MuscleTech/IronMan "Up-to-1-inch-in-24-hours" Arm Routine

[MCWAY]

Since I've had some time off and I have access to weights this weekend with little else to do, I will finally give this program a try.

About two years ago, I spoke with people who have used this routine, that I've seen in both MuscleMag International and IronMan, since 2002. Here's what I wrote about it, back in 2006:

This type of workout has been around for decades. IronMan featured something similar, based on an article by the magazine's founder, Peary Rader. The program was titled "Add a Half-Inch on Your arms in One Day". The concept was the same: Doing antagonistic supersets for biceps and triceps at the top and bottom of the hour for eight to nine hours. The exercises done at the top of the hour were EZ-Curl Bar barbell curls and lying triceps extensions (French presses); those done at the bottom of the hour were seated dumbbell curls and lying dumbbel triceps extensions.

The rest period, prior to trying this program is three days, instead of four, like that of MuscleTech.  IronMan does instruct to rest (no training) for three days, followed by a light training day on the fourth day. The diet portion doesn't go into detail, as does the program described by MuscleTech. IronMan simply recommends six high-protein meals throughout the day (no specific times given). IronMan also recommends rubbing the arms with alcohol, prior to bedtime, after doing this routine.

IronMan claims that this program can be used on 60 to 90-day intervals.

Rader claimed he put on 3/4" on his arms doing it. Old-school bodybuilder and IM writer Gene Mozee said he got 5/8" gain on his arm.

At least two GetBig members reported success, using this program:

I have actually done the all day arm routine (twice).

The first time I gained (permanently) 3/8" to my arms (I was in full training so it was not after a layoff where gains are easy.

The 2nd time I only gained barely 1/8 of an inch (not even 1/8th of an inch)

Each time I did not do anything out of the ordinary such as massive supplements, eating,  or rubbing alcohol, etc.

About halfway thru the day, you start to get worn out by the routine (physically and mentally), but ya just keep[ going.

The 1st time i did it still makes me laugh------I did the routine at home (I have weights at home too), and I remember loading my E-Z curl bar and weights into my van, I had some things to get at the store, and I remember doing curls and standing triceps extensions in the parking lot of K-Mart !!!!!!

The routine has worked for me !!!     Good Luck !

And...

I read this routine in muscle n fitness mag.it was 5 hours routine.You have to do 3 supersets of barbell curls with overhead dumbell extension,resting 90 sec btw each superset.After completing this at 20 min u have to do two supersets of alternating dumbell curl with both arm dumbell kickback,max 12 reps each exercise.Then at 40 mins u have to do barbell curls superset with skull crushers,one set of 6 reps each,each rep is done in 12 secs.This routine is followed for next five hours.I  have done this routine strictly but the improvement is minute.My left bicep improved by 1/8 inch ,whereas right bicep improved by 3/8 inches.Anyone of  you who has tried this routine can tell me his experience.

MuscleTech's modification of this program is more detailed, as far was when to train, what/when to eat, and, when to take certain supplements, (i.e. CELL-TECH and NITRO-TECH).

I will be substituting CELL-TECH with Body Fortress Super Advanced Creatine and NITRO-TECH, which tends to give me a headache, with other protein drinks (IsoPure RTDs, Vitamin Shoppe's Whey Tech, ABB Extreme Body 50, or MyoPlex).

[webcake]

lol, ive always wondered about this routine, seems like it could be fun if you had the time.

So i assume your doing biceps and triceps? Its just that ive heard of people only doing it for biceps. Good luck anyway, will be interesting to see the results (if any), you wont be able to lift your arms up after it

[MCWAY]

lol, ive always wondered about this routine, seems like it could be fun if you had the time.

So i assume your doing biceps and triceps? Its just that ive heard of people only doing it for biceps. Good luck anyway, will be interesting to see the results (if any), you wont be able to lift your arms up after it

I've never heard of people using this just for biceps. As for time, I will be doing the routine tommorrow. The weekend would be the most logical time to try such a program, especially if you have weights at home.

I've only taken two days off (counting today). IronMan recommended a three-day break before trying this routine; MuscleTech suggests 4 days off. I don't like going that long without training, especially if I'm making progress in other areas (that's partly why it's taken me this long to actually give this a shot).

Peaking at 45 (P45) says that he didn't do anything out of the ordinary, as far as rest or excessive food is concerned; yet he put on 3/8" on his arms. I'll will be following MuscleTech's direction, regarding the timing of my meals and supplements.

I'll see how much "fun" this is by about 2 p.m. tommorow.

[powerpack]

A buddy of mine did this but did not get much results from it.

