When I came to my trainer, Ken Turchek, and complained that my arms just were not responding to the body part split he had me on, he got creative as usual. He started to ask questions about the current workout plan. At first he changed it alone. He had me train once time a week but switched me to heavy training instead of medium weight training. It just didn't work. My arms were not responding. This finally lead us to the Pump and Blast Arm Training Method.

Introducing the New Method for Bigger Arms

The arms are one thing people notice. My back responds, my chest responds, my legs respond, but my arms just don't respond. In order to be competitive on the bodybuilding stage my arms must respond! In order to get them to respond, drastic changes to my training was required. this is where the Pump and Blast Arm Training Method was born. It was created to force my arms to grow. It has worked so far.

What Is Pump and Blast Arm Training?

Most people train their arms one or two times a week and they work in the 8 to 15 repetition range. This seems to work well for most people. They combine their arm training with other body parts (commonly biceps with back and triceps with chest). This process did not work for me so we changed it up a bit. 

Pump and Blast Arm Training involves 3 arm sessions a week–2 pump sessions and 1 blast session. I break it out like this:

The idea is to fill the muscles with blood on pump day. Get them so they are absolutely like balloons full of blood. It actually hurts when I am done. We then introduce an actual “arm day” where we blast the heck out of the muscles. The weight is very heavy and the form is not as strict, but still not sloppy. This is to force some growth. The arms effectively get trained 3 times a week using the Pump and Blast Arm Training Method. 

This method will only work well if you recover well. My arms are ready 48 hours after a session to go again. I push hard and they respond.

Why Use the Pump and Blast Arm Training Method?

If your arms are stubborn the increased and varied training volume will do wonders for their growth. There is something about breaking down those muscles constantly that makes a huge difference. As the muscles recover they are immediately pushed hard again. This keeps the growth cycle going. I also use an instinctive method to my training, so if the arms are simply not ready for any reason, they get skipped. The only day I will try to avoid skipping is the blast day because, to be honest, it feels awesome.

Take it For a Drive

Take the Pump and Blast Arm Training Method for a test drive and see what you think. It is going to change how you see arm training in the future. That's what I truly believe.

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What makes the biggest difference in your training? What are the changes and adjustments you make that have the biggest effect? To me there are two very simple things I pay attention to and adjust if necessary that increase my odds of hitting my goals. As you read through my two difference makers I want you to be thinking about your own training and what your difference makers are because there is going to be an exercise I want you to participate in when the article ends.

Consistency is Number One

When I look at the most successful bodybuilders I see that consistency is one thing they all possess. When I review my own progress, I have made the biggest gains in the shortest period of time when I was the most consistent. When I am talking about consistency I am speaking about several things:

• Consistency in training 
• Consistency in nutrition
• Consistency in attitude

Consistency in Training

In order to get results, your training has to get dialed in. You have to be continually pushing yourself further and further beyond your own comfort zone. You have to continually set new personal records. This only happens when you are hitting the gym consistently. Without consistent time in the gym you won't ever set new personal records. You won't ever push yourself beyond your comfort zone on a regular basis. The gains just won't come. You will be stuck in the same spot. 

If this is your issue then you need to make some adjustments immediately. You have to set small goals and work on achieving those. When I have fallen off the consistency wagon I simply set goals for making it to 3 scheduled training sessions in a row. I slowly increase the number of training sessions it requires to achieve the goal. Eventually consistency is just something that happens.

Consistency in Nutrition

Nutrition is where the biggest gains come from clean eating on a consistent basis. This means different things at different times. Depending upon your goals, your nutritional program will change. Trying to add muscle? You are going to eat one way. Cutting down to get on stage? You are going to eat a completely different way. Cheat meals are not only OK, but to me they are essential for staying on track. Too many cheat meals will derail you quickly. Pay close attention to consistent nutrition. Make sure you are eating in a manner that is conducive to your goals. Take the time to adjust when the numbers are not working for you. If your body fat is going up and you are not bulking, adjust things accordingly. This is not something to take lightly and is not something to mess around with. 

