Samson Dauda’s Arnold Classic Shoulders and Arms Workout

2 days out from the Arnold Classic, Dauda is still putting in work

The Arnold Classic is here! One of the most prestigious events in strongman, powerlifting, and other fitness related events, such as bodybuilding (next to the Mr. Olympia). The event is taking place February 29th – March 3rd, 2024, in Columbus Ohio. Amongst some of the bodybuilders competing is Samson Dauda, who took home third place at the 2023 Mr. Olympia behind Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan. Dauda is known for his massive size, sporting great height and muscle mass to accompany it. On February 29, 2024, Dauda posted a video to his YouTube channel detailing his shoulder and arms workout just two days out from the Arnold. 

Let’s take a look.

Samson Dauda Stats

Samson Dauda Shoulders and Arms Workout

Keep in mind that at this point Samson Dauda is only two days out from the Arnold Classic, meaning he is depleted, has minimal carbs in him, and has been in prep for quite some time now. This can be mentally and physically draining, but Dauda is still putting in the work.

Shoulder Press Machine

The first exercise that Samson does under the guidance of his coach, Milos Sarcev, is a machine shoulder press. This gives him a nice pump to the front deltoids and the triceps. Being that it is two days out from the competition, the goal is to not go too heavy, as you do not want the muscles broken down and trying to recover during the time that you are posing on stage. Instead, the goal is to get the blood flowing and get a good pump. Samson does a few sets of pretty high reps on the shoulder press, including a few drop sets.

Lateral Raise Machine

The next exercise in Samson’s workout is the lateral raise machine. On this, he places his forearms under the pad and grips the handles, then raises them like he would with a dumbbell or cable lateral raise, delivering a good pump to the side deltoids. Again, the goal is to not destroy the muscles here. 

Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises/Cable Rear Delt Flye

Third on the list of exercises is the seated dumbbell lateral raise supersetted with the cable rear delt flye. The seated dumbbell lateral raise eliminates the ability to use momentum and swing, so the lifter is able to establish a good mind muscle connection and get a good focus on the target muscle. The cable rear delt flye that Samson does keeps tension on the rear delts throughout the entire range of motion.

Reverse Pec Deck

For another rear delt exercise, Samson moves over to the reverse pec deck, where you typically can do chest flyers. Again, he does a few sets of pretty high reps, getting a good squeeze and really pushing the blood into the muscle. 

Cable Tricep Pushdowns/Preacher Curl Machine

Moving over to the arms part of the workout, Samson starts off with cable tricep pushdowns using the v-bar attachment, and supersets them with the preacher curl machine. Again, he goes light and does not go all out with the intensity, as he is only two days out from the show. Supersets like this are great for saving time and really maximizing your time in the gym.

Cable Preacher Curl/Cable Skull Crusher

Another arm day superset that Samson does is the cable preacher curl supersetted with the cable skull crusher. For the cable preacher curl, he uses the EZ bar attachment, which helps to activate the forearms a bit more. 

Tricep Pushdown Machine

The final exercise of Samson Dauda’s shoulder and arms workout is then a tricep pushdown machine. This is a stack loaded machine that really puts some pressure on the triceps. With the elbows right on the pad, he is able to get a good contraction.

Wrap Up

Overall, Samson Dauda is predicted to be a front runner at this year’s Arnold Classic. He is tall and bringss a great amount of muscle mass, but minimal body fat and overall pretty perfect conditioning. That being said, you can see through his shoulders and arms workout how dedicated he is to the sport, and why he has progressed so far.

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