Hey DIESELS!

Today, I’m going to share with you one of the Finishers from the 2021 August of Arms Program – it’s one I came up with years ago, and I just recently added it back into my program.

This is called Rope Curl-ups, and yesterday I did these with more weight than I ever have.

It’s nice to know that all the Arm Training I’ve been doing has paid off in MORE STRENGTH.

Soon, it will be time to make these things SWELL UP BIGGER THAN EVER!

The 2021 version of August of Arms is going to be completely INSANE!

It’s gonna be the best time you’ve had training all year long, and the 31 Most INTENSE Days of Your LIFE!

If you’re ready to take on the challenge, put your info in the box below to make sure you’re the FIRST ONES on the list who get access to August of Arms 2021!

I can’t wait to do this program, and I hope you’re just as excited as well.

Thanks and all the best in your training!

NAPALM

Jedd Johnson’s Top Videos in 2017

For several years now, I’ve put together a list of my top videos of the year, based on number of views.

This isn’t always a “fair” comparison, because some videos have been up for a lot longer time than others.

This year, I’m including any videos I uploaded during December of 2016 in the countdown.

It’s interesting to see the topics that register into thee Top 20 every year.

One thing is clear, Fat Gripz are a very popular video topic on my channel. Part of that may have to do with the fact that I post those videos on Fat Gripz’s Facebook page, as well, so there’s more visibility. But there’s absolutely no doubt about it that there’s more awareness of Fat Gripz out there than there is Inch Dumbbell, Blob, and other much more common topics that I put up videos about.

Without further ado, here is the countdown, starting with number 20.

20. Warning: HARD Shoulder and Upper Back Training Method – 560

Although my biggest interest is Grip Strength, I also love all other forms of training and sometimes I put together some absolutely vicious combinations. Here’s one of them that I did this year for bigger shoulders and upper back.

19. Inch Hand-to-Hand Transfer – My First Time Ever – Right to Left – 590

Transferring the Inch Dumbbell from one hand to another is a feat that only a “handful” of people have done. I know that Adam Glass and Andrew Durniat have pulled it off, but can’t remember who else (if you know of anyone, please let me know). In 2018, I’d like to manage passing it from right to left and back to the right, or vice versa, as I don’t think anyone else has done that.

18. IronMind Stacker Training – 30lbs | Joe Sullivan – 601

Shortly after the New Year, Joe Sullivan came down for a training session. He brought several of his cool griplements, including the IronMind Stacker, that I don’t think I ad ever seen before.

17. A Version of Shrugs You’ve Never Done Before – 641

I tried these once this year, and instantly enjoyed them. Aside from their ability to build up the yoke, they also promote stability throughout the shoulder as well as the core.

16. This Week in Grip – Episode 2 – 1/22/17 – 660

This year, I finally was able to do two things I’ve wanted to do for a while: (1) Resurrect my old Grip Strength show/podcast, and (2) Bring more exposure to the great things going on in Grip Sport. Both became a reality when friend and log-time member of The Grip Authority, Allen Heineck. Also, later on this year, we brought Riccardo Magni aboard, as well, after having him on as a guest.

15. How to Build Grip Strength: Beginner Thick Bar Training | Awake and Alive – 669

I got invited to do a guest blog post this year – the first one I’ve done in a while, and all the videos from that post registered in this year’s Top 20.

14. Arm Wrestling Bench Curls – 675

There’s no denying the popularity of arm wrestling. I only put up a couple arm wrestling videos all year long, but they ended up in the countdown, and I didn’t even push them that hard.

13. How to Build Grip Strength: Beginner Grip Training with Modified Pullups | Awake and Alive – 701

Here’s another one from that guest post I mentioned before.

12. First Time Trying Pinch Pull-ups – 722

This was from the near beginning of the year. I think people were shocked that I was able to do these, but honestly, I think anyone could do these on this tool, as it rotates forward and takes a lot of pressure off the thumbs. I think the feat is over-rated, myself.

11. Jedd Johnson #4 Silver Bullet World Record 15.32 Seconds – 801

This is one I was definitely proud of. Hard to believe it has been almost ayear already since this record went down.

10. What’s Better? Gripper Negatives, or Holds? 972

This is a common question I get, and sometimes people are surprised by the answer I give.

9. How to Train for Grip Strength: Beginner Gripper Training Information | Awake and Alive – 1091

Look at that, another one from the guest post I did. Maybe I should do more of these?

8. Heavy Sledgehammer Levers | Joe Sullivan – 1100

Joe Sullivan is on a tear with sledgehammers. This is nothing compared to where he’s at now.

7. How to Train for Grip Strength: Plate Pinch for Beginner Grip Training | Awake and Alive – 1159

Let’s go over some plate pinching basics, brotherrrr!

6. This Week in Grip – Episode 1 – 1.15.17 – 1185

Here’s the very first episode of This Week in Grip, in case you’ve never heard it. Be sure to check it out.

5. How to Train for Grip Strength: Beginner Grip Training with Hammers | Awake and Alive

Now it’s time to build some serious wrist strength! Get your hammers out and start using them.

4. Training for Thicker Wrists and Forearms | Cooking with Napalm – 1317

In this video, I cover some tips on building bigger forearms.

3. First Time Ever – Double Old School York 45’s Pinch – 3840

Probably the highlight of my training year, I was finally able to perform the Double Old School York 45lb Plate Pinch.

2. Will Grip Training Build Big Forearms? – 4996

I get this question all the time, and took some time to answer it last year for my YouTube Clan.

1. Should I Get Regular Fat Gripz or Extremes? – 7202

Fat Gripz are so popular! I always seem to get a lot of views on videos about Fat Gripz. I’m thinking of doing more videos on Fat Gripz, showing training tips, some of my favorite drills, etc, because I think a LOT more people have access to Fat Gripz than other thick bar handles. Hopefully, if I do this, it will help bring more people into Grip Sport.

The Countdown is OVER, brotherrrr. Stay tuned for more videos coming your way soon.

