Day 13:Arms

You’ll put every ounce of energy you have into the workout, but you shouldn’t feel as exhausted by this one as you do for the other body parts. For that reason, I want you to start thinking about your recovery and diet from the start of the day. Keep everything super strict today. You’re going to get a much-needed break tomorrow, and then it’s back to the grindstone on Monday with legs.

With that said, I really want you to emphasize those volume sets at the end of today’s workouts. You’re going to drop weights for the last set of every exercise and force in more of a contraction at the top than you need. So, what that means is that you’ll exaggerate the contraction, squeezing extra hard and holding that for an extra second with each rep. Get as many reps as you can for that last set; don’t limit yourself to 15. Go for quality over quantity.

OPERATION AESTHETIC NOTES

*Note that for virtually all biceps and triceps moves I use that technique I love for the last set—going down the ladder with high reps and lighter weight. I think that’s especially important when you’re dieting to bring out detail.

*For biceps, virtually all moves are a curl of some sort or another. The biggest difference between exercises is the type of bar and angle. With that said, you can create a lot of variety by performing moves unilaterally (one arm at a time) or bilaterally (both arms at the same time). Dumbbells allow you to make this choice.

EXERCISE	COMMENT
EZ-bar curls You can choose a different handle or grip from one workout to the next, or you can stick with the one that works best for you.	5 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15 REPS
Seated incline curls Choose the weight that allows you to perform all reps without cheating for this move. It’s a challenge to your biceps tendons so maintain strict control throughout.	5 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15 REPS
Hammer curls Emphasize the contraction on the outside of your arms where you can better feel your brachialis. I’m performing this move one arm at a time to really focus on the working side.	4 SETS / 12, 9, 6, 15 REPS
Standing one-arm cable curls I’m performing this move one arm at a time to really focus on the working side.	4 SETS / 12, 9, 6, 15REPS
One-arm dumbbell triceps extensions Performing this overhead exercise stretches the inner heads of the triceps, which lie along the inside of your arms.	5 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15 REPS*
Lying dumbbell triceps extensions I take these pretty deep for the overhead reps, but I keep my elbow still throughout.	5 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15 REPS
Triceps rope pressdowns You can use another handle if ropes don’t work well for you, but I think this handle targets triceps best for improving detail.	5 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15 REPS
Dips Find the apparatus and grip that targets your triceps best—you don’t want to turn this into a chest exercise.	4 SETS / Burnout*

TIP: You can take the length of your cardio sessions up a little more today if you want—steady-state cardio is a crucial component of fat loss, and you’re going to have a full rest day tomorrow. Still, don’t take up the intensity.