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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.
This will ensure you’re among the FIRST ONES on the list who get access to August of Arms 2021!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Here’s another one from that guest post I mentioned before.
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.
This is one I was definitely proud of. Hard to believe it has been almost ayear already since this record went down.
This is a common question I get, and sometimes people are surprised by the answer I give.
Look at that, another one from the guest post I did. Maybe I should do more of these?
Joe Sullivan is on a tear with sledgehammers. This is nothing compared to where he’s at now.
Let’s go over some plate pinching basics, brotherrrr!
Here’s the very first episode of This Week in Grip, in case you’ve never heard it. Be sure to check it out.
Now it’s time to build some serious wrist strength! Get your hammers out and start using them.
In this video, I cover some tips on building bigger forearms.
Probably the highlight of my training year, I was finally able to perform the Double Old School York 45lb Plate Pinch.
I get this question all the time, and took some time to answer it last year for my YouTube Clan.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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:
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?
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.
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.”
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.
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
There are a ton of crazy workout gadgets out there that are absolute wastes of time.
I am sure you have tried a few now and again and can name some that were totally useless.
Well, one item that you might have seen at one time or another that is NOT useless, is the Globe Gripz handles.
I have been training with Globe Gripz off and on since 2012. I immediately was impressed by their packaging and the quality of the product.
For the last few weeks, though, Globe Gripz have been a weekly part of my training. In fact, I have had a resurgence in my Biceps training, especially in the Barbell Curl.
For several years, I did not do Barbell Curls because they hurt my wrists and forearms so intensely sometimes that I would feel the leftover pain for several days down the line.
However, with Globe Gripz on the bar, I feel ZERO pain in these areas when curling. I have been able to put several good, solid weeks of training in and have upped my 1-Rep-Max in the Barbell Curl to 160-lbs and have been increasing my repetitions with 135-lbs on the bar on a near weekly basis, nearly hitting 10 reps just yesterday.
Here some clips of some of the recent Bicep Curl training sessions…
Barbell Curl: 135-lbs X 10 (Almost) + Attempt at 170-lbs Barbell Curl with Globe Gripz
Strict Barbell Curl: 155, 157.5, 160-lbs
If you feel the same kind of pain in the Barbell Curl that I do, I strongly encourage you to check out Globe Gripz. Naturally, there are LOTS of other ways Globe Gripz can be used, just like Fat Gripz and the other Instant Thick Bar Handles that are on the market. Barbell Curls is simply what I use Globe Gripz for the most. Actually, that’s all I really use them for.
You can get Globe Gripz here => Globe Gripz
I am sure the Form Police will show up and say these curls ARE NOT STRICT. That’s fine. My response is “Show me your video with stricter form and comparable weight.”
Now, I am also aware that there are strict curl competitions, where people stand against a wall or some other structure to prevent swaying back or using the delts and back for assistance.
Awesome! I am all about competition and comparing my lifts against others, ESPECIALLY when there is a standard, so I tried them too.
I have seen a few clips of these competitions and an EZ-Bar is often used. So I gave this a try using an EZ Bar in an attempt to match the competition standard as closely as possible. Here is the video…
Strict Curl with Back Against Door: +/- 158-lbs
I really do not know where this would put me in the established competition lifts that exist. I am assuming that for my bodyweight (about 235 on the day of that lift), this would be pretty low, as I am sure the competitors have a much better grasp on the proper technique of the lift. For instance, I noticed some substantial stress on my lumbar during the first rep and had to adjust where I had my feet to reduce it. It’s definitely not just a vacation performing this lift, especially when you are going for a near-max.
So, here’s the deal. Some people think Curls are stupid. If you feel this way, that is fine.
I personally like to keep track of things like this. I have an idea of my PR in lots and lots of lifts and I like to push myself in this nature.
Plus, I love competition. Ever since I was a child and played baseball, I have loved the field of competition.
Over the years, that field turned from a diamond of dirt and grass with a fence around it to the Strongman and Grip Strength Platforms.
If I can find a Strict Curl competition nearby, I might add that to my Competition Portfolio as well. If anyone is familiar with them, I’d love to hear about them.
Now, if you are not into competition, but just want to get bigger and stronger arms, then be sure to check out Call to Arms, an ebook I put out last year with Joe Meglio.
Check out Call to Arms => How to Get Bigger Stronger Arms
Naturally, the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If you are not training your biceps with some intensity on a regular basis, then they could be your weakest link. At the least, they might hold you back on other lifts. At worst, you could run the risk of tearing a bicep and be out of competition and training for a while, waiting for it to heal.
Intense Arm Training, like what we cover in Call to Arms can help you erase that weakness.
Also, if you are Grip Enthusiast, you should consider adding Arm Training of some sort to your routine. Both Paul Knight and Steve McGranahan have made mention of the relationship between Grip Strength and their overall arm strength.
All the best in your training,
Jedd
Some of the classic bodybuilding pairings for the upper body are Chest and Triceps, Shoulders and Triceps, and back and Biceps.
