I don’t mean to brag, but over the years, I have learned many different techniques when it comes to training. No matter what type of training you do, having toned or muscular arms is usually a goal or desire. Ladies, I know that you don’t like the term “muscular,” but having toned arms is certainly a better look than flabby wings!
This workout combines two secret methods I have learned about training the arms: origin and insertion method, and flexor/extensor training. I will briefly describe what those two mean, before I give you the ultimate arm workout.
Origin and Insertion
All muscles in your body are floating masses between bone. They are made up of mostly fluid, and tissue that has the ability to pull on itself and shrink (contract). If you ever cut into a steak, you will quickly notice that you can either cut “with the grain,” or “against the grain.” Your muscle tissue will pull on itself along the grain line.
In addition to this tissue, there is extremely tough and thick tissue on either end of the muscle that connects directly to bone- also known as tendons. When a muscle shrinks, it creates tension among the tendons, and voila, the bones that the muscle is connected to are brought closer together. Coordinate this among 600 different muscles and 206 bones in perfect synchronicity, and all the sudden you can move, eat, lift, etc.
All that to say, every muscle in the body has an origin (a bone in which it originates on) and an insertion (a bone in which the opposite end tendon connects). Without getting too technical, when it comes to the arms, the biceps and triceps originate in the upper arm/shoulder, and insert on the forearm. So, any time you are
training biceps or triceps, your forearm is either moving closer to your upper arm, or further away!
Key Point: biceps and triceps originate in the upper arm and shoulder, and insert in the forearm.
Flexor Extensor Training
The second secret to the ultimate arm workout is flexor/extensor training. For simplicity, flexors are any muscles that bring the limbs or objects closer to the body. Extensors are any muscles that push something away.
Most typically in the body, flexors are located on the anterior portion of the body, and extensors are located on the posterior part of the body. One glaring exception would be the chest muscles, as they extend and push away from the body. However, in terms of arms, can you guess which muscle (biceps or tricep) is the flexor and which is the extensor?
If you guessed biceps as flexors and triceps as extensors, you’d be correct! Using the definition above, the biceps bring the body or objects closer, while the triceps push the body or objects away.
The theory behind flexor/extensor training is this: extensors are typically made up of majority fast-twitch muscle fibers, while flexors are typically made up of majority slow twitch muscle fibers. Thus, extensors burn out quickly but can handle high intensities before doing so. Flexors typically have more endurance.
In terms of a workout, you should train extensors with high intensity and go heavier first. This will allow you to use the fast twitch elements to your advantage, and for them to not be tired for your sets with high intensities/large amounts of weight on the bar. In contrast, you can perform higher volume sets with flexors before hitting higher intensities, because they are built for endurance.
To illustrate, let’s look at how you would perform the following set/rep scheme using flexor extensor training:
8,8,6,6,4,4
For extensors, reverse this rep scheme, keeping volume low and intensity high. So the correct way to perform this rep scheme using this method would be: 4,4,6,6,8,8.
For flexors, keep the rep scheme as is.
Putting it All Together
Now that you know the basics of both origin/insertion training, as well as flexor/extensor method, let’s build the best arm workout ever. We will use origin insertion training for our exercise selection, and flexor/extensor method for our set/rep scheme. So here it is, the best arm workout ever:
A1) Tricep Dip 4,4,6,6,8,8 @30X0
A2) Seated, EZ Bar Overhead French Press 4,4,6,6,8,8 @3010
Rest 90-120 seconds
A3) Chin-up (supinated grip) 8,8,6,6,4,4 @30X0
A4) 45 Degree DB Hammer Curl 8,8,6,6,4,4 @3010
Rest 90-120 seconds
You will superset two tricep exercises using origin/insertion training, take a short rest, and then superset the tricep exercises with two bicep exercises, again using origin/insertion training. Additionally, you will use the extensor rep method for the triceps, and start with lower reps, and use the flexor rep method for the biceps, using higher reps!
Triceps- the dip is an origin exercise, as you are using the tricep to bring the forearm closer to the tricep origin (shoulder/upper arm). The French press is an insertion exercise, as you are using the tricep to create maximal distance between the origin and insertion.
Biceps – the supinated (underhand) chin-up uses the origin method to bring the bicep insertion closer to the origin. The 45 degree hammer curl is an insertion method, using the bicep to create maximal distance between the origin and insertion.
In Summary
These two methods aren’t only restricted to arms, and can be used to design other workouts for different body parts. I also like using this method for chest/back supersetting, as well as hamstrings as quads.
Understanding anatomy, as well as some muscle characteristics can greatly enhance your training. If nerding out isn’t your thing, at least you can still show off to your buddies your bigger arms. Thank me later.
-Coach Bender