How many bodybuilders does it take to change a light bulb?
Four. One to change the bulb. One to spot him. And two to tell him afterwards how big his arms look in the new light.
That well-armed punchline is one every serious trainer understands, for biceps and triceps were, are and, no doubt, always will be bodybuilding's most wanted muscles.
Teenage Johnnie Jackson also desired sleeve-stretching arms, but his chest, back and traps expanded much faster. Even at age 30, when he won the 2001 NPC National Championships (light heavyweight and overall), Jackson's upper limbs still lagged.
Today, although his biceps are nearly in line with his other bodyparts,
Jackson continues to place special emphasis on them, evaluating every aspect of every exercise and technique, and sometimes doing extra workouts.
Despite being one of the world's best IFBB pros, in at least one respect,
Johnnie Jackson has something in common with every other bodybuilder, including you. He wants bigger arms, too.
We grilled him for the inside scoop on how he grew his bi's and tri's through the years, how he intends to keep them growing and what everyone should be doing to attain arms that are no joke — the kind of guns that garner attention, regardless of the lighting. |
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FLEX: Has your arm training changed much over the years?
JOHNNIE JACKSON: Not really. It's been about getting in tune with the muscles, so I really feel them working. When you do deadlifts or some other heavy lift, you focus on form — the movement you're working through. You don't really think much about specific muscles contracting. Arm training is all about feeling the muscles working, so you need to flex on every exercise.
Are there arm exercises you did in the past that you don't do now?
I used to do a lot of close-grip benches for triceps. I don't do them as often now because they put extra pressure on the shoulders, and as you age, that's not a good thing. But close-grip benches are definitely a great triceps mass exercise that younger guys should do.
People think of you as a power trainer, but in your current arm routine, your reps are mostly in the 10-15 range. Why is that?
I'm trying to push more blood into the muscles now, and I get a better pump with higher reps. There are times when I do lower reps for arms, like six to eight reps in most sets. When I do lower reps, my last set of every exercise is followed by a drop set [an additional, immediate set with a lighter weight]. I change up the volume of my training. Once I feel that my body is used to the way I'm working out, I'll change gears and go either more towards power, heavy weights and fewer reps, or more towards volume with lighter weights and higher reps. I change my routine depending on where I'm at with respect to a competition, and also how I feel and how my body is
adjusting to what I'm doing.
How often do you train arms?
Once per week. I train bi's and tri's in the same workout. I do bi's before tri's because I believe my bi's need more work to catch up with my tri's, so I hit them first when I have the most energy. Also, I don't really like training bi's. They're my least favourite muscles to train, so, again, I do them when I have the most energy; I save my dessert, triceps, for when I've finished the vegetables, biceps.
It's unusual to hear someone say biceps training is his least favourite. I guess it's because it's never been a strong point. We most like training what we're strongest in. Also, bi's are boring. All you can do is curl.
Do you ever superset biceps exercises with triceps exercises?
I'll sometimes do an extra arm workout on Saturdays to superset bi's and tri's, going back and forth. I'm trying to get a good pump on that day to bring blood to the area and aid growth. For the same reason, I used to do some biceps exercises during almost every workout.
Why do you do both straight barbell curls and EZ-bar curls in the same workout?
Each one hits a different angle of the biceps. Barbell curls hit more of the inner biceps and EZ-bar curls hit more of the outer biceps. And I feel I can go a little heavier with a straight bar than an EZ bar. With a straight bar, my grip is a little closer than shoulder width. I like the inner grip of an EZ bar because I get more power out of it, but it's uncomfortable for me now, so I take the outer grip.
The way you perform cable concentration curls is unique. Can you tell our readers how to do these?
I've been doing these forever. I do them at a low-cable station, resting the elbow of the arm I'm working against the side of the same knee [right arm against right knee and vice versa]. I position myself so that in the beginning position of each rep my arm is parallel to the floor. That keeps constant tension on the biceps. When you use a dumbbell [for concentration curls], there isn't much focus on the biceps at the bottom of the movement, but the way I position myself with the low cable, I feel the weight tugging on my biceps even at the bottom. This is the only one-arm exercise I'm currently doing for bi's.
I like to do these for higher reps [15] and really focus on each arm.
When performing alternating hammer curls, why do you bring the dumbbells up across your body?
I feel it more in the outer biceps that way. The movement works the outer biceps, brachialis and the forearms, too. In addition to bringing the dumbbells up and across my body — when I curl with my right hand it ends up by my left pec at the top — I also turn my wrist in [so my palm is facing down] at the top of each rep, to hit the forearm a little more.
I notice that when you do triceps pushdowns you keep your elbows a little in front of your body. Why do you do them that way?
If I'm using a bar it's usually more comfortable to keep my elbows a little bit in front of me, but if I use a rope I usually keep my elbows back [at my sides]. It's a matter of finding the best position to do them strictly. I always go with higher reps for these. I like to get a strong squeeze at contraction. It's not necessary to lock out the
joint, as long as you get close to that and squeeze hard.
Why do you prefer a straight bar for lying triceps extensions, and what do you focus on?
I use an Olympic bar — it's a longer bar than most people use. I think this makes me work to balance it more.
At the same time, I always keep my feet on the floor instead of on the bench, to stay steady throughout. Keep your elbows over your forehead throughout the movement. A lot of people bring their elbows forward to make it easier by using more of their shoulders. By keeping your elbows over your forehead, you'll be focusing on keeping constant tension on the triceps. I bring the bar down to a little bit past my forehead.
I know you have a new twist, so to speak, on dumbbell kickbacks. Can you share it with our readers?
I do both arms simultaneously, and I bring the dumbbells up and out, away from my body a little bit. When I bring them up, I twist my wrists so my palms are up at the contractions.
Charles Glass taught me how to do this. It makes for a much harder squeeze at the end. It's amazing how much that small movement improves the exercise.
Where's your focus when you do triceps extensions on a machine?
I like to do these on a machine that looks like a preacher bench, so my upper arms are angled down throughout the movement. I grip the two handles, like doing hammer curls, and push the weight down with just my triceps. I focus on keeping my arms on the pads throughout and getting the maximum flex of the triceps.
What do you say when someone asks you how to get big arms?
I ask him what he's doing to try to get giant arms and if he's seeing any improvements. Depending on what kind of workout he's been doing, I try to give him a sample routine that changes things up. Usually, people either train too light with too many machines and not enough intensity, or they go too heavy so they don't get full reps and they don't really focus on the muscles.
If you're doing something for a certain amount of time and are not seeing results, then change. Don't keep doing the same thing.
What's the most important factor when it comes to arm training?
People aren't focusing on their bi's and tri's enough. You have to get full movements with hard contractions. Flex at the end of every rep. Arm training isn't that complicated. You just have to focus completely throughout every rep. Published: October 2007 |
