Name: Playbook - Rob Riches - Biceps, Forearms, & Triceps (Ep 11.4 - Conditioning)
Uploaded: 2021-06-07T18:32:11.761Z
Duration: 45 min
Description: Biceps, Forearms, & Triceps (Ep 11.4 - Conditioning)

Welcome to workout #15 of the Conditioning part of my Lean Muscle Growth Program. Throughout this 3rd weeks section, you'll be performing a lot of circuits, often with a higher rep range to help improve muscular endurance and conditioning.

Keep rest times short, and select a weight that will challenge you towards the total reps shown per set, aiming to increase the weight (or add a few reps) for following sets.

Each exercise is performed once within a circuit with minimal rest between each one. Then repeat the circuit again, this time, trying to challenge yourself with a heavier weight.

You'll also see there is an abdominal circuit included at the end of the program. This can either be performed at the start or end of this program, or performed separately, usually first thing in the morning before eating when your gut is empty.

Sit upright with your lower back pushed up against the back-pad and the soles of your feet firmly on the ground. With a dumbbell in each hand at arms length at the side of your body, rotate your grip so that both palms are facing forwards. Keep your grip in this position throughout the full exercise.

Keeping the upper arms at the side of your body, curl up both dumbbells at the same time, stopping when they reach the height of your upper chest (or just before the elbow starts to pull forwards). Flex the biceps hard, and lower the arms back to the start position, lengthening the arms but not straightening them out completely (as this relieves tension from the biceps).

Keep the movement smooth without any jerking. If you're unable to increase the weight for the next set, slow the negative portion of the rep as you lower the dumbbells.

Curls work the biceps muscles at the front of the upper arm, and also the muscles of the lower arm—the brachialis and brachioradialis.

Seated Dumbbell Curl

Grip a barbell with an underhand grip that's shoulder-width apart and sit at the edge of a bench resting your forearms on the top of your legs with your wrists just off your knees so as to allow for a full range of motion.

Tilt forwards at the waist, keeping your back straight and shoulders pulled back. Your elbows should also be making contact on your legs.

Allow the wrists to fully open out with the barbell rolling down towards your fingers as you slightly loosen your grip. You'll feel a great stretch throughout your forearms. Close up your fingers to tighten your grip on the bar and start to flex at the wrist, pulling the bar back up until your forearm muscles are fully flexed. The key to this exercise is a full range of motion, actively engaging the muscles, and using a weight that isn't too heavy, so as to allow for higher volume and intensity.

This exercise works the forearm extensors, the brachioradialis, and the biceps muscle.

Seated Barbell Wrist Curls

Use an overhand grip approximately shoulder-width apart on a short bar (a rope attachment also works), and step back with your upper arms held at the side of your body.

Start with the bar pressed down and your elbows at full lock out. Squeeze the triceps hard, then control the bar to raise up towards your chest, stopping just before the elbows pull away from the body.  (You may need to take a step back to ensure there is still tension in the cable).

When you press the bar down, you shouldn't be hunched over the bar. Shoulders should be back, chest up, and your uppers arms shouldn't be pulling forwards as you raise the bar back up during the negatives.

Keep your elbows from flaring out, and limit any momentum from being built up during your reps.

The scientific term for the muscle is tricep brachii (Latin for “three-headed muscles of the arm”). The lateral, medial and long head of the triceps all operate together whenever you extend your arm.

Straight Bar Tricep Push Down

Stand upright holding an EZ barbell with an underhand shoulder-width grip (on the bar where your grip is angled slightly more inwards). Shoulders back and chest lifted up.

Keeping the upper arms at the side of your body, curl up the bar stopping when it reaches the height of your upper chest (or just before the elbow starts to pull forwards). Flex the biceps hard, and lower the bar back to the start position, lengthening the arms but not straightening them out completely (as this relieves tension from the biceps).

Keep the movement smooth without any jerking. If you're unable to increase the weight for the next set, slow the negative portion of the rep as you lower the dumbbells.

Use wide grip on set 1, narrow on set 2, neutral on set 3. Set 4 perform a rest-pause for 15 seconds after failure, and achieve a few more reps.

The EZ curl bar allows you to work specific parts of your triceps and biceps. It also places less strain on the wrists.

EZ Bar Curl

Grab a pair of light dumbbells with an overhand grip and sit at the edge of a bench resting your forearms on the top of your legs and rotate your grip inwards so your knuckles point upwards with your wrists just off your knees so as to allow for a full range of motion.

Tilt forwards at the waist, keeping your back straight and shoulders pulled back. Your elbows should also be making contact on your legs.

Start by pulling your hands up towards you, flexing the wrist, and raising the dumbbells up without allowing your forearms to lift off from the top of your legs. You'll really feel this one in the top of your forearms, on the outer region of your elbows. Lower the weights back down, extending the wrist until you feel a deep stretch all throughout the forearms.

This exercise works the forearm extensors, the brachioradialis, and the biceps muscle.

Reverse Dumbbell Wrist Curls

Sit at the end of a bench, keeping your feet on the floor and shoulders pulled back, with chest lifted up throughout the entire exercise. Hold a dumbbell up with one arm directly overhead When extended directly up over your head (the other arm can be used to help support the upper arm and keep it in place).

Flex at the elbow to lower the dumbbell behind your head (ensuring your upper arm doesn't move), lowering the dumbbell down until it's the same height as your elbow.  Raise the dumbbell back up over your head as you engage and flex the triceps. Once at the top, and the arm is at full lock out, squeeze the triceps as hard as you can before repeating the repetition.

