Name: Playbook - Trevor Siggs - W1/D7 Arms & Abs
Uploaded: 2021-10-17T22:17:50.934Z
Duration: 60 min
Description: W1/D7 Arms & Abs

In the Muscle Builder 2.0 program we aim to hit every muscle group we can and with the last day of the week, it’s time to hit those arms! (And abs of course lol) If you followed the first Muscle Builder program you may recall that I prefer to superset arms, this means that the way the exercises will be done are in pairs, 1 exercise will target triceps and another will target biceps, it will help you fly through your workout but also be able to maintain a higher intensity throughout. If you have any questions about what a super set is I am here always to answer your questions. Abs will be a target group today as well, keep the consistency up and let’s finish the last day of the week strong.

Compound lifts are what build a perfect or at least an impressive physique, I always try to incorporate a compound lift on any training day, even when it’s just for arms. This is just a standard barbell Close-Grip bench press exercise. If you are confident in doing these without a spotter I recommend using a free barbell like in the video, however if you workout alone and have little to no experience with close grip benching, I suggest using a barbell Smith machine with bumpers for your safety. Your hands should be no more than 8-10 inches apart (if it’s uncomfortable at first you just need to get use to a tighter grip, start a little wider and work your way to no more than 10 inches). Keep elbows close your body at all times, allow the bar to come almost all the way down to your chest and remember to constantly breathe in as you lower the bar and breathe out as you press it back up. The bar should come down right around the mid chest.

Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press

This exercise is a staple for building leaner and bigger biceps. Make sure you can use an EZ Bar or DBs when performing these curls. You want fully extend your arms on every rep, this will allow a greater tension on the biceps as well as extend the range of motion on the lift. Keep feet flat at all times and make sure your chest stays against the pad at all times. Your grip should stay closer rather than wider. Make sure if you hit the target reps that you add weight for the following set, even if it is in 2.5lb. increments.

EZ Bar Preacher Curls

This one of my favorite and go to tricep exercises. You can utilize an EZ Bar, Mini Barbell, or DBs but I prefer the EZ bar for more comfort on my wrists. Keep the grip tighter so it focuses on the entire head of the triceps, the incline should be at around 35-45 degrees and you want to lower the bar just past your head. (Some like to do it right in front of the forehead however, I think you get better tension and contraction by going past it.) Keep elbows tight to your body at all times and focus on breathing in and out on every rep. This should be a slow and controlled lift, no need to rush the reps.

EZ Bar Incline Skull Crushers

This exercise will help you to target the entire bicep muscle. Start off by using a cable machine, with a short straight bar (you can use a EZ Bar style as well). You’ll sit in a deep squat and rest your elbows on the top of your knees, this will help you to keep elbows in place during the entire exercise. Allow your arms to fully extend on every rep to get full range of motion and curl the bar all the way to your chest, if possible. Look to add more weight on every set you hit the target rep range.

Deep Squat Cable Curls

This exercise is a great way to solely isolate the triceps and get a deep range of motion on every rep. First you’ll need a single rope (you can use a double and just hold both sides of the rope together or extend it to one side, but if you have a single then go with that). Set the rope just above waist level, get into a athletic stance, put the same side foot slightly back and use the opposite foot to stabilize your position. Keep elbow in at all times, be careful it doesn’t push outward, allow the rope to come down as far as possible, then extend up and straighten your arm on every rep. Try to avoid and body swinging or leg bouncing when performing each rep.

Single Cable Overhead Triceps Extension (w/ rope)

This bicep exercise, if done correctly, is so good to build bigger and leaner biceps. It hits almost every part of your bicep, as well as areas of the muscle that get neglected at times. It may feel a little awkward if you have never performed these, but I highly suggest getting use to them, if you can handle it. You want to put the bench at a slightly higher incline than normal (a normal incline is 45 degrees, so 1-2 notches above that is perfect, the lower the incline the tougher the tension will be.) Once you get your DBs you will lay on the bench and keep back and feet flat at all times. Allow your arms to lower and keep it at a slower pace, this will create an eccentric contraction as well as a concentric one at the same time. Once your arms straighten out at the bottom you want to curl up as fast and as powerful as you can, while still having good control of the DBs. Start off with a lighter weight and work your way up to heavier DBs once you feel confident performing this lift.

Seated Dumbbell Incline Bicep Curls

In this circuit based ab routine you will be doing 3 simple yet effective exercises. I highly suggest adding weight to all of these or even 1 or 2. If you are just starting out then work your way up to perfect form then add more weight as you do. 

-Cable Crunches 
-Side Crunches (on glute/ham bench)
-Hanging Captains Chair Knee Raises (weighted)

*You can utilize weight on the knee raises by snatching a DB between your feet as you raise your knees*

Here you will be doing cable crunches to target your upper and middle areas of your core. The more weight you can use the better! Before you do that though, you need have stable form on each rep. Aim to get those elbows and forearms close to the ground as you can and allow yourself to fully come back up.

Cable Crunches

Here you will be targeting the sides of your abs and the obliques. The bench you what to use is called a glute/ham. This bench is perfect you these because it allows you to get a deep extension and isolate the entire oblique. Once you get the form and reps down, you can add weight by holding a lighter weight plate. 12-15 reps each side is the goal.

Side Crunches (glute/ham bench)

Here you will be targeting the lower area of your abs. As you perform this exercise, make sure you are going slow and controlled. Do not allow your body to swing and if it begins to, stop yourself and restart. Keep constant tension in your core as you bring your knees up each time. If you have access to them, these are best done hanging rather than using the elbow pads. You can put a DB between your feet for added weight once your form is stable and you hit the targeted reps.

W1/D7 Arms & Abs

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