12 Week Lean Muscle Trainer Day 5:Arms And Abs

This is your last weight-training workout for Week 1 on my 12-Week Lean Muscle Program. Today we’ll be hitting arms and abs. I like to train my biceps and triceps together, and I also like to alternate moves for these muscles groups by incorporating circuits and supersets. That makes for a more efficient workout as well as giving priority to these muscle groups.

We’ll hit biceps and triceps from a variety of angles using different moves and training protocols such as dumbbells, machines, ropes and barbells. As we get deeper into this 12-Week Lean Muscle Program, I’ll also be including some arm-busting intensity techniques that will challenge your brain as much as your biceps and triceps—but more about that later.

Remember to perform 15 minutes of steady-state cardio upon rising. As we get deeper into this 12-week program I’ll provide more suggestions about when and how to perform cardio.

Today’s workout begins with a circuit or superset of triceps extensions and cable curls. This combo is a great strategy for growth. To perform these two moves, you need to prepare all of your equipment ahead of time, setting up both so you can transition immediately from one to the other without rest. You’ll perform a set of triceps extensions with a rope, followed immediately by cable curls. Then you’ll rest 1 minute between each of these 3 combo moves. Don’t forget to stretch your target muscle groups during your rest periods. Check out my video for examples on how to stretch both your biceps and triceps.

After you’ve completed your first combo move, you’ll transition to lying triceps extensions with a barbell, combined with neutral-grip barbell curls. For these exercises, you’ll perform 3 sets of 15 reps each, resting 1-2 minutes between each pair. Note that you use the same barbell for each move to keep your transition time during the transition between the triceps and biceps moves as short as possible.

After this, we’ll perform our finishing moves for triceps—bench dips to failure, adding weight as you can. You want to fail around 15 reps or so, but you can also reduce weight (placed on your upper legs) and pump out a few more reps to take your triceps to a deeper form of failure. With Danielle, I had her place her feet on the floor with bent legs—that’s another variation to reduce load on the triceps. Note that I have Kai perform them with straight legs. Use the variation that’s right for you to reach failure with quality reps at about 15.

Then comes your finishing move for biceps: alternating dumbbell curls. We’ll perform these standing, and we’ll complete 3 sets of 15 reps per arm. Rest 1-2 minutes between each set of these arms exercises. Notice how I turn the dumbbell at the beginning of concentric (raising) phase to work the biceps more.

Today, you’ll also perform 5 supersets of abs work. You’ll alternate sets of lying leg raises with raised leg crunches. Perform 20 reps of lying leg raises followed immediately by 20 crunches. Notice that I’m holding Danielle’s leg for the raised leg crunches—you can use any form of support or you can go with no support. The key is to perform these two moves as a superset. Then you’ll rest only about 30-40 seconds between each of these 5 supersets.

At this point, you have completed all of the weight-training workouts for the first week on my 12-Week Lean Muscle Program. On the Day 6 page, I’ll discuss active rest and recovery, explaining what you should do over the weekend to prepare yourself for the upcoming week, and I’ll provide a video tip to help make sure you adhere to all aspects of this program.

Cardio

15 minutes

Steady-state upon waking

Workout

Triceps extensions 3 Sets/15 Reps SUPERSET triceps extensions and cable curls, resting 1 minute between each superset
Cable curls 3 Sets/15 Reps
Lying triceps extensions (skullcrushers) 3 Sets/15 Reps Circuit Combo Lying Triceps Extensions & Neutral-Grip Barbell Curls. Rest 1-2 minutes between sets
Neutral-grip barbell curls 3 Sets/15 Reps
Bench dips 3 Sets/Failure Rest 1-2 minutes between sets
Dumbbell curls 3 Sets/15 per arm Rest 1-2 minutes between sets
Lying leg raises 5 Sets/20 Sets SUPERSET lying leg raises and crunches, resting 30-40 seconds between each superset
Crunches 5 Sets/20 Sets

GETHIN’S GO-TO:

One of my less common tips is that I recommend you try to sleep with your arms straight after training your biceps and triceps. Keeping your biceps extended while sleeping will help reduce soreness a bit and allow for a greater range of motion without feeling as much exercise-induced pain the next day.

WHAT SUPP?

HYDRA-CHARGE® This product helps you stay hydrated, volumize your muscle cells, and improve exercise performance. Adding HYDRA-CHARGE to your water every day also adds flavor, encouraging you to drink more fluid. It provides essential electrolytes and antioxidants, which supports general health. It can also act as a flavoring system that other amino acids are added to. I like to mix it in my gallon jug to sip through the day.

DOSE AND TIMING: I recommend you get in about 3 servings of HYDRA-CHARGE each day. The best way to do this is to mix up a large jug of water and add 2-3 scoops of HYDRA-CHARGE and sip on it throughout the day. I’ve listed times when you should emphasize consumption of fluids and HYDRA-CHARGE in the charts that follow