Also, if there’s anything you’d like to see me cover on my YouTube Channel in 2018, please feel free to leave a comment below.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Build Bigger Biceps With This Combination

One of the things you need to have, if you want to make people take notice of your gains is a big set of arms.

If you want a set of arms, I don’t care what anybody else says, you need to pack a lot of volume into a short amount of time in order to get a killer pump.

I’ve got a couple exercises that work great for producing a lot of volume for the biceps.

This combination of exercises utilizes two pieces of equipment that are commonly found in most gyms, and if you do these back to back, I think you’re gonna really like the way it makes your biceps feel.

The first exercise is the Reverse Curl. I like to do this with the EZ Bar, because it doesn’t bother my wrists or elbows. When you do curls this way, you get the benefit of working the biceps, as well as the brachioradialis.

The second exercise is an Overhead Curl. You’ll want a bar that rotates, if you can get one to optimize it in my opinion. The nice thing about this movement is that the biceps are starting out in a flexed position with the arms overhead, so it’s different from most other biceps exercises.

The video below shows how to pair these exercises together.

Arm Combination for Building Big Biceps

Remember, you want to do these two movements with minimal rest. This makes the arms work harder and keeps the arm pump going strong.

If you like this combo, then check out the August of Arms program for even more sick ideas for building big arms.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

Big Arm Training Super Set

Today, I’ve got a Killer Biceps Circuit from August of Arms you can try in your training when you want to absolutely destroy your biceps and forearms.

This is a 3-piece circuit, and you’ll go through it 3 times, with as little rest as possible between movements. I’ll list the exercises and reps below.

A1) Reverse Curls (10 Reps)

A2) Rope Curls (10 Reps)

A3) Tube Curls – Full Range (10 Reps)

A4) Tube Curls – Tip Range (10 Reps)

Build Big Biceps with This 3-Piece Circuit

Prepare to have not only your biceps blow up big enough to stretch out your sleeves, but your forearms might just pop as well.

Also, if you want to pack on more Monster Muscle during the month of October, then get ready…

Yoketober 2017 is coming your way soon!

It’s time for a Monstrous Transformation, and there’s no better way than by building a big Yoke – the Traps, Upper Back, Delts and Triceps.

Get ready to build a bigger outline and cast as scary shadow and a back wide enough to show movies off of.

The Yoketober 2017 program is fully updated.

New Exercises.

New Workouts.

New Challenges.

Stay tuned – Yoketober 2017 will be here soon.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

I thought I’d do something I haven’t done in a while and just post some highlights I’m proud of for August.

Training has been GREAT this month. I look forward to August every month, due to August of Arms. I feel like it’s a chance for me to get away from the stresses of Grip and some of the frustrations of strength training, and just train for me. Almost like a vacation, even though I train just about every day.

I did take off 2 days in August. Both were Sundays. On one of them, I was a bit hung over from too much indulgence the day before and I knew the training was going to suck. The other day, I was extremely busy preparing content for Legtember, which is all ready now and you can pick it up through that link. After shooting 20+ leg videos, editing them, and uploading them for the Legtember exercise index, I was wiped and just couldn’t pull together enough energy for a respectable workout.

Here are some of the lifts I’ve been most happy with this month.

Max Alternated Dumbbell Curl

One of my ultimate goals is to curl 100lb dumbbells. I made a big PR this year, by finally curling my dumbbells that are marked “85s,’ but actually scale out at 91lbs apiece. I’ve tried at least a half dozen times to curl these sons of guns, and never been able to get past parallel position, but they came up pretty strong earlier this month.

Blobzilla + 55lb Anvil by the Heel

I finally seem to have gotten through some index finger injuries. One that came all the way back into last August (2016) from breaking a nail in a strongman show, to the prep for Nationals in June 2017, on the Tips Tester. My fingers just do not like that piece. I haven’t been able to lift Blobzilla many times since about April due to my fingers hurting. The 55lb Anvil by the Heel – I threw that in just for some variety.

Runing Man Dumbbell Biceps Curls Challenge

My endurance has improved well over the course of the month. I really had to take a lot of breaks the first and second time I ran through this. I was “ON,” on this day though. I think I can shave it down to under 2 minutes, if I can manage to get through it with zero rest-breaks.

110 Dumbbell Bench Press x 16 Reps

Until I get heavier dumbbells, I’m shooting to build this up to a set of 20 reps. My long term goal for Dumbbell Bench Press is still 150s for a set of 10. I did a set of 3 near the end of July, while I was on vacation.

I’m extremely please with the results I’ve seen from this month’s arm training, especially in the performance department, and I hope all of you who picked up the August of Arms program are seeing the same kind of thing. I can’t wait until the month is over to get a measurement. I think I have a real good chance to hit the 20″ mark. It will also be re-test day on the 4 main movements, and I can see those going up BIG TIME.

To also have seen some resurgence in my Block Weight Strength, as well as improvement on the Dumbbell Bench Press – those are just sweet, sweet bonuses.

And of course, once September gets here, it’s time for Legtember, brother.

If you want in on that, go here => LEGTEMBER: Make Leg Day Great Again.

Thanks and all the best in your training.

Jedd

August of Arms 2017

I completed my August of Arms Pre-Test Results this past weekend. I thought I’d share them with you. The idea is to improve performance on all 4 of these events by the end of the month.

August of Arms Pre-Test #1 – Close Grip Bench for Reps

I went ahead and did this one over, so it was more accurate. I used 255 pounds this time and actually got more reps than when I shot the demo video a week prior.

August of Arms Pre-Test #2 – Max Alternated Dumbbell Curl

For the first time ever, I successfully curled my dumbbells that are marked 85’s but actually weigh over 91lbs apiece. They are a tough set to curl, and I’m stoked to start off the month of Arm Training with a big lifetime PR.

August of Arms Pre-Test #3 – Max Triceps Push Down

This is really the only lift from testing day that I was disappointed with. I figured I’d end up over 150, but failed on 140 3 different times.

August of Arms Pre-Test #4 – Wall Curl for Reps

For this one, you take half your bodyweight or 125lbs – whichever you prefer. I chose 133lbs, mainly because it’s easy to load.

