Once the squats, deadlifts and presses are ticked off, the last port of call pre-Christmas party is to fill out those sleeves. This finisher, handily, promises maximum pump in minimal time.
Pick a set of weights that you could curl no more than 20 times and make a start. Every time you have to drop the weights, can longer control the tempo, or start using ‘body English’ to swing the weights up, drop them and head to the dip bar. Complete 15 dips with impeccable form, focusing on pressing away explosively with your triceps on each rep. After your final dip, recommence with your curls. Continue in this format until you’ve completed all 100 curls. Or until your sleeves split, whichever comes first.
Bicep Curl x 100
Stand tall with a pair of dumbbells at your sides, your palms facing towards you (A). With minimal momentum, curl both of your dumbbells upwards, turning your palms in, until your little fingers are near your shoulders (B). Squeeze here and lower the weights under control, fighting them all the way and repeat. Each set ends when you can no longer control the tempo of the curls, or begin using momentum to swing the ‘bells up.
Dips x 15
Jump up on two parallel bars with your palms facing inward and your arms straight (A). Use two boxes or the backs of two sturdy chairs if you’re at home. Slowly lower until your elbows are at right angles, ensuring they don’t flare outward (B). Drive yourself back up to the top and repeat.
With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.
As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.
Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.
You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.
