Tom Venuto's BodybuildingSecrets.com - Check Out The New "Mountain Peak" Biceps Program

Check Out The New “Mountain Peak” Biceps Program

Tom Venuto, CSCS, CPT

Saturday, July 30th, 2005. Chest, biceps and abs today with Kostas Mar. For chest today, it was business as usual, using no less than a half a dozen different intensity techniques to make light or moderate weights feel heavier. For biceps, it was onward and upward to some new stuff… some straightforward heavy barbell curls, and this kick-ass new superset combo… you gotta check out this one!

CHEST

A1 Incline dumbbell Press: 3 warm ups sets; Set 1: 60 lbs, 65 lbs, 70 lbs X 6, 6, 6 reps (ascending set); Set 2: 60 lbs, 65 lbs, 70 lbs X 6, 6, 6 reps (ascending set), superset into flyes 40 lbs X 15 reps
B1 Pec deck flyes (streamline machine): Set 1:140 lbs X 12 reps, change grip handle, then 10 more reps; Set 2: 130 lbs X 12 reps, change grip handle, then 4 full reps, 4 1/2 reps @bottom, 4 full reps, 4 half reps at top, 4 full reps
C1 Cable Crossover: Set 1: 70 lbs X 15 reps pull low; Set 2: 70 lb X 15 reps pull middle; Set 3: 70 lbs X 15 reps alternate between low/middle
D1 Hammer Incline: Set 1: 80 lbs per side X 12 reps X 4022 tempo (strict); Set 2: 90 lbs (2 plates) per side X 10 reps X 4022 tempo (strict), drop to 1 plate X 12 more reps

BICEPS

A1 Barbell Curl: warm up sets; Set 1: 115 lbs X 11 reps; Set 2: 125 lbs X 8 reps; Set 3: 135 lbs X 5 reps; Set 4: 85 lbs X 10 reps drag curls (elbows back, bar within 1” of body), then 6 more reps, regular form; Set 5: 75 lbs X 8 reps drag curls, then 6 more reps, regular range of motion
B1 Curl grip chin up: Set 1 bodyweight X 11 reps X 4021 tempo (slow & strict); Set 2: bodyweight X 9 reps X 4021 tempo
B2 Incline Dumbbell Curl: Set 1: 30 lbs X 10 reps, out to sides; Set 2: 30 lbs X 8 reps, palms front, then stand up 6 more reps regular DB curls
C1 Two arm pulley curls on crossover machine: 1 set X 50 lbs X 10 reps; 1 set X 40 lbs X 8 reps both arms then 6 more reps alternating

FOREARMS

A1 Dumbbell wrist curl: 4 sets X 45 lbs X 12 reps per arm

ABS

A1 Kneeling Cable Crunch: 3 sets X 62.5 lbs X 20 reps
A2 Serratus/oblique cable crunch (standing with 1 pulley): 3 sets X 52.5 lbs X 20 reps per side
B1 Weighted crunch: 3 sets X 25 lbs X 20 reps

Workout Commentary

For todays chest workout, I used the following techniques: ascending sets, supersets, grip changes, angle of movement change, half reps, descending sets, slow negatives, and peak contraction. I’m adapting pretty well without heavy training and the pecs look as good as ever, except for the indentation where you can actually see the pec tear (gets even more visible the leaner I get)

For biceps, it was time for a whole new routine. I started with barbell curls fairly heavy, going up to 135 lbs for 5 with good form. Not setting any records for weight here, but it’s heavy enough to keep the size in my arms. After the heavy sets, I did two more sets of straight barbell curls drag-curl style (elbows back, “drag” bar within 1” of body)

The next superset for biceps was VERY “interesting”… check this out: I supersetted close grip chin ups (curl grip, of course), done very strict, focusing hard on the biceps not the back, supersetted into incline dumbbell curls. This is a killer combination. There’s something about supersetting an elbows-forward contraction emphsasis bicep exercise with an elbows back stretch bicep exercise that really socks it to those biceps. I was SORE the day after this one.

Biceps concluded with the “peaking” exercise, overhead two arm pulley curls, and then I threw in several sets of quick one arm dumbbell wrist curls.

Some readers have emailed me wondering when I train my abs. I havent always logged in my abs because sometimes I come back at night to do them and I forget to write it in the blog, but rest assured, abs are getting hit twice weekly on chest/bicep day and on shoulders/tricep day.

In the off season, I only train abs once a week. It doesn’t take much to develop your abs - the hard part is getting them to show by reducing the body fat that covers them. I guess you could say right now I have a nice “six pack”… on my way to a razor-sharp “eight pack”…