Below I have included one of my
arm sessions I recommend for
athletes.
TRICEPS
TRAINING SYSTEM
SETS & REPS
Dumbbell Overhead ex – SS
- Cable machine kick back –SS-
Rope pushdowns
Giant set
4 x 15-20
Close grip bench press – SS -
Dumbbell skull crushers – SS Dips
Giant set
3 x 8-12 - 3 x 8-12 – 3 x Failure
Alternate dumbbell curls –SS-
Machine preacher curls – SS –
spider curls (ez bar)
Giant set
4 x 15-20
Cross body hammer curls – SS
– over head cable curls –SS-
Cable standing curls
Giant set
3 x 8 -12
handle attachment on the cable
machine. Like all exercises you may
need to adjust your body until you
feel you have targeted and con-
tracted the muscle properly!
Q Hi Nathan, I’d just like to ask
what exercises you would recom-
mend to make my most muscular
pose look even better? My biceps
are good but I lack that roundness
Q When doing any overhead
in the triceps when pushing my
extensions, I can’t seem to con-
palms together.
tract the triceps properly and feel
Pete, Birmngham.
A This is something that Shaun
my delts over power everything.
Jospeh-Tavenier has been working
What exercise can I do that will
on over the last few years. His delts
target the long head?
Rob, Bristol just pop so much in this pose, that it
A The long head is such an impor- caused his triceps to look weaker
tant muscle to be targeted and can
than what they actually were. When
often be overlooked when training
you are in the gym, you need to think
triceps. If you neglect long head
that every exercise you’re perform-
training you will be found out, not
ing is how you’re going to look on
only in the side pose but also in all
stage posing.
the back shots. Like the inner thigh,
Lat pull downs for example
peroneus longus and tibialis anterior resemble your rear double. Your
muscles, the triceps also play a
front double will resemble you
major in your front relaxed poses.
performing overhead cable curls
An example of this is Jay Cutler, who standing central within the cable
had an awesome front relaxed pose, machine. Shaun showed me an
having lumps and bumps all over his exercise I hadn’t seen before. Using
physique- he was eye catching to
the cable machine he attached the
look at.
triangle handle. Placing both hands
Reverse grip pushdowns are what on the handle with the palms facing
I would recommend if the deltoids
each other and elbows pointed out
take too much control in the over-
resembling a most muscular pose.
head movements. Done using a
It’s important to try and keep your
straight bar for both arms together
bodyweight over the hand position,
or as a single arm using the single
whilst keeping your head central to
the cable to avoid over and under
muscle development. From this
position, press down until you’re in
full extensions, then contract for
3-5 seconds and slowly on the
eccentric return to the starting posi-
tion. Repeat 5 sets of 15-20 reps,
then the next time you perform the
exercise complete 5 x 8-12 reps.
Q Hi Nathan, what are your
thoughts on different styles of
training systems you see nowa-
days? Are they effective and do you
recommend them for arm training?
Jodie, Yorkshire.
A To be honest, there are so many
ways to train nowadays, but what’s
most important is to find what suits
you and is safe and effective. I’m a
huge believer in volume training. All
of my athletes will tell you this and
hate me for it, but it’s so important
to train using all different rep
ranges, sets exercise and angles to
optimise muscle growth. I’ve never
recommended any athlete to do a
1 rep max though!
What’s most important to me is
how you lift the weight- performing
a controlled movement that maxim-
ises the contraction. It’s important
to master the basics as long as you
are keeping the physique in check,
however too many athletes are
getting injured doing squats and
deadlifts too heavy and not using
the correct muscles to perform the
lifts.
FEBRUARY 2018 | FLEX
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