Range of Motion Triple Add Sets for Biceps and Triceps

Let me just clear something up right away, before you freak out and say "gaining an inch on your arms in 6 minutes is impossible!"...

You're absolutely right!

Gaining a PERMANENT inch on your arms in 6 minutes is absolutely not possible.

However...gaining a TEMPORARY inch on your arms due to the massive influx of blood from the training technique I'm about to show you IS completely possible...

And a whole lot of fun!

And the technique that will do it for you is what I call the Range-of-Motion Triple Add Set.

This is a GREAT technique that I came up with to solve a problem I had...Triple Drop Sets don't work well for me. Don't get me wrong, some people see very good results from them. I'm just not one of them.

I was doing the work and not seeing the payoff.

So in response to my issue with Triple Drop Sets, I started using Triple Add Sets, where instead of reducing the weight, you actually ADD weight. I would use this technique to cover all the muscle fiber types, starting with very light weight and doing very high reps (e.g. 30 to 50+) then increase the weight and do 6 to 8 reps, then increase once more and do 1 to 3 reps.

And this technique works GREAT. It's incredibly intense and targets Type 1 fibers (slow-twitch endurance), then Type 2a (fast-twitch, hypertrophy-oriented) and 2b fibers (fast-twitch explosive-oriented).

The main issue I found with the "normal" Triple Add Set technique was having to change the weight on each of the "adds". For example, when doing this with barbell bench press, you have to either have partners to change weight for you or you have to take the time to add plates yourself.

Or if you're using dumbbells, you have to have 3 sets of dumbbells ready to go. This is fine in a home gym, but not always practical in a commercial gym where you have to share equipment.

So I came up with THIS "range-of-motion" version of the Triple Add Set.

You're going to keep the weight exactly the same and add range of motion to the exercise instead of increasing the weight.

I found it to be extremely effective and VERY intense. It's now one of my favorite techniques for really torching a muscle fast and finishing a set with MAXIMUM tension rather than minimum tension, which is another issue I have with the drop set technique.

Now, to specifically target the arms, I've picked out two exercises to use...the barbell curl and the pushdown.

What you're going to do is essentially "superset" these two exercises in Triple Add Set fashion, starting with barbell curls and finishing with pushdowns.

By the time you finish the training (it'll take about 5 or 6 minutes all told), your arms will be pumped up like giant sausages.

So not only are you going to get the benefits of working all the muscle fiber types in your arm muscles, the massive influx of blood has numerous benefits as well (most notably improving microcirculation in the muscles, which helps set the stage for more efficient nutrient and oxygen transport, which directly improves growth capability in muscles).

ROM Triple Add Sets for Barbell Curls...

Take a weight you could normally do full range for 12 to 15 reps or so.

Curl it up to the top position then do very short range partial movements for as many reps as you can. This should be at least 30 reps and you can use a fairly fast pace for these. Just do your best to keep tension on the biceps the whole time.

When you've done as many reps as you can, set the bar down then rest 10 seconds.

Pick it up again and bring it back up to the top position (and I say bring it back up because when doing this, it's fine to use a bit of a cheat/momentum to assist - we'll be doing full-range curls last so there's no need to compromise your strength in this phase by trying to be strict).

In the next phase, you're going to start at the top and lower the bar to just above the sticking point (which is usually 90 degrees of elbow flexion).

This should be a slower, more controlled movement than the first part. Lower the bar then pause at that mid-range position briefly before curling it back up without momentum, focusing on squeezing the biceps hard.

When you've done 6 to 8 reps (or as many as you can get), set the bar down and rest 10 seconds again.

Pick it up and get ready to do FULL range curls.

What began as a weight you could get 12 to 15 reps with will now be a struggle to get 1 to 3 reps with.

You've pre-fatigued your biceps according to the range of motion, which means that the entire range of motion will be pretty much a constant-tension strength test the whole way up. You will feel a MASSIVE contraction in your biceps as your body recruits more motor units than it's used to in order to move the weight.

Do as many reps as you can with good form (notice I didn't say "strict"...I'll tell you right up front, these reps are going to be tough and they may not be pretty, but the pre-fatiguing is going to make them very effective regardless).

These reps should be performed with power...try to accelerate the bar up with minimum momentum or body movement (if you have to, a little will be ok, as I mentioned above).

You're done with barbell curls and at this point, you will probably be having a hard time straightening out your arms (it's a good feeling).

Now, head over to the high pulley, which should be set up for pushdowns. You can take 20 to 30 seconds rest or so between finishing the curls and starting the pushdowns so in that respect, it's not necessarily a "true" superset. Very close, though.

ROM Triple Add Set for Pushdowns...

Again, the weight should be something you could normally do for 12 to 15 reps of full range training. I like to use the upside-down V bar on the pushdowns, but you can use whatever attachment you find works best for you.

Push down into the bottom position.

Let the bar come up a few inches then push back down.

Yes, the range of motion we're going to use here is the bottom part, going into lockout.

Do as many reps as you can in this range, aiming for at least 30+ reps.

When you've finished, let the weight up, then rest 10 seconds and start the next phase.

Get the bar down into the bottom position again.

Now let it up come up to just below the sticking point, which like the barbell curl is elbows bent 90 degrees.

Repeat with tight form and a controlled movement for 6 to 8 reps (or as many as you can get). Use a deliberate movement with no momentum and a hard squeeze at the bottom.

When you're done, rest 10 seconds then prepare for full-range reps.

A little body movement is ok here, in order to get the reps. As in the barbell curls, the key here is the pre-fatiguing of the muscles before you hit this full-range movement and using a powerful movement to really light up those Type 2b fibers (those are the ones that fire explosively).

You're done.

Step away from the cable stack and let all the blood rush into your arms.

They will truly feel (and very possibly even BE) an inch bigger by the time you've completed this superset.

You can also perform Range-of-Motion Triple Add Sets for Chin-Ups.

And you can perform Range-of-Motion Triple Add Sets for Bench Press.

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