[Bluto]

keep us posted about your result as i cant be bothered to try it myself

[MCWAY]

keep us posted about your result as i cant be bothered to try it myself

The issue for me wasn't time to do the workout. It was taking the 3-4 days of beforehand. As it stood, I only had two days off, before I tried this.

I started the routine at 8 a.m. yesterday and finished it at 4:30 p.m. Because I woke up a bit late, I had to slide some of my meals. P45 was right about one thing: You do get worn out quickly. Only it wasn't even halfway through the day, in my case. By the 10:30 session, I was feeling like "Phooey on this! I'm going to take a nap!!" Those 25-minute rest sessions between the workouts just zipped way too quickly for me.

The strangest thing was that Workout 1 portion, 3 supersets of Barbell Curls and Triceps Pressdowns, wasn't that bad. It was Workout 2, 3 supersets of Dumbbell curls and Lying French Presses, that tore me up. As the day progressed, I had to lighten the dumbbells I was using by 5 lb. and I ended up switching to decline French presses.

Per MuscleTech's version of this program, I'm supposed to spend the next four days chowing down and guzzling down shakes to foster recovery. Again, I used my RTDs (Extreme Body 50 and IsoPure) and Vitamin Shoppe's Whey Tech in place of NITRO-TECH and Body Fortress Super Advance Creatine High Performance, instead of CELL-TECH.

My arms aren't super-sore.....YET! I'm not supposed to measure my arms again, until at least day 3 of recovery, which would be Wednesday for me.

[jpm101]

The One Day Program is an old one but can be a goodie, when approached the right way. The original version only required a light set (1 or 2 at the very most) of tricep/bicep exercises SS'ed each hour. You do not want to do  forced reps, go to failure or have an extended arm workout.  The idea is to have a slight pumped supply of fresh blood  throughout the day.  You do not want to put a great demand on the CNS, that's why the 1 hour workouts are short and light. Doing 10 reps, if you feel like you could do 1 or 2 more, than do not. Just get and maintain that arm pump all day long with those lighter SS's.. Between 6 (at the least) to 8 (at the most) times on that workout day. Old BB'ing saying, "More blood, more muscle".

Probably better to rely on a more liquid form of nourishment when doing the actually program. Easier on the digestion while keeping the main supply of blood (Blood/plasma circulates in the stomach/digestive area quite a bit with a heavier meal) in the arm area, where it is needed.  Whey , amino caps, flaxseed/Omega oils, etc. In any case you want the calories (the good kind) high to meet the demands of this style workout. Most of you guy's know what to eat with something like this.

Might try single joint arm movements rather than compound ones.

Triceps: Skull crushers, French press, rope/'V" bar pushdowns, etc. Do not want CGBP, dips or other compound movements.

Biceps: Incline DB curls, Close grip (elbows glued to th sides) curls, Behind the neck lat machine curls, DB concentration curls, etc. No chins, up-right rows, etc. 

These are SS'ed of course. Some finding suggest that a muscle group will recovery better/faster with SS's. Take at least 3 days before and after this type system. You can measure the arm that day, the day after or whatever. But to confirm a lasting muscle gain, measure 3 to 4 days later. If you get a lasting 1/8 gain, that is good. If you get 3/8's or more, as a select few have in the past, than that is exceptional.

Remember to measure with a thin steel tape and the first thing in the morning, not any later when the arms can pump up doing normal things.


This type one day program also works very well for the calves. Guy's have even used it for the delts. In any event, it seems to work better with smaller muscle groups. Will it work for everyone. NO, nothing ever seem to do that. No magic bullet in lifting. But what do you have to lose, one day and that's it. Some will do this special workout 2 or 3 times a year when gains seem to hit the wall. Good Luck.

[MCWAY]

The One Day Program is an old one but can be a goodie, when approached the right way. The original version only required a light set (1 or 2 at the very most) of tricep/bicep exercises SS'ed each hour. You do not want to do  forced reps, go to failure or have an extended arm workout.  The idea is to have a slight pumped supply of fresh blood  throughout the day.  You do not want to put a great demand on the CNS, that's why the 1 hour workouts are short and light. Doing 10 reps, if you feel like you could do 1 or 2 more, than do not. Just get and maintain that arm pump all day long with those lighter SS's.. Between 6 (at the least) to 8 (at the most) times on that workout day. Old BB'ing saying, "More blood, more muscle".

Probably better to rely on a more liquid form of nourishment when doing the actually program. Easier on the digestion while keeping the main supply of blood (Blood/plasma circulates in the stomach/digestive area quite a bit with a heavier meal) in the arm area, where it is needed.  Whey , amino caps, flaxseed/Omega oils, etc. In any case you want the calories (the good kind) high to meet the demands of this style workout. Most of you guy's know what to eat with something like this.

