“It’s possible to build your physique to a pro level using only free weights,” 2024 Arnold Classic Physique champ Wesley Vissers says.
Renowned for his classical aesthetics and top-tier arms, Vissers won his IFBB pro card using only barbells and dumbbells. His elite development is anchored in old-school philosophies with new-school techniques.
Vissers suggests limiting each movement to two to three sets for more variation, fatigue management, and recovery. Rest until the lactic acid (burning sensation in the muscles) dissipates.
Different exercises can bias muscles along the same tendon, or stimulate significantly more growth (e.g, maximizing the stretch). (1)(2)(3) Starting with heavy bilateral movements, like barbell curls, builds strength and might maximize motor recruitment.
Wesley Vissers’ Free-Weight Arm Day
- Barbell Curl
- Lying Triceps Extensions + Close-Grip Press
- Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension
- Concentration Curl
- Incline Dumbbell Skull Crusher
Barbell Curl
Vissers advised a shoulder-width grip using manageable weight to avoid momentum, though some body English might not be all that bad. Cheat reps have been shown to produce the same muscle growth as strict form reps, with limited variables. (4) Though swinging may have advantages, strict reps should be the default technique.
The squeeze will cause the biceps to grow the most.
—Wesley Vissers
While concentrics contribute to hypertrophy, studies show that curls with the arms behind the body, maximizing biceps length under load, favor biceps gains. Moderate reps are the sweet spot for joint health and fatigue management, but all rep ranges build muscle. (5)(6)
Lying Triceps Extension/Close-Grip Press Superset
Vissers deviated from conventional skull crushers with eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman’s style of lying triceps extensions. Lower the barbell behind the head, and keep the upper arms angled back instead of vertically. “This shifts the tension to the triceps away from the elbows,” Vissers noted.
This technique better leverages gravity to maximally lengthen the triceps. Researchers observed substantially more muscle growth from performing overhead extensions compared to pushdowns. (7)
Superset with chest presses to bias the medial and lateral triceps heads. Pro tip: Incline dumbbell lying extensions may provide a better stretch and contractions.
Narrow-Grip Preacher Curl
Vissers uses close-grip preacher curls for taller biceps peaks. “The closer your hands, the more the tension shifts to the outside of the biceps; the biceps peak,” he explained.
This isn’t necessarily accurate, though, as science imaging indicates the brachialis muscles, besides the outer biceps, benefit more. The brachialis, unlike the biceps, only crosses the elbow joint. Preacher curls place more strain on the elbow, showing more growth in that region. (8)
[Related: New Study for Bigger Biceps Says to Curl How You Want]
Maximize Tension with Free Weights
Unlike machines, free weights require specific angles to optimize time under tension. Here are useful tips:
- Shoulder extended curls may grow the biceps more than shoulder flexed curls or vertical arm curls.
- Include an overhead extension on every arm day.
- Angle your arms back during lying extension to shift tension from your elbows to your triceps.
- Implement variety for maximum stimuli.
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References
- Costa BDV, Kassiano W, Nunes JP, Kunevaliki G, Castro-E-Souza P, Rodacki A, Cyrino LT, Cyrino ES, Fortes LS. Does Performing Different Resistance Exercises for the Same Muscle Group Induce Non-homogeneous Hypertrophy? Int J Sports Med. 2021 Jul;42(9):803-811. doi: 10.1055/a-1308-3674. Epub 2021 Jan 13. PMID: 33440446.
- Zabaleta-Korta A, Fernández-Peña E, Torres-Unda J, Francés M, Zubillaga A, Santos-Concejero J. Regional Hypertrophy: The Effect of Exercises at Long and Short Muscle Lengths in Recreationally Trained Women. J Hum Kinet. 2023 Jul 15;87:259-270. doi: 10.5114/jhk/163561. PMID: 37559762; PMCID: PMC10407320.
- Larsen S, Sandvik Kristiansen B, Swinton PA, Wolf M, Bao Fredriksen A, Nygaard Falch H, van den Tillaar R, Østerås Sandberg N. The effects of hip flexion angle on quadriceps femoris muscle hypertrophy in the leg extension exercise. J Sports Sci. 2025 Jan;43(2):210-221. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2024.2444713. Epub 2024 Dec 19. PMID: 39699974.
- Schoenfeld BJ. The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Oct;24(10):2857-72. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e840f3. PMID: 20847704.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb 22;9(2):32. doi: 10.3390/sports9020032. PMID: 33671664; PMCID: PMC7927075.
- Maeo S, Wu Y, Huang M, Sakurai H, Kusagawa Y, Sugiyama T, Kanehisa H, Isaka T. Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023 Jul;23(7):1240-1250. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35819335.
- Maeo S, Wu Y, Huang M, Sakurai H, Kusagawa Y, Sugiyama T, Kanehisa H, Isaka T. Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023 Jul;23(7):1240-1250. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35819335.
- Kassiano W, Costa B, Kunevaliki G, Lisboa F, Stavinski N, Prado A, Tricoli I, Francsuel J, Lima L, Nunes J, Ribeiro AS, Cyrino ES. Distinct muscle growth and strength adaptations after preacher and incline biceps curls. Int J Sports Med. 2025 May;46(5):334-343. doi: 10.1055/a-2517-0509. Epub 2025 Jan 14. PMID: 39809454.
Featured image: @wesleyvissers on Instagram