Overall, I’m happy with my testing. I’m really looking forward to this month of training, no doubt about. Lots of good things gonna be happening!

Stay tuned.

Jedd

August of Arms

The Funnest Month of Training is Just a Few Days Away, Brotherrrr!

August of Arms 2017 has been updated and is ready to go.

This year’s program is totally overhauled, in an attempt to bring you the best version of August of Arms ever.

What started in 2014 as just “going to the gym and doing whatever random stuff I could think of,” has gradually evolved into a more and more purposeful month of training, which is also full of fun.

This year’s program is based around a new set of Test Lifts. I modified them this year for a few reasons:

• feedback that I’ve gotten from past customers
• changes that I’ve made in my training recently
• to give a change of pace to those who have followed August of Arms the last couple of year
• and I feel they match better to the goal of building BIGGER and STRONGER arms

The training you this month is based around improving your performance in the Test Lifts, helping you build bigger, stronger arms, and get the most out of your training, with purposefully selected exercises.

August of Arms truly is the Ultimate Arm Training Specialization Program.

To give you an idea of some of the new stuff I’ve got planned for you, I thought I’d post some of my own Test Lifts.

The first Test Lift I’d like to share with you is the Bodyweight Close Grip Bench Press. I plugged this one into the August of Arms program because for a time earlier this Spring, I did a mini-run at the 225lb Bench Press for Reps, like is done in the NFL combine. I liked it so much, that I built it into AOA 2017.

Bodyweight Close Grip Bench Press

Here is my official Pre-Test video for the Bodyweight Close Grip Bench Press.

Don’t worry if you can’t do your bodyweight on the Close Grip Bench. I go over some alternatives you can take in August of Arms.

I’ll be sharing more Testing Results as I complete the Pre-Test Lifts for August of Arms.

If you’re ready to build BIGGER, STRONGER Arms, then pick up your copy of August of Arms 2017 today.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

While most of what you see from me is Grip Training related, I actually do much more training than just Grip.

In fact, I do just as much, if not more training, for my full body.

Every so often, I even try a mainstream strength challenge to see where I’m at.

Even though I’ve only benched with a barbell a couple of times in the last 18 months, I wanted to see how many reps I could get in the 225lb Bench Press for Reps that you see done in the NFL Combine and other tests.

I’ve done this test a few times in the past, but honestly I have no idea how much I’ve gotten before. I *believe* this is the most reps I’ve ever gotten.

Throughout all of 2016, my main objective flat bench pressing was Dumbbell Bench Press, because it didn’t hurt my shoulders, as much as Barbell Bench.

Well, as it turns out, I had developed some bad habits with my Bench Press technique, and these habits are what was causing my issues, not the Barbell Bench itself.

I figured this out when I visited my friend Jerry Shreck, head strength coach from Bucknell University.

He corrected my form while we trained on the Bamboo & Tsunami bars at his gym, and ever since, my shoulders have started feeling better and better.

By using these bars, I was really able to lock in my form, and feel my lats working the way they’re supposed to during the Bench Press. By working on this form and training for endurance in my lats, I think my form is back closer to where it should be, at least as far as my upper body positioning is concerned.

Naturally, with proper form comes improved strength. As I said above, I think I got into some bad habits with my Bench Press set-up that over time caused some serious discomfort.

Once this form issue was identified, and as I worked to correct it, the pain subsided, and I gradually built back some of my strength.

I still have no clue what my Max Bench Press might be, and I don’t really care right now, as I’m much more interested in working back up to 150lb Dumbbell Bench Presses.

But we’ll see what happens!

I hope you got something out of this quick Bench Press post, and if you have any questions, please feel free to comment.

Thanks and all the best in your training.

Jedd

Last week, I tried curling 80lb Dumbbells for the first time in a little while. The cross-body tension had really been bothering my back for quite some time. But it was feeling pretty good here, recently so I gave it a run.

80lb Curl Initial Test

This test didn’t go very well. Maybe I wasn’t warmed up very well. Maybe I was kind of tired. Maybe something was just a little off, but I didn’t get very many reps.

80lb Curl Second Test

About a week later, I tried the 80’s again, and was pleasantly surprised with how many reps I got: 5 with the Left arm and 4 with the Right. No idea why my left is stronger or has better endurance, but it has been that way for a few months.

85lb Curl Initial Test

After the PR at 80, I figured I’d better try out the 85’s. I have never curled these 85’s before, and in fact have only been able to curl 85’s one other time, if memory serves.

I approach arms like this. Sure, I want them to be big, but I want them to be strong too.

That’s why I have a double-sided goal for my arm development of 20″ biceps, cold (no pump) and to one day be able to curl 100lb Dumbbells.

If you like the idea of building the arms for both size and strength, then grab one of the programs below, August of Arms, and Call to Arms.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

How to Avoid Chest Pain from Benching

Every so often, my shoulders and pec tie-ins are sore, on Chest Day.

This kind of stinks, because one of my overall goals is to build my Dumbbell Bench Press to a set of 10 with 150lbs (which I fell very short on last year).

However, I found a nice variation that I can do without pain, and I want to share it with you today.

Pain in the Chest – Try This Benching Variation

Give this variation a try – it BLOWS the chest up BIG TIME and leaves your Triceps completely wasted.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Will Grip Training Help Build Forearm Size?

Want Bigger Forearms?
Check out these Resources Below:

The official August of Arms period has come and gone, so I wanted to share with you my results.

First off, I’ll say that August was an absolute mess for me, as far as Arm Training goes.

A new contest, Living Legends, where big money was at stake, required a proper deload period, so I did no training for several days during the month.

I also hurt my right index finger early in the month, which made several exercises impossible without substantial pain, so I was relegated to repeating many exercises more times than I’d like.

On top of that, I couldn’t even train the Close-Grip Bench Press, one of the benchmark lifts of August of Arms.

All of this resulted in poorer overall performance than I have seen the last two years.

But hey, sometimes stuff happens and you have the make the most of what you can do and just move on.

