Customer Reviews

Winning the Arms Race: The Ultimate Training Program for Arm Size and Strength

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Charles Poliquin is largely responsible for my success in powerlifting and strongman sports.His first book,"The Poliquin Principles",is my training bible,and I have made massive gains from it.I also follow all his articles in ironman magazine and Flex Magazine.With that,I have to say I was a bit disappointed in this book.It has some very useful info,but a full half of the book is simple illustrations on how to do the various lifts.It also doesn't stress that you need a full body workout(which he assumes all lifters know).If you already own "the poliquin principles",or can get a used copy of it,bypass this book.Otherwise,go for it,with the caveat that you can't just work biceps and triceps if you want to get "big"...

Everything you need to know about how to make your arms grow both strong and large is strategical described and illustrated. Strength Coach Charles Poliquin reveals step by step detailed instruction on all the arm exercise techniques to ensure that your arms will be as strong as they look! More information on exercise can be found at the coach's website.

This book is good for the Intermediate to advanced weight trainer who wants better arm development. Charles lays out the information well and keeps it in plain English so that even the beginner will understand it..I used the workout for triceps and added a full inch to my triceps in one month!

To be honest I just bought this book and have not done the entire six-phase program. I did try part of Poliquin's arm program in his Principles book for a while and felt overtrained. I think all but the gifted or the steroid users will find that the workouts are too long and/or too frequent. Try just a third or so of one of the workouts you might see what I mean. Really, scaling back or stopping many of the sets a few reps short of failure might be the only way for most trainees to use the workouts effectively.This is not a beginner's book. Even advanced trainees will have to either reduce the sets and/or extend the time between workouts. Poliquin illustrates what he believes are the best exercises and shows how to use them to form six different programs each of which lasts six workouts or 30 days. The phases are: the Double Tri-sets, Maximal Weights Method, Uni-Angular, Tri-Sets, Maximal Tension Drop Sets, Multi-Grip/Multi-Pathway System, Four-Percent Solution/Broad Pyramid Combination. Reps, Tempo (he's now using four integers rather than three), Sets, and rest periods between sets are listed nicely in table form for all six phases.
My biggest concern is that Poliquin does not caution against exercises or exercise form that could damage teeth, shoulder capsules, or elbows. The book The 7-minute Rotator Cuff Solution by Joseph Horrigan (availbale from healthforlife.com) should be on every trainee's shelf. The deep position shown for [parallel bar] dips in Poliquin's Arm book is contraindicated. Also, those with tendency for shoulder dislocation or sublaxation should not do dips at all. Likewise, for the California presses, I find that lowering the bar all the way to the upper chest may have a bad stretching effect on the ligaments of the elbows. A safer method would be to use a power rack and set the pins so that the bar stops a two to four inches above the chest. This is somewhat like the recommendation of Paul Chek (see article "Big Bench, Bad Shoulders" on chekinstitute.com) or Everett Aaberg's recommendation of avoiding "full range of motion" when full range of motion would put a joint in a precarious position. No alternate exercises are given. If one does not have access to a preacher bench might an "arm blaster" (mentioned in Principles book) be used to minimize extraneous muscle recruitment? His caution about not using too many warmup repetitions to avoid lactate buildup before the work sets begin is a good one. He might also have mentioned when muscle are warm(101 degrees Fahrenheit) they contract more strongly than when they are at 98.6. Also, Russian research showed that dressing warmly is important in getting muscles warm. If you have not done some of the exercises before, then spending a few workouts doing them with light weights and terminating sets well short of fatigue or failure would seem like a good idea to learn perfect form and control and thus avoid tooth chipping or skull crushing. It does take 300 reps to learn an exercise. Pressdowns are not used here at all which is unlike in the Principles book. There is a strong emphasis on brachialis development, a good idea. Poliquin seems to be committed to more or less classical periodization rather than conjugated periodization. I think using his phases in a conjugated periodization might work well too. About a third of the page space available for text is used for solid black ink with white lettered excerpts for emphasis. This space might have been better used to expand on certain points. Also, it has been pretty well established that increased hormone production during workouts is related to the total amount of muscle tissue used. Maybe adding a couple of sets of deadlifts or bentover rows to an arm workout might be a good idea. I did pick up some new ideas and exercises from this book so I feel it was a fair purchase. If anyone has been able to follow the program all the way through, please write a review with your results.

I like this book and recomend it to anyone who has been training for at least one year. The information in the book is great. As for the wasted space and such, well I guess I did buy the book for the info and not the appearance. I am currently half way through the program and finding new growth and strength. The tricep training has helped all of my pressing movements alot. I noticed that I have broken through some sticking points on the bench. As for overtraining that I read in another review, well I guess I would have to say that if I feel overtrained I am going to take some time off. Probably inbetween phases. I am sure that Coach Poliquin would make his athletes take some time off regardless where they are in the program. You do have to be deticated to getting results and that means rest. So no going to the club and getting your drink on until 2am and then expecting to be getting big and strong. There are other factors that play into your gains like nutrition and rest. I am in the military and stationed in Iraq when I started this program. I am getting results and I am dealing with rest and nutrition issues out here. Bottom line. If you want to get big and strong then get serious about it, and this book will help you along the way.

I highly recommend this book for a very sensible, very effective approach to strength training. Poliquin has done extensive research & bases his method on a combination of science & field experience as an elite athlete trainer. I made the best gains in my arms using his routines, and I think he might be one of the best contemporary experts on strength training.

I'd especially like to note that unlike some other strength and fitness routines I've followed, this one is definitely do-able and realistic. You will be psyched and rested for your next workout - not burnt-out & dreading it like I've experienced with some others. And your arms will still get bigger than on any of those other programs.

Poliquin's program is broken down into cycles over the course of several weeks, each building on the other. Some cycles were more challenging for me since I only have a small home gym setup & no training partner.

It doesnt go into any routines for other body parts, and I definitely was left wanting as far as how to integrate the cycles here with cycles for other body areas as well as other fitness goals.

I hadnt read any of his other books before picking this up, except for his articles in various mags -but I will definitely be picking up the other book from him a reviewer mentioned. Finally I do suggest checking out the author's website for the most economical price. Some of the prices I've seen ($80/book) are pretty out of control, given these books are still in print.

You want no non-sense advice and instruction on strength training, and serious strength training at that? There are really only a couple of places you need to look. Honestly, the first place I would turn to is Dave Draper. Hands down. Second, Charles Poliquin. I was actual brought to Poliquin by Draper and am very glad that I was.

Poliquin provides thorough, extremely easy to follow advice on not only nutrition, but form, function and routine. You can not go wrong if you only had to resort to one book and you picked up one of Poliquin's. I would however recommend going straight to his site and picking up his German Body Comp book. It really surpasses his others, with the exception of the now very out of print Poliquin Principles. If you are lucky enough to stumble upon a copy of Poliquin Principles at a decent price, pick up without hesitation...it will become your bible...second or third only to perhaps Bill Pearl's Keys to the Universe.

Get this if you have no other access to Poliquin's books, or don't want to go the route of the German Body Comp book. It, in itself for arms training, is invaluable.

Everything you need to know about how to make your arms grow both strong and large is strategical described and illustrated. Strength Coach Charles Poliquin reveals step by step detailed instruction on all the arm exercise techniques to ensure that your arms will be as strong as they look! More information on exercise can be found at the coach's website.

Not as good as some of charles's other publications, and comes off as a bit of a recipe book arm program, but charles and his programs get results and results are what counts bottom line.

Anyone who trains NHL players has got to be listened to!
My only complaint: the author needs to put out MORE material for us!!