SIX WEEKS TO SICK ARMS: OVERVIEW
The workout is guaranteed to add inches to your arms and overall
physique.
By Jim Stoppani, PhD
Updated June 3, 2022
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When I used to train back in the day at Gibson's Gym in Manchester,
Connecticut, one of the slogans on the back of the Gibson's Gym T-shirts
read, "It doesn't matter what kind of car you drive. What matters is the size
of the arms hanging out of the window."
Big arms not only symbolize masculinity, they're also the most visible body
part and the one that essentially announces to the world that yes, you are
strong and muscular, and yes, you are a weight lifter. It's no surprise that
big arms seem to be what every guy, and even many women, want. Since
getting big arms is a common goal that almost all of us have, I figured it
made perfect sense to give you a program aimed at building them up.
Play Video
The Sick Arms Protocol
Regardless of where you're starting from, this six-week program will put a
noticeable amount of size on your arms. I've gotten feedback from
hundreds of thousands of people after completing "Six Weeks To Sick
Arms." The majority added one inch or more on their arms.
The program is a progression that ramps up the training frequency (how
often you train arms each week). Once a week in Week One, twice a week
in Week Two and three times per week in Weeks Three through Five, and
then in Week 6, back off to just once per week again. Don't worry: There's
a method to this madness.
Week One is designed to annihilate your biceps and triceps. You'll pull out
all the stops, using negative rep training to destroy every single muscle
fiber you can in the arms. You'll need a good week to recover from
this. Week Two gets into it with light weight and high reps. Volume will be
low on these workouts, as you'll still be recovering from the previous week.
These workouts will help you recover from the previous week and will get
you ready for the crazy three weeks that are to come.
In Weeks Three, Four and Five, you will be hitting arms three times per
week. If that sounds like overtraining, you're right. But overtraining doesn't
happen immediately; it takes several weeks to become overtrained. The
technical term for training that can lead to overtraining is called
"overreaching." However, research shows that if your diet is adequate in
calories, protein, carbs, as well as the right supplements, then you can
actually capitalize on overreaching and turn it into a way to grow bigger and
stronger. Don't worry, I've got you covered on a diet and supplement plan
to ensure that you turn the training into distinct gains.
Several studies from the University of Connecticut have shown that when
subjects overreach for several weeks, during the two weeks following, they
grow significantly bigger and stronger while taking it easy. The key is to
stop the overreaching just before it turns into overtraining. That's why you'll
be training arms three time per week in Weeks Three through Five, then
switch it up to just once per week in Week Six. I also suggest that the week
after Week Six, you take it fairly easy on your arms and train them just
once that week before getting back into any serious training programs.
The Six Weeks Break Down
This six-week program is a progression that ramps up the training
frequency (how often you train arms each week) each week until Week 6
when you back off again. Here's a snapshot of each week:
Week
Arm Training
Frequency
Purpose
1
Once per week
Annihilates your bis & tris with negative rep training to destroy every sing
fiber in the arms. Requires a full 7 days to recover.
2
Twice per week
Uses light weight & high reps, but low volume to help your arms to better re
the week 1 and get them ready for weeks 3-5.
3-5
Three times per week
To cause overreaching.
6
Once per week
Stops the overreaching from becoming overtraining and the arms grow dra
during the recovery.
7
Once per week
Yes, this is a 6-week program, but I suggest that you also take it easy the w
allow your arms to recover and grow even bigger.
Stairway To Muscle
The three-day a week arm training not only is designed to shock your
muscles into growing with frequent and intense workouts that cause
overreaching, but it also takes advantage of the "staircase effect" for
building muscle.
This refers to the fact that training activates genes in muscle fibers that are
responsible for many of the adaptations that take place, such as muscle
growth and strength increases. Consistent training activates certain genes
that result in building more muscle fiber protein, which means more muscle
size and strength. These genes are typically activated over hours, with
some remaining activated for days. Repeated workouts, if timed
appropriately, can build upon the activation of the genes to reach an even
higher activity level and thus, greater muscle growth, or the "staircase
effect."
