Name: Playbook - Rob Riches - Biceps, Forearms, & Triceps (Ep 9.1 - Conditioning)
Uploaded: 2021-06-07T18:32:11.573Z
Duration: 45 min
Description: Biceps, Forearms, & Triceps (Ep 9.1 - Conditioning)

Welcome to workout #1 of the Conditioning part of my Lean Muscle Growth Program. Throughout this 4 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.

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. On set 4 - Perform a drop set, lowering weight by 33% - to failure.

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

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.

Straight Bar Tricep Push Down

The arm curl machine (aka Preacher Curl) isolates the biceps, and positions them in front of the body (as opposed to at the sides), which  works the short head of the bicep more.

Position your triceps (back of the arms) flush agains the arm pad (your arm pits should be at the very top of the bench), and rotate your elbows slightly inwards so you have a straight line from your wrists, through your elbows and to your shoulders. This will allow you to place the most stress on (and involve) the biceps the most.

Using an underhand grip, curl the handle up towards your shoulders, keeping the backs of the arm firmly pressed into the padding. Pause momentarily at the top and flex the biceps hard, before lowering back at a slower pace. Don't fully lengthen the arms at the bottom completely as this was relieve tension from the biceps.

Arm Curl Machine

Stand upright with your shoulders pulled back and down, arms at full length at your side, and a dumbbell in each hand. Start by rotating your wrists so your holding the dumbbells in front of you with an overhand grip.

Keeping the upper arms at the side of your body, curl up both dumbbells at the same time, (maintaining the overhand grip) 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 in a slow and controlled manner.

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.

These overhand grip dumbbell curls will involve more of the forearm muscles, and work the biceps in a different way compared to the regular underhand grip.

Overhand Dumbbell Curl

Lay on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand and both arms extended up as though you're about to perform a chest press. Rotate your grip inwards so both palms face each other and move your arms about 30 degrees back so your upper arms are either side of your head.

Keeping them fixed in this position, flex at the elbow and lower the dumbbells down to either side of your head. Pause momentarily at the bottom of the rep (to eliminate momentum), and squeeze the triceps to raise the dumbbells back up to the top until full lockout at the arms (keeping your upper arms fixed at the side of your head). Flex the triceps hard at the top then lower back down under control.

The skull crusher is a push exercise that works the triceps brachii in isolation. It works this muscle from the elbow up to the latissimus dorsi of the back. Try variating the grip/dumbbell angle to focus on the different heads of the muscle.

Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension

Set a cable pulley with a handle attachment to shoulder height. Holding the handle with your right hand (underhand grip), step away from the machine (with your right side facing the machine), so that with your arm stretched out horizontally to the floor, there is tension in the cable.

Keeping your upper arm parallel to the floor, and your elbow facing downwards, flex the bicep and raise the handle up towards head, stopping just before your elbow starts to lift up. Pause momentarily at the top of the rep, flexing your bicep hard, then return back to the starting position.

Perform all reps with a smooth and controlled tempo. Once all reps are performed on the right arm, turn around and perform them with the left arm.

This exercise is great for isolating the upper front of the arm, and allowing you to focus on the peak of the biceps.

High Cable Bicep Curl

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 7

Biceps, Forearms, & Triceps (Ep 9.1 - 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 9.1 - Conditioning)

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