Sam Sulek’s Workout to Grow 20-Inch Arms

Sulek achieves 20-inch arms from the intense pump of his arm workout. 

Sam Sulek, a non-competitive bodybuilder known as a young mass monster, continues to captivate an ever-expanding online community with his distinctive approach to bodybuilding; even Olympia champs like Chris Bumstead and Urs Kalecinski acknowledge his commitment.

In a recent video released on July 10, 2024, on his YouTube channel, the 22-year-old bodybuilder with promising potential divulged his regimen for achieving larger arms. Below, we explore the exercises and tips he shared for attaining 20-inch arms.

Sam Sulek Talks About His Arm Workout

 

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Sam Sulek assures fans that this arm workout is going to be effective. He looks forward to getting results, whether the gym is packed or empty. Sulek also shares his general approach to arm workouts;

“‌SO I PLAN TRICEPS, BICEPS. I MIGHT HAVE TO SIMMER ON IT FOR A SECOND, I’LL DECIDE ONCE I ACTUALLY GET IN THERE. SO I DID A REALLY KIND OF HEAVY TRICEP ARM DAY WITH REALLY HEAVY CURLS, REALLY HEAVY PUSH-DOWNS. I MIGHT MAKE TODAY A LITTLE BIT OF A CONTRADICTORY WORKOUT TO THAT LAST ONE AND DO SOME MORE LIGHT SQUEEZING KINDS OF SETS, NOT EVERY SET OF COURSE BUT YOU KNOW A LITTLE MORE THAN NORMAL.”

Before his intense arm workout, Sam Sulek also adds that what works for him doesn’t necessarily work for someone else. He says bodybuilding all boils down to personal preference;

“DON’T STRESS DOING LIKE THE INCLINE OR THE YOU KNOW, 45 VERSUS THE 30 DEGREE. AS LONG AS YOU’RE ACTUALLY GOING HARD, THINGS WILL JUST START TO FALL INTO PLACE. YOU KNOW, THAT’S KIND OF BECAUSE YOU END UP WANTING TO OPTIMIZE YOUR OWN SYSTEM FOR YOUR OWN GAINS.”

Sam Sulek’s Intense Arm Workouts

“FOCUS ON THE INTENSITY; DON’T LOSE TOO MUCH FOCUS LOOKING AT THE NITTY-GRITTY DETAILS. GET A PUMP, GO TO FAILURE, ENJOY. PERFECT LET’S GET STARTED.”

Cable Triceps Pressdowns

The young mass monster starts with cable triceps pressdowns. He uses an EZ bar connected to a pulley at its highest height on a cable machine. He does three sets of about 10 to 12 reps using a full range of motion and later switches to partial reps as he approaches failure. Studies have shown that training to failure is an effective strategy for maximizing muscle hypertrophy (1). Sulek also pauses reps to get the most out of his final set.

The cable triceps pressdowns primarily work the tricep muscles and the elbow flexors. They also recruit other muscles, like the deltoids and abs, which help with stabilization. A cable machine provides constant tension, which is good for muscle growth.

Alternating Dumbbell Curls

Next, Sulek grabs a pair of dumbbells to perform the alternating dumbbell curl. He uses weightlifting straps and goes heavy on his first set. During the routine, he does a rest pause and goes back into it, hitting 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. He then does a drop set, going lower on the weights until he hits a failure. Alternating dumbbell curls primarily work the biceps and elbow flexors while the shoulders help stabilize the movement. 

Cable Triceps Pressdowns (Again)

Not done with pressdowns, Sulek returns to them and does another round of 3 sets ranging from 12 to 20 reps. He takes a rest pause and then does a drop set on his last go. Research shows that rest pauses during exercises can result in greater muscle and strength gains (2).

Iso-Hold Half-Full Dumbbell Curls

For his next exercise, Sulek twists the dumbbell curl routine. Instead of the regular curl, he goes for a half curl, pauses, and fully finishes. He does this for as many reps as possible and then switches to regular curls.

“REGULAR DUMBBELL CURLS BUT A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN THE EXECUTION INSTEAD OF JUST FULL REP HALFWAY UP, PAUSE THEN FINISH THAT SECOND HALF DO THAT FOR AS MANY AS I CAN.”

Adding iso-holds to this exercise puts tension on these target muscles, which induces muscle hypertrophy.

Concentration Curls

Moving on to the bench, Sam Sulek grabs a dumbbell to do some concentration curls. He ensures he’s in the correct position and completes two exercises, doing between 15 and 20 reps in each set.

“I AM NOT OVER EXAGGERATING MY DISCOMFORT AT THE END OF THESE REPS BECAUSE I PHYSICALLY CAN’T GET THE DUMBBELL UP ANY HIGHER, BUT BY ASSISTING MYSELF TO THE TOP AND THEN LETTING GO…”

Concentration curls equally target the biceps, giving them a good pump. It’s an effective exercise for isolating and focusing on your bicep muscles to build sleeve-ripping arms.

Cable Triceps Pressdowns & Cable Curls (Superset)

Finally, to round up his intense push-to-failure arm exercises, Sulek says he intends to perform as many reps as possible, switching between two exercises (cable triceps press-downs and cable curls).

The cable curl is an arm cable exercise that targets your arms, primarily targeting your biceps. It’s highly effective for building bigger arms because the cables’ constant pressure puts tension on the biceps, which builds muscle mass.

Wrapping Up

 

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After his intense arm workout, Sam Sulek has a measuring tape to check how much growth he’s gotten in his arms.

“MEASURING TAPE TODAY. LET’S GET SOME DATA. SUBJECTIVELY, LET’S SAY THIS IS AN EXPERIMENT. I’M A SCIENTIST. I’M TAKING MY NOTES, ARMS PUMPED AS SH*T INCREDIBLE, BAD*SS.”

Sulek immediately measures his left and right arm after his workouts and notes that he hit the 20-inch arm size on both arms. He ends the video doing some bodybuilding poses.

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References

1. Nóbrega, S. R., & Libardi, C. A. (2016). Is Resistance Training to Muscular Failure Necessary?. Frontiers in physiology, 7, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2016.00010
2. Prestes, J., A Tibana, R., de Araujo Sousa, E., da Cunha Nascimento, D., de Oliveira Rocha, P., F Camarço, N., Frade de Sousa, N. M., & Willardson, J. M. (2019). Strength and Muscular Adaptations After 6 Weeks of Rest-Pause vs. Traditional Multiple-Sets Resistance Training in Trained Subjects. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 33 Suppl 1, S113–S121. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001923