6 Steps To Massive Arms Like Hercules Dwayne Johnson With These Simple Exercises
What inspired you to start weightlifting? For most of us, it was to build massive arms. They’re the first thing most people notice, so they’re also the first thing most people work on. The idea of achieving monster arms like Dwayne Johnson is a powerful motivation.
Build Arms that get attention
Whilst the best physique is a well rounded one, the fascination for defined arms never disappears. There are hundreds of exercises, all claiming to be the best for your arms, and new workouts appear every day. How do you know where to start?
The good news is you don’t need a lot of complicated equipment. With a barbell, a pair of dumbbells, a bench, and the right attitude, you can build the arms you’ve always wanted.
Keep it Simple With These Six Exercises
The arms are made up of the biceps, the triceps, and the forearm muscles. The forearms can be worked on, with exercises like wrist curls and farmers walk, but many bodybuilders work these with compound lifts, such as deadlifts and bench press. For this reason, we’re going to focus on hitting the biceps and triceps hard, with the exercises that are the most effective at isolating these muscles.
Biceps
Barbell Curl
The classic, and a staple of any good arm workout. The upper arms should stay still, and resist the urge to lean back or swing the bar. Your bicep should be doing the work, not your back and not momentum. Raise the bar as high as it’ll go without moving the upper arms, give those biceps a squeeze, then slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
The main benefit for the barbell curl is how adjust your grip width allows you to isolate different parts of the bicep (a two headed muscle). A wider grip will put the focus on the inside of the biceps, and a close grip will switch it to the outside.
Dumbbell Hammer Curls
Dumbbell curls are a fantastic way to isolate each bicep, with each arm having to pull its weight. However, unlike traditional dumbbell curls, we’re going to use hammer curls. Keep your palms facing inward (as though holding a hammer, get it?) instead of facing up.
This has the benefit of working the bicep brachialis, a smaller muscle that hides beneath the biceps which adds to the overall appearance of the arms. Again, no swinging, no leaning back, no upper arm movement. Flex at the top, then slowly return to the beginning position.
Chin Ups
Trainer Dan Trink believes the chin up is the best exercise for the biceps, as well as a favourite with the calisthenics crews. Grip a pull up bar, with the palms facing in toward you. Hang from the bar, with your arms straight. Lift yourself up, until your chin is over the bar. Pause at the top, contracting the bicep. Very slowly, lower yourself until you’re back at full extension, then start again. No kipping or swinging, no matter how much you want to. Hitting double digit reps? Time to add weight, using either a dipping belt or weighted vest.
Focus Bodybuilding Motivational Video by Gym Sport & Life Motivation (Featuring Workout Routine by Dwayne Johnson):
Triceps
Seated Tricep Press
Find a seat with back support for this one. Lift up a dumbbell over your head with both hands, your arms fully extended and the plates resting on the palms of your hand. This can get a bit awkward, especially when lifting heavy, so you may want to get someone to hand you the weight to get you started.
In a controlled manner, slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head, keeping your upper arms still and your elbows close to your head. At the bottom of the movement, breathe out and use your triceps to bring the dumbbell back over your head.
Close Grip Bench Press
Beware, the first time I thought I’d be able to lift similar to what I bench press. I was in for a shock. Start light, maybe 50% of what you normally bench, just to get the feel. After a few weeks I got it up to 80%, but don’t expect to get to 100%. This moves a lot of the weight off the pectorals and onto the triceps, and you’ll never be able to lift as much with your triceps as you can with your pecs.
Lie on the bench and use a close grip (clue is in the name people). The hands don’t have to be touching, but close enough so your arms stay right in, unlike the traditional bench press. For me, the hands are about 6-8 inches apart, although that may be different for you. Lower the weight to your chest, keeping your elbows in tight to your body. Pause with the weight touching your chest, then raise the bar and extend your arms fully.
Dips
Legendary bodybuilder Mike Mentzer said that if there was only one upper body exercise he could do, it would be dips. Dipping stations are great, but you can use any surface where your hands can rest at the same height. For bonus points, gym rings will make your muscles work extra to overcome the instability.
Keep your arms in, no flaring elbows! Lower your arms until the arms are bent more than 90 degrees, then lift yourself up and straighten your arms. To keep the focus on the triceps, keep your body as upright as possible (leaning forward works the chest more).
The Recipe for Success
There you go. Six simple exercises in a workout routine that will work your arms and get your guns looking like The Rock, Dwayne Johnson. Don’t be fooled though, there are no shortcuts. These may be simple, but that doesn’t make them easy. Put in the hard work, ***FOCUS***!!! keep your nutrition controlled, and you too can have the arms you always wanted.
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