Which Single Muscle Exercise Will Maximize Your Total Strength?
So what's the first thing you think of when you think of "arm training"? If you're like a lot of trainers, you immediately think barbell curls and pushdowns. Or dumbell curls and dips, etc. The "standard" exercises, right? Well, it's time to think outside the box! Or as Nick Nilsson (the author of "The Best Arm Exercises You've Never Heard Of") puts it, time to make a NEW box and think outside of THAT one! "The Best Arm Exercises" is a very interesting book, with 68 unique exercises for the bicep, triceps and forearms ONLY. This is thing has NO fluff - it's just packed with training information.
What are the advantages of having a book JUST about Arms?
That's the first question I asked myself when starting to review this book. After all, the trend right now is more towards functional and "total body" styles of training. Direct and/or isolated arm work seems to take a back seat to that type of approach these days. Basically, is this just for fun or just fluff training?
So here's the reasoning as to why direct arm training should be done. I'm sure you'll agree that it really makes a lot of sense.
1. Direct Arm Training Can Help You Prepare for the "Big" Exercises
Let's say your bench press has been stuck in a plateau because you have trouble fully locking the bar out at the top. That top range of motion is a primarily triceps. By directly working the triceps with effective "assistance" exercises, you can immediately see results that carry over to your big movements. Obviously, any pressing movement is going to have a substantial triceps component. What about biceps? Bicep strength plays an important role in rowing and pulling exercises, like chin-ups, bent-over rows and even deadlifts. Remember, your body is only as strong as its weakest link.
Just like bench-presses, other exercises benefit, too, like chin-ups. If you have a strong back yet have weak biceps you won't be able to reach peak performance for any exercise that requires forearm strength. A specific regimen of arm strength training can make a considerable improvement in your lifting exercises. It is absolutely critical that you pick the right exercises that will strengthen the correct muscles otherwise you may make your problem worse.
"The Best Arm Exercises" is specifically focused on creating strong "assistant" muscles, those muscles that help the large muscles do the powerful exercises.
2. Routine Variety
Obviously, a book full of 68 new exercises is going to give you a LOT of variety to choose from. Your body thrives on variety and change. You still DO need to maintain a level of consistency to achieve a training effect, but something as simple as a new exercise or a new way of doing something can really spark results.
Nick actually acknowledges this as well - in his own training, he tells me that it's about 75% "normal" stuff: squats, deadlifts, bench press, that kind of thing. The other 25% is a rotation of the unique exercises you see presented in his books and on his sites. You really do HAVE to keep some consistency in order to see results - perform random exercises without regard to adaptation just won't get you anyway.
Nick suggests you select a few exercises and work on them until they feel right. Try the arm exercises and get to know how they make your body feel. For the most part, if an exercise is right for you you'll notice some changes almost right away. Choose the exercises that you can "feel" right away and continue working with those; then add others gradually in a rotation.
These effective exercises are fantastic but as with anything, some will give you better results than others. Find the exercises that match with your specific body type and the goals you wish to achieve. Then settle in to your new routine and watch your transformation begin!
What are the advantages of having a book JUST about Arms?
That's the first question I asked myself when starting to review this book. After all, the trend right now is more towards functional and "total body" styles of training. Direct and/or isolated arm work seems to take a back seat to that type of approach these days. Basically, is this just for fun or just fluff training?
So here's the reasoning as to why direct arm training should be done. I'm sure you'll agree that it really makes a lot of sense.
1. Direct Arm Training Can Help You Prepare for the "Big" Exercises
Let's say your bench press has been stuck in a plateau because you have trouble fully locking the bar out at the top. That top range of motion is a primarily triceps. By directly working the triceps with effective "assistance" exercises, you can immediately see results that carry over to your big movements. Obviously, any pressing movement is going to have a substantial triceps component. What about biceps? Bicep strength plays an important role in rowing and pulling exercises, like chin-ups, bent-over rows and even deadlifts. Remember, your body is only as strong as its weakest link.
Just like bench-presses, other exercises benefit, too, like chin-ups. If you have a strong back yet have weak biceps you won't be able to reach peak performance for any exercise that requires forearm strength. A specific regimen of arm strength training can make a considerable improvement in your lifting exercises. It is absolutely critical that you pick the right exercises that will strengthen the correct muscles otherwise you may make your problem worse.
"The Best Arm Exercises" is specifically focused on creating strong "assistant" muscles, those muscles that help the large muscles do the powerful exercises.
2. Routine Variety
Obviously, a book full of 68 new exercises is going to give you a LOT of variety to choose from. Your body thrives on variety and change. You still DO need to maintain a level of consistency to achieve a training effect, but something as simple as a new exercise or a new way of doing something can really spark results.
Nick actually acknowledges this as well - in his own training, he tells me that it's about 75% "normal" stuff: squats, deadlifts, bench press, that kind of thing. The other 25% is a rotation of the unique exercises you see presented in his books and on his sites. You really do HAVE to keep some consistency in order to see results - perform random exercises without regard to adaptation just won't get you anyway.
Nick suggests you select a few exercises and work on them until they feel right. Try the arm exercises and get to know how they make your body feel. For the most part, if an exercise is right for you you'll notice some changes almost right away. Choose the exercises that you can "feel" right away and continue working with those; then add others gradually in a rotation.
These effective exercises are fantastic but as with anything, some will give you better results than others. Find the exercises that match with your specific body type and the goals you wish to achieve. Then settle in to your new routine and watch your transformation begin!
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