Let's say a certain gene involved in muscle growth is activated by a
workout to the point that that its activity is boosted by 100% following the
workout, then slowly declines in activity over the next few days so that the
day after the workout it is still up by 75%, and the second day after the
workout it is up by 50%, then the third day it is up by just 25%, and finally
on the fourth day after the workout, it's back to the original level.
If you performed the workout on the fourth day after the first workout or
later, then that gene would be bumped back up to 100% of its originally
activity. However, if you worked out on the second day after the first
workout, when the gene was still up by 50%, then you could potentially
bump up its activity to 150%. This could lead to even greater muscle
growth and strength gains than if you waited to train again after the fourth
day or later. This is one reason why training a muscle group every 48 hours
could lead to even greater muscle growth and strength gains than training
every seven days.
Overreaching Outlined
Six Techniques for Sick Arms
This program is not all about training frequency. While moving to more
frequent workouts can help you build extra size on your arms, to really get
them up there in size will require pulling out all the stops. Intensity
techniques, like negative reps, drop sets, forced reps, rest pause, and
super sets will be key in forcing them to grow. These techniques will not
only put more stress on the muscle, but they are also known to boost
growth hormone levels.
A study from Finland reported that subjects doing forced reps increased
GH levels 3 times higher than when they just stopped after reaching
muscle failure. That extra growth hormone will be put to good use initiating
muscle recovery and growth that will get that tape measure stretching.
Another study reported in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports &
Exercise showed that subjects using negative rep training led to high GH
levels.
Another key element to this program is the constant switching up of weight
and rep ranges every workout to keep your arms growing. This is known as
"periodization." Research confirms that using periodization, which is the
continual cycling of weight and rep ranges, produces the greatest gains in
muscle size and strength. One form of periodization that appears to work
well is called undulating periodization. This is simply the constant switching
up of weight and rep ranges every workout. Research studies from both
Brazil and the University of Connecticut have supported this form of training
for making continued gains.
Here are the six common intensity and training techniques that you will
employ during the Six Weeks:
Technique #1: Negative Rep Training For negative reps, use a weight
that is about 20% heavier than your one-rep max and have a spotter help
you through the positive portion of the rep. You should be able to lower the
negative rep slowly for 3-5 seconds. Negative reps place more stress on
the muscle fibers to cause more muscle damage. When you damage
muscle fibers, they're replaced with new ones called satellite cells (basically
muscle stem cells) that grow bigger and stronger than the older fibers. If
you train alone and don't have a spotter, you can do one-arm negative reps
on a Smith machine, as I explain in this video:
Technique #2: Overreaching This technique pushes the muscle fibers to
their limit, causing them to momentarily get weaker and smaller. But once
the training slows down, the muscle fibers rebound by growing bigger and
stronger.
Technique #3: Undulating Periodization This is simply the constant
switching up of weight and rep ranges every workout. Research studies
from both Brazil and the University of Connecticut have supported this form
of periodization for making continued gains.
Technique #4: Drop Sets This is a technique that allows you to take a set
past muscle failure. Once you reach muscle failure, immediately reduce the
weight by 20-30% and continue the set until reaching muscle failure again.
This not only puts more stress on the muscle fibers, but also helps to boost
growth hormone levels higher.
Technique #5: Rest Pause This is another technique that allows you to
take a set past muscle failure. To use rest-pause after reaching muscle
failure, rest 15 seconds and then continue the set. This not only puts more
stress on the muscle fibers, but also helps to boost growth hormone levels
higher.
Technique #6: Supersets In some workouts, you'll use supersets, which is
the pairing of two exercises back-to-back with no rest between exercises.
In some workouts, you pair biceps and triceps exercises for supersets. In
other workouts, you pair two biceps exercises together and two triceps
exercises together, for supersets that are referred to as compound sets.
