The 1000 rep arm workout is the ultimate solution for “My arms aren’t growing no matter what!”
The typical arm workout is completely generic.
It usually looks something like this:
- Four exercises
- Three sets of each exercise
- 6-12 reps for each set
Yawn.
No wonder you’re not making gains. Your muscles know what’s coming and they’re ready for it.
Here’s something you need to know:
Muscles adapt quickly and need new stimulation to grow. If you’re bored with your workout routine, there’s a good chance it’s worthless.
If you hit a wall with your training, you need to punch through it.
To punch through, you must try something different. Something that forces muscles to grow bigger and stronger.
Something like 1000 reps should do the trick. That’s something your muscles don’t expect.
As you know, insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. Insanity is also doing a 1000 rep arm workout, but at least you’ll get results. INSANE RESULTS.
So, if you’ve “tried it all” with no results, today is your lucky day.
Why Do a 1000 Rep Arm Workout?
Easy answer:
YOU DO IT FOR THE GAINS.
If you’ve been training for a while, you’re gains will start to slow.
You need to pull every trick in the book to keep making progress.
For example, my arms need a lot of stimulation to grow. I can absolutely ANNIHILATE my arms and the next day they feel fine, like I barely worked them.
So, every once in a while I take drastic measures to ‘shock’ my muscles.
The 1000 rep arm workout is no joke and no gimmick. It works the very first time you use it and every time after that.
The 1000 rep arm workout is however, a feat of endurance and will.
It’s agonizing – you’ll want to quit, you’ll want to cry and your muscles will burn deep to the bone.
But if you can gut it out, YOU WILL GROW.
My First Encounter with the 1000-Rep Arm Workout
I was at the gym and saw my buddy had a gigantic arm pump.
Clearly, it was arm day for him so I asked about his workout.
He had just a “1000-rep arm workout”.
He puled out his phone and showed me the workout. His hand was shaking too much for me to read the words on the screen.
Didn’t matter. I was sold. He sent me the workout (i actually texted it to myself from his phone because his hands were too shaky) and I proceeded promptly to my 1000 rep arm workout.
What was it like?
Imagine getting bear mace sprayed into your eyeballs, except your eyes are in your arms.
The burn was intense and pump was unreal. I thought my arms were going to explode.
So, yeah, it was pretty awesome.
If you want to try the 1000 rep arm workout for yourself, here is the version I did below.
Bicep Exerises
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
Alternating Dumbbell Curls, 14 sets of 10 reps (10 rep for each arm per set).
No rest is allowed for this exercises. You are running the rack pumping your arms like a maniac non stop.
The weight I used for each set is as follows: Set 1 – 20, set 2 – 25, 30, 35, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 15.
Now, you’re going to have to rest a little bit but the trick is to always be holding a weight. Never stop longer than you absolutely have to. Just take a few deep breaths and continue pumping reps.
Dumbbell Curl total = 280 reps
By this time my arms are already swollen. My skin feels tight and muscles are full of blood.
Straight Bar Preacher Curls
Preacher Curls, 4 sets of 20 reps.
I grabbed a 40 pound curling bar and got right to work. Just so you know, 20 reps is a lot for a set. Also, just so you know, I felt every one of them. My arms were screaming at me to stop.
The workout was gracious enough to grant one minute rest between sets. Which, conveniently, is just enough time to contemplate hiding in the locker room rather than face the 100’s of remaining reps.
After my forth set I shook out my arms and collect myself for the next exercise.
Straight Bar Preacher Curls = 80 reps
Concentration Curls
Up next we have Seated Dumbbell Concentration Curls, 4 sets of 20 reps.
I love concentration curls. They are my favorite lift to build my biceps. They allow you to completely focus all your effort on bicep isolation and contraction.
I realized very quickly that my usually 35 pound dumbbell would not work this time. I opted for 20 pounds instead. Normally, 20 pounds would be a cake walk. But this isn’t a normal workout.
Two sets of 20 reps with 20 pounds was an endeavor. Kind of like climbing a mountain without arms. I was GRINDING OUT reps with 15 pound dumbbells.
Seriously, these were brutal. My arms wanted to stop working. It was so bad I was throwing my torso back to jerk the weight up so the momentum would help me complete a rep.
At one point, I lowered the weight down completely and I tried to pull my arm back up but it just wouldn’t respond. I had to super focus on flexing my muscles hard for about 15 seconds just to get some movement.
People walking by must have thought I was joking. I’m a pretty big guy, one of the biggest in my gym, but here I was struggling to lift a teeny tiny baby weight. It got to the point I was hissing through clinched teeth and grunting like a caveman just to pull a measly 15 pounds.
One minute rest between sets. They were the fastest minutes of my life.
After four sets I’ve got another 160 reps in the books.