August of Arms 2016 – Measurements

I failed to do pre-measurements of my biceps at the beginning of the month, so I do not know where I started the month (another mistake I made), although I do know that in March I measured my arms and both were right around 18.5 inches.

I ended this month at right around 19″ for both arms.

August of Arms 2016 – 135lb Barbell Curls – Max Reps

The first test was Barbell Curls with 135lbs for as many reps as possible.

I began the month with 7 reps on the 135lb Barbell Curl for Max Reps.

I was able to improve to 9 reps by month’s end. You’ll see the reps are much quicker at the end of the month, as technique improved, as well as strength.

August of Arms 2016 – 30lb French Press x 100 reps AFAP

This drill, while the lightest weight, is actually probably the hardest to get through, because the pump is pretty significant and the dynamic nature lights my triceps insertions up. I started the month off with a finish of 2:09.

By the end of the month, I saw a very decent improvement, completing all 100 reps in 1:50.

August of Arms 2016 – Poundstone Curls – Barbell x 100 reps AFAP

The next test was Poundstone Curls – curling an empty barbell for 100 reps as fast as possible without setting the barbell down.

To my surprise, without working the Poundstone Curl since last August or September, probably, I was able to get all the way to 100 reps without any breaks or pauses, motoring straight through in 2:00 flat. This was the fastest I’ve ever gotten this, according to my spotty records.

I was able to do the same thing at the end of the month, as well, shooting straight through all 100 reps in 1:38, just completely blowing away all the previous attempts I’ve ever taken.

The 4th test, which I didn’t do, was the Close Grip Bench Press. My pec insertions felt like they were on fire when I did a warm-up set of 225 at the beginning of the month, so I completely waived that off and didn’t do any Close Grip Press training during the month, although I did do some Dumbbell Crush Press throughout the month, which never hurt at all.

So, to wrap up, while I was disappointed in my arm measurement by the end of the month, it’s pretty hard to be upset with improvement across the board on the testing lifts.

There’s no doubt that August of Arms works, since all three years my performance measures went up and all three years I saw size improvements.

Want Bigger Arms? THIS is Your Program

I’ll also say that this is the best my arms have felt in a while. Last year, I did something to my left biceps and forearm doing a heavy set of Reverse EZ Bar Curls, either near the tail end of August or sometime in September, and that bothered me for a looooong time. As a result, I didn’t do much arm work during the end of 2015 and throughout 2016, because so many movements irritated those areas.

The biggest disappointment for me though, was the fact I missed so many days. Sure, some of them were for good reasons, like the off-time I took to re-energize for Living Legends, but there were still a few days where I just didn’t get the work in.

The first day I missed stung me really bad, and felt like an absolute heel. Then the deload took place, when I was trying to get my index finger healed up, and with each day of no arm training, the sting was a little less, a little less, a little less.

It reminded me of skipping leg days back in college. You do it 2 or 3 Fridays in a row, and it gets easier to do every single time.

I don’t like that feeling, and thankfully, once Living Legends was done, I was able to get back in the groove. By the end of the month, I felt like a steam engine train, ready to conquer every corner and hill in my path, and I feel I finished on a high note.

In fact, I’m feeling very motivated to keep the arm work going.

I REALLY want 20″ arms.

The plan going forward is to hit biceps twice a week, and triceps, once a week.

The plan is to hit biceps on Mondays and Saturdays. Triceps will be Thursday or Friday mornings, along with Back, depending on which day it falls on.

I’m going to continue to work on a combination of Biceps Strength, which heavier weights and lower reps, and Biceps Volume with lower weights, higher reps, often done in combinations of 2 or 3 exercises.

I think with that sort of set-up, I’ll have plenty of time to recover between each arm workout, so I’ll be able to attack Arms hard on each of those days.

I’ll also do my best to re-measure every 2 weeks and re-test on Poundstone and 135lb Barbell Curls the last week of each month. I’m gonna have to choose a different Triceps exercise or two for those tests, since the Close Grips are bothering my pec and the One Arm French Press were bothering my Triceps tendons.

Stay tuned for more intense arm training coming your way soon.

All the best.

Jedd

Is WRIST PAIN Holding Back Your Arm Training?
FIX IT with This Program:

August of Arms isn’t just about doing a bunch of volume in order to get the arms to swell up and get a bigger measurement. It’s also about building strength in addition to the size.

With that in mind, August of Arms has 4 separate testing exercises built into it based around performance.

So far, I have knocked out two of these. Unfortunately, I tried to do Bodyweight Close Grip Bench Press, and I couldn’t do it without pain. Something just wasn’t feeling right. But, I did take care of 2 out of the other 3: 135lb Barbell Curls for Max Reps and 30lb One Arm French Press for 100 reps, alternating as needed.

135lb Barbell Curls for Max Reps

30lb French Press – 100 Reps AFAP, Alternating Arms as Needed

The last test lift for me, Poundstone Curls, involves curling an empty 45lb Barbell for 100 reps as fast as possible. I haven’t tried this since last year at the end of August, so it’s gonna be interesting!

So, now the baselines are established, and it’s time to work my ass off throughout the rest of the month, to see increases in SIZE, STRENGTH, and ENDURANCE.

Stay tuned for more updates.

For more information on August of Arms, click the banner below.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

August of Arms 2015

August of Arms

August of Arms, the month where we train arms in some form or fashion all 31 days during the month of August, is complete.

I first got the idea of training arms for a month straight from Dave Depew, an arm-wrestler friend of mine out in California. With the results he saw last year, I just HAD to try it and went for it wholeheartedly in August of 2014, and encouraged others around the world to join in via Facebook and other Social Media.

August of Arms 2014 was such a success, having added very nearly 1 full inch on my arms during August last year, I decided I was going to do it again in 2015. Only this time, since so many people asked me to provide workouts for them, I put together an entire month of workouts for August of Arms 2015.

I am getting reports in from others, slowly but surely, and will be posting them here on the site soon, but before I get to that, I wanted to show you my personal results first.

