range is 8-12), then you
can add small amounts of load.
2. If NO sets hit the top end of the rep range, but NO sets fall below the bottom end of the
rep range, then try and increase total number of reps
3. If ANY set falls below the bottom end of the rep range – then reduce load and raise reps
at the next workout.
4. No reps are counted that are done with bad form or partial range of motion.
At the next session you might attempt to do this:

• Barbell Curls 95 lbs x 7,6,6 (try to add reps until at least one set hits 8)
• Seated Dumbbell Curls 25 lbs x 12,10,8 (bump up weight to 30 or add reps at 25)
• Reverse Curls 65 lbs x 10,10,9 (try and add reps)
• Close Grip Bench Press 205 lbs x 7,7,5 (bump up weight to 210 or add reps to final set)
• Dead Stop Lying Tricep Extensions (barbell) 65 lbs x 12,10,8 (bump up weight to 70 or
add reps)
• Single Arm Overhead Extensions (dumbbell) 25 lbs x 9,8,7 (decrease load to 20 and get
reps back into 8-12 range).
These rules aren’t 100% neat and tidy all the time. You won’t always make the progression that
you had planned but if you more or less follow these guidelines it will add up to progression
over time which is all that matters. It’s rarely a mistake to stay at the same weight and add
reps. It can potentially be a mistake to rush the loading too fast.
If you find that you routinely have steep drop offs in performance after the 1 st or 2nd work set,
then it might take a very long time to progress in load following this system. In other words, if
you get 12 reps on a given exercise at a given weight and then often find yourself falling off to
6-7 reps on the next set, then you might consider 1 of 2 approaches.
First, is to drop the total volume to just 1-2 work sets for each exercise. Some trainees will yield
better performance and better results with less volume. A second option is to perform some or
all exercises as Descending Sets. Descending Sets call for you to slightly lower the weight of
each set in order to maintain your volume. This can be applied to nearly any exercise.
For instance, instead of trying to do Barbell Curls with 95 lbs for 3 x 6-8, you might instead do
something like this:

• 95 x 6-8
• 90 x 6-8
• 85 x 6-8
This will potentially allow for you to keep your total volume higher, but maintain better form,
better contractions, and overall faster progressions. Even when using Descending Sets, it is still
critically important that all sets and reps and loads are log booked, tracked, and reviewed to
ensure that overall, your workload is increasing with time.
If you repeat this program more than once, it will also be important to review your
performances from one cycle to the next. For instance, if you end the 4th week of Cycle I with
105 lbs for 3 x 6, then you need to ensure that at the very least you end the 4th week of Cycle I
the next time with 105 lbs for 3 x 7-8 or using 110-115 lbs for 3 x 6.
Below is an example of how you might progress from one cycle to the next:
Cycle I (1st time through the program)

• Week 1: Barbell Curls 95 x 8,8,8

• Week 2: Barbell Curls 100 x 8,7,6
• Week 3: Barbell Curls 105 x 7,6,6
• Week 4: Barbell Curls 105 x 8,7,6
Cycle I (2nd time through the program)

• Week 1: Barbell Curls 100 x 8,8,8

• Week 2: Barbell Curls 105 x 8,8,6
• Week 3: Barbell Curls 110 x 7,7,6
• Week 4: Barbell Curls 110 x 8,7,7

It may seem obvious to some of you (and less to others) that when you change the order of
exercises and/or the rep ranges that you will have to adjust your loads significantly.
For instance, in Cycle I we do Barbell Curls 1st in the session for 3 x 6-8. In Cycle II we do Barbell
Curls 2nd in the session for 3 sets of 10-12. The loads you choose in Cycle II are unrelated to the
loads you used in Cycle I other than the fact that they are much lighter. It’s almost as if you are
doing a totally new exercise. The loads will obviously come down significantly to accommodate
for fatigue and the higher rep range. You just have to trial and error the adjustment in load.
But when you compare cycles between programs, you only need to compare Cycle I to Cycle I,
Cycle II to Cycle II, and Cycle III to Cycle III.
Exercise Execution
When training for muscle growth and physique development, perhaps even more important
than the concept of progressive overload is exercise execution. In other words – how you
perform every rep of every set is critically important! This is even more important for training
smaller muscle groups such as the biceps and triceps. If you are doing your reps incorrectly or
inefficiently then things such as load, volume, frequency, and number of reps cease to matter.
Especially if some of these exercises are new to you, spend some time figuring out the correct
movement pattern before you start loading them up heavy and pushing to failure. Doing so
reduces the likelihood of progress and increases the likelihood of acute injury, joint
inflammation, and even systemic fatigue.
A few things to think about…..
Full Range of Motion
For every exercise we want the fullest range of motion possible for that movement and that
muscle. For biceps exercises that means extending the elbow fully at the bottom in order to
place a deep stretch on the bicep at the bottom end, and bringing the weight up all the way
until the bicep is fully contracted at the top. For triceps exercises, it’s the same thing. Where
possible, we want to stretch the muscle fully at the bottom and taking the weight all the way
until the elbows are fully extended. Not only is full range of motion more stimulative but it also
helps us to standardize our form for the purposes of measurement, tracking, and comparison.
If we barbell curl 95 x 8 for full range of motion this week and 100 x 8 for partial range of
motion next week – did we get stronger? Or did we just shorten up the range of motion in
order to move more weight?? Programming becomes impossible with non-standardized range
of motion. If you cannot achieve your sets and reps with full range of motion with a given
weight then reduce the load.
Strict Execution
Simply stated, this just means ensuring that only the target muscle group or groups are doing
the work. Excessive layback or rocking on a barbell curl involves the hips and lower back and
makes completing the rep easier due to non-productive leverage. Swinging your dumbbells
uses momentum and not muscles to finish the rep. If you can’t complete your reps without
excessive momentum or body english then lower the loads.
Tempo
Ensuring full range of motion and strict form often means we have to control the tempo of each
rep. In practice this means that we need to control and slow down the eccentric phase of each
and every rep. You don’t need to count or anything like that during the eccentric but you need
to lower the reps slow enough that you aren’t gathering momentum at the bottom, and so that
you can safely place the muscle under a stretch at the end of each rep when that particular
exercise allows for it. “Stretch Under Load” is an important phase of each rep when training for
hypertrophy. We want to take advantage of this on exercises that make it possible, but you
never want to “drop” quickly into that stretch. Especially on Biceps Exercises! Dropping your
curls quickly into a fully extended position is a good recipe for a rupturing a bicep tendon. Ease
into the stretch at the bottom, hold it for a beat, and then begin the concentric phase. The
concentric phase of each rep can be moved explosively or semi-explosively provided you
adhere to full range of motion and strict execution. More muscle fibers are recruited when the
concentric is moved fast vs slow. There are reasons to intentionally slow down the eccentric
phase of a movement, but there are rarely if ever good reasons to slow down the concentric
phase of a movement.
A good formula for rep execution is -
Controlled Eccentric + Stretch Under Load + Explosive Concentric