This really blasts the muscle fibers and pushes growth hormone levels
higher.
Pain And Gain
Since you'll be training arms almost every other day during Weeks 3
through 5, you may be worried about your arms being sore when you train
them. Don't be; research from Japan shows that when subjects workout
intensely to cause muscle pain, and train that muscle again just two days
later, and again four days later, it doesn't impede recovery -- it can actually
help them grow. One study found that when subjects trained the same
muscle group just two days, the catabolic hormone cortisol was lower.
Since cortisol competes with testosterone, having lower cortisol levels
during and after workouts can make you more anabolic and allow your
testosterone to better enhance muscle growth.
Anatomy of Big Arms
Another critical element to growing big arms is targeting all the heads of the
biceps and triceps, so you need to understand the anatomy of the arms.
Big Biceps Anatomy: The biceps are composed of two heads. There's the
long head, which is the outer head of the biceps. It is considered the long
head because it originates higher on the shoulder (the back side of the
scapula, or shoulder blade) than the short head. This is the biceps head
that makes up the biceps peak when you flex it.
The short head, or inner head of the biceps, originates on the front side of
the scapula. Both biceps heads converge onto the same tendon, which
attaches to the ulna and radius (forearm bones) to cause flexion of the
elbow, such as occurs during barbell curls, as well as supination of the
forearm (turning the forearm out), such as occurs during supinating
dumbbell curls.
There are several ways to perform curls that focus on the long head. The
first trick is to do curls with your arms behind your body, such as incline
dumbbell curl and behind-the-back cable curls. Another trick involves doing
curls with the upper arm turned in toward your body, such as concentration
curls and close-grip barbell curls. A third trick is to use more of a neutral
grip on curls, such as hammer curls, rope hammer curls and EZ-bar curls.
There are two main ways to focus more on the inner head of the biceps
when you curl. First, do curling exercises with the arms in front of the body,
such as preacher curls and machine curls. The second way is to do curls
with the upper arms turned out, such as high cable curls, wide-grip barbell
curls, or dumbbell curls bringing them out toward your sides.
In addition to the biceps, there is also a deeper muscle located on the front
and outside of the arm, beneath the biceps, known as the brachialis. It
attaches to the lower part of the humerus (upper arm bone) and crosses
the elbow joint to attach to the ulna (forearm bone). The brachialis flexes
the arm, such as during hammer curls and standard curls, but gets the
most focus when you curl your arm with a neutral grip, such as hammer
curls, or rope hammer curls, and when you curl with an overhand grip, such
as reverse-grip curls.
Big Triceps Anatomy: As the name implies, the triceps are composed of
three heads: the long head, which makes up the the majority of the mass of
the triceps high up and on the back of the arm; the lateral head, which
makes up the mass of the triceps on the side of the arm; and the medial
head, which makes up the mass of the triceps on the lower inside part of
the arm.
The three triceps heads all start on different locations. Unlike the lateral
head and medial head, which start on the humerus bone (upper arm bone),
the long head actually starts on the scapula (shoulder blade). All three
heads converge onto one tendon, which crosses the elbow joint so that the
three heads can cause extension at the elbow when they contract.
The attachment of the triceps long head to the scapula is the reason that
you focus on the long head when you do triceps extensions with your arms
overhead, such as with dumbbell overhead triceps extensions or cable
overhead triceps extensions. Bringing the arms overhead stretches the
long head. When you stretch a muscle it contracts with more force, which
allows the long head to take the brunt of the load during overhead
extensions.
The lateral head gets the most focus when you do exercises with the arms
at the side or in front of the body, such as triceps pressdowns, triceps
kickbacks and lying triceps extensions. The medial head gets hit better
when you do triceps exercises with an underhand grip, such as reversegrip triceps extensions.