August of Arms – The Beginning

To begin, I started out the month, just a shade under 19 inches for each arm, which is extremely close to where I ended last year. A lot of people were of the thinking the gains wouldn’t stay, but it is apparent that they did from August 31, 2014 to August 1, 2015.

Unfortunately, I can’t find the pictures I took of my arms at the beginning of the month…

August of Arms – Re-Measure Days

I did 2 re-measure days on August 10th and August 20th. On the 10th, I noted an increase of roughly 1/4″ on each arm, and by the 20th, I saw another 1/4″ added for 1/2″ total, two-thirds of the way through the month.

Here are the posts where I showed my re-measure pics:

Re-Measure Day 1 – August 10th

Re-Measure Day 2 – August 20th

With August coming a close, I did my 3rd re-measure day on August 31st, and the final measure is in the video below.

August of Arms – Performance Emphasis

In addition to sheer size increases, I also set the program up to increase overall strength, using high-resistance, low-rep strength endurance as well as low-resistance, high-rep strength endurance, in order to put an emphasis on increasing performance, on top of the overall size.

For these tests, I chose 4 exercises:

• Biceps High Weight Strength Endurance: 135-lb Barbell Curl for Max Reps
• Biceps Low Weight Strength Endurance: Poundstone 100-rep Barbell Curls AFAP
• Triceps High Weight Strength Endurance: Close Grip Bench with Bodyweight for Max Reps
• Triceps Low Weight Strength Endurance: 30lb 1 Arm French Press – 100 Reps AFAP

August of Arms – Before and After

In the below section, you’ll see the initial baseline test for each lift, followed by the re-test performance.

Part 1: Triceps High Weight Strength Endurance: Close Grip Bench with Bodyweight for Max Reps

Part 2: Biceps High Weight Strength Endurance: 135-lb Barbell Curl for Max Reps

Part 3: Triceps Low Weight Strength Endurance: 30lb 1 Arm French Press – 100 Reps AFAP

Part 4: Biceps High Weight Strength Endurance: 135-lb Barbell Curl for Max Reps (Again)

Part 5: Biceps Low Weight Strength Endurance: Poundstone 100-rep Barbell Curls AFAP

Part 6: The Measurements

As you can see, August of Arms 2015 was a success for me, in the way of size and strength (with the exception of the Barbell Curls). You’ll also see that August of Arms 2015 was also a success for many other individuals.

Just because August is over, don’t think you still can’t keep doing “August of Arms.” Some people got into it late and are yet to finish, so I expect to hear from more people about their gains and improvements.

Also, lifters are still picking up their copies of August of Arms in order to put together their month-long trek of Arm Training Specialization.

If you haven’t picked up August of Arms yet, it’s still available, and you can pick it up by clicking here: August of Arms – Arm Specialization Training.

Be sure to send in YOUR results from August of Arms when you’ve finished the program as well.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

August of Arms 2015: Update #1

With yesterday being August 10th, it was my first Re-Measure Day for August of Arms.

I was PSYCHED to report about a 1/4 inch improvement on each arm, especially since the first 7 days of the month I was on family vacation.

As a review, I started out at roughly 19 inches per arm and now I am at 19.25 inches. The still shots are in the video below.

On Saturday, I was driving back from the beach, so I was only able to get some high-rep band work in and missed the planned workout, so on Sunday I combined both Saturday’s and Sunday’s workouts and got a great session in.

Here’s a video of one of the exercises I did, called Arm Wrestler Dumbbell Curls. It was part of the Fame of Arms workout in the August of Arms program.

Arm Wrestler Dumbbell Curls

As you can see, Arm Wrestler Dumbbell Curls is all about strength. The dumbbell used was pretty heavy and the isometric hold at the half-way point was very demanding and produced a different kind of pump in the arms.

The way I see it, it’s still early in the month. Plenty more time to produce add size to the guns.

Being home, I will be able to get better quality workouts than when I was on vacation, so I’m really looking forward to the next 2/3 of the month!

It’s not too late to pick up your copy of August of Arms. So what if you’re late to the ball game.

Your month of August of Arms starts RIGHT NOW!

Pick up your copy of August of Arms TODAY.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

August of Arms 2015

You Son of a B*tch!

When set out to put August of Arms 2015 together, I wanted it to be something different.

Not just the same old arm training B.S. where it’s a bunch of endless reps, and all you’re trying to do is get a pump.

While the size is good, I always thought it was best to build some strength along with it.

So, I worked plenty of strength training into the August of Arms layout as well.

In fact, the first workout of August of Arms is a Testing Day where you get your baseline strength measurements.

There are 4 different movements that I chose. One low-volume test for both biceps and triceps, and one high-volume test for both biceps and triceps.

If you think that August of Arms is just the same old stuff regurgitated, then you’re wrong, brother. Period.

I needed to have these videos ready for the initial release of the product, so I shot them several days early.

Here’s how I did in my baseline arm strength and endurance tests.

Close Grip Bench Press – Bodyweight for Reps

Barbell Curl – 135lbs for Reps

One Arm French Press – 30lbs for 100 reps AFAP

Poundstone Curl – 45lbs for 100 reps AFAP

I thought, going in, that I had chosen some pretty good benchmark movements, and after going through them myself, I feel even more strongly that I picked good movements to track progress.

Throughout the month, aside from doing exercises that are going to add size to your arms, you’ll also be doing other lifts that contribute to your performance on these 4 key lifts.

I feel that this month’s program is gonna be awesome for you. It’s different from anything I’ve ever read or tried, and I think it’s going to bring about big results for you.

If you want to build bigger arms, then pick up August of Arms, today.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Growing up with a steady feed of wrestling during my younger years, I always wanted to build up my own big set of arms.

Bank Rolls Do Not Build Biceps.
-Ultimate Warrior-

I grew up with guys like Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, the Warlord, the Barbarian, Jimmy Snuka, and other wrestlers who were JACKED beyond belief. So I wanted to be big and muscular, too, with a THICK set of arms.

Unfortunately, I had no weights as a youngster and I was actually kind of lazy in high school, so I didn’t have much chance of building big arms until I was in college, playing baseball at Mansfield University.

That was when I met Scott Costa.

