If you asked 100 men why they first joined a gym and started lifting weights, a large portion of them would reference an action movie such as Rambo as their primary influence for making the first step into the fitness community. However, dreaming of owning an action hero physique and actually doing it are two very different things, as you are about to find out when we tackle the Sylvester Stallone arm workout below.
However, you would be wise to avoid the common mistake of presuming that movie stars have a secret formula or an easy way to sculpt the end product which you see on the silver screen. They do not.
The workout Sly Stallone used to build his sculpted arms is renowned for it's simplicity and it's brutality. While the exercises are very basic, the techniques deployed are certainly not basic!
This arm circuit is split into 4 stages, running through each muscle in the arm by itself to allow for greater focus on the area in question. We will cover a section for biceps, forearms, triceps and a cool down phase. Each phase is performed as a circuit four times.
Dumbbell Hammer Curl - Go quite heavy on this exercise for 12 reps while your biceps are still at their full ability.
Dumbbell Curl on an incline bench - 15 reps with a bench set to a 45 degree angle.
Biceps Curl using an EZ bar - The fundamental biceps exercise, perform 12 reps using a regular grip before switching to a much harder wide grip and forcing out a few more.
Flat Cable Curls - Pull a flat bench underneath a cable pulley station and lie on it. Curl down towards your head. The constant tension provided by the cables will make this variation of a curl much more difficult, so aim for 15 reps with a significantly lighter load.
Zottman Curl - Bring your forearms into the equation for the final 10 reps of the biceps section with this move. It's a regular biceps curl twinned with a great forearm builder by simply putting a twist at the top of the motion so that your wrist is facing away from you. You need 12 reps here.
After four rounds of the biceps circuit, we move on to the second phase which focuses on our forearms in a lot more depth than most guys currently do in the gym. Try to perform 20 repetitions of Reverse Curls, Wrist Curls, Reverse Wrist Curls and Handshake Curls before finishing off by simply hanging from a pull up station for as long as possible to work on your grip strength.
Triceps are the biggest muscle involved in this particular gym session and it is important to remember that factor when deciding upon what weight to use. Go as heavy as possible for the reps prescribed to maximize your results. It begins with a set of 10 Close-Grip Bench Presses.
Bench Dips form a large part of this phase. Perform them to failure before moving onto a set of 12 Triceps Pushdowns with a rope attachment. Then go back into dips until you reach failure again and finish off with 20 Dumbbell Kickbacks.
Only a cool down phase remains, but by this point in time you might be tempted to quit. That would be a bad idea, as cool downs have been shown to help prevent blood pooling and dizziness. It only consists of a Plank held t failure three times and a closing out set of close-grip push ups.
Upon completion of this workout you will probably have a huge amount of respect the next time you see an action hero on the big screen with a sculpted, lean physique. The exercises are simple and proven, but the high intensity circuit approach puts a totally new spin on things and proves to be the downfall of most participants.
The Sylvester Stallone arm workout is one of the oldest and most effective ways to blast your arms with a completely new approach. It is a well known workout and one which has been attempted many times in gyms around the world. Now it's your turn.
However, you would be wise to avoid the common mistake of presuming that movie stars have a secret formula or an easy way to sculpt the end product which you see on the silver screen. They do not.
The workout Sly Stallone used to build his sculpted arms is renowned for it's simplicity and it's brutality. While the exercises are very basic, the techniques deployed are certainly not basic!
This arm circuit is split into 4 stages, running through each muscle in the arm by itself to allow for greater focus on the area in question. We will cover a section for biceps, forearms, triceps and a cool down phase. Each phase is performed as a circuit four times.
Dumbbell Hammer Curl - Go quite heavy on this exercise for 12 reps while your biceps are still at their full ability.
Dumbbell Curl on an incline bench - 15 reps with a bench set to a 45 degree angle.
Biceps Curl using an EZ bar - The fundamental biceps exercise, perform 12 reps using a regular grip before switching to a much harder wide grip and forcing out a few more.
Flat Cable Curls - Pull a flat bench underneath a cable pulley station and lie on it. Curl down towards your head. The constant tension provided by the cables will make this variation of a curl much more difficult, so aim for 15 reps with a significantly lighter load.
Zottman Curl - Bring your forearms into the equation for the final 10 reps of the biceps section with this move. It's a regular biceps curl twinned with a great forearm builder by simply putting a twist at the top of the motion so that your wrist is facing away from you. You need 12 reps here.
After four rounds of the biceps circuit, we move on to the second phase which focuses on our forearms in a lot more depth than most guys currently do in the gym. Try to perform 20 repetitions of Reverse Curls, Wrist Curls, Reverse Wrist Curls and Handshake Curls before finishing off by simply hanging from a pull up station for as long as possible to work on your grip strength.
Triceps are the biggest muscle involved in this particular gym session and it is important to remember that factor when deciding upon what weight to use. Go as heavy as possible for the reps prescribed to maximize your results. It begins with a set of 10 Close-Grip Bench Presses.
Bench Dips form a large part of this phase. Perform them to failure before moving onto a set of 12 Triceps Pushdowns with a rope attachment. Then go back into dips until you reach failure again and finish off with 20 Dumbbell Kickbacks.
Only a cool down phase remains, but by this point in time you might be tempted to quit. That would be a bad idea, as cool downs have been shown to help prevent blood pooling and dizziness. It only consists of a Plank held t failure three times and a closing out set of close-grip push ups.
Upon completion of this workout you will probably have a huge amount of respect the next time you see an action hero on the big screen with a sculpted, lean physique. The exercises are simple and proven, but the high intensity circuit approach puts a totally new spin on things and proves to be the downfall of most participants.
The Sylvester Stallone arm workout is one of the oldest and most effective ways to blast your arms with a completely new approach. It is a well known workout and one which has been attempted many times in gyms around the world. Now it's your turn.
About the Author:
About the author: Successful online personal trainer Russ Howe PTI helps many people how to build their best body in the gym each day. Get your quick guide to the full sylvester stallone arm workout via his fitness website today.