Army Veteran Logan “The Texas Oak” Franklin headed to Flex Lewis’s Dragon Lair Gym in Las Vegas, NV, for an epic arm session with fellow IFBB Pro Regan Grimes with coach Milos Sarcev. The video of the brutal arm workout was uploaded to the JayCutlerTV YouTube channel on Aug. 7, 2022.
Sarcev guided Franklin and Grimes both through their hardcore arm session. Check out the full workout below:
[Related: Mike O’Hearn and Bodybuilding Legend Steve Davis On Training Intensity, Volume, and Progressive Overload]
Opposing Muscle
The bulk of the workout programming alternated between working biceps and triceps. Each muscle rested while they trained the opposing muscle group; this was Sarcev’s baseline methodology for Franklin and Grimes’ arms training.
Rope Pushdowns & Overhead Rope Extensions
Logan and Grimes warmed up with rope pushdowns superset with overhead triceps extensions. It didn’t take much for both bodybuilders’ to achieve a triceps pump, letting their striations shine through.
Franklin typically stays lean during his off-seasons. Supersets are an efficient way to warm up the target muscle. Milos aided both bodybuilders with some assisted reps at the end of their working sets.
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E-Z Bar Skullcrushers & Seated Dumbbell Curls
Franklin and Grimes hit skull crushers with an EZ bar. The EZ bar removes some of the strain from the wrists and keeps focus on the triceps. Skull crushers build the bulk of the triceps by working all heads. Skull crushers are to the triceps as barbell curls are to the biceps.
Franklin and Grimes do slightly different variations of the movement. Franklin’s variation is more of a close-grip bench press, while Grimes’ is closer to a standard skull crusher.
Seated dumbbell curls were next. Franklin opted to train one side to completion before switching. Grimes trained both sides simultaneously. The seated variation allows the athletes to brace against the weight bench to perform stricter reps that put more emphasis on the biceps.
Barbell Curls & Machine Preacher Curls
Sarcev charged Franklin and Grimes to perform standing barbell curls with an EZ bar. Both athletes cycled through various hand placements throughout their working sets. After pre-exhausting themselves via seated dumbbell curls, both athletes reached their effective rep ranges faster to further their pumps. Franklin finished with several sets of a close-grip variation of the preacher curl to finish his biceps.
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[Related: Mike O’Hearn and Bodybuilding Legend Steve Davis On Training Intensity, Volume, and Progressive Overload]
Overhead Tricep Extension & Seated Hammer Curls
On to triceps, Franklin and Grimes performed overhead triceps extension, which primarily hits the long head of the triceps. The machine variations offer the benefits of less strain on the wrists and constant tension on the muscle.
Both athletes worked their biceps and forearms via seated dumbbell hammer curls — an excellent movement for building the brachialis and adding mass to the arms to make the biceps appear larger when posing on the stage.
Sarcev displayed the machines’ effectiveness compared to a barbell or dumbbells. Machines allow more focused movement on the triceps since stability is removed as a limiting factor.
Single-Arm Triceps Pushdowns and Standing Dumbbell Curls
Franklin and Grimes’ moved on to the single-arm cable triceps pushdown utilizing a handle rather than a rope attachment. They trained each side individually to improve any imbalances and took their sets to mechanical failure.
He has a great biceps peak.
[Read More: Our Favorite Forearm Workouts, + the Best Forearm Exercises]
Following triceps, Sarcev had Franklin hit single-arm standing dumbbell curls to finish the biceps. Franklin’s final set consisted of single-arm cross-body hammer curls on each side.
Posing Practice
Franklin stripped down to his underwear for a posing practice session with Sarcev. Posing practice is critical throughout prep as it requires a lot of refined technique and endurance. We’ll see how Franklin and Grimes’ training pays off when they step on the Olympia stage in Las Vegas this winter.
Featured images: @logan_franklin on Instagram