Scott was another one of the first-basemen on the team, and the first day of practice, I was instantly impressed with his muscular development. I had only ever met one dude in real life, before that who was actually muscular.

As a fan of weight training with no idea how to get started, I really looked up to him because I could tell he worked hard and knew what he was doing.

He was also a pretty funny dude. “Look at these aesthetics, Johnson. Aesthetics.”

I didn’t even know what that word meant at the time. All I knew is I wanted to build arms like his…

Once I started lifting, I was always serious about my arm training.

I never made it a habit to miss or skip arm workouts and took my training seriously, even though some people don’t even bother training arms, for whatever reason.

But last year, I decided to raise the intensity up a notch.

I was driving in the car on the way back from New Jersey with my long-time friend in lifting, Brad Martin, and we came up with the idea of training arms every day during the month of August. I’d first seen Dave Depew doing daily arm training, and after I saw his awesome results, I decided I wanted to try it.

So, I started posting about “August of Arms” here on the site, out on Facebook, and on some other forums and websites. Before I knew it, other people were joining in as well.

So, during August of 2014, I trained Arms every single day and I was very happy with the results. I added about an inch to each arm, going from right around 18 to right around 19 inches. I heard from several others who said they saw good gains as well.

But the other thing I kept hearing a lot of was the fact that people wanted a program to follow. Some people felt like they were wandering around aimlessly without some guidance. Some were adding stuff in at the end of the workout and getting tired of the same old stuff. Others felt like they could have gotten better results with more of a plan.

That kind of feedback came to me enough times that I decided I would put something together for August of Arms 2015.

So, for the majority of July, I have been working hard to put together an awesome month of training for you.

August of Arms contains 31 workouts, one for each day of the month of August, to help you both increase your arm size as well as your strength.

While being big has always been an interest of mine, I always liked the idea of building strength along with it too.

And since some people got tired of plugging the same handful of exercises into the end of their workouts last year, I made sure to mix things up this year, adding 69 different exercises into the program.

There’s even more great stuff I packed into the program. If you want to find out more about it, and especially if you want to add Noticeable Mass to your arms this August, be sure to get August of Arms.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Build Bigger Arms – August of Arms

If you want to build bigger arms, pack some size on those bi’s, and develop some thick triceps that hang right off your arm, then August of Arms is going to be the most productive, and probably the most fun, block of training you do all this year.

I’ve packed the program with all kinds of cool exercises – you won’t get bored doing the same stuff all the time, you can believe that.

Also, I’ve sprinkled in several cool challenges throughout the month.

“Attack the Stack” is my favorite challenge. I filmed the demonstrational video for it yesterday, and it was INTENSE.

Attack the Stack is similar to the old bodybuilding exercise called “Run the Rack,” which involves hitting a serious of dumbbells, one after the other, either up or down the dumbbell rack, or both.

“Attack the Stack” is different though. This one involves a cable machine, so it can be done at any commercial gym, like the vast majority of what I have planned for August of Arms.

I’m saving Attack the Stack for later on, but if you want to see one of the cool moves I’ve got for you, check out Ab Wheel Isometric Holds…

Build Big Arms: Ab Wheel Isometric Holds

Might not look too tough, but try it pre-exhausted and for a few more reps, and it will blow your triceps up BIG TIME.

Here’s the thing about August of Arms, DIESELS.

This month is gonna be FUN.

Too often, I speak with coaches and lifters and it sounds like they DREAD their training, more than they LOOK FORWARD to it.

One of the biggest things I’ve done the last few years is I have made my training more enjoyable.

I don’t mean I go in there and screw around – not by any means.

But now, when I go into the weight room, I leave BETTER than when I went in.

I absolutely LOVE training, but there was a time during 2011 and 2012 where I HATED going into the gym.

You can’t be successful with your training, if you DESPISE even going to the gym.

Slowly, in late 2012 and even more so in 2013, I began changing my mindset about training.

It wasn’t ALL about stressing over the next competition anymore.

It wasn’t about hitting some crazy feat, or some far-off number on a certain lift.

It was about challenging myself, competing with myself, and actually having fun.

And lo and behold, these days, I’m stronger and performing better in just about EVERYTHING I could possibly want to anyway.

One of my biggest objectives with August of Arms is to make lifting FUN again for you, all while helping you see as much progress and value out of your training as possible.

I hope you decide to come along for the ride, and if you want updates about the program, just add your info to the box below.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

August of Arms

Do you want to build bigger arms?

Do you need big biceps?

Do you want to turn your triceps into thick, fire-forged horseshoes?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

Last year many people and I ran an experiment called “#AugustOfArms,” and we trained Arms every single day during the month of August, and many people saw big increases in their arm measurements.

This year, we’re doing it again, and it’s going to be even bigger than before.

This video talks about what you can expect this year for August of Arms, so you build bigger arms this month:

August of Arms

There will be more information coming your way soon. In the meantime, if you want updates on the upcoming August of Arms promotion and arm training specialization program, add your info in the box below:

I’ll have more updates coming soon. Stay tuned, brotherrrr!

Jedd

P.S. Here’s some of the updates from last year’s August of Arm Initiative:

AugustOfArms 2014 – The Beginning
AugustOfArms 2014 – The Tale of the Tape

Last year, in May, I performed a Strongman Show during the Bodybuilding Contest at the Empire Classic Fitness Expo in Spokane, Washington.

I also assisted with several other events that were part of the Expo, including a Strongman contest, and that’s where I met Luke Ehlis, one of the competitors in the Strongman Contest.

Luke had been a bodybuilder prior to the Strongman Comp, and I was extremely impressed with his prowess in Strongman.

Let’s face it – you don’t often see competitive bodybuilders who are able to crossover in Strongman competition and excel, but Luke did.

What’s even more impressive, to me, about Luke is that he trains primarily in his garage, not some giant warehouse gym, not some fancy fitness center, but his own garage gym at his home.

I’ve stayed in touch with Luke since the contest and have an interview with him planned, and since then, I’ve enjoyed watching Luke’s videos on Instagram and Facebook, because the dude is an innovator.

