Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I
f youve got flat, puny triceps, your arms Dont throw in the pushdown rope just yet.
wont look impressive, no matter how well You can build very impressive triceps even if
developed your biceps and torso muscles your long heads are a bit short. Albert Beckles
are. To quote my friend Gunnar Sikk: Thick has short triceps long heads as well as short
triceps are to an upper body what wide tires biceps, but that didnt stop him from developing
are to a race car. They impart a powerful and an incredible pair of guns, with ice cream cone
serious look when viewed from the front. Almost peaks for biceps and massive horseshoe triceps.
mean. When viewed from the side, they bal- You may also have problems building big
ance out pec thickness and make the waist ap- arms if youre an ectomorphtall, long and
pear smaller. skinny with a scarcity of muscle cells in your
Genetics, as always, plays a role in what kind upper arms. Nevertheless, it can be done.
of triceps you can eventually develop. If you Three-time Mr. Olympia Frank Zane, an ecto-
have shortor hightriceps, youre mesomorph, had arms that probably didnt mea-
handicapped because you cant develop muscle sure 18 inches, but he had wicked triceps,
where there are no muscle cells. Just about every especially the rear and lateral heads. He beat
big-armed champion over the past 60 years has men who outweighed him by as much as 50
had long, full triceps, especially the long head, pounds and whose arms measured two or three
the head of the triceps that hangs down under inches more than his because his arms were
the biceps when you hit a front double-biceps beautifully shaped and developed and his
pose. Sergio Olivas are so lengthy that they physique was so symmetrical and well-
actually appear to attach a couple of inches balanced.
below his elbows. Unbelievable! As Larry Scott, the first Mr. Olympia and
On the other hand, my own long heads stop owner of one of the greatest pairs of arms ever,
several inches above my elbows, which severely says, its not enough to build big arms. If you
restricts how large I can ever get my triceps. Its want to look impressive, you have to develop
a sad fact of lifejust as it is for bodybuilders beautiful big armsarms that make the behold-
who have short, high calves and will never be er gasp with amazement and turn green with
able to build impressive lower legs. envy.
98 FEBRUARY 2005 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com www.ironmanmagazine.com \ FEBRUARY 2005 99
ing language because some sec- triceps are used in so many upper- heavy/light style; that is, one or two
tions of particular heads may grow body exercisesbench presses, exercises with heavy weights for
faster or slower than other sections. inclines, declines, dumbbell sets of six to 12 repetitions com-
They belong to the same head presses, behind-the-neck presses, bined with some type of high-rep
but react as if they were different dips, cross-bench pullovers and techniquesupersets, tri-sets,
headsor even different muscles. bent-arm barbell pulloversthat drop sets, extended sets or single
For example, your lower triceps (on we know volume alone isnt the high-rep sets of 12 to 20. That way
the long head) may grow slower answer to beautiful, shapely and you work a variety of fiber types
than your upper triceps (also on the massively muscular triceps. In fact, and promote good triceps innerva-
long head), so you can choose exer- many champion bodybuilders do tion and a great pump to take ad-
cises that target the upper or lower so much work for their pecs, delts, vantage of the blood principle: The
elbows that protect his triceps. The The best exercises for triceps
triceps is an extremely strong mus- mass include these:
cle group, but you must be choosy
Close-grip bench presses
about where you decide to use that
Reverse-grip Smith-machine
strength. You want to do exercises
bench presses
that work your triceps hard without
Weighted dips
excessively stressing the elbows.