Training Splits
To properly hit your arms during these six weeks, you'll need to alternate
your training split. Each week, you will follow a four-day training split.
However, based on the week and number of times you are training arms,
you will be training on four different days of the week and pairing up
different muscle groups each week. Use the following training splits for
each week of the "Six Weeks to Sick Arms" program.
Week 1
Day
Muscle Groups
Monday
Chest, Triceps, Biceps
Tuesday
Legs, Calves
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Off
Back, Abs
Shoulders, Traps
Saturday
Off
Sunday
Off
Week 2
Day
Muscle Groups
Monday
Chest, Triceps, Biceps
Tuesday
Legs, Calves
Wednesday
Off
Thursday
Back, Biceps, Tricep
Friday
Shoulders, Traps, Abs
Saturday
Off
Sunday
Off
Weeks 3-5
Day
Muscle Groups
Monday
Chest, Triceps, Biceps
Tuesday
Shoulders, Traps, Abs
Wednesday
Back, Biceps, Triceps
Thursday
Friday
Off
Biceps, Triceps, Legs, Calves
Saturday
Off
Sunday
Off
Week 6
Day
Muscle Groups
Monday
Chest, Abs
Tuesday
Back, Calves
Wednesday
Off
Thursday
Shoulders, Traps
Friday
Triceps, Biceps, Legs
Get the complete program
Detailed Program with Important Tips on how to execute below
Six Weeks to Sick Arms Workouts
Week 1
Monday (Chest, Triceps, Biceps)
Exercise
Sets Reps
Rest
Bench Press
3 8-10 1-2 min.
Reverse-Grip Bench Press
3 8-10 1-2 min.
Muscle Group
Chest
Incline Dumbbell Flye
3 8-10 1-2 min.
Cable Crossover
3 8-10 1-2 min.
Close-Grip Bench Press (negative reps)*
3
Close-Grip Bench Press
3# 6–8 2-3 min.
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
3^
6-8 2-3 min
Triceps Pressdown
3^
6-8 2-3 min
Barbell Curl (negative reps)*
3
3-5 2-3 min.
Barbell Curl
3# 6-8 2-3 min.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
3^
6-8 2-3 min.
EZ-Bar Preacher Curl
3^
6-8 2-3 min.
3-5 2-3 min.
Triceps
Biceps
*To perform negatives use a weight that is about 20% more than your onerep max and have a spotter help you through the positive portion of the rep.
You should be able to slowly lower the negative rep for 3-5 seconds.
#Perform two rest-pauses on the last set by resting for 15 seconds after
reaching muscle failure and continuing the set, then resting another 15
seconds after reaching muscle failure again, then continuing
^Do two drop sets on the last set by immediately reducing the weight by
20-30% and continuing the set.
Tuesday (Legs, Calves)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Muscle Gr
Squat
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Leg Press
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Leg Extension
3
12-15
1-2 min.
Romanian Deadlift
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Lying Leg Curl
3
12-15
1-2 min.
Standing Calf Raise
4
12-15
1 min.
Seated Calf Raise
4
12-15
1 min.
Legs
Calves
Thursday (Back, Abs)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Bent-Over Barbell Row
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Wide-Grip Pulldown
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Reverse-Grip Pulldown
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Straight-Arm Pulldown
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Seated Cable Row
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Hanging Leg Raise
3
to failure
1 min.
Muscle G
Bac
Ab
Standing Cable Crunch
3
10-12
1 min.
Friday (Shoulders, Traps)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Muscle
Barbell Shoulder Press
4
8-10
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Upright Row
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Bent-Over Lateral Raise
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Barbell Shrug
4
8-10
1-2 min.
Tr
Muscl
Shou
Week 2
Monday (Chest, Triceps, Biceps)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Incline Bench Press
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Reverse-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Flye
3
12-15
1-2 min.
Decline Dumbbell Flye
3
12-15
1-2 min.
Triceps Pressdown
3
15–20
1 min.
