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Hand workout by Larry Edwards
This arm workout combines biceps and triceps exercises into supersets, but this is just the beginning. Try this ruthless workout for some serious muscle growth.
Author: Hobart Swan
Some bodybuilders are promoting a minimalist approach to arm training. They believe that in the general context of strength training, the arms are in a secondary role, because compared to, say, the quads or the back, they are relatively small. Larry Edwards is not one of them. Each hand workout turns into a blitzkrieg for him, including supersets, a large amount of load and a high intensity of work. The result is insane and more centimeters when measuring the girth of the arms.
Edwards insists that his approach will work for everyone who wants to stretch the sleeves of their T-shirts, including you.
Another advantage of this approach is that it saves time. Limit rest periods and you can break through this high volume workout in less than an hour – you will most likely need about 45 minutes.
Take No Prisoners: Hand Training by Larry Edwards
Edwards recommends doing this program once a week, or twice if your arms are lagging. But given the amount of work you have to do in this hand workout, one session per week will be more than enough.
Technique Tips
Narrow Grip EZ Barbell Curl. Edwards prefers to start with lighter weights and use a narrow grip to stretch the muscle fibers better. With a wide grip, he can hang more pancakes on the bar, but then he does not feel such a good stretch, or such active participation of the peak of the biceps in the execution of the movement.
Extension on the lower block overhead with a rope handle. For this exercise, also known as the French bench press while standing, lower the rope handle behind your head as low as possible to maximize your triceps stretch at the end point of the movement, Edwards advises. And work lightly: it’s all about reps and intensity, not working weight.
Triceps extension on the upper block. For this exercise, Edwards prefers to use a straight handle and imagines that he is stretching the handle out to the sides at the bottom of his range of motion, as if he were working with a rope. As you push the handle down, try to point it down and away from your body. This will help you achieve a piercing peak contraction.
Alternate biceps dumbbell lift. Concentrate on lifting your pinky finger upward. This will help to achieve intense contraction. Allow the projectile to go all the way down for maximum stretch. The bottom stretch is just as important, if not more important, than the top cut, according to Edwards.
Lifting the bar for biceps. Edwards feels the exercise better if he is gripped with a slightly wider grip. But he warns that you must be careful not to put too much weight, or you may injure yourself. Try to use less weight while maintaining a high intensity of work, churning out quality reps with good technique, feeling full muscle contractions at the top and good stretch at the bottom.
Triceps Dips. To work out your triceps better during push-ups, try to keep your chest high. Above, force a powerful contraction. You can even linger in the top position for a minute or so to make sure you are getting the triceps contraction you want. As you descend, pause at the bottom for a second to feel the stretch. If you have shoulder problems, don’t go too low.
Biceps curls in the simulator. Edwards loves this exercise for the way it stretches the muscle. At this point, you’ve already done a lot of work at high intensity and got a lot of peak contractions. In this movement, Edwards focuses on the lower end of the range, allowing the working weight to stretch the biceps.
Leading the dumbbell back in the slope. The rule of thumb for this exercise is “the slower the better.” You must fully control the movement both on the path to the contraction and during the lowering of the projectile. Don’t let gravity rock the dumbbells, don’t use momentum to throw the weight up. Focus on contracting the muscles in powerful, slow, and fluid repetitions.
Extension for triceps on the upper block with a rope. Edwards likes to use a long rope for this exercise. When the need arises, he even improvises, passing his T-shirt through the fastener. The combination of a long rope stick and light operating weight gives it a perfect cut.
Alternating dumbbell lift on an incline bench. Instead of doing the exercise with one hand, lift both dumbbells at the same time. Try to turn your arms so that the little fingers are facing up.
Extension for triceps on the upper block with one hand… Use the upper, or pronated, grip for this exercise.
Concentrated biceps curls. Keep your elbows away from your torso. It is much more difficult to do the exercise this way, so take on a lot less weight than what you would normally use in concentrated biceps curls.