DAY 5 BICEPS + TRICEPS

CKT goes way beyond curls for the girls. Arm day is so tough your biceps and triceps will be crying for mercy!

This is the only arm workout you are going to perform every week for the next four weeks. Don't deviate; don't try to spice things up yourself. Do exactly what I say and reap the rewards: a stronger core, horseshoe triceps and peaked biceps. Bring on the CKT pain.

 

Day 5: Bicep + Tricepss

Superset:

Bicep Dumbbell Curl

5 sets of 40,30,20,10,10 rep

 

 Overhead Triceps Extension

5 sets of 40,30,20,10,10 reps

 

Superset:

Dumbbell Hammer Curls

5 sets of 10,10,20,30,40 reps

 

Tricep Push Downs                             

5 sets of 10,10,20,30,40 reps

Exercise:

 

 

Muscle Fibers ///

CKT is perfect for muscle growth because it crushes every muscle fiber your body can muster. High reps and short rest periods hit your type I, slow-twitch muscle fibers. Slightly heavier weight hits your fast-twitch, type IIa fibers. Finally, to finish things off, heavy weight and longer rest periods punish your type IIb fibers.

By covering so many rep ranges and weights, we drive blood to the working muscle and ensure that every motor-neuron is recruited to move the weight. As you go down the pyramid from heavy-to-light weight, you push a substantial amount of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to further stretch the working muscle and promote maximum growth.

 

Rest ///

Rest, like volume and intensity, is an important training variable. Throughout the CKT workouts, you rest longer every time you increase the weight. At the beginning of each workout, you rest 45 seconds between supersets. Increase your rest period by 15 seconds every time the reps drop and the weights increase. When you hit the heaviest weight, you can rest for two full minutes. As you increase reps again during the second half of each workout, shorten each rest period accordingly.

 

Stretch It ///

Stretch between every set. After developing a good pump, you want to stretch the muscle fascia to promote even greater muscle growth. Stretching is also key to injury prevention.

 

Halfway Roll ///

During the arms workout, I foam roll halfway through the session instead of upfront. The reason? The tendons, ligaments and muscles feel OK when using cables for the first superset. However, when I move to free-weight exercise, I feel a lot more strain on the biceps tendons and the elbows. Take a moment to foam roll before hitting your second superset.

 

Foam-Tastic ///

Foam rolling is something I try to practice before my workouts now. Not only does soft tissue work help rehab lingering injuries, but it's good pre-hab to prevent injuries.

I just slowly roll up and down the triceps when I feel a little bit of tension there, or a bit of a knot or scar tissue. When I hit a really tight spot, I hold the roller there, wait for the pain to radiate out a bit, and then I continue rolling.

 

Weight Adjustments ///

When you reach the heaviest set with 10 repetitions, don't worry if you misjudge the weight. Just lift until you hit absolute failure. Even though '10 reps' is written in your gym log, it doesn't mean you need to stop at 10. If your first set of 10 reps is a little light, do 14-15 reps. Failure is essential.

The triceps are generally stronger than biceps, so take that into account. Run by instinct to a certain degree. If you feel like going a bit heavier one day, do it. Keep your mental intensity and focus consistent, even if you have to change the weight.

 

Post-Workout Principle ///

Drink a post-workout shake immediately after your training session. Rest for about 45 minutes, eat your first meal, and then concentrate on re-hydrating, recovering and replenishing.