Consistency in Attitude

Your attitude is going to play a huge part in your ultimate success. I saved this one for last because it is also going to be the most difficult thing to keep under control. Having the right attitude will get you to your goals. Everything else follows the attitude. Setting your alarm in the morning to get up for a fasted cardio session is wonderful, but if you turn off the alarm because you don't feel like doing the work, that is going to destroy all progress. I handle my consistency in attitude by journaling. I write things down and analyze my own thinking on a daily basis. I focus on keeping my attitude consistent.

Intensity is No Slouch

To me, when actually training (be it weights or cardio), intensity is the key concern. All other variables are important, but intensity is what takes you where you want to go. If I am lifting heavy, having the intensity to get the final reps out of the muscles is going to bring the growth I am looking for. If the weights are lighter, taking the set to absolute failure is going to bring about success. I am not talking about the kind of failure where the brain says you are done before the muscle does. I am talking about real failure where you push yourself to the point where you really cannot move the weights another inch. 

If you do not have this type of intensity then you need to find it. You need to get busy and figure out how to be intense enough to get to your goals. Take a look at your training program and make a decision. If your intensity is lacking make a plan and fix it. Push yourself. Leave everything on the gym floor and walk out of that workout with nothing left inside of you. That's the key.

The Excercise

Have a look at this 2 minute video I recorded. Listen to what I have to say and then do what I ask at the end. You won't be sorry.

[pro-player width='560′ height='315′ type='video']http://youtu.be/02XLTx49Ykk[/pro-player]

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My Arm Experiment

Most people don't “waste” a day on arm training, but I have different goals and objectives, so I have one day each week dedicated to my arms. The reasoning is really quite simple: no matter how hard I hit my arms they don't grow easily. I figured out in my last preparation cycle that my arms need encouragement to grow. As a result, I have come up with a program along with my trainer, Ken Turchek, that has helped add some size and definition to both my biceps and my triceps.

The plan is quite simple. I train my biceps on my back day and use lighter weights and higher repetitions for my biceps on that day. This is aimed at getting a pump. This pump workout for biceps actually happens 2 times a week because I do a back trainig aimed at thickness and another aimed at width. My triceps are trained with my chest and that also occurs twice a week. I use the pump workout for the triceps as well. Finally, I include a dedicated arm day where I train my biceps and triceps together. I use the heaviest weight I can move with proper form and keep the repetitions low.

The results of this type of training program have been amazing. While it originally was contrary to what I believed about training (the volume was way too high for my liking) I have to admit that my stubborn arms are now growing. I actually get compliments on my arms, something I never got before.

How You Can Grow Your Arms

If your arms are responsive like most people, you can probably get decent growth by just splitting your biceps and triceps up into different workouts combined with other body parts. You can then slam them as you wish.

However, if your arms are stubborn like mine you will need to understand the principles behind what I am doing so that you can apply them properly.

Pump Day

The pump days are for a very specific reason — get the blood flowing into the arms and force them to “puff up” and tear muscle fibers. Make sure that on pump days you get a great squeeze. Pay special attention to the biceps squeeze because most people do it completely wrong. It is about rotating your pinky towards your face so that your thumb pushes out and away from your body as you reach the top of the motion when using dumbbells. When using  a barbell simply imagine tearing the bar apart at the top of the motion. Both things will give your biceps a great pump. For the triceps, when using dumbbells rotate the thumbs in towards your body at the end of the motion. As with biceps, when using a barbell or other bar attachment, imagine tearing the bar apart. That's going to give your triceps a great squeeze.

Heavy Day

Heavy day is included to force the muscles to grow. Your biceps and triceps will be expecting the pump style workout, but you will trick them into growing with the heavier weights. You will feel the results of this training in two ways: (1) soreness deep in the muscles; and (2) increased size that lasts for at least 24 hours because of the massive amount of blood that flows into the muscles.

Conclusion

I always tell you that bodybuilding is an Experiment of One and this is no different. You have to determine what makes your muscles respond. If you want impressive arms you are going to have to do whatever it takes to get there. I have prepared the following video that just explains how I felt after my heavy biceps and triceps training session. Enjoy!

Heavy Arm Day Aftermath – The Video

[pro-player width='560′ height='315′ type='video']http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eZuf8ngsY8[/pro-player]

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