There are a few men I really respect in the muscle and strength building world. I’ve read tons of their articles and implemented many of their ideas. One such man is my coach, John Meadows. Another is Charles Poliquin. Thus, my excitement was perked when I learned that John was putting Charles through one of his programs. Reading about Charles’ first few weeks experience, lead me to another article by Charles on extended sets. Since today was arm day I decided to implement the extended sets idea for both biceps and triceps. Here is what I did…

 

Extended Set: Incline Dumbbell Curls

The big idea here from Charles was to extend a set via creating optimal leverage and hammering the hell out of the long head of the biceps. Oh, it worked!

Here is exactly what I did for the first round…

Set 1 x 10 reps with 35lbs – bench set to 30 degrees
Rest 10 seconds while changing bench incline angle
Set 2 x 7 reps with 35lbs – bench set to 45 degrees
Rest 10 seconds while changing the bench incline angle
Set 3 x 8 reps with 30lbs – bench set to 60 degrees
Rest 10 seconds while changing the bench incline angle
Set 4 x 8 reps with 25lbs – bench set to 75 degrees

*I immediately stretched both biceps for 30 seconds before resting an additional 90 seconds. Charles didn’t call for the stretch part, but I felt like I need to or the pump would cause my biceps to explode…talk about an intense pump!

**After the stretch and rest period, go back and perform this 3 more times through. You may need to drop the weight as you go (I did), to ensure you get the prescribed reps of 6-8 per set. Remember stretch for 30 seconds and rest an additional 90 seconds after each round.

Extended Set: Pronate Triceps Pushdowns

Charles didn’t have a specific protocol for triceps, but I tried to mimic the concept of extending the set via changing and creating a more optimal leverage angle.

I attached 2 sets of Carabiner 4 Pack as individual links with Revolving Stirrup Handle on the end of each. This way I could keep my hands in the pronate position and spread the handles apart during the contraction of my triceps.

The key here is to keep your elbows pinned to your sides on each cable position and aim for 6-8 reps. Start low and work your way up until on the last set you are standing completely upright.

Here is exactly what I did for the first round…

Set 1 x 9 reps with 80lbs – cable set to the lowest position
Rest 10 seconds while moving the cable up about a foot
Set 2 x 8 reps with 80lbs – cable set to waist height position
Rest 10 seconds while moving the cable up about a foot
Set 3 x 7 reps with 80lbs – cable set to shoulder height position
Rest 10 seconds while moving the cable up about a foot
Set 4 x 8 reps with 80lbs – cable set to highest position

*I immediately stretched my triceps for 30 seconds before resting an additional 90 seconds before performing this for an additional 3 rounds.

**In terms of triceps extension angles, you should be bent completely 90 degrees at the waist on set 1 and by set 4 be standing completely upright.

***This doesn’t seem like much as it’s only two exercises, but with 4 rounds of extended sets on each your arms will be jacked by the end!!

That concluded this morning’s arm workout.