Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Master Class
Sometimes it’s OK to work a little harder on those mirror muscles.
To some degree, strength-training exercises targeting the biceps and triceps have gotten a bad rap. In our eagerness to promote a well-rounded view of conditioning that goes beyond the “mirror muscles,” some people have started to associate any arm exercise with wanting to become “bulky” or wanting to achieve a look designed to elicit “oohs” and “aahs” from others.
The truth is, upper arm exercises are an important part of a comprehensive strength-training routine.
This week, I’ll present a few tips for managing your arm workouts, and I’ll also offer a cool new way to train the triceps.
Any strength-training program boils down to the measurable elements nicknamed FITT: Frequency (number of days per week), Intensity (weight lifted), Time (time under contraction) and Type (what movements are being performed) are the key variables to consider.
The thing to remember is that there are recommended guidelines for each of these variables. Most professional organizations recommend strength-training on two or three days per week, doing two or three sets of eight to 12 repetitions, with eight to 10 exercises per workout.
These recommendations were established after years and years of scientific research aimed at optimizing training parameters for weight management, muscular development and general health.
Somewhere along the line, exercisers began to realize that if they manipulated these parameters in a way that resulted in more training for a particular muscle group, they would often get better results. In the case of arm workouts, this is exactly what happened. Instead of performing the recommended two or three sets, they would perform eight to 10 or more. As a result, exercisers could achieve extraordinary results in one or two of their “favorite” body parts, while the others lagged behind.
This type of unbalanced training can be harmless for short periods, but long-term training like this is ill advised. Joint stability and muscular symmetry become compromised, and tendinitis is also a very real risk.
All of the above information notwithstanding, there are effective ways to “overtrain” certain muscle groups safely. The easiest way to do this is to stagger your training stimulus with periods of normalcy and periods of increased volume. This would be accomplished not by adding frequency, as you still need rest days for muscles to recover, but by adding more repetitions at higher intensities to your workout. I’d recommend this for two- to three-week periods, followed by four weeks of “normal” training volume to be safe.
The idea is to give extra attention to particular muscle groups without going overboard.
This week’s exercise is a great way to add some targeted work for the triceps muscle group and would be particularly useful during periods of “overtraining” because it’s specific to the triceps and performed unilaterally — one arm at a time.
1. Select a single rope attachment and position a cable machine about shoulder level. Attach the rope to the cable machine.
2. Stand with your right shoulder facing the cable and grasp the rope handle with your left hand in front of your body.
3. Extend the left arm fully in front of your chest as you grip the rope with your palm facing the floor.
4. Bend the elbow to 90 degrees slowly and then extend the elbow back to the straight position.
5. Do two sets of 12 with each arm.
The Lateral Rope Extension would be a great addition to an arm workout that might already include dips or chest presses, as this movement isolates the triceps without involving the chest or shoulders much. For those looking for a little more upper-arm firmness, it could be the ticket.