C
Tri
Lying Triceps Extension
3
15-20
1 min.
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
3
15-20
1 min.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
3
15–20
1 min.
Dumbbell Preacher Curl
3
15-20
1 min.
Dumbbell Hammer Curl
3
15–20
1 min.
Bi
Tuesday (Legs, Calves)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Front Squat
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Hack Squat
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Leg Extension
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Seated Leg Curl
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Seated Calf Raise
4
20-25
1 min.
Leg Press Calf Raise
4
15-20
1 min.
Muscle
Leg
Calv
Thursday (Back, Biceps, Triceps)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Muscle
Pull-up
3;
to failure
1-2 min.
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Wide-Grip Pulldown
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Seated Cable Row
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Straight-Arm Pulldown
3
12-15
1-2 min.
EZ-Bar Curl
3
20-25
1 min.
High Cable Curl
3
20-25
1 min.
Behind-the-Back Cable Curl
3
20-25
*
Triceps Dips
3
to failure
1 min.
Cable Overhead Triceps Extension
3
20-25
1 min.
Rope Triceps Pressdown
3
20-25/td>
1 min.
Ba
Bic
Tri
Friday (Shoulders, Traps, Abs)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Machine Lateral Raise
3
12-15
1-2 min.
Smith Machine Upright Row
3
12-15
1-2 min.
Muscle
Shou
Machine Rear Delt Flye
3
12-15
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Shrug
4
10-12
1-2 min.
Tra
Reverse Crunch
3
to failure
-
Ab
3
to failure
1 min.
superset with
Crunch
Week 3
Monday (Chest, Triceps, Biceps)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Cable Crossover
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Bench Press
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Incline Dumbbell Flye
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Incline Dumbbell Press
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Close-Grip Bench Press (negative reps)*
3
3-5
2-3 min.
Close-Grip Bench Press
3#
4–6
2-3 min.
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
3^
4-6
2-3 min
Triceps Pressdown
3^
4-6
2-3 min
Barbell Curls (negative reps)*
3
3-5
2-3 min.
Musc
C
T
B
Barbell Curls
3#
4-6
2-3 min.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
3^
4-6
2-3 min.
EZ-Bar Preacher Curl
3^
4-6
2-3 min.
*To perform negatives use a weight that is about 20% more than your onerep max and have a spotter help you through the positive portion of the rep.
You should be able to slowly lower the negative rep for 3-5 seconds.
#Perform two rest-pauses on the last set by resting for 15 seconds after
reaching muscle failure and continuing the set, then resting another 15
seconds after reaching muscle failure again, then continuing
^Do a drop set on the last set by immediately reducing the weight by 2030% and continuing the set.
Tuesday (Shoulders, Traps, Abs)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Cable Lateral Raise
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Smith Machine Behind-the-Neck Shoulder Press
3
15-20
1-2 min
Smith Machine Upright Row
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Face Pulls
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Shrug
4
15-20
1-2 min.
Bicycle Crunch
3
to failure
1 min.
Mus
Sh
Oblique Crunch on Angled Back Extension Bench
3
to failure
1 min.
Wednesday (Back, Biceps, Triceps)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Straight-Arm Pulldown
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Wide-Grip Pulldown
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Bent-Over Barbell Row
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Seated Cable Row
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Standing Cable Concentration Curls
3
10–12
1-2 min.
Behind-the-Back Cable Curls
3
10–12
1-2 min.
Machine Curls
3
10–12
1-2 min.
One-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extensions
3
10–12
1-2 min.
Triceps Pressdowns
3
10–12
1-2 min
Bench Dips
3
10–12
1-2 min
Mus
B
T
Friday (Triceps, Biceps, Legs, Calves)
>
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Muscle G
Lying Triceps Extensions
4
8–10
-
Trice
Barbell Curls
4
8-10
1-2 min.
Bicep
Triceps Pushdowns
4
8-10
-
Trice
High Cable Curls
4
8-10
1-2 min.