Bench dips
You want to place your arms in a
Power pushdowns (pushing
position that puts the biomechani-
the bar straight down and
cal overload on the triceps muscles
away from your body, not in
and not the joints because while a
an arc)
weight may not be too much for the
Flat, incline or decline power
triceps, but it might be too much
lying triceps extensions (low-
Model: Andre Nielsen \ Powertec power rack, 1-800-447-0008 for the joint. As a rule, always err
ering the bar to your throat
on the side of caution. Be a little
and pushing the bar straight
conservative in your poundage
up, not in an arc)
increases. Never do fewer than six
One-arm dumbbell French
reps on triceps exercises, and eight
presses
to 12 is nearly always better, espe-
cially for extension movements, on
which your elbows are in a precari- Heavy bench presses and other
ous position. forms of pressing will add to your
triceps strength and mass as well.
Keep your elbows back on There are also several manufac-
dips, not flared out. Here are some of the safest turers who make good triceps-
triceps exercises: building machines that target the
important long head (the head that
Close-grip bench presses
better a muscle pumps, the faster gives the most mass).
Reverse-grip Smith-machine
and easier it grows. Incidentally, the cross-bench
bench presses
One of the obstacles to trying to dumbbell pullover is a fantastic
Pushdowns (pushing straight
work the triceps really heavy is joint exercise that works pecs, lats and
down and away from your
problems, especially problems with triceps. If you use it as part of
body, not in a semicircle, or
the elbows. Bouncing the weight your chest workout along with
arc)
and cheating excessively can cause bench presses, incline presses
Weighted dips
major joint trauma. Heed the warn- and dips, your triceps get a great
Bench dips
ing: There are no awards given to workout before you do a single set
Behind-the-back pushdowns
the guys who use the most weight of triceps work. Many bodybuild-
Lying triceps extensions (press-
on triceps exercises, and the gyms ers train chest and triceps in the
ing straight up, not in an arc)
are full of guys whose elbows are same workout, so for them it isnt
Kneeling long-cable extensions
wrecked from their using too much necessary to do too many sets for
using the pedestal bench
weight in loose style. Tendinitis can triceps.
Kickbacks
ruin your ability to train for years
and can impede not just triceps
development but your chest, shoul- These are some of Be cautious with
der and upper-arm development as the triceps exercises overhead exten-
well. It may even force you to stop that can cause the sions.
training altogether. most joint pain:
Failing to warm up the triceps is
One-arm dumbbell
another reason people dont get the
extensions
most from their training. Most top
Lying, incline and
bodybuilders who work biceps and
decline triceps
triceps together in a workout nearly
Monster Proportions
extensions (mov-
Model: Markus Reindhart and Humberto Morandell
Partial or Full Reps weight at the bottom or top of the belly, or middle, of the triceps, and
Monster Proportions
rep. The weight just keeps moving overhead French presses, which
Reps? continuously until fatigue forces work the fully stretched position of
them to end the set. Champs such the triceps, followed by kickbacks,
Do you like to do shorter, con- as Frank Zane and Sergio Oliva do which work the fully contracted
stant-tension/continuous-motion partial reps and stop short of lock- position, then youve worked the
reps or full-range-of-motion reps to out, but by choosing exercises that entire triceps with only three ex-
lockout? From what Ive observed together work all the sections of the ercises. Thats what Steve Holman
over the years, most champions triceps, they can train the entire calls Positions-of-Flexion train-
stop short of lockout except on a muscle fully and more efficiently. ingtraining a muscle through its
few exercises, such as kickbacks. For example, if you do lying tri- full range of motion. [Editors note:
They definitely dont stop the ceps extensions, which work the The book Train, Eat, Grow: The Posi-
your throat and push the weight the bar with your thumbs on the triceps a little better on some sets if
straight up, very much like a close- same side as your fingers. You also you allow your arm to move a few
grip bench press except you can want to try to keep your elbows inches away from your head, with
allow your elbows to flare out to the flared out to the sides. The little tilt the elbow pointing somewhere
sides. You can use heavier weights toward your feet places more stress between 10 and 11 oclock for the
when doing extensions with this on the outside head of the triceps, right arm and 1 to 2 oclock for the
technique, and its better for pure as well as the meaty long head. You left. Another tip is to reach across
triceps mass. can accentuate that by putting a your face and grab your working
two-by-four or a couple of barbell triceps with your free hand, which
Close-grip bench presses. plates under the end of the bench enables you to better feel the tri-
Whether you use a barbell, a Smith so youre on a 10 degree decline. ceps working.
