LAST-MINUTE SLEEVE-RIPPER

Take on the Friday Pump Sesh to accelerate your gains, whether you’re chasing a warm-weather boost or, well, just because. It combines light weights with a ticking time bomb of a rep scheme. Let’s begin

Build up your engine while targeting your biceps. This summer-ready finisher is the definition of functional bodybuilding

THE FORMAT

Curl two 12.5kg dumbbells for as many reps as possible while maintaining the correct form, leaning against a wall to avoid cheating. You’re aiming for 100 perfect reps. Each time you have to rest, or your form breaks down, drop to the floor and perform 20 press-ups with your hands on the dumbbells. Every round, add an additional 20 reps to your total press-up target. As if a bicep pump weren’t incentive enough to keep on curling…

01 SLEEVES ARE THE ENEMY

Grab two dumbbells and lean your upper back against a wall with your heels on the floor around 30cm away from it.

Let your arms hang freely at your sides. Without relying on any momentum, curl both dumbbells upward, turning your palms towards you as you do so. Squeeze your biceps as hard as possible at the top of the rep, before slowly lowering the dumbbells to their starting position. Repeat until you can no longer maintain the tempo.

02 PRESS ON

Drop to a press-up position with your hands on the dumbbells. Bend at the elbows and lower yourself under control until your chest touches the floor, then press back up explosively to your starting position. Repeat until you hit 20 reps.

03 EXPONENTIAL GROWTH

Once you’ve paid the man his press-ups, get back against the wall and continue counting those curls. The next time you break form or drop the weights, you owe 40 press-ups. The time after, you owe 60 – and so on. The fatigue will begin to mount up, so focus on dispatching as many reps as possible in the earlier curl sets.