Bicep
Leg Extension
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Leg
Squat
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Leg Press
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Lying Leg Curl
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Romanian Deadlift
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Seated Calf Raise;
4
20-25
1 min.
Leg Press Calf Raise
4
15-20
1 min.
superset with
superset with
Calve
Week 4
Monday (Chest, Triceps, Biceps)
Exercise
Reverse-Grip Incline Bench Press
Sets
Reps
Rest
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Musc
C
Dumbbell Bench Press
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Machine Flye
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Cable Crossover from Low Pulley
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Close-Grip Bench Press (negative reps)*
3
3-5
2-3 min.
Close-Grip Bench Press
3#
10–12
2-3 min.
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
3^
10–12
2-3 min.
Triceps Pressdown
3^
10–12
2-3 min.
Barbell Curls (negative reps)*
3
3-5
2-3 min.
Barbell Curls
3#
10–12
2-3 min.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
3^
10–12
2-3 min.
EZ-Bar Preacher Curl
3^
10–12
2-3 min.
*To perform negatives use a weight that is about 20% more than your onerep max and have a spotter help you through the positive portion of the rep.
You should be able to slowly lower the negative rep for 3-5 seconds.
#Perform two rest-pauses on the last set by resting for 15 seconds after
reaching muscle failure and continuing the set, then resting another 15
seconds after reaching muscle failure again, then continuing
^Do a drop set on the last set by immediately reducing the weight by 2030% and continuing the set.
Tuesday (Shoulders, Traps, Abs)
T
B
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Muscl
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Cable Upright Row
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Cable Lateral Raise/td>
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Bent-Over Lateral Raise;
3
10-12
1-2 min.
One-Arm Smith Machine Shrug
4
10-12
1-2 min.
Tr
Hanging Leg Raise
3
to failure
-
A
3
to failure
-
3
to failure
1 min.
Sho
triset with
Twisting Crunch
triset with
Reverse Crunch
Wednesday (Back, Biceps, Triceps)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Pullups
3
10-12
1-2 min.
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Reverse-Grip Pulldown
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Muscle
Ba
Straight-Arm Pulldown
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Behind-the-back Cable Curls
3
15-20
1 min.
High Cable Curls
3
15-20
1 min.
Rope Cable Curls
3
15-20
1 min.
Triceps Pressdowns
3
15-20
1 min.
Cable Overhead Triceps Extensions
3
15-20
1 min.
Reverse-Grip Triceps Pressdowns
3
15-20
1 min.
Sets
Reps
Rest
3
25-30
-
Close-Grip Bench Press
3
25-30
1-2 min.
Triceps Pushdowns (rope handle)
3
25-30
-
Cable Overhead Triceps Extensions
3
25-30
1-2 min.
Incline Dumbbell Curls
3
25-30
-
Bic
Tric
Friday (Triceps, Biceps, Legs, Calves)
Exercise
Lying triceps extensions
Muscle
Tric
Superset With
Superset With
Bic
Superset With
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
3
25-30
1-2 min.
Rope Cable Curls
3
25-30
-
Cable Curls (straight bar)
3
25-30
1-2 min.
Lying Triceps Extensions
4
8–10
-
Barbell Curls
4
8–10
1-2 min.
Triceps Pushdowns
4
8–10
-
High Cable Curls
4
8–10
1-2 min.
Front Squat
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Step-Up
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Leg Press
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Leg Extension
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Lying Leg Curl
3
10-12
1-2 min.
Leg Press Calf Raise
4
10-12
1 min.
Superset With
Superset With
Superset With
Le
Ca
Seated Calf Raise
4
10-12
1 min.