These are time-tested methods, of course, BUT sooner or later, you’ve got to mix your training up a bit.
Do the same stuff for too long, and you’re sure to become stagnant in your results.
Before you know it, your training split is actually holding your training results back.
And if you’re anything like most people, you get sick of doing the same stuff like that all the time.
Today, I am going to show you how you can mix your training split up. The guys who have tried this with me have loved it, and I think you will too.
Here’s how I do most of my upper body workouts with a “bodybuilding/muscle building” style workouts.
What you end up with is some of the most ridiculous pumps you have ever felt.
Chest and Biceps day blows up your chest and biceps until your shirt screams in agony. Throw in some shoulder work and its even more phenomenal.
On Back and Triceps days, your lats, posterior delts and traps get smoked, and when you throw in triceps along with it, you get the most interesting pre-exhaust sensations.
Here is an example Chest, Shoulders, and Biceps day that JT Straussner and I recently did.
Example Reverse Muscle Building Workout:
Note: Each letter signifies one training block, either a single exercise or a pairing. Each number shows the order of exercises done in pairings.
A. Bench Press: We worked up to 275 and hit it for 3 sets of 6 to 8.
B. Seated Dumbbell Military Press: We worked up to 70’s and we to failure or near failure on these, since we didn’t pair them with another exercise.
C1. Rock Front Raise: I saw the Rock doing these in a recent issue of Men’s Fitness. Good for an occasional use now and again, but I prefer Kneeling Landmines to be honest.
C2. Farmer’s Shrugs: This is my favorite way to work shrugs. Perfect way to go with heavy weights without straining the back. Find out more here: Heavy Shrugs Without Hurting Your Back.
D1. Push-ups : This is a great pushing exercise that builds your chest, delts, and triceps. We did a slight variation of the push-up with the feet elevated, since we also did Flat Bench Press.
D2. Pull-aparts: This is often used with a light band to work the smaller muscles that abduct the shoulders, BUT we used heavier bands here to work the bigger muscles and the triceps.
***Note: For the D1/D2 combination, we focused on 20 reps per exercise and for some sets, we had to do Rest Pauses in order to get the target reps.
E. Reverse Curls Stare-down: This was just plain INSANE. We loaded the EZ Curl Bar and hit set after set until our arms were about to blow up.
So, the majority of the workout was Push & Biceps. I added in Shrugs because I like to get those in a couple of times a week. Same with the Pull-aparts.
This workout provides some of the necessary ingredients for growth: multi-joint movements, isolation movements, varied rep-ranges, and varied loads. When you mix the variables like this up on a routine basis, you can’t help but grow.
My suggestion is to try one thing at a time though. First off, try the switch to Chest and Bi’s and Back and Tri’s using some of the exercises, rep-ranges and loading you like. Once you get a taste of these two non-conventional workout set-ups, then you can start tweaking with some of the other adjustments.
Enjoy the crazy pumps.
All the best in your training.
Jedd
I do a small amount of personal training here in my facility. I am lucky enough to have found some guys who will literally try anything I challenge them to do, and they often end up performing the exercises just as well if not better than me. One morning this week, my trainee and good friend Mark was here and I had him do an exercise for his Biceps that he said hit them very well. He liked it so much, I knew I had to try it later on in my workout as well.
The way we performed this exercise was with a rope. The rope is about 6 feet long. If you do not have a rope, a towel will work fine as long as it is a nice thick towel. An old beat up towel is probably going to rip on you so don’t try it. We used two Pony Clamps to secure the weight onto the rope. That’s all you need!
I feel this lift is best used as a finisher for the Biceps. What I look for in a Finisher is something that just outright blows the Biceps up, pumping it full of Blood. I do the rest of my larger movements influencing the biceps (Chin-ups, Barbell Curls, etc) first and then use isolation movements like this to bring massive amounts of blood and expansion in. In addition, the pump and increased blood flow helps to fend off and recover from inflammation in the elbows and forearms (tendonitis, epicondylitis, etc).
The basic way to perform this lift is to grip the towel with the elbows positioned about 90 degrees. From there, you will take your top hand and shift it beneath the lower hand, keeping the hands in contact with one another with each re-grip.
Instead of just maintaining a consistent angle of about 90-degrees, you can also vary away from that angle. In the video below, I start out with two sets where I keep my elbow angle around 90 degrees and then finish with a third set where I move throughout the ROM, changing a few degrees at a time. Both variations worked well for an awesome pump.
I definitely suggest you give this exercise a try. My arms were blown up for about an hour afterwards, and I even hit a bunch of Grip, so I’d imagine if this was the last thing I did, I would have had a pump for much longer.
Now here is a quick demo. Sorry for repeating some of this information in the video. You will see that once I get up to 75-lbs, this exercise is damn challenging. Feel free to change up the weights to make the exercise work for you.
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All the best in your training,
Jedd