Mind-Muscle Connection
This is one of those topics that’s debated endlessly by academics and not at all by bodybuilders
or those who train primarily for physique. Your ability to actually feel the target muscles
working during and after a set is the difference between stimulating the muscle and just moving
a weight from point A to point B. For a heavy back squat or deadlift, mind-muscle connection,
isn’t really a priority. Taking the load from point A to point B will generally stimulate the
muscles sufficiently. However for smaller muscle groups and/or for isolation type exercises, the
ability to develop a mind muscle connection will help make every set more productive. It often
comes with time and practice. A good mind muscle connection will typically result in a
significant Pump in the target muscle. The Pump is a by-product of engorging the muscle full of
blood during the set and also the metabolic waste products that accumulate as various
substrates are broken down and used for energy that enable each contraction. The Pump is
likely causative to some degree in actual muscle hypertrophy, but is also an indicator of how
effective on ineffective your rep execution is on a given exercise. If you aren’t getting a pump
from the exercise, then you should review your technique. You will feel less of a pump on
heavier lower rep exercises with longer rest periods. You will feel much more of a pump on
higher rep exercises or when taking shorter rest intervals.
Rest Time Between Sets
There isn’t a set rule for this, except that it should be standardized for each exercise. Failure to
monitor rest times and keep them consistent will yield wildly different performance outcomes
from workout to workout. For instance if you rest 5 minutes between close grip bench presses
this week, and 2 minutes next week your performance will go down drastically. For the
heaviest hardest exercises you might take as much as 5 minutes. Even more would be
appropriate for a pure power lifting program. But for a hypertrophy program, 5 minutes is a
good cut off maximum. For smaller exercises, 2-4 minutes is a good average, perhaps 3 mins
being your default amount of rest time. You can work this out by feel as you go through the
program, just make sure you stay somewhat consistent workout to workout in order to monitor
progress.

(Continued Below)…..
How to Perform a Deload Week
The Deload Week for this program does not have to be something to rack your brain about. We
can keep some simple guidelines that will more or less work for everyone.
First, reduce training volume for each day by approximately 50%. It doesn’t matter how you do
this. You can reduce the total number of exercises or you can reduce the total number of sets
performed for each exercise or some combination of both.
For easy reference, total number of sets for a body part is how we’ll calculate volume. So
reduce the total number of sets you do for each exercise by approximately 50%.
It doesn’t matter which arrangement of exercises (i.e. which cycle) you use for the deload.
A sample deload day for arms would might go like this:
Regular Training Day

• Barbell Curls 3 x 6-8

• Seated Dumbbell Curls 3 x 8-12
• Reverse Curls (ez-bar) 3 x 8-12
• Close Grip Bench Press 3 x 5-7
• Dead Stop Lying Tricep Extensions (barbell) 3 x 8-12
• Single Arm Overhead Extensions (dumbbell) 3 x 8-12
Deload Training Day Example 1

• Barbell Curls 2 x 6-8

• Seated Dumbbell Curls 1 x 8-12
• Reverse Curls 2 x 8-12
• Close Grip Bench Press 2 x 5-7
• Dead Stop Lying Tricep Extensions 2 x 8-12
• Single Arm Overhead Extensions 1 x 8-12
Or….Deload Training Day Example 2

• Seated Dumbbell Curls 3 x 8-12

• Reverse Curls (ez-bar) 3 x 8-12
• Dead Stop Lying Tricep Extensions (barbell) 2 x 8-12
• Single Arm Overhead Extensions (dumbbell) 2 x 8-12

Second, reduce intensity (i.e. weight on the bar) by approximately 5-20%. 5-10% for smaller
exercises, and 10-20% for bigger exercises (squats, deadlift, presses, etc).
Lastly, do NOT perform any exercise that has been triggering any inflammation during the
deload. For instance, if a Lying Tricep Extension has been aggravating your elbow as of late,
then do not use that exercise during the deload week.
To expand on this, minor aches and irritations are a normal part of a hard training program.
However, if any exercise is giving you significant problems during the workout or after the
workout, then consider eliminating that exercise (temporarily or permanently) from the
program and swapping it out with something similar. Or consider changing the rep range. The
program is there to serve you, you are not there to serve the program. Make intelligent
substitutions where necessary.

I hope this program gives you great results and I appreciate your support of my work!
Good luck!

Andy

Exercise Index (on Youtube). The following index has all the recommended exercises
referenced in this program -
[Link]