John's workouts are taking my physique to a whole new level. Visit http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/how-shelby-maintains-his-huge-pipes/ for more information.
Arms
Biceps
- Z bar curl: Three light sets of 15 reps to warm-up. Then, grab a moderate weight. Do 10 perfect reps and set the weight down. Count to 10...and repeat. Do five sets total. That's five sets of 10 reps with 10 second breaks. The last two sets should have your arms screaming.
- Hammer curls: Same thing - five sets of 10 with 10 second breaks. On these, I actually took the dumbbells to my ears and flexed as hard as I could. I did both arms at the same time.
- Preacher curls: Can't use much weight on these - same thing five sets of 10. I did these very slowly. I don't like dropping these at the bottom for fear of a bicep injury, so don't be afraid to use a lighter weight. I think I did 55 pounds...maybe. I let my arms straighten very gently, and curled up with deliberate form.
Triceps
- Rope pushdowns: Three sets of 12 to warm-up. Then I did this tri-set:
- Rope pushdowns for 15
- Dips between benches (I know, old school) with two 45 pound plates on your lap for 10
- Dumbell kickbacks heavy for 6 reps - kick up hard and contract T
- I super-setted these two last for three sets: skullcrushers/lying extensions - 10 reps, keep elbows in and stretch at the bottom real good. Seated over dumbbell extensions using one dumbbell - sets of 8.
As you can see for triceps, I like to do contraction-type exercises first, and then when fully pumped, do the skullcrusher and stretching exercises. This sequence keeps my elbows healthy!