My New Years Resolution: JUICY Arms

​Cutoff holiday sweater season is in full swing. It’s dark most of the time. Comfort foods abound. Instagram is overflowing with cringy ski and snowboard fail videos. And hammering a dry scoop of preworkout then jumping right into 225# bench presses isn’t quite enough to warmup now that it’s a balmy 30 degrees in the gym. Winter is upon us, the holidays are here and 2023 is right around the corner! 

This is the time of year I always recommend folks start thinking about getting back to the basics with training, revisiting core movements and taking care of lagging body parts. Every year in December I throw my clients into a GPP & Foundations phase of training to firm up that fitness foundation for bigger gainz down the line and into the new year. This includes training segments for lagging body parts, addressing imbalances, and building armor. One of my all-time crowd faves is the 8 Week Juicy Arms Protocol!

TLDR: If your list of 2023 New Years Resolutions starts with a set of 2 JUICY, toned, sleeve-busting arms then don’t miss this program! It’s a quick, simple, progressive addition to your training that requires just 2 dumbbells and a dream. Here are the basics:

Juicy basics.

• 3 days per week
• You’ll hit each segment BOTH before and after training
• Focus on getting a good squeeze and contraction in
• Try to keep rest and transitions to a minimum
• Segments shouldn’t take much more than 5 to 10 minutes
• All days can be done with the same set of db’s so you can put a set (or cinder blocks, gallon jugs, or whatever) next to your couch or desk and be ready to smash the ‘ol pythons. 
• When I started the program, I used 25# dumbbells and by week 8 I was repping 40’s.
• Cinderblocks from Lowes or Home Depot weigh around 30# a piece and cost less than $2 each. No excuses. You could also get creative and use a band, light barbell or other implement.
• Make sure to measure at the beginning and end!

WEEK #1: It Begins.

FIRST, measure your arms with tailor’s tape, make note of the date and size, and snap a quick starting pic to compare to at the end. You can buy a tape measure on amazon HERE for $4.

Perform the below before training and after training. The A1, A2, and A3 indicate a superset so you’ll do set 1 of bicep curls, then set 1 of tricep extensions, followed by set 1 of hammer curls and repeat for sets 2 and 3.

A1- 3x8e Standing Alternating Bicep Curls
A2- 3x8 Lying Tricep Extensions
A3- 3x8e Standing Alternating Hammer Curls

WEEK #2: Different Exercises. Still 3x8.

​A1- 3x8 Standing Hammer Curls
A2- 3x8e Standing Single Arm Tricep Extensions
A3- 3x8e Standing Single Arm Concentration Curls

WEEK #3: Different Exercises. Now 4x8 each!

​A1- 4x8e Standing Single Arm Zottman Curls
A2- 4x8 Seated Bench Dips
A3- 4x8 Seated Hammer Curls

WEEK #4: Same Exercises as Week #1. Now 4x8!

​We’re halfway! Keep working! Remember that dream? The one where YOUR ARMS got a nod from the gods? Channel that motivation and finish the second half of the protocol, STRONG!

WEEK #5: Week #2 Exercises. Now 4x9!
WEEK #6: Week #3 Exercises. Now 4x10!
WEEK #7: Week #1 Exercises. Now 4x11!
WEEK #8: Week #2 Exercises. Now 4x12!

​Once you’ve finished this final week, snag your tape measure, take that final picture and smile!

juicy reminders.

• Remember, to keep the same movements and arrangement for the entire cycle. The only variation comes from the increase in reps over the course of the 8 weeks.
• If you want more then find a slightly heavier set of dumbbells and start the program over again!
• I perform a variation of this program every December and January (sometimes I apply it to my calf training too)! In 2017 I trained for a fitness photoshoot and sculpted a very respectable set of arms (below). The shoot went very well. 

Share this with anyone who wants (or needs) JUICY arms! If you enjoyed this, you’ll get MUCH MORE out of my EXPLORE PERFORMANCE Online program. The easiest way to get started is by shooting me a message or going through my website below. Most importantly, LET ME KNOW if you give this a try, how it works for you, and how it improves your performance!

You can find me @tomanocy on Instagram and through my business site exploreperformancehq.com. Feel free to reach out to me for any training, nutrition or coffee thoughts and be sure to tag me in any pics of your doggos! I’m a sucker for a light roast with half & half, and a good time at the dog park. Cheers!