Something else to try is to use a curl grip on pushdowns and one- Heavy/Light
curl grip on one-arm extensions.
Vince Gironda advocated that for
arm pushdowns to work more of
the lower- and inner-triceps areas.
Big-Pump Routine
developing the inner head of the A good rear-head exercise is EZ-curl-bar decline
triceps as well as the lower part of front pulley extensions, a.k.a. extensions 4 x 8-12
the long head. forward-lunge cable extensions. Close-grip bench
You can also try using a curl grip Use a rope extension or an angled presses (last set is a drop
on lying dumbbell extensions, a fa- triceps bar. Face away from the lat set) 4 x 6-15
vorite bulk builder of the Iron Guru. machine, and grip the rope or bar. Tri-set
Start with dumbbells over your chest Lean forward from your waist and Kneeling rope extensions or
and touching, hands facing each then, using triceps strength alone, one-dumbbell
other. Keeping your elbows high and extend your arms forcibly out over extensions 4 x 10
still, lower the dumbbells behind your head. Get a good contraction Pushdowns 4 x 8-10
your head, rotating your arms in- on each repunless you discover Bench dips 4 x max
Monster Proportions
Monster Proportions
ward so your knuckles are pointing you can feel constant-tension/
away from your head at the bottom, continuous-motion reps better. Take no rest between exercises in
with your arms holding the dumb- These are similar to a Larry the tri-set and a maximum of one
bells as if you were doing curls. Raise Scott favorite, kneeling long-cable minutes rest between tri-sets. Also
the bells in the reverse movement, extensions performed on a twin- take just one minutes rest between
with your arms rotating outward pedestal bench. Try supersetting the decline extensions and the
into a hammer curl position, with them with kickbacks to work your close-grip bench presses.
Model: David Yeung
the thumbs up, until the bells meet rear heads hard.
over your chest. Make sure the
weights touch at the top of each rep. Dumbbell kickbacks. Al-
Obviously, you can also use the though you can do this exercise
Preexhaust Triceps
ch dips
Routine x double drop
Superset
Pushdowns 3 x 8-10 Take no rest
Dips 3 x 8-10 between move-
Superset ments and only
EZ-curl-bar one minutes rest
decline extensions 3 x 8-12 between supersets.
Close-grip bench If the volume is too
presses 3 x 8-12 great for proper re-
Superset (for rear head) covery, reduce the
Two-dumbbell supersets to three
kickbacks 3 x 8-12 instead of four.
Reverse-grip bench The triceps is
presses 3 x 8-12 one of the most im-
pressive bodyparts
and is the key to
The Pure Mass Routine having massive
and beautiful
Superset arms. Ive gone
Power EZ-curl bar lying way overboard on
extensions (move bar in details here, but
straight line) 4 x 10 Im confident that
Close-grip bench if you apply this
presses 4 x 8-12 stuff in the gym,
The Secret...
I call it the secret because once you use 10 Weeks! Today, thanks to POF training, Im an
it, youll see new muscle appear on your IRONMAN cover model and I appear in
arms, chest and legs almost immediately. the magazine almost every month.
