"Hey James, I recently tried your bulking for
ectomorph program and managed to put size on everywhere except for my arms which failed to grow. Do you suggest I include more direct arm work or cut back on the amount I'm doing already: 4 sets biceps + 4 sets triceps, 3x a week?"
Thanks,
Dan
My Answer: You can still do the
pyramid program, but for the arms, substitute the
Direct Assault arm specialization program. Done properly this will give you some big guns. Your workouts for the week will look like this:
Monday: A) Squats- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 3 minutes rest.
*The next 2 exercises are an “antagonistic superset.” Perform a bench press, then rest 90 seconds. Perform pulldowns, then rest 90 seconds before going back to bench presses. Repeat for desired repetitions.
B1) Bench press- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
B2) Pulldowns- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
C)Laterals- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 2 minutes rest.
D1) Preacher Curls (6 sets) 6 reps, 90 seconds rest
You can use any variation of the preacher curl. Variations include the straight barbell preacher curl, one arm dumbbell preacher curls or reverse grip EZ-bar preacher curls
D2) Lying flat bench triceps extensions with an EZ curl bar (6 sets) 6 reps, 90 seconds rest
Wednesday: A) Squats- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 3 minutes rest.
*The next 2 exercises are an “antagonistic superset.” Perform a bench press, then rest 90 seconds. Perform pulldowns, then rest 90 seconds before going back to bench presses. Repeat for desired repetitions.
B1) Bench press- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
B2) Pulldowns- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
C)Laterals- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 2 minutes rest.
D1) Lying to seated dumbbell curls (3 sets) 13-15 reps, no rest
-Perform 6-8 reps of lying flat bench dumbbell curls, then sit up and perform alternating seated dumbbell curls
D2) Feet Elevated Pushups (3 sets) 13-15 reps, 60 seconds rest
Friday: A) Squats- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 3 minutes rest.
*The next 2 exercises are an “antagonistic superset.” Perform a bench press, then rest 90 seconds. Perform pulldowns, then rest 90 seconds before going back to bench presses. Repeat for desired repetitions.
B1) Bench press- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
B2) Pulldowns- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
C)Laterals- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 2 minutes rest.
Saturday: A) Hammer curls (10 sets) 4 reps, 60 seconds rest
B) Seated overhead half press in power rack (10 sets) 4 reps, 60 seconds rest
Thanks,
Dan
My Answer: You can still do the pyramid program, but for the arms, substitute the Direct Assault arm specialization program. Done properly this will give you some big guns. Your workouts for the week will look like this:
Monday:
A) Squats- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 3 minutes rest.
*The next 2 exercises are an “antagonistic superset.” Perform a bench press, then rest 90 seconds. Perform pulldowns, then rest 90 seconds before going back to bench presses. Repeat for desired repetitions.
B1) Bench press- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
B2) Pulldowns- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
C)Laterals- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 2 minutes rest.
D1) Preacher Curls (6 sets) 6 reps, 90 seconds rest
You can use any variation of the preacher curl. Variations include the straight barbell preacher curl, one arm dumbbell preacher curls or reverse grip EZ-bar preacher curls
D2) Lying flat bench triceps extensions with an EZ curl bar (6 sets) 6 reps, 90 seconds rest
Wednesday:
A) Squats- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 3 minutes rest.
*The next 2 exercises are an “antagonistic superset.” Perform a bench press, then rest 90 seconds. Perform pulldowns, then rest 90 seconds before going back to bench presses. Repeat for desired repetitions.
B1) Bench press- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
B2) Pulldowns- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
C)Laterals- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 2 minutes rest.
D1) Lying to seated dumbbell curls (3 sets) 13-15 reps, no rest
-Perform 6-8 reps of lying flat bench dumbbell curls, then sit up and perform alternating seated dumbbell curls
D2) Feet Elevated Pushups (3 sets) 13-15 reps, 60 seconds rest
Friday:
A) Squats- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 3 minutes rest.
*The next 2 exercises are an “antagonistic superset.” Perform a bench press, then rest 90 seconds. Perform pulldowns, then rest 90 seconds before going back to bench presses. Repeat for desired repetitions.
B1) Bench press- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
B2) Pulldowns- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
C)Laterals- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 2 minutes rest.
Saturday:
A) Hammer curls (10 sets) 4 reps, 60 seconds rest
B) Seated overhead half press in power rack (10 sets) 4 reps, 60 seconds rest