Discover the secret behind my favourite arm workout routine that guarantees an incredible pump. Dive into proven exercises and strategies to sculpt and define your arms like never before

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Like many young guys, having skinny arms was a major motivating factor for starting the gym

I've been doing 2-4 workouts per week for around a year now, seeing incredible progress using reverse pyramid training to guarantee progressive overload on heavy compound lifts like incline dumbell bench presses, overhead presses and weighted pull-ups.

I'm the biggest advocate for getting super strong in the 5-10 rep range and setting up your programming solely around progressive overload. This is the biggest lever to pull when it comes to muscle growth.

With that said a key goal of mine was to always enjoy going to the gym (even during a hideous leg workout). I never wanted it to feel like something I grew to hate; working out and reaching peak physical condition should always be seen as a luxury and something to be grateful for.

That's why I'll occasionally throw in this pump-style arms workout that doesn't have anything to do with anything. It's simply about doing some of my favourite exercises and getting a skin-tightening muscle to feel yolked out of my mind for the rest of the day.

Is it optimal... NO. But it's FUN. It's not physically demanding and just really blows up the arms.

If you're dealing with stubborn arm muscles, give this arm workout a shot from time to time. The big idea? Achieve an incredible pump!

But that's not all there is to it... This workout goes beyond the pump.

What's special about it you ask? It stretches your fascia - that's the fancy term for the tissue around your muscles.

By doing this, you're making more space for your muscles to grow. Yes, you read that right. It's like giving your muscles a growth boost.

That's why even big shots like bodybuilder trainer Hany Rambod use his FST-7 technique on reigning Mr Olympia Classic Physique winner Chris Bumstead.

FST-7 is pretty cool, I won't lie. I recommend giving it a whirl. But here's the thing: it can be a bit tiring and time-consuming, especially for us regular folks, when all we want is some seriously pumped arms. FST-7 is best used as a finishing isolation exercise combined with heavy lifting at the front end of a workout

That's where my arms workout shines – it's all about the ultimate arm pump without the fuss.

THE ULTIMATE ARM PUMP WORKOUT

• 4 sets of 8-10 reps of the Incline DB Curl / Incline DB Triceps Extension SUPERSET
• 4 sets of 10 reps of Cable Hammer Curls OR Machine Curls (60 seconds rest between sets)
• 4 sets of 10 reps of Pushdowns (60 seconds rest between sets)
• 1 set of Reverse EZ Curls for 15 reps (then rest pause 5 + 5 + 5)

OPTIONAL BONUS FINISHER:

• 1 set of Leaning Lateral Raise 15 reps (then rest pause 5 + 5 + 5)
• 1 set of Incline Push-ups to failure

WORKOUT NOTES

                                         

EXERCISE 1 - INCLINE DB CURL & INCLINE TRICEPS EXTENSIONS

We start by implementing an “Antagonistic Superset”. This is a superset where you work opposing muscle groups back to back, i.e. biceps and triceps.

I start with incline dumbell curls.

You want to do these with constant tension, no rest at the top or bottom of reps. This really pumps the biceps with blood.

Also, give you more of a stretch at the bottom compared to most other types of curls.

Without resting…

Crank out a set of dumbbell incline triceps extensions. I had really stubborn triceps growth but these combined with weighted dips helped to explode my triceps (especially the long head) in a matter of months.

When you work your triceps, it stretches the biceps, and vice-versa. It makes this superset killer for getting the pump and stretching the fascia surrounding these muscle groups.

I like aiming for sets of 8-10 reps for both exercises.

Do 2 warmup sets and 2 work sets. Do 2 sets feeling out the exercise and pumping the blood into the muscle with some reps in reserve. Then 2 all-out sets, going to at least within 1-2 reps near failure, or to complete failure (especially on the last set).

So 4 total supersets.

Just as a side note: no you don't need to train to failure to build muscle but it's a mentality thing for me. Why would I not want to push and train with intensity? It feels fun to train hard, and it feels good to push the envelope (in a safe way of course). This mindset filters the rest of your life.

EXERCISE 2 - CABLE HAMMER CURLS

Quite possibly my favourite bicep exercise, simply for the overall contraction, the constant tension from the cables and the fact you can do partial and forced reps at the end of the set to take the pump even further.

Use the same weight for all 4 sets for this exercise. If you want to take things even further, in terms of intensity, then start decreasing the rest time between sets to as low as 30 seconds. This is very similar to the FST-7 training principles. You will have never felt so much blood in your bicep... that's an Eternobody promise.

I know some people love the preacher curl machine so it is also a good alternative.

EXERCISE 3 - TRICEPS PUSHDOWNS

My preference is to do this exercise with a straight bar. I feel like I can go really heavy and not just 'push down' but actually bring the bar all the way into my hip region. This allows me to complete the exercise in the full range of motion and generate the craziest mind-to-muscle connection.

I know most people love doing this with the rope attachment or even a double rope, so it's really up to you.

Just make sure you don't do a stupid weight. To get the best triceps pump, you want to control the concentric and eccentric parts of the movement, don't just let your arms raise back up. You also want to make sure you fully extend at the bottom.

If you want to take this one even further, complete your pushdown set, then instantly superset it with a make-shift cable overhead extension to get even more volume on the long head.

Use the same weight for all 4 sets for this exercise.

EXERCISE 4 - REVERSE EZ CURLS

The final exercise is a finishing move.

Grab an EZ Curl bar with a reverse grip.

Do a set of 15 reps, rest for a few seconds, crank out 5 more… rest for a few seconds, and 5 more, etc.

Continue like this 2-3 more times (it will burn).

The focus of this exercise is to push the pump to the limit.

I get a better pump when I stop short of the bottom and a bit short of the top of each rep.

The middle 2/3 range of the exercise.

This keeps contact tension on the muscles being worked.

Doing it with a reverse grip will bring some tension onto the forearms so you pump so blood into them too.

If you want to really push the volume, just keep doing rest-pause 'mini-sets' until your biceps literally fall off... it is a finisher after all.

Also, I like to follow this arm workout with a brief rest-pause set of lateral raises (because pumped shoulders look insane and complement the arms) and 1 set of incline push-ups to pump blood into the front delt and upper chest without overly fatiguing them. Plus doing push-ups when you're this amped up feels insane... you will feel superhuman.

Give this workout a try and good luck to all my fellow skinny-arm guys... I promise that if you just stick at it, you will have the t-shirt-bulging arms you so much desire. Consistency is key.