NOTHING LUCKY ABOUT THESE HORSESHOES BY DARREM CHARLES - 2004 IFBB TORONTO PRO INVITATIONAL CHAMPION They have to be nailed into place Behind the pretty pictures of glory and muscle in the life of a top pro bodybuilder is a story you never see, unless you follow us into our sweaty caverns and watch, hear, feel and sense the strain and pain of our training. That’s a picture that’s not pretty. Each of us seems to have a signature pose — Ronnie Coleman’s lat spread, Lee Priest’s arms above his head, Kevin Levrone’s hands-clasped most-muscular, my side-triceps shot — but that’s where the beauty ends. You may think we were born with an aptitude for a certain standout bodypart — not so. To a man, we had to work it as hard and as smart as we could. My triceps, in particular, I work very hard, for two important reasons. First, located as they are on the back of the body, I don’t want them to be neglected because of the out-of-sight out-of-mind peril. Second, my biceps grow so fast that my triceps were, at one time, a come-from-behind muscle group. To be honest, I think they’re still a little behind my biceps. Many disagree, but I’m very hard on myself. I see so much more that can be done on them. Perfection is what I’m after and, to accomplish that, I’m using a three-pronged attack. 1 INTEGRATED TRAINING I think of my triceps as integrated with my chest and shoulder training. Since they naturally assist those two bodyparts in practically every exercise, I force my triceps to be even more involved by using compound movements — particularly heavy free-weight barbell and dumbbell presses — for my chest and shoulder workouts. I do this for other muscle groups, as well. For example, when I wanted more forearm mass, I concentrated not so much on forearm isolation exercises but on a lot of heavy back movements, thus stressing my grip and forearms. Likewise, for abs, I did a lot of heavy lower-back exercises to place compound stress on my abdominal girdle. 2 LOCKOUT I use a technique not often seen in triceps workouts: for every repetition, and for every exercise possible, I make sure I get a full extension, so my arm is completely straight. I then squeeze for a full two seconds, making sure every fibre has been activated and that a full pump and fatigue have been reached. I see plenty of guys just popping out the reps — for example, with bench presses. The difference is that a lockout for a chest exercise is a chance to also lock your shoulders and rest your chest, but a lockout for a triceps exercise only increases triceps flexion. 3 EXPLOSION AND ISOLATION DAYS My workouts alternate between heavy explosive movements one day and controlled isolation movements the next. Explosive workouts don’t shape anything, but they build overall mass, so I really hammer them with compounds and the Weider Cheating Training Principle: three exercises, three sets each, with reps of 10, eight and six. Isolation workouts are lighter, with a focus on form. They don’t add much mass, but they’re necessary to shape the muscle. On these days, I’ll use three or four exercises, three sets each, with reps of 15, 12 and 10. Explosion Exercises Cambered-bar cable pushdowns If you’re sceptical of my use of cables for mass, consider the following. First, this movement warms up the elbows safely and efficiently. Second, by pressing down instead of up, enormous strength can be applied, with less aggravation of the elbows. Lying triceps extensions and overhead extensions torque the elbows. To get the most out of an overhead movement, I feel more blood should be in the elbows and triceps. For technique, the usual pushdown rules apply: elbows close to the body, explode down to full extension, then hold for a count of two. Lying triceps extensions I’m now ready for this classic, using a cambered bar. Again, elbows in, explosive off the bottom, with a two-count squeeze at the top. I bring the bar not to my forehead or nose but to my hairline, not only because that’s the correct position, but for safety reasons as well. Remember: I’m using a lot of weight, and if something tears or gives out on the way down, I’ll be hurting. At the top, I also make sure I don’t come too far forward and involve the chest. Dumbbell kickbacks This is the only movement I do not hold at the top. I just kick it all the way back, keeping my upper arm parallel to the floor. To prevent swinging, I bring it forward only to the position at which the forearm is perpendicular to the floor. Isolation Exercises Rope pushdowns Again, the usual techniques apply — elbows in, full extension, two-count hold — but this time it’s all about form. I’m not too concerned with how much weight I’m lifting, but rather with the quality of my repetitions. Bench dips Most dip machines are too light; I prefer the old-school way, between two benches. First, I sit on a bench and tuck my hands at the outside of my hips. That’s the proper width. Closer is too hard on the wrists, and wider removes stress from the triceps. Many bodybuilders hold a weight plate on their laps, but because of the angle of my arms, I get more out of it by having someone push down on my shoulders during both the descent and the ascent. Here, too, I lock out at the top for a two-count. Seated one-arm dumbbell extensions Most important: I keep my body straight and the dumbbell moving straight up and down behind my head. Here is where I can really feel the two-count lockout at the top. One-arm reverse cable pushdowns My palm is facing upward, my elbow is against my body, and I extend all the way down for a two-count. This hits the long head very effectively; I can feel it all the way to the bottom of the triceps. I’ve really improved their mass length with these. FLEX CHEAT People talk about being “strict”, but they don’t seem to realise that you can’t train like Jane Fonda and have big muscles. You have to cheat a little bit, while being smart enough to know where to draw the line. The weight has to fight you. It’s not always “OK, now, nice and straight. Ready? All together . . . one, two . . . . ” DARREM CHARLES’ TRICEPS WORKOUT Explosive Day EXERCISE: Cambered-bar cable pushdowns, SETS: 3 REPS: 6-10 EXERCISE: Lying triceps extensions, SETS: 3 REPS: 6-10 EXERCISE: Dumbbell kickbacks, SETS: 3 REPS: 6-10 Isolation Day EXERCISE: Rope pushdowns, SETS: 3 REPS: 10-15 EXERCISE: Exercise: Bench dips, SETS: 3 REPS: 10-15 EXERCISE: Seated one-arm dumbbell extensions, SETS: 3 REPS: 10-15 EXERCISE: One-arm reverse cable pushdowns, SETS: 3 REPS: 10-15 NOTE: At the start of every workout, warm up with pushdowns: two sets of 20 reps each.