Golden Era Arm Training Secrets

In the Footsteps of Legends - Part 5: Arm Training

The Training Methods, Tips, Techniques and Workouts of Golden Era Champions for Massive Bis and Tris

     This is the 5th part of my series on the training secrets and methodologies of the golden era legends, the bodybuilding champions of (primarily) the ‘70s and ‘80s, though some of the champs that I’ve covered started in the ‘60s and some finished their competitive careers in the ‘90s.  Part 1 covered their overall training methods.  Part 2 covered the methods I missed in part one along with shoulder training.  Part 3 was all about building a massive but sculpted chest.  And Part 4 was all about back training—building one that is massive, wide, detailed, thick, and muscular.  Now, we have arrived at arm training.  I have a good feeling that this will be the most well-read post in the series because, hey, who doesn’t want big, “swole” biceps and triceps?  Most guys when they start training—I admit, like all young teenagers, to having been one of them—want big arms more than just about anything else.  When someone asks you to “make a muscle,” you don’t give them a “most muscular” pose or hit a lat spread.  You flex your biceps.  Big arms have always been a signal that one was serious about building muscle and strength, justified or not.

     One of my earliest articles at Integral Strength—it still gets more views than most of my other posts—was my article on the arm-training methods of John McWilliams, one of the first men to have legitimate 20-inch arms.  Another early pioneer of massive arms was the first Mr. Olympia Larry Scott.  After Scott appeared on the bodybuilding scene, arms just got bigger and bigger and more (and more) muscular.  By the ‘70s, all of the golden era champs sported large but detailed upper arms, along with seriously thick forearms.

     As with our other articles in this series, I’m going to begin with the movements that made the massive arms of the golden era stars, then we’ll move on to some of the methods and workout routines that various old-school ‘builders used.  I have chosen not to divide this article into two separate parts, one on biceps and another on triceps because, for the most part, golden era bodybuilders trained their upper arms in a single session.  This is particularly true of the lifters from the ‘70s.  In the ‘80s, this changed some, as various champs started using different and varied splits, such as back and biceps at one session and triceps at another, usually along with chest and shoulders.  With that out of the way, let’s get right into some of the most often-used arm exercises from the days of bodybuilding’s yesteryear and the glory days of the golden age.

Biceps Movements

     We’ll start with biceps then look at triceps afterwards.

Barbell Curls

     Barbell curls were probably the favorite exercise of most old-school luminaries.  Almost all golden era bodybuilders at least started their biceps-building with barbell curls.  Only once they built massive arms did they move on to workouts and routines that didn’t have the barbell curl in them.  Barbell curls are still a “foundational” movement.  I include them in almost all of my beginning bodybuilding routines, along with a lot of my programs that focus on strength and power.  Not only do they build big biceps but they also build upper body mass.

     When doing barbell curls, two factors are paramount, especially when you begin.  The first is to keep your elbows locked into your side and to not let them move.  The 2nd is to keep your wrists straight at all times throughout the curls.  Frank Zane once said that he never really grew big arms until Arnold taught him the importance of keeping the wrists straight throughout his barbell curls.  Maintain strict form, especially at first.  Once you reach failure on a strict curl, or come close to it, you can then let your elbows move out a little bit and continue until you reach failure with a little bit of elbow momentum.  Then, at that point, you can continue by doing cheat curls, moving your elbows even more and using your body momentum to continue the set.

     Lee Haney said that another important point is to squeeze and contract your biceps hard at the top of the movement, instead of trying to rest at the top of the set by letting the bar recline on the shoulders.  Instead, he taught to rest at the bottom of the movement, by letting your biceps get a complete stretch.  This follows the way that—as we have seen throughout this series—golden era legends believed in the importance of both a stretch at the bottom of a movement and a contraction at the top.

     Some golden era bodybuilders, it must be noted, such as Sergio Oliva, didn’t rest any during their reps.  Oliva moved almost non-stop on his barbell curls, not letting the bar rest any at the bottom or at the top of the movement.

     Another way that different old-school ‘builders varied their barbell curls was through their grip.  Most, on average, used around a shoulder width-grip, but others liked a really close grip.  The close grip, with the hands almost touching or only a few inches apart, provides an even greater contraction at the top.  Oliva, on the other hand, used a really wide grip on barbell curls.  He was insistent that the wider grip lead to a greater lengthening of the biceps, and he said that it was one of the reasons that he had such long, thick biceps.  His biceps almost looked as if they extended towards and over his forearms.