All reps should be performed under control and without momentum. Perform all reps on one arm, then switch arms and repeat.

The Overhead Triceps Extension focuses primarily on the Triceps Brachii muscle.

Set 3 perform a rest-pause for 15 seconds after failure, and achieve a few more reps till failure.

Seated Single Arm Overhead Triceps Extension

Position the cable pulley to the lowest setting and attach a short bar handle. Gripping with an underhand grip (shoulder-width apart), stand upright with a straight back and shoulders pulled back.

With your upper arms remaining at your sides, and elbows slightly positioned forwards, curl the bar up towards your upper chest, stopping just before your elbows pull forwards. Pause briefly and squeeze the biceps hard at the top of the rep.

Lower the bar back down under control, stopping just before the weights touch, or your knuckles touching your thighs (so as to keep tension on the biceps).

Perform all reps with a smooth and fluid tempo until time is up.

Cable Biceps Curl Short Bar

With the bench lengthways behind you, place your palms (fingers forwards) on the edge of the bench at shoulder-width distance, and keep the elbows pointing back behind you. Keep your legs together in front of you, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor, and your hips just in front of the edge of the bench with your arms supporting your weight.

Bend at the elbow to lower your body down, stopping when your elbows are at shoulder height. Then raise yourself back up by engaging the triceps until your arms are at full lock out, and flex the triceps hard (don't push down on your feet to raise you up). 

Perform all reps with a smooth and controlled tempo.

Although this bodyweight exercise mainly targets the triceps, it also hits your chest and anterior deltoid, or the front part of your shoulder.

Bench Dips

This Abdominal circuit will focus on the upper and lower region of the abs, as well as the obliques (the side muscles), and is ideal for beginners just starting out. 

Perform a set of the first exercise, then immediately perform one of the second and third exercise without rest. You can rest for up to 60 seconds after completing all exercises (that's one round) before starting the next round.

Remember to actively engage your abdominals during each exercise, and  focus on your breathing pattern so that you really feel your abs working and contracting on each and every rep.

Attach a rope to a high cable pulley and kneel a few feet back from it holding on to the rope your arms bent a 90-degree angle at the side of your head.

Keeping your arms fixed in this position, exhale and contract the abdominals and you drive your elbows down towards your knees. You should only be moving them a few inches to be able to fully engage your abs.

Pause momentarily at the bottom of the rep to fully flex your abs hard, and then return back to the starting position as you take a breath in through your nose.

You'll find you can manage quite a lot of weight with this exercise, providing your form is good. Match your exhale with the crunch movement and you'll really be able to feel the abdominals flex hard at the end of the rep.

This I've found is one of the most effective exercises for developing six pack abs, especially the upper region.

High Cable Crunch

Find a pole or chin up bar that ideally allows you to hang from it without your feet touching the floor (although this can also be performed keeping your knees slightly bent if they do).

Using an overhand grip about 1.5x shoulder width, arms straight with shoulders pulled back, engage your abs and raise your legs up towards your chest, bending at the knee to keep them as close to your body as possible. 

As you raise the knees up past your waist, you should be able to flex the lower abs hard and start to curl the hips up and forwards (This is the whole point of this exercise - to target and engage the lower abs).

Try to pause momentarily at the top of the rep before controlling the legs back to the starting position where they are fully extended below you. 

Continue to  engage the abs and exhale on every rep.

Hanging Knee Lifts

Using a decline bench to lock your feet in, lean back far enough until you feel your abs are fully engaged. Holding a medicine/slam ball in your hands, arms bent so as it's about 6- inches from your chest , rotate it over to the left of you, then take it over to the right of you and repeat

Engage the abs and exhale as you rotate only the upper body, keeping the hips firmly fixed and pushed down into the bench.

Think of your elbows following an arc-like trajectory from the left and right of you. You should be exhaling deeply, while contracting and engaging the abs on every rep.

This will primarily work the side obliques of the abdominal area.

Decline Med Ball Rotations

Abs Circuit - Stage 12

Biceps, Forearms, & Triceps (Ep 11.4 - Conditioning)

It was very clear instructions and the video was very helpful

MilosLuffy

Donald Lozon

Back & Forearms (Ep 1.1 - Strength)

I felt like it had some repeating shoulder exercise, but overall good

Liked the Ab workout in the end 

Especially the hanging Ab- great for chest stretch

Thomas Anthony 

Richard

Shoulders & Chest (Ep 1.3 - Strength)

I enjoyed this workout I did not have access to dumbbells for my level so I swapped out the calf dumbbell lifts for the hip abduction. Did not have access to standing calf raises machine so swapped for seated calf raises machine. Over all good directions.

Sunil Deep

Adam

Quads & Calves (Ep 1.2 - Strength)

Very challenging and clear directions. The videos were helpful.

Andrés Giordano

Traps & Hamstrings (Ep 1.4 - Strength)

Matt

Biceps & Triceps (Ep 1.5 - Strength)

Francisco

Bünyamin

Cardio (Rest Day - Week 1)

Victor

Amadou Sow

Back & Forearms (Ep 2.1 Strength)

I could not get a smith machine so I opted for walking lunges instead if you run into the same problem I recommend walking lunges or in place lunges using dumbbells or weighted straight bar

Quads & Calves (Ep 2.2 - Strength)

The video was incorrect for the chest press first exercise

It was great. The workout video for the smith machine shoulder press is the wrong one though. It’s a leg press video. Other than that I love it

Ryan Baker

Shoulders & Chest (Ep 2.3 - Strength)

I felt like it did not include enough trap exercises.

Biceps, Forearms, & Triceps (Ep 11.4 - Conditioning)

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