And people will notice. Many of your
friends and family will be shocked at your hour tape is a body-
new muscled-up physique. I know it can part-by-bodypart POF
happen to you because it happened to me. analysis and is jam-
When I was a teenager, I had dreams of packed with muscle-
being so big and muscular that jaws would building info and
drop when I walked on a beach. I also had es; thighs, up 1 1/2 inches; live-action demonstra-
dreams of competing in the sport of body- waist, down one inch; bench, tions by awe-inspiring
building, but I refused to resort to body- up from 200x10 to 290x6; bodybuilders. These
building drugs. They were out of the squat, up from 205x8 to videos are instruction-
question for me because the rewards 335x7. Unbelievableand I al, but youll watch
simply werent worth the risks. I was deter- did all that in 10 weeks with them again and again
mined to rely solely on training and nutri- no steroids, just hard, sensi- to get motivated to
tion. ble training, a regimented blast through your POF
The real size I was seeking didnt materi- eating schedule and a few workouts!
alize, however, no matter what I tried. I choice supplements. Considering my For real-world POF programs that can
began to think that the drug users at the sputtering progress in the past, those work muscle-building miracles, there are
gym were right, that it was impossible to gains were miraculous. three detailed POF manuals:
build exceptional size and strength without Adding new muscle that quickly felt
anabolic steroids. Even so, I refused to risk incredible. Thanks to the IRONMAN 10-Week Size Surge, a step-by-step
my health and convictions, and my train- Training & Research Center, Steve Hol- diet and exercise program to get you
ing gradually slacked off, falling by the man and POF, Im very close to my dream started packing on mass right away.
wayside. By the time I was 21, my 511 physique and I appear in the magazine
physique had leveled off at a soft 190 regularly. I even made the cover. Im Size Surge 2, the 10-week follow-up
pounds. positive that once you try POF and chan- program to Size Surge to keep your gains
As chance would have it, I got a job in nel your motivation, youll make some of on the road to hugeness.
the product division of IRONMAN maga- the best gains of your training career.
zine and met Steve Holman, the editor in POF blows the doors off anything youve Hardgainer Size Surge, tips, tricks,
chief. He told me he had developed pro- ever tried in the gym. Weve even had diets and training programs for the geneti-
grams that could add pounds of muscle to bodybuilders who start using POF say cally challengedthe thin hardgainer.
just about anyones frame in a few months. they thought their skin might split be-
Talking to Steve moti- cause the influx of blood is POF will fire you up and take your
vated me to start train- so fast and furious. That muscle-building workouts to a new level
ing hard again, and growth effect is from the of super effectiveness, guaranteed! Its
heres the real kicker: I max muscle fiber recruit- time you get the attention-grabbing
convinced him to train ment and full-range work physique you cravewith POF training.
with me. When he POF provides for each
agreed, I felt a wave of target muscleand it only Sincerely,
motivation unlike any takes a few sets so you have Jonthan Lawson
Id ever experienced much more recovery energy IRONMAN Research Team Member
before. Steve had devel- to grow.
oped the Positions-of- If you want to learn how P.S.: Dont miss this opportunity to get the
Flexion Steve Holman: Once I developed to use POF, I suggest you muscle gains you deserve. For the best
muscle-building sys- POF, my hardgainer body shot up check out the Critical Mass savingsand all the information and
tem and written a to over 200 pounds, an 80-pound video series, which includes motivation you needget all three POF
number of books, so I gain from my skinny starting Critical Arms, Critical books and three POF videos for only
had a good feeling that Chest & Delts and Critical $49.95 (you save $55)! Call 1-800-447-
weight of 120.
he could help me take Legs & Back. Each half- 0008 today, or visit www.home-gym.com.
my muscle size and
strength over the top. WARNING: Due to the
I trained hard, ate YES! I want a stunning, attention-grabbing ___All 3 POF videos rapid rate of muscle
growth some people
well and consistently physiqueFAST! Send me the items Ive marked $25 each; all 3 for........$29.95 experience using POF,
and concentrated on ___Size Surge.......................$9.95 tiny stretch marks on
Check or money order payable to: Home Gym ___Size Surge 2....................$9.95 the skin may occur at
doing my best at Warehouse, 1701 Ives Ave.,Oxnard, CA 93033 ___Hardgainer Size Surge.....$9.95 the pec insertion near
every workout. To say
2005 Home Gym Warehouse