Sergio Oliva displays his magnificent and massive arms.

Dumbbell Curls

     After barbell curls, I think it’s safe to say that dumbbell curls were the 2nd most used exercise.  Golden era champs did them both seated and standing, both simultaneously (curling both arms at the same time) or in an alternate fashion.  More probably favored the alternate version, whether standing or seated, as it allows you to really concentrate on squeezing each bicep at the top of the rep and allows for better mind-to-muscle connection by focusing on one arm at a time.

     Another key to dumbbell curls is supination. Arnold was an expert at this, and he said it contributed to his huge biceps peak.  At the top of each rep, try to twist your pinky finger as much as possible towards your shoulder to allow for maximum contraction.

Hammer Curls

     For building up the brachialis, most old-school bodybuilders also like to do dumbbell curls in the “hammer” fashion.  With these, you simply keep your thumbs facing up throughout the rep, without any twisting or supination of the hands.  These can be done as a separate movement or you can do them at the end of your regular dumbbell curls once you begin to fatigue, as the hammer curl is easier than the regular dumbbell version.  Old-school ‘builders sometimes did these so that they could use heavier weights on the movement, starting with heavier hammer curls before moving on to lighter dumbbell curls afterwards.  As with other dumbbell curls, some of the champions liked to curl both arms simultaneously and others preferred alternate hammer curls.

Preacher Curls

     A favorite of both Vince Gironda and Larry Scott, both of whom were responsible for popularizing it, the preacher curl is another golden era favorite.  Scott was so renowned for doing them that they are sometimes simply called “Scott curls.”

     Scott said that the factor most important with preacher curls was to make sure that your elbows are in closer than your shoulders.  He also insisted that the pad should be low on the chest, allowing your arms to hang down further for a deeper biceps stretch.  The last point he made was to be sure you don’t start the movement by moving your shoulders, but initiate the curl with your wrists and forearms and then let your biceps take over for the remainder of the repetition.

Incline Dumbbell Curls

     Golden era legends liked to do incline dumbbell curls for getting the deepest stretch imaginable for their biceps.  As we saw in the last article on back training, many old-school bodybuilders felt it was important to include compound movements, stretch movements, and contraction exercises for all of their muscles.  And incline curls are the best for that “stretch position.”

     Much like regular dumbbell curls, most of the old-school bodybuilders did these in an alternate fashion, in order to really focus on both the stretch and the contraction.

Concentration Curls

     If incline curls were the stretch movement, then concentration curls were definitely the contraction exercise.  Concentration curls can be done two different ways.  One is hanging where you do them while standing and bent over.  The 2nd is seated on a bench, with your triceps resting on the inside of your leg.

     Arnold, along with most of the ‘70s bodybuilders, favored the hanging version.  Bodybuilders in the ‘80s tended to favor the seated version.  I recommend trying both of them for yourself—once you reach a point that they’re actually needed—to find out which one works for you.  The more that you can feel and contract your biceps in either version, the better that version is for you.

     Some of the old-school ‘builders also liked to do these with cables.  They would position a bench far enough away from the low pulley attachment that they started with a stretch on the movement, with their arms resting on their thighs just as with dumbbells.

Cable Curls

     The last movement that old-school bodybuilders liked was the cable curl.  These were typically done as a finisher for higher reps.  They were also usually performed with a straight bar attachment, though some of the golden era ‘builders liked the rope version.  When performed with a rope, they would rotate their hands throughout the movement.  At the top, they would supinate the rope so that their pinky fingers twisted out towards their shoulders, similar to how they executed dumbbell curls.  Whatever attachment is used, step out far enough away from the low pulley so that you start the movement with a stretch on your biceps.

     As you’ll see in a couple of the example routines that follow, some old-school lifters also liked to do this movement while lying down on either the floor or a bench.  They would lie down so that they had an incredible stretch while starting the movement with their arms stretched out.

     A few bodybuilders would even do these almost like a concentration curl.  They would squat down with their elbows or upper arms resting on the inside of their thighs before beginning the curl.

Triceps Movements

Close-Grip Dips

     For building mass in the triceps, the close-grip, parallel bar dip was a favorite of the golden era.  Unlike the dips we discussed in our chest-training article, for building up the triceps, dips should be done with the elbows back and in.  Try to imagine touching your elbows together and you’re on the right track.

