Arms and abs.
It’s January, and it’s on your mind, and we totally get it. In the era of the superhero body (see Chris Evans’ Captain America and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor), it’s hard not to chase big arms and chiseled abs. Yes, you know you need your legs and back strong for long-term health, and for useful, day-to-day strength.
But like every guy come the start of 2020, you can’t help wanting a pair of jacked arms and a superhero six-pack. So while there’s other training you need to do (never forget back day or leg day, trust us), it’s arms and abs that you want to train.
Especially in January, when you’re just getting your fitness goals on track. And we get that, which is why we’re here to help, offering up a workout that’ll train the two things that you (and plenty of other guys, too, so don’t feel bad) want right now.
Your Core Should Always Be On
Why can arms and abs fit into the same workout? Because your core should always be on. Your “core” is really a 360-degree muscular unit that exists mostly between your ribcage and pelvis (although your glutes could also be considered part of the package in some cases). When we think of “core” movements, we think situps, crunches, and leg lifts.
But really, your midsection is about more than that. It stabilizes you in every direction. Think about screwing a Christmas tree into the base of a tree stand. It’s about stability in all directions.
Your midsection works to bend and twist your torso, so rotation is key. It also has to protect your spine, granting key stability in all directions, as we mentioned before.
That stability is part of how your core can become part of an arm workout. Really, your abs should be on when you’re doing everything from biceps curls to skullcrushers to bench presses. Your core aids in energy transfer, and it also also prevents your entire spine and waist from bending when you don’t want it to bend. You don’t want it to bend during your arm exercises, right? So your core can (and should) be highly involved — and there are some ways you can force even more core involvement, too.
Training Your Arms
Your biceps and triceps serve several critical functions, but the one thing they tag-team on is this: Controlling your elbow. Your biceps are a key flexor at the elbow joint, pulling your wrist toward your shoulder. Your brachialis, a larger muscle that resides near your biceps, also aid in this flexion. Your triceps, meanwhile, are a key extender of the elbow, straightening your arm.
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This means all the key muscles you want for big arms are involved in elbow movement. However, they’re not prime shoulder movers, and this is important to understand. When you rock your arm a lot during triceps-focused or biceps-focused movements, you’re taking emphasis off the biceps and triceps very often, and involving lats and shoulders more.
And how can you limit rocking and tilting all over the place? By squeezing your shoulder blades tightly on every biceps and triceps motion, tightening your abs to lock in your ribcage, and squeezing your glutes.
Those are acts that you do whenever you do a core motion. See where we’re going with this? That’s why an arms and abs workout makes more sense than you may think.
The Workout
There are plenty of ways to incorporate arms and abs into the same workout, building the superhero body you want. This one is the most direct: You’ll superset an arm exercise (or two) with an ab movement.
Your goal: Carry the momentum and focus from the ab movement into your next set of the arm movement. Maintain that same core tension from the ab movement when you’re doing your next arm set. You’re reinforcing core tension throughout this workout, even when you’re not training your core, and it’ll make every arm rep better.
Do this workout twice a week. On days you don’t do it, work to challenge other bodyparts, like your legs, chest, and back. Those other workouts will also enhance your arm size and strength and the tension of your core; your abs simply must fire when you’re doing squats, and your arms get plenty of work during chinups and bench presses and pushups.
The Moves
Superset 1 (4 sets)
Biceps Curl: Use an EZ bar for this if you can. If not, use dumbbells
Plank: Hold a 45-second plank.
Superset 2 (4 sets)
Skullcrusher: Do 12 reps
Ab Wheel Rollout: Use an ab wheel, or a barbell with 10-pound plates. Grasp the end of the barbell with both hands, knees on the ground, abs tight. Roll the bar forward, keeping your abs tight and extending your arms forward while squeezing your shoulder blades; squeeze your glutes as you near full extension. Draw your abs in, rolling the bar back to your knees. That’s 1 rep; do 10.
Superset 3 (4 sets)
Hammer Curl: Do 10 reps
Dumbbell Triceps Kickback: Do 10 reps per arm
Pallof Press: Do 15 reps per side
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