Blast And Pump Arm Workout

Time to build big guns! Arm day workouts that blast and pump the biceps and triceps by cycling between training volume and training intensity.

Workout Summary

Main Goal:

Build Muscle

Workout Type:

Single Muscle Group

Training Level:

Intermediate

Days Per Week:

1

Equipment Required:

Barbell, Cables, Dumbbells, EZ Bar

Target Gender:

Male & Female

Author:

M&S Writers

Workout Description

The blast and pump arm building approach cycles between two different workouts. During the first week you will focus on volume training. During the second week you will focus on training intensity. You can continue to cycle back and forth between these two workouts for as long as you continue to see good results.

Do not train to failure. Perform as many reps as possible for each set, stopping a set when you feel like you might not be able to complete another rep. On blast days, when you can perform 10 reps for 6 sets on a given exercise (a total of 60 reps), add weight the next time you perform this workout. On pump days, when you can reach the top end of the "rep range" for a given set, add weight.

For example, on pump days some rep ranges are listed as 6 to 10 reps. Continue to push yourself each workout until you reach 10 reps. When you are able to do so, add more weight then next time you perform this workout.

Week 1 - Blast Workout

You will be performing 2 exercises each for biceps and triceps, for a total of 24 sets. Rest no longer than 90 to 120 seconds between sets. Do NOT shorten rest periods lower than 90 seconds. You want to allow for some muscle recovery. The blast workout is all about training volume, not training intensity. This workout should take about one hour.

Week 2 - Pump Workout

You will be performing only 2 sets per exercise during this week, but they will be brutally tough. Limit rest between sets to 60 seconds, and a maximum of 2 minutes between each exercise. The first set for each exercise will involve slow negatives. For the second set, you will drop to a much lighter weight and perform a pump set of 20-25 reps.

For the first set, perform each rep with a normal, natural cadence, focusing on a tight squeeze and contraction. Lower each rep back to the  starting position over a 5 second period. During the pump set, use a natural rep speed cadence when both lifting and lowering the weight. Do NOT lower the weight over a 5 second period for the pump sets.

The pump workout should take you 35 to 45 minutes max. Resist the urge to add in more sets. You may require a spotter when jumping to the lighter weight pump sets.

Workout Notes

Do not perform this arm day workout more than once per week. You may split biceps and triceps up if need be, to fit them in with your current training split. This approach is not recommend for beginning trainees.

Week 1 - Blast Workout
Triceps
Exercise	Sets	Rep Goal
EZ Bar Skullcrusher	6	10
Two Arm Seated Dumbbell Extension	6	10
Biceps
Exercise	Sets	Rep Goal
Standing Barbell Curl	6	10
Alternate Seated Dumbbell Curl	6	10

Week 2 - Pump Workout
Triceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Close Grip Bench Press	1	6-10
Close Grip Bench Press (Pump)	1	20-25
Cable Tricep Extension	1	6-10
Cable Tricep Extension (Pump)	1	20-25
One Arm Seated Dumbbell Extension	1	6-10
One Arm Seated Dumbbell Extension (Pump)	1	20-25
Biceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
EZ Bar Preacher Curl	1	6-10
EZ Bar Preacher Curl (Pump)	1	20-25
One Arm Cable Curl	1	6-10
One Arm Cable Curl (Pump)	1	20-25
Zottman Curl	1	6-10
Zottman Curl (Pump)	1	20-25

3 Step Bigger Badder Biceps Workout

Joey Vaillancourt provides you with 3 badder bicep workout options that focus on 3 primary bicep building exercises.

Workout Summary

Main Goal:

Build Muscle

Workout Type:

Single Muscle Group

Training Level:

Beginner

Days Per Week:

1

Equipment Required:

Barbell, Dumbbells

Target Gender:

Male & Female

Author:

Joey Vaillancourt

Workout Description

Arms and biceps in particular are one of the muscle groups that most people are interested in working on and for good reason. After all, a good set of bulging biceps look great with your shirt off, wearing a tighter fitting t-shirt and you could even pull off the long sleeve look given the right amount of size.

So how exactly should we train biceps to get that same size, peak and definition?

Some people may suggest working your arms every day to “specialize” on them. The problem with that is you will quickly learn that training any body part every day without allowing adequate rest and recovery will lead to overtraining and less than optimal results.

You may have heard of using lighter weights and high repetitions (30+ reps) to ‘tone and define’ the biceps. However, it is important to understand you cannot truly ‘tone and define’ any body part by simply following a set rep range. High reps does not tone a muscle or define a muscle and neither does low reps. The so called ‘defined’ look is determined by muscle mass and lower bodyfat levels.

If you want to really bring out the best in your biceps and get that muscle bulging from your shirts that impresses onlookers, you need to combine proper training to build muscle mass that includes targeted exercise selection, progressive overload, recovery and a low enough body fat percentage to allow the definition to appear fully.

