Whilst not all of us are chasing aesthetics, or just looking good in the mirror. We can all agree that finishing with an arm pump can improve performance in your workouts. Arm workouts are like pizza… Even a bad arm workout is still pretty amazing! When I first started CrossFit, training arms was something you just didn’t do. That was for the meatheads, the guys who like to lift their shirts up in the mirror and take selfies.
I didn’t see a need to isolate these areas, because I was doing big compound movements like squats, bench, deadlifts and pull ups and at the end of a big pull up workout my arms were dead.
So why should you consider isolating your arms after your workout? Apart from growing a decent set of arms, there are performance benefits to working them. Strengthening the tendons around the elbow can be huge for bench press and overhead pressing movements. Chances are if you are stuck in a plateau then hitting these movements could help you move forward. Another benefit is the endurance you can build with some monster sets, and coping with the lactic acid build up. The endurance alone could help you decrease your times in some of your favourite benchmarks like Helen, Fran or Diane.
So if you feel like you could do with some extra credit work after your Pressing workout, try one of these 5 Arm Finishers
HAMMER CURLS
Finishing with hammer curls is a great way to get a good pump up but also incredible for elbow stability. If you need help with your bench press or overhead presses, then hammer curls are the most functional isolation exercise for the arms you can use.
FINISHER
3-4 x 12-15 Hammer Curls
PARALLEL BAR DIPS
A dip ladder where you do 1 dip, then 2 dips, then 3 and so on until you cannot complete a set is awesome for helping develop bigger and stronger triceps. The tricep helps with your lockout in upper body presses, but also give you that thickness in the arm. I love dips, because not only do they hit the arm, but they also get the chest and shoulders as well.
FINISHER
1 dip, rest as needed
2 dips, rest as needed
3 dips, rest as needed
4 dips, rest as needed
… and so on
BANDED PULL DOWNS
Loop a bar over the pull up rig and work to a set of 100 pull downs. Another exercise that helps with the lockout of the pressing movements, and also incredible for forcing blood into the arms. Try supersetting these with your hammer curls.
FINISHER
In as few sets as possible
100 Banded Pull Downs
100 Light Hammer Curls
SINGLE ARM DUMBBELL ROW
Whilst not a movement that usually goes into an arm workout, single arm rows are potent for developing a strong and stable back, as well as building thick and strong biceps. This will not only assist with that healthy elbow but build your upper back for better deadlifts and Olympic lifting.
FINISHER
3-4 x 12-15 Single Arm Dumbbell Row
ELEVATED PUSH UPS
These are one of my favourite finishers for a good pump. This hits the triceps (lockout) but also helps develop that lower chest too. This one has become a staple in my repertoire because of it’s functional movement pattern and carry over to other horizontal pressing movements.
FINISHER
100 Elevated Push Ups
Every time you break perform 10 Hammer Curls
Whilst not all of us are chasing aesthetics, or just looking good in the mirror. We can all agree that finishing with an arm pump can improve performance in your workouts.
Try adding them in with as much variety and creativity as you can. Not only will your numbers go up, but you’ll find your arms filling out your shirts more too.