One of the things I saw him do recently was what I refer to as a Pendulum Row. In a recent video, he attached a Bar to his Reverse Hyper device, and used the hanging weight as the resistance for his Bent Over Rows.

I thought that was awesome, because I knew it would feel completely different from a regular Bent Over Row.

This past weekend, my lifting partner, Lucas Raymond, and I got the chance to try out these Pendulum Rows, and they are KILLER!

Build Your Back with Pendulum Rows

These are so stinkin’ Intense, brotherrr! The swinging action of the Reverse Hyper makes the weight pull away from you at the highest point of the Row. What I was trying to do was to get a good, solid pause at the top of the movement, but it was HARD!

To challenge our grip more, we used the FBBC Crusher, which is a free-spinning thick bar handle, much more difficult to use than the Rolling Thunder, plus, we were flexing our wrist into a partial gooseneck position, which made these even more difficult to do.

I’m telling you right now, these are a WINNER for your back training. The way you have to brace your core on these is just plain sinister. You feel them BIG TIME in your back. Try them if you dare.

Stay tuned for an interview with Luke Ehlis, as soon as I can get my act together.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

P.S. August of Arms is coming. GET READY.

P.P.S. If you want even more cool ideas to build a bigger upper back and thicker set of traps, check out YOKETOBER:

The trip to the Arnold Classic was a ton of fun this year, probably the best time I’ve ever had there when I wasn’t competing.

Here’s some of the footage I got from the trip.

Con-Crete Challenge

The one main place we wanted to be sure to hit was the Promera Booth so we could take the Con-Crete Challenge. Run by our new friend, James Stoppani, Sr, I’ve been hearing about this for over a year now and wanted to try it out.

First up was the Hub Lift challenge. They attach Hub Grips to Slater Stones and you must lift them to Lockout. I suck at Hubs, but Luke did really well.

Second, was the Fat Gripz row challenge. The guys have to Row a Vertical Bar with a Fat Gripz Extreme on it for as many reps as possible. I took this event. Nobody could touch my 67 reps, brotherrrr.

Lastly, there was a hold for time with 135lbs gripping onto Fat Gripz Extremes. The record was like 1:26. I was close, but the flexed position of my wrist was cutting off a nerve in my hand and it was burning like crazy, so I had to drop the bar at like 1:15. If not for that burning, I would have destroyed the record. Oh well, live to Grip another day.

Training at Durniat Strength

We got an awesome training session in at Durniat Strength on Friday. This first video shows you all kinds of stuff that we did. What a blast!

Luke also hit this awesome Concentric-Only 100-lb Preacher Curl. I tried it and couldn’t budge it. This dude is no joke, bro.

There you have it, some of the best footage from the Arnold 2015. It was an awesome time. I got to meet tons of people. Once again, I can’t wait until next year.

Finish the week strong, brother.

Jedd

I Love Strength.

I love training for it. I love testing it. I love displaying it.

I’ve aligned everything in my workouts to help me build more strength.

My obsession with strength has led me to turning even the lifts that you wouldn’t normally consider “strength lifts” into legitimate tests of strength and intestinal fortitude.

One such example is the Triceps Rope Pushdown. Generally an exercise used to pump up the triceps and make them grow, I’ve found it can also be used to test the strength throughout much of the upper body.

I don’t bother staying super strict with this. My arms move, I engage my lats, and there is a bit of throw in there, but I don’t care.

The objective is to move so much weight on this old-school cable machine of mine, that I hope to cause a failure in the device somewhere, so that the weight crashes down, cracking the concrete floor, and bits and pieces of shrapnel shoot out everywhere.

I hit this lift and variations of it countless times during the month of October, throughout the Yoketober program. But most of that work was for high volume to build mass. I decided I wanted to see just how heavy I could go.

During most of my Yoketober workouts, I was in the 75lb to 90lb area on this lift. It wasn’t until last week that I finally decide to go after triple digits, working all the way up to 125.

Build Strong Triceps: Heavy Triceps Rope Push-dwons

In the video above, I get 5 reps. That means it’s time to go up in weight, brotherrrr.

Also, take note, I don’t count the first one, where I throw it down to the bottom position. A little decorum, please.

It may seem crazy to do this, but to me it’s not.

I like ramping up the intensity, and I enjoy turning things like this into tests of strength.

What’s awesome is that since my Push-down is plate loadable, there’s really no limit as to how much weight I can use, whereas on most Push-down machines at commercial gyms, you’re limited to the weight stack, and I can usually stack those with no problem.

I will continue to hit these Heavy Push-downs until the weight I use totally destroys my machine, or until I shred the sleeves open on the awesome 3/4 length sleeve tee shirt I wear in the video.

Here’s to you causing serious damage this year as well.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Yoketober is in full swing.

This month, we are focusing on the Yoke – the Traps, Upper Back, Shoulders, and Triceps – the parts o fthe body that make up your outline and help you cast a big shadow.

The objective – To Develop Monster Mass by Halloween.

Yesterday was Yoketober 1st, so Workout #1 went down in the garage. It was my Upper Body Push Day, with Yoke work sprinkled in for seasoning.

#Yoketober Workout #1/31

In the past months of specialized training, #AugustOfArms and #Legtober, lots of people were requesting workout plans, but I didn’t work ahead those months.

Yoketober is different. I put together an entire ebook that includes a full month of training for you from Yoketober 1st to Yoketober 31st.

You can pick it up here for $19 through the end of the week: Yoketober – Monster Mass by Halloween

It’s time to fill that shirt up with some serious slabs of muscle.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Throughout the month of August, I trained arms every single day in order to bust through my current plateau and trigger a quick increase in arm size.

I called this August of Arms and used the hashtags #AugustOfArms & #31DaysOfArms when I put up updates on Facebook.

August of Arms:
The Tale of the Tape

I was successful in adding just under an inch to each arm over the course of the month. I took preliminary measurements and each arm was about 18″ on August 1st. I re-measured every 10 days.

