We’re not going to create a workout program that focuses solely on arms, this would be short-sighted. We’re going to create a standard program (ideal for beginners, but still effective for experienced lifters) but put a bit more focus on arms than usual. Yes, that means you’ll still have to squat and deadlift. Those legs need loving too!

The training program is going to be a four-day plan using a push/pull protocol. The reason for this is that you can train triceps on one day and biceps/forearms the next day. This isn’t by any means the only way to train arms, but it works well and we’re using it.

During the sessions, we will train the legs/lower back first to get them out of the way (only true masochists actually enjoy training legs). Then we will focus on compound movements for the chest or back (depending on whether it is push or pull). Then we will train arms.

So how is this different to a regular session?

Usually, a push session would involve a compound chest exercise such as the bench press, followed by a couple of auxiliary chest exercises such as cable flyes. Instead of performing cable flyes (that only target the chest) we will pick a chest exercise such as close-grip bench press that targets both chest and triceps. Then we will have a tricep only exercise.

This way instead of working chest three times and triceps twice:

• Bench Press = Chest, triceps
• Bodyweight dips = Chest, triceps
• Cable Flyes = Chest

You would be working chest twice and triceps three times:

• Bench Press = Chest, triceps
• Close-Grip bench press (chest, triceps)
• Tricep Pushdown (triceps)

It is a subtle difference, but over the course of one week you would be performing two more tricep exercises and two more bicep exercises. If each exercise was three sets of ten reps then you’d be performing an additional 60 reps of triceps and 60 reps of biceps.