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Classic Physique Star Chris Bumstead’s Off-Season Arm Training

The Classic Physique phenomenon shares the workout and tips he incorporates for impressive arms.

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Chris Bumstead's Off-Season Arm Training
Richard Numeroff
Chris Bumstead's Off-Season Arm Training
Richard Numeroff

Chris Bumstead uses his off season to bring up lagging muscles. This year, that means focusing on arms. Therefore, he includes not one, but three days of arm training over the course of his training week. He makes sure to hit every angle of his biceps and triceps to form well-rounded, gigantic arms.

Check out his tips and workout below to sculpt hulking arms.

Tips from Chris:

  • I use a close grip when performing Smith Machine bench presses on a slight incline. With the security of the Smith Machine, you can go heavier and experiment with different grips.
  • It can be easy to lose your form when curling with an EZ-Bar. Just avoid excessively swinging your arms so you get the most out of the move for your biceps and avoid any injuries
  • To focus on my biceps, I like to start with alternating dumbbells curls, seated on a slight incline, for a couple of sets before ending with a burnout set using both arms. To get the most pump from the burnout set, I like to use lighter weights for these curls.
  • To make sure I hit all sides of my biceps and triceps, I incorporate a lot of cross-body moves, including cross-body hammer curls and cross-body cable tricep extensions.
  • I prefer to perform my reverse-grip curls using a preset barbell, but dumbbells or an EZ-Bar are alternatives.

Return to PHYSIQUE PHENOM for more training tips from Chris Bumstead>>

Routine

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Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 2 of 9

Skull Crusher

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
3
Reps
12-15
Rest
--
How to
Superset with Straight-Bar Cable Tricep Extension
Exercise 3 of 9

Cable Pressdown

Equipment
Adjustable Cable Machine, V-Handle Attachment
Sets
3
Reps
20-25
Rest
--
Use straight bar.
Exercise 4 of 9

EZ-Bar Curl

Equipment
EZ-Bar
Sets
6
Reps
8-12*
Rest
--
*Perform 2 light warmup sets for 10-12 reps, then 4 sets of 8-10 with heavier weight.
Exercise 5 of 9

Seated Incline Dumbbell Curl

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
5/arm*
Rest
--
*Alternate arms holding 'resting' arm at top of movement for isometric hold.
Exercise 6 of 9

Seated Incline Dumbbell Curl

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
1
Reps
to failure*
Rest
--
*Following the alternating curls, perform seated incline dumbbell curl with both arms simultaneously until failure.
Equipment
Adjustable Cable Machine, Rope Attachment
Sets
3
Reps
12-15/arm
Rest
--
Perform the movement across your body, starting at opposing shoulder and ending with arm by your side; Superset with Reverse Grip Barbell Curls.
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