21's!

Patience is not my strongest gift...especially when I lift biceps.  I have to admit that time-and-time-again, my arms have suffered simply because I "don't have time" to alternate curls...I would rush through three sets of quick curls and move on.  

And I would have flubby arms.  (The same holds true for lunges and my wobbly "tookus".)

So, I figured it was as good a time as any to refocus my workouts - especially on my dreaded biceps and triceps day.  My tool?  21's! (Which my husband informs me have been around forever, but they were new and exciting for me.  ha!)

You can really do 21's with most lifts.  Choose the exercise and take it through the full, first half of the concentric movement.  Then, bring it half-way back.  Then, back down.  Repeat this lifting of the lower part of the movement seven times.  Then take it back to the half-way point and go to your beginning point.  Back to half-way and back to beginning (seven times).  Then, do seven of the full lift...equaling 21 movements total.

I like to do these with single-arm cable bicep curls.  So I curl the weight and then bring my arm down half-way and then back up for seven.  Then all the way down and to the center for seven.  Then full curls for seven = dead in the water.  

If I do these on my first lift, then I know I've given it my full effort and all other bicep efforts afterward will be gravy.  I am trying to work up the guts to try these with squats...but I would just hate to fall-out at the Y!  For the record, I've been doing these for biceps for the past three weeks and can really feel a difference!  

Here was my bi's and tri's workout today  (all done in super-sets)

Warm-up 5 x 10 pushups alt. with 5 x 12 ab wheel (WEEKLY CHALLENGE!)

3 x "21's" single-arm bicep curl

3 x 15 over-head tricep press

3 x 12 cable bicep curl - with long bar

3 x 12 tricep press with rope

3 x 15 bicep cable curls with rope

3 x 12 single arm tricep pushdown on cable handle