The 3 Step Exercise Plan for Bigger Badder Biceps

This 3 step workout can be included in your current training plan you are already using or you can use this as a standalone workout if you prefer. The key is to only use the volume prescribed and follow the guidelines provided so that you see the best results.

Standing Barbell Bicep Curls:

The first exercise in the workout will consist of a compound movement. Although the biceps are a relatively small muscle group that does not really allow for many compound movements, the barbell bicep curl is a great exercise to recruit the most muscle fiber activation within the least amount of time that qualifies as a compound movement.

After initially warming up, jump into the exercise and perform anywhere from 8-12 reps with good form. This exercise will be responsible for hitting the biceps when they are still fresh and allow you lift your maximal weight early in the workout.

Standing Dumbell Hammer Curls:

The standing dumbbell hammer curl will allow you to work your grip as well as work your bicep muscles from a different angle that will assist in forearm development.

Developing your forearms will compliment your biceps and balance overall arm proportions. This exercise is much more effective at building bigger forearms when compared to wrist curls or other direct forearm exercises because it allows you to use a heavier weight.

1 Arm Dumbell Concentration Curl:

This exercise should be positioned as a finishing movement at the end of your bicep workout. It focuses primarily on the peak contraction of the muscle and involves the least amount of muscle recruitment but allows you to place the majority of the stress on a different part of the biceps.

Really focus on squeezing the contraction at the peak of this movement to get the full benefit of this exercise. Complete one full set on one arm, then follow up with another set on your other arm. A set is only complete once you have performed repetitions on both arms.

Another great advantage to using one arm at a time is that it helps you to identify weaknesses in your arms and it forces both arms to work without any assistance from the partner arm.

The Workout:

This workout should be completed no more than twice per week and preferably only once per week will lead to much improvement in building bigger arms.

Below are the exercise demonstrations of each exercise at their start and stop positions. Should you have any concerns regarding proper form or execution, consult with a personal trainer at your gym or another informed trainee.

Also included below are three variations on this routine that are goal and lifestyle specific. Choose the one that fits with your schedule and aligns with what you would like to accomplish.

Workout A
Workout A
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Standing Barbell Curl	4	8-12	60 seconds
Standing Dumbbell Hammer Curl	4	8-12	60 seconds
Concentration Curl	4	8-12	60 seconds

Workout B
Workout B
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Standing Barbell Curl	4	6-8	90 seconds
Standing Dumbbell Hammer Curl	4	6-8	90 seconds
Concentration Curl	4	6-8	90 seconds

Workout C
Workout C
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Standing Barbell Curl	4	8-10	No rest
Standing Dumbbell Hammer Curl	4	8-10	No rest
Concentration Curl	4	8-10	90 seconds

6 Week Arm Builder Workout Plan

The workout plan helps you build bigger biceps and triceps by increasing exercise effectiveness, volume and intensity over a 6 week period.

Workout Summary

Main Goal:

Build Muscle

Workout Type:

Single Muscle Group

Training Level:

Beginner

Days Per Week:

2

Equipment Required:

Barbell, Cables, Dumbbells, Machines

Target Gender:

Male & Female

Author:

M&S Writers

Workout Description

This arm building approach is broken up into three 2-week segments. The focus of each segment is as follows:

• Weeks 1-2 - Lower volume, low to moderate weight. You will be "easing" into training your arms twice a week.
• Weeks 2-4 - Moderate volume, moderate weight. The intensity and number of sets picks up during this middle segment.
• Weeks 5-6 - You will be training with higher volume and moderate weight. These 2 weeks will be very challenging.

Use as much weight as you can for each set. If you are able to hit the stated rep ranges, add weight the next time you perform the same exercise. After week 6 you may take a week off from training arms, or start the cycle over with week one. Play this by ear. If your arms feel too beat up, a week of rest will do you good.

Workout Schedule

• Workout A - Monday
• Workout B - Thursday

You may adjust this schedule as needed, but always keep as least 2 days off in between each training day.

Weeks 1-2
Workout A - Monday
Exercise	Sets	Rep Goal
Cable Curl	2	12-15
Dumbbell Tricep Kickback	2	12-15
Workout B - Thursday
Exercise	Sets	Rep Goal
Concentration Curl	2	12-15
Cable Tricep Extension	2	12-15

Weeks 3-4
Workout A - Monday
Exercise	Sets	Rep Goal
Seated Dumbbell Curl	3-4	10-12
Skullcrusher	3-4	10-12
Workout B - Thursday
Exercise	Sets	Rep Goal
EZ Bar Preacher Curl	3-4	10-12
Seated French Press	3-4	10-12

Weeks 5-6
Workout A - Monday
Exercise	Sets	Rep Goal
Barbell Curl	5	8-10
Tricep Dips	5	8-10
Workout B - Thursday
Exercise	Sets	Rep Goal
Chin Ups	5	8-10
Close Grip Bench Press	5	8-10