Close-Grip Bench Presses

     Along with dips, this would be other prime “mass-builder” among many old-school champions.  They would sometimes do these with the E-Z curl bar, so that their palms would face slightly in towards one another.  Though often done at the beginning of the workout, they were also done at the end—this is how Franco Columbu did them—once their triceps were already fatigued, so that their chest didn’t take over most of the stimulus.

     Although it wasn’t a movement used in the golden era, I think a good option is to close-grip board bench presses.  A 2 or 3-board press will shorten the range of motion, sure, but it will place almost all of the stimulus on your triceps and off of your chest.  For any of the example workouts below, feel free to replace the close-grip bench with the close-grip board press.

Lying Triceps Extensions

     I usually refer to these as “skull crushers,” though they are also sometimes called “nose breakers.”  Obviously, you don’t want to either crush your skull or break your nose, but the difference lies in where you lower the bar to.  I prefer to lower them to my forehead, whereas other lifters prefer to lower them to their nose or even down towards their chins.

     Golden era bodybuilders used both straight bars and E-Z curl bars for them, along with dumbbells.  Many, in fact, used all three versions for the sake of, if nothing else, variety, though each bar targets the triceps in a slightly different manner.

     Mike Christian, who exploded onto the bodybuilding scene in the mid ‘80s, said that his favorite way to do these was with the E-Z curl bar.  He would take a close grip and let his head hang off the end of the bench, then bring the bar down to his forehead for an even greater range-of-motion.  He felt as if it did the most to build the outer head of his triceps and best produced the “horseshoe effect.”

Overhead Triceps Extensions

     Old-school lifters did these both standing and seated.  Along with the lying version, they also used different bars and dumbbells.  A favorite of Arnold’s was the one-arm overhead dumbbell extension, as he felt as if it allowed for an even deeper stretch than an overhead extension with both arms.

Bench dips

     Arnold called these behind-the-back dips.  He, and other ‘builders of the ‘70s, would often do them with their feet on a chair or bench in front of them.  The bench was placed far enough before them that it allowed their upper bodies to be several inches in front of the bench that their arms were on.  Some liked to touch their hands together on the bench.  Others preferred for their hands to be further apart.  The hand position will determine which part of the triceps is targeted.  If you utilize this movement, experiment with different hand positions until you find what works best for you.

Cable Pushdowns

     As with the cable curls, these were done with either a straight bar or a rope.  Again, each version targets the triceps in a different fashion.  Another option was to do them with a reverse grip, which places a greater emphasis on the upper part of the triceps head.

     Lee Labrada’s favorite triceps exercise was this one done with a straight bar.  He said that it was the one movement that he always included in his triceps workouts over 20 years of training, whereas others he would rotate in and out.  He felt as if he could isolate and contract his triceps the most with it.

Dumbbell Kickbacks

     This would be the “contraction” exercise for the triceps.  It’s a movement that is not necessary at all until you’ve built up a good degree of upper arm mass and are in need of more “detail” in all three heads of the triceps.

The Methods for Arm Size, Shape, and Symmetry

     Throughout this series, I have emphasized the old-school mentality of “chasing the pump” or “racing the pump” in their training.  But nowhere was this more evident than in their arm training.  Most golden era legends trained their arms fast, taking very little rest in between sets.  They were also fond of supersets, tri-sets, and even giant sets (at least 4 exercises back-to-back) for their arms.  Since they often trained both their biceps and triceps in the same session, many of these tri-sets and giant sets were done by combining bis and tris together.

     In addition to supersets, tri-sets, and giant sets, they were also fond of other “intensity” techniques, such as drop-sets or “down-the-rack” sets and/or rest-pause training and partial reps to continue the set as long as possible.  As mentioned with barbell curls, because you can use body momentum for many of the upper arm exercises, they would begin their sets with strict form and, as the set(s) got harder, they would start to use some “swing” to continue with it.  By the end of their set, they would often do full-on “cheat” reps.

     Though many young or new bodybuilders want big biceps, they tend to overemphasize their biceps but can also neglect the triceps.  Keep in mind, however, that the triceps make up about ⅔ of the upper arm, whereas the biceps only comprise ⅓.  It makes sense, therefore, that you should do at least slightly more work for your tris than your bis.