Week 5
Day 1
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Bench Press
3
4-6
Incline Dumbbell Press
3
4-6
Dumbbell Flye
3
12-15
Cable Crossover (Mid Pulley)
3
12-15
Close-Grip Bench Press
3
3-5(negatives)
Close-Grip Bench Press
3
8-10
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension Both Arms
3
8-10
Triceps Pressdown
3
8-10
Standing Barbell Curl
3
3-5(negatives)
Standing Barbell Curl
3
8-10
Incline Dumbbell Curl
3
8-10
Preacher Curl (Also can Use EZ bar)
3
8-10
Muscle
Ch
Tri
Bic
Day 2
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Barbell Shoulder Press
3
4-6
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press Both Arms
3
4-6
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3
12-15
Machine Rear-Delt Flye
3
12-15
Smith Machine Shrug
2
4-6
Smith Machine Behind-the-back Barbell Shrug
2
12-15
Muscle
Shoul
Tra
Bicycle Crunch
3
to failure
Ab
Day 3
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Muscle
Bent-Over Barbell Row
3
4-6
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowns
3
4-6
Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown
3
12-15
Straight-Arm Pulldown
3
12-15
Preacher Curl (Also can Use EZ bar)
3
20-25
Incline Dumbbell Curl
3
20-25
Hammer Curl
3
20-25
Triceps Pressdown
3
20-25
Machine Triceps Extension
3
20-25
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension Both Arms
3
20-25
Sets
Reps
Muscle
Close-Grip Bench Press
3
12-15
Tric
Giant Set
3
-
Lying Triceps Extension
3
12-15
Giant Set
3
-
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension Both Arms
3
12-15
Giant Set
3
-
Bench Dips
3
12-15
Prone Incline Dumbbell Curl
3
12-15
Giant Set
3
-
Incline Dumbbell Curl
3
12-15
Giant Set
3
-
Standing Barbell Curl
3
12-15
Bac
Bice
Tric
Day 4
Exercise
Bice
Giant Set
3
-
Hammer Curl
3
12-15
Squat
3
4-6
Leg Press
3
4-6
Leg Extension
3
12-15
Romanian Deadlift
3
4-6
SEATED LEG CURL
3
12-15
Standing Calf Raise
4
12-15
Seated Calf Raise
4
20-25
Leg
Calv
Week 6
Easy arm workout – higher reps or moderate reps
Monday (Chest, Abs)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Bench Press
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Reverse-Grip Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Incline Dumbbell Flye
3
15-20
1 min.
Smith Machine Bench Press
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Hanging Leg Raise
3
to failure
1 min.
Cable Crunch
3
15-20
1 min.
Oblique Cable Crunch
3
15-20
1 min.
Musc
C
Tuesday (Back, Calves)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Bent-Over Barbell Row
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Wide-Grip Pulldown
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Straight-Arm Pulldown
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Seated Cable Row
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Seated Calf Raise
3
15-20
-
3
6-20
1 min.
Musc
B
C
Superset With
One-Legged Standing Calf Raise (body weight)
Thursday (Shoulders, Traps)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest
Barbell Shoulder Press
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise
3
15-20
1-2 min.
Machine Shoulder Press
3
15-20
-
Barbell Shrug
4
8-10
1-2 min.
Muscl
Sho
Tr
Behind-the-Back Smith Machine Shrug
2
12-15
1-2 min.
Sets
Reps
Rest
Close-Grip Bench Press
3
8–10
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
3
8–10
1-2 min.
Triceps Pressdown
3
8–10
1-2 min.
Barbell Curl
3
8–10
1-2 min.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
3
8–10
1-2 min.
Dumbbell Hammer Curl
3
8–10
1-2 min.
Squat
3
8–10
1-2 min.
Leg Press
3
8–10
1-2 min.
Leg Extension
3
15-20
1 min.
Smith Machine Squat
3
15-20
1 min.
Romanian Deadift
3
8-10
1-2 min.
Seated Leg Curl
3
15-20
1 min.
Friday (Triceps, Biceps, Legs)
Exercise
Muscl
Tri
Bi
L