Barbell Spider Curls
The forth and final bicep exercise is the Barbell Spider Curl, 4 sets of 20 reps.
I went with 30 pounds for each set. Spider curls are great because they put your upper arm in a position where maximum contraction can be achieved.
1 minute rest between sets
Spider Curl = 80 reps
Add it all up and you have a whopping 600 total reps for biceps.
Hallelujah, it’s over, kinda. Not really – the fun has just begun. Now it’s time for the bicep’s big brother, triceps.
Tricep Exercises
If you want nice arms, you need to train triceps. triceps are twice the size of biceps and require consistent training.
The tricep exercises in the 1000 arm workout are some of the best for stimulating tricep growth.
Dumbbell Skull Crushers
Dumbbell Skull Crushers, 9 sets of 20 reps.
Here’s what you do:
Grab a dumbbell in each hand then lay on the ground. Back flat against the floor, extend your arms straight up. Now bend your elbows to lower the weight so the bell pass right by your ears.
You don’t need a lot of weight for this one. Less is more in a sense. This is one of the more challenging tricep exercises. It takes a lot of focus to keep tension on the tricep. Weight used, set 1 – 10, set 2 – 15, 15, 20, 25, 20, 15, 10, 10.
No Rest between sets.
Skull crusher = 180 reps
Weighted Dips
The second tricep exercises is your basic dip, 4 sets x 20 reps
Dips are awesome for muscle growth. they are especially effective at building strong triceps.
I performed by dips with body weight only. If you have the strength, add weight if you can – or, conversely, use the assisted dip machine if you have to in order to hit 20 reps.
1 minute rest between sets.
Dips = 80 reps
Weighted Bench Dips
What? More dips?
Yep, more dips.
4 sets by 50 reps of dips.
To perform bench dips, put your heels on a bench and your palms on another bench so you’re suspended in air. Let your hips drop so your body makes a wide letter V between the benches.
Proceed to rep dips. If you have the spunk, place a weight plate on your lap for added tricep annihilation.
These are gassers – Don’t be shocked if your arms feel like giving out.
I did my bench dips with body weight only.
1 minute rest between sets.
Bench dips = 200 reps.
Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdowns
The final exercise for out 1000-rep arm workout is the Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown, 4 sets by 20 reps.
These were new to me. Underhand grip a bar attached to a high-set cable pull. Pull down with your triceps. The weight used will be lighter than a regular tricep push down because of the underhand grip. But, you will isolate your tricep much better.
I used the following weight for my sets – 35, 35, 30, 25.
Take 1 minute rest between sets.
Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdowns = 80 reps
And there you have it. After 90 minute onslaught of non-stop reps, this adds up to a Grand Total of 1060 Reps.
Although it felt like my arms were going to explode the entire time, and my arms shook after it was over, it was well worth it.
I got the pump I craved as well as the deep muscle soreness that follows 24 hours after a superb workout. Not only were my biceps and triceps sore, but my shoulders and forearms were too. Leading me to believe they also got a good workout.
My Experience with the 1000-Rep Arm Workout
I’ll be honest, it’s damn hard to keep perfect form throughout this workout.
I definitely cheated on form to make it through those agonizing reps. A little momentum was not out of the question either.
Form is important but it’s not the end all be all. As long as you are SAFE, that’s what matters most.
Another thing I found challenging was taking short breaks. As the sets got harder the 1-minute rest periods got a little longer.
The Pump is INSANE. insane pump. Every muscle fiber in my arms felt like it got trained. Exactly what we want.
Final Thoughts on the 1000-Rep Arm Workout
The 1000-rep workout is fun and challenging. I recommend this workout to veteran weight trainers that have plateaued. I also recommend doing only one 1000-rep workout every few months.
Doing it too often will diminish results. Save it for when you really need it.
I took many sets to failure and beyond. If you can’t complete a set. you can rest a few seconds between reps, catch your breath then complete your set. These are called ‘Forced Reps’ and are a technique used in High Intensity Training.
Use appropriate weight!
You want to lift as heavy as you can, but you also want to do all the required reps as quickly as possible.
Use good form!
If your form is off and you pump out a 1000 reps, you’ll grind your bones and tendons into powder. (ok, maybe that’s a little extreme but you could injure yourself and suffer from serious discomfort and you’re future self will hate you..)
All in all the 1000 rep arm workout is a spectacular option if you’ve ‘tried everything’ and still won’t grow.
1000 Rep Arm Workout (using different exercises. Lots of supersets and run-the-rack style training.
P.S. Don’t forget to train your legs! Don’t be that guy with ginormous arms and twig legs!!
P.S.S. If you re still not growing after the 1000 rep workout you need to overhaul your nutrition. Learn how to bulk up and get some protein powder.
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