     In the off-season, many old-school bodybuilders would do only 1 or 2 movements for either biceps or triceps, believing that it was the best way to build size.  As they approached a contest, they would then switch over to multi-exericise routines.

     Here are a few mass, size, and shape builders that are inspired by the golden era methods:

Size and Strength Workout

Close-grip weighted dips: 8x5 (Use a weight where you could get 10 reps for one, all-out set.  If you get 5 reps on all 8 sets, add weight at the next session.)

Barbell curls: 8x5 (Use the same method as the dips.)

Close-grip bench presses: 5x5 (Use a weight where you could get 6 to 7 reps for one, all-out set.  Once you are capable of getting 5 reps on all 5 sets, add weight at the next workout.)

The Power and the Pump Routine

Barbell curls: 5x5 (Use the same technique as the close-grip benches above.)

Close-grip weighted dips: 5x5 (same method)

Superset:

   Cable curls: 8x10

   Rope pushdowns: 8x10

Advanced Size and Shape Builder

Lying straight bar triceps extensions: 6x8

Alternate dumbbell curls: 6x8 (each arm)

Giant set:

   Straight bar triceps pushdown: 4x10-12

   Barbell curls: 4x10-12

   Lying dumbbell triceps extensions: 4x10-12

   Cable curls: 4x10-12

   Bench dips: 4x10-12

Workout Regimens of the Legends

     Okay, now let’s look at some of the routines that several of the old-school legends used to build their massive but shapely and finely detailed arms.  We’ll start with some biceps workouts, move on to some triceps routines, and then finish it off with some workouts that trained both together at the same session.

Biceps Workouts:

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Barbell curls: 4x10

Incline dumbbell curls: 4x10

Concentration curls: 4x10

     This workout, I believe, was the inspiration for Ironman editor Steve Holman’s “position-of-flexion” program.  See the last couple installments for more information.  Lou Ferrigno used the exact same program, with the only difference being that he would sometimes do sets of 12 reps.

Paul Jean-Guillame

Straight bar preacher curls: 4x8-12

Close-grip E-Z curl bar preacher curls: 4x8-12

Alternate dumbbell curls: 6x8-12

Barbell curls: 4x8-12

Lying cable curls: 4x8-12 (Jean-Guillame would lie down flat on the ground and curl a straight bar to his forehead.)

Boyer Coe

Superset:

   Cable curls: 4x8-10

   Barbell curls: 4x8-10

Superset:

   Lying cable curls: 4x8-10

   E-Z curl bar curls: 4x8-10

Larry Scott

Tri-set:

   Dumbbell preacher curls: 4-5x6

   Barbell preacher curls: 4-5x6

   E-Z curl bar reverse curls: 4-5x6

Robby Robinson

Tri-set:

   Barbell curls: 6x10

   Preacher curls: 6x10

   Cable concentration curls: 6x10

Triceps Routines:

Shawn Ray

Lying extensions: 4x8-12

Close-grip pushdowns: 4x8-12

Dumbbell kickbacks: 4x8-12 (each arm)

Lee Labrada

Straight bar pushdowns: 3x10-15

Lying extensions: 3x10

E-Z curl bar overhead extensions: 3x10

Lou Ferrigno

Lying extensions: 4x10-12

Straight bar pushdowns: 4x10-12

Straight bar overhead extensions: 4x10-12

All-Out Arm Assaults for Bis and Tris Together:

Dave Draper

Superset:

   Hammer curls: 5x10,8,8,8,6

   Straight bar pushdowns: 5x12-15

Superset:

   Barbell curls: 5x6-8

   Close-grip dips: 5x12-15

Superset:

   Alternate dumbbell curls: 5x6-8

   Lying extensions: 5x12,10,8,8,8

Sergio Oliva

Superset:

   Dumbbell curls: 5x15

   Barbell curls: 5x15

Superset:

   Lying extensions: 5x10

   One-arm cable pushdowns: 5x15

Superset:

   Barbell preacher curls: 5x10

   Seated straight bar overhead extensions: 5x10

Bill Pearl

Superset:

   Seated dumbbell curls: 4x8

   Lying extensions: 4x8

Superset:

   Incline dumbbell curls: 3x8

   Lying dumbbell extensions: 3x8

Superset:

   Concentration curls: 3x8

   Incline bench extensions: 3x8

Franco Columbu

Superset:

   Incline dumbbell curls: 4x8

   Straight bar pushdowns: 4x8

Superset:

   Semi-cheat barbell curls: 5x6

   Lying extensions: 5x6

Superset:

   Preacher curls: 5x10

   Close-grip bench presses: 5x10

Splits and Schedules

     Well, I think after looking over a few of the routines of the golden era champs, it’s quite clear that they were most decidedly a fan of fast training, supersets, and tri-sets.  Along with these voluminous workouts, they also trained with fairly high-frequency regimens.  In the ‘70s, it wasn’t uncommon for Draper, Oliva, and Columbu to do the above workouts as many as 3 days per week.  The common belief was that the arms, because they are a smaller muscle group, could handle more work, not less.  By the ‘80s, however, Labrada, Christian, Haney, et al moved to either 2-days-per-week routines or, even more common, a 3-on, 1-off split.

     Unless you’ve built up the work capacity to handle it, 3 (or even 2) days per week is probably a bit much.  At the most, I would use a 3-on, 1-off routine.  Here are a few suggestions for training splits.  Because it was so common to train both bis and tris together, what follows are all “agonist/antagonist” schedules.  Realize, however, that you can split your workouts in a different manner—such as a push/pull/legs split—if you prefer to train your biceps and triceps at separate sessions.

3-On, 1-Off Split

Day one: chest and back

Day two: legs

Day three: shoulders and arms

Day four: off

4-On, 1-Off

Day one: chest and shoulders

Day two: back

Day three: legs

Day four: arms

Day five: off

2-On, 1-Off, 1-On, 1-Off

Day one: chest and back

Day two: legs

Day three: off

Day four: shoulders and arms

Day five: off

2-On, 1-Off - 4-Day Split

Day one: chest and shoulders

Day two: back

Day three: off

Day four: legs

Day five: arms

Day six: off

     This split is best if you know that you respond better to less-frequent training.

     For more on other split schedules, such as how to set up a “heavy-light” program, see my other parts in this series.

Final Thoughts for Building Golden Era-Sized Arms

     If you’re seeking truly massive arms, then, as with all of your muscles, you need to make sure that you’re eating enough calories and getting enough protein on a daily basis.  The old-school rule was that you needed to gain 10 pounds for every inch that you added to your arms.  Keep in mind, however, that you don’t want to get fat!  The goal is to gain lean mass while building up your arms.  If you put an inch on your waist for every inch on your arms, you will create the illusion of smaller, not bigger, guns.

     If you want to go on an “arm-specialization” program for the next 8 to 12 weeks, try to eat 2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight on a daily basis.  Once your training cycle comes to its end, you can go back to the standard suggestion of 1 gram per pound of bodyweight daily.

     Since the golden era bodybuilders so prized the pump for added arm size, it’s important, as well, to consume enough carbohydrates.  Carbs keep your glycogen stores full, which aids in attaining a truly muscle-engorging pump.  Unless you have some bodyfat that you need to lose, then consider also consuming 2 grams of carbs daily per pound of bodyweight.  If you’re a “hardgainer”—in other words, you’re skinny—then you can also consume plenty of good fat in addition to the protein and carbs.

     I’ll be perfectly honest.  Despite the fact that a lot of modern bodybuilders have incredibly large arms, I think the golden era bodybuilders had the best looking upper arm development.  Perhaps it was due to their small waists coupled with their wide shoulders that gave their arms the illusion of being even bigger than they actually were.  But their arms also had fine detail, perfect shape, but with the size to match.  If you want arms like that, then put some of these workouts and methods to use.  Golden era arm routines might be “old” but they’re still as good as anything else out there.  Heck, they might be better.

     I feel the clarion call of my home gym right now as I type these words, beckoning me with the desire for a massive, shirt-stretching pump.  When I pump up my arms with a superset of 10x10 on barbell curls and close-grip dips, I feel as if Sergio, Oliva, Draper, Pearl and the other legends of yore are not gone.  No, they’re still with me, surrounding me with the workout wisdom that never dies.  It’s time to train arms.

     I hope you enjoyed this essay, and this entire series on golden era training.  If you liked it, enjoy reading this blog, and would like to support my work, then please consider purchasing one of my books.  You can find more information about all of my books HERE.  Click on the link for additional info.

     And, as always, if you have any comments or questions about old-school arm training, then please leave them in the “comments” section below or send me an email if you prefer a private correspondence.  I typically get around to answering my emails every couple days.