Written by IFBB Pro Josh Wade
21 February 2020

 

 

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Relentless Pursuit

By IFBB Pro Josh Wade

Presented by Allmax Nutrition

 

Feel the Burn for Maximum Arm Growth

 

Q: I’ve been having trouble getting my arms to grow. I’m not sure if I should train them more frequently or heavier. There is so much different information out there that it confuses me.

           

A: Everyone is different. Some people have muscle groups that grow incredibly fast or muscle groups that are so stubborn, it just takes time no matter what you do. I bet you have at least one muscle group that responds easier than the rest. Personally, my arms are especially long for being 5-foot-9 and have always been my slowest responding muscle group. I now feel that my arms match my body and are no longer a weak point, and I’ll tell you what has worked for me. I train arms twice a week with one day as a dedicated arm day where they get a full workout on their own. Then I’ll add eight to 12 sets of triceps after a muscle group three days later, and the next day I’ll do the same with biceps to give them extra work plus also push extra nutrients in them to keep them fuller.

           

I always felt the best mind-muscle connection when keeping a three-second negative resistance on every rep, controlling the rep and feeling the muscle stretch back to its fully elongated position. That creates such an incredible burn in the muscle that your mind has no choice but to feel the connection. I feel if a muscle is burning then it’s under constant tension. Also, that burn represents the anaerobic threshold, which means you are forcing more blood into the muscle, which becomes momentarily trapped (the pump), which creates massive lactic acidosis and increases growth hormone as a response.

           

My second method that worked for me is that I almost always start my arm workouts with a superset. Not only does this help me get a great pump but it also warms up the joints before I get into heavier or compound lifts. This is particularly important for the elbows, because heading right into heavy weights on any type of extension or pressing movement will eventually lead to issues such as tendinitis, arthritis, and bone spurs. One thing to really pay attention to especially when doing triceps is that when you apply that negative resistance on every rep, after the first couple of sets when you straighten your arms and flex your triceps they should feel like they are close to cramping up. That’s a good way to know you’re engaging them throughout the whole motion.

           

Here is an example what an arm workout of mine might look like. With all these exercises I use a three-second negative on all reps.

 

Bent Bar Pushdowns

5 x15-12

Superset with

Bent Overhead Extensions

5 x 12

(Where you turn your back to the stack and bend over at the waist)

 

Close-grip Bench Press

4 x 10-12

OR

Lying Triceps Extensions

4 x 10-12

 

Dips, Dip Machine, or Bench Dips

4 x12 or failure

 

Palms-up Dumbbell Curls

5 x 10-12

Superset with

 

Dumbbell Hammer Curls

5 x 10-12

(On the last set of both, I’ll tack on 3-4 partials from the stretched position after reaching failure)

 

Wide EZ-bar Curls

4 x 10-12

One-arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls

4 x 12

 

Striving for the Wow Factor

           

Q: Have you ever asked the judges what you need to place better? I’ve always been confused why you don’t place better or win shows. You’re almost always the most ripped man on stage!

           

A: Thank you and honestly, I think my time is coming. I know I needed to bring up my arms and I have. I needed more quad sweep to make my waist look narrower and I’ve done that. I look at myself unbiased and see what will make me look better and more complete. That’s all I can do and I’m doing that! As far as asking, yes I have and I’ve been told I’m not big enough and I understand that. There are some huge men in the IFBB Pro League open bodybuilding division. But one time I was told I’m not hard enough, when as you said I’m almost always the hardest guy in the show, so I stopped asking and just keep working. I had someone comment to me before saying I think you get overlooked at times because nothing pops out, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. I mean you are so evenly balanced, and although you are ripped to the bone and hard as nails, it’s not enough to stand out to the judges. People say wow, look at his arms or look at his legs, or look at his back, but don’t consider the whole package at times. They can get impressed by freaky body parts. I can see how that may be possible even for myself, because when I look at someone like Roelly, my eyes are drawn to him because of his overall mass even if he’s not the sharpest on stage. I can see how the judges might see the same thing. Even though I don’t have that wow factor, I’m doing my best to be the best bodybuilder I possibly can!

           

Thank you, everyone, for all your support as I try to keep climbing the ranks and hopefully get my first W soon!

 

Josh’s Current Pre-, Intra- and Post-workout Stack

           

Pre workout: ½ scoop Carbion, 1 scoop Impact Igniter

Intra-workout: 2 scoops Carbion, 1 scoop Aminocore, 1 scoop Impact Pump, 5g Creatine, 10g Glutamine

Post-workout: 2 scoops Isoflex (PB chocolate), 10g Glutamine

 

Please send questions for this column to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.teamwadefitness.com

Instagram: @ifbbprojoshwade and @teamallmax

For more information, visit allmaxnutrition.com

 

 

 

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