August 1 Measurements:

  

By August 10th, I had added roughly a 1/2 inch to each arm. I saw no increase on August 20th, but on August 31st, when I remeasured again, each arm had increased to roughly 19″, cold.

August 10 Measurements (+/- 1/2″ Increase):

  

August 20 Measurements (No Change):

  

August 31 Measurements (+/- 1/2″ Increase):

  

This seems to have been a very common theme across the board as many, many lifters who approached and followed through the August Of Arms plan also saw solid increases of .5 inches to 1 inch and slightly above.

To really go out with a bang, on the 31st, I ended the month with a Big Arm workout, hitting both Biceps and Triceps with some of my favorite lifts from the great month of August.

Here are some of highlights from Workout 31 of #AugustOfArms

I am very happy with my results from this month-long experiment, and I plan on doing more focused training, just like this.

Stay tuned for more information on what is coming during September.

It is imperative you get your best email onto my newsletter, if you aren’t already.

The form at the top of the right-hand side bar will make sure you are notified every time I put up a new post on the site.

Also, make sure we are connected through Facebook and Twitter:

I will have more information coming your way soon.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

There are a couple of very sick, twisted and sadistic people out there who deserve to be punished severely.

They are Derek Poundstone and Jason Steeves.

Yes, that Derek Poundstone – the pro strongman competitor.

He’s the one that came up with this craziness.

The other one, Jason Steeves, is someone who I thought I was my friend, but now I know the truth – HE IS NOT – since he’s the one that introduced me to the challenge.

The way he put it, he was “helping me out” with a way to spice up my #AugustOfArms training this month.

But, I think he was actually trying to maim me, brother.

What is the Poundstone Barbell Curl Challenge?

Apparently, for some reason, Derek Poundstone thought it would be a great idea to try to curl an empty barbell for 100 reps.

I guess he started doing this a couple years ago, once a month.

Well, up until a couple weeks back, I had steered clear of this challenge and knew nothing about it.

That’s where Jason Steeves comes in.

The conversation went a little something like this…

Jason: Hey Jedd, I see you’re doing #31DaysOfArms. Ever hear of Derek Poundstone’s 100-rep Empty Barbell Challenge?

Jedd: No man. What is that?

Jason: Oh, just try and curl a barbell 100 times. You’ll love it. It will change your life. Best thing ever. It will help you sleep better at night. You’ll never want to put sugar or salt on your food ever again. You’ll start getting discounts on your meals at fancy restaurants, and so on…

Jedd: OK, I’ll give them a try.

So I moseyed on down to the gym that night and tried it, and I couldn’t believe the PAIN in my biceps.

I couldn’t believe how quickly it went from being easy and feeling like a complete waste of time, to being so ridiculously hard!

I had to double check and make sure Poundstone or Steeves hadn’t actually snuck into my gym and quietly slid a 45-lb plate on each end of the bar, brother!!!

I think the first time I tried it, I got 24 reps and I couldn’t believe how pathetic I felt.

I must have been having a bad day.

I HAD to try it one more time.

Trying the Poundstone Empty Barbell Curl Challenge

Here is the second day I tried the Poundstone Empty Barbell Curl Challenge:

So I post the video above and who comes and leaves a comment below? Jason Steeves himself.

Jason: “You had more Jedd!!! Where was the fire to blast out another 15? The last rep looked just as crisp as the first. If you were really bagged physically I would’ve seen them slowing down. Get mad!! Get your 50!!!!”

Jedd: “I will do it again tonight duuuuuuude!”

True to my word, I picked my poison again and hit the challenge that night.

Here it was:

Poundstone Barbell Curl 100 Rep Challenge

And just like someone who is hooked on crystal meth, now, I can’t stop doing these.

Just like someone who gets hooked on pain killers, and they need more and more and more, now I even find myself trying this challenge WITH EXTRA WEIGHT ON THE BAR.

Do you see how crazy this is?

Poundstone Curls with Weight Added – Purely Crazy Barbell Curl Challenge

And now, just like a drug dealer who pushes their addiction on others, I’m pushing this Poundstone Barbell Curl Challenge on YOU, brother.

Honestly, just like I talk about in Call to Arms, I don’t like mindless reps when training PERIOD, let alone when training arms.

I don’t like just standing there and curling weight just to hit a target number.

I like squeezing each rep and having control over the bar or dumbbell, so that each rep has a purpose.

But this Poundstone Empty Barbell Curl 100-Rep Challenge thing has been different.

I want to keep on pushing the envelope to see where it will take me.

If you want a crazy, illogical, bicep curl challenge, then give this a try my friend!

Let me know what you think.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

P.S. Regardless of the fact that the barbell is empty, it KILLS my wrists and forearms if I don’t use Globe Gripz. If Barbell Curls hurt you, you need to get some of these life savers.

P.P.S. I have no heat against Derek Poundstone or Jason Steeves regarding this Barbell Challenge. That was all a work.

31 Days of Arms – August 2014

Brad Martin and Jedd Johnson

I was recently talking with my old friend, Brad Martin of Titan Strength in Horseheads, NY.

As it turns out, he is just as OBSESSED with Arm Training as I am, and we cam eup with a pretty crazy idea.

Inspired by a friend of mine, Dave Depew, owner of Grinder Gym in San Diego, CA, we are going to embark upon a new training program for the month of August.

We are calling it “31 Days of Arms.”

31 Days of Arms

Starting August 1st, and going through the entire month, every single day we will be hitting some form of Arm Training.

I want to do this to set a foundation for my Arm Training Initiative of reaching 20″ Guns while cold.

What I mean by that is I want to reach the point that my arms are 20inches, just walking around.

Not during the workout, not with a pump, and not after training, but ANYTIME during the day.

Brad and I were talking about it on Facebook and we already have one guy interested in joining us, Nate Gagnon, an Arm Wrestler from New England.

Guidelines for August of Arms

So, do you want to be a part of this “August of Arms” initiative?

If so, leave a comment below or get a hold of me in some other fashion.

We are going to take before and after pics, measurements, and we are going to document our workouts on Facebook.

I hope to hear from you soon.

All the best in your training.

Jedd