That might explain why MuscleTech's version has users consuming SIX NITRO-TECH shakes (along with two CELL-TECH ones) and eating only three solid meals.

Might try single joint arm movements rather than compound ones.

Triceps: Skull crushers, French press, rope/'V" bar pushdowns, etc. Do not want CGBP, dips or other compound movements.

Biceps: Incline DB curls, Close grip (elbows glued to th sides) curls, Behind the neck lat machine curls, DB concentration curls, etc. No chins, up-right rows, etc. 

These are SS'ed of course. Some finding suggest that a muscle group will recovery better/faster with SS's. Take at least 3 days before and after this type system. You can measure the arm that day, the day after or whatever. But to confirm a lasting muscle gain, measure 3 to 4 days later. If you get a lasting 1/8 gain, that is good. If you get 3/8's or more, as a select few have in the past, than that is exceptional.

Remember to measure with a thin steel tape and the first thing in the morning, not any later when the arms can pump up doing normal things.


This type one day program also works very well for the calves. Guy's have even used it for the delts. In any event, it seems to work better with smaller muscle groups. Will it work for everyone. NO, nothing ever seem to do that. No magic bullet in lifting. But what do you have to lose, one day and that's it. Some will do this special workout 2 or 3 times a year when gains seem to hit the wall. Good Luck.

Yep!!! Both IronMan and MuscleTech recommend waiting at least two to three months, before repeating such a routine. I won't have a problem complying with that. It may be another three YEARS, before I go through this again.

[jpm101]

OK, you want to eat a full meal about an hour and a half before starting the one day thing. Probable in the morning. After the last set of the day, than another full meal. But never when half way through the workout day. On both full meals the highlight will be quality carbs and protein. Carbs like potato's, yam's, brown rice, whole wheat bread,peanut butter, etc. Protein like steak, meat loaf, sea food, eggs,etc. Also might consider Creatine (pure grade) twice on that day. If drinking a shake, sip them throughout the day rather than chug-a-lugging in one gulp. Much better for the digestion while training. Feel extra drained nearing the end of the one day workout, than put a couple of spoon fulls of honey with the shake. Actually whey protein and Creatine will be the only supplement needed. Except for maybe a vitimin/mineral one a day. If your a juicer than make you own "supplements" up.

The main reason some guy's burn out after only doing 3 or 4 workout sessions is because they use too much weight, go to failure, force rep's or do too many sets on those workout. You want just the opposite, working well with-in your personal capacity. every training hour.  You want a brief and to the point workout just to keep a good pump throughout the day.

To help with the pump, wear a long sleeve heavier workout shirt. Put a mild heating compound on the whole arm area also. This can keep the arm warm and keep or draw blood to the area. Repeat as the day wears on. Good Luck.

[MCWAY]

OK, you want to eat a full meal about an hour and a half before starting the one day thing. Probable in the morning. After the last set of the day, than another full meal. But never when half way through the workout day. On both full meals the highlight will be quality carbs and protein. Carbs like potato's, yam's, brown rice, whole wheat bread,peanut butter, etc. Protein like steak, meat loaf, sea food, eggs,etc. Also might consider Creatine (pure grade) twice on that day. If drinking a shake, sip them throughout the day rather than chug-a-lugging in one gulp. Much better for the digestion while training. Feel extra drained nearing the end of the one day workout, than put a couple of spoon fulls of honey with the shake. Actually whey protein and Creatine will be the only supplement needed. Except for maybe a vitimin/mineral one a day. If your a juicer than make you own "supplements" up.

The MuscleTech program has a NITRO-TECH shake at 6:30 a.m. and breakfast (six eggs/two eggs and six egg whites, toast w/jam) at 7:00 a.m.

The first training session (Workout 1) starts at 8 a.m. As for the whey protein-and-creatine thing, that's covered too (Take a wild guess as to which ones are recommended   ).

The main reason some guy's burn out after only doing 3 or 4 workout sessions is because they use too much weight, go to failure, force rep's or do too many sets on those workout. You want just the opposite, working well with-in your personal capacity. every training hour.  You want a brief and to the point workout just to keep a good pump throughout the day.

That's not necessarily true. When I started, especially with Workout 2, I could handle the weights (the dumbbell curls, in particular) fairly well. But, by 11:30's Workout 2 session, I had trouble getting 8 reps, when the previous Workout 2 sessions I could get 10 reps with the same dumbbells. So, I had to go about 5 pounds lighter. Then, the hands started cramping up.

To help with the pump, wear a long sleeve heavier workout shirt. Put a mild heating compound on the whole arm area also. This can keep the arm warm and keep or draw blood to the area. Repeat as the day wears on. Good Luck.

I didn't try that (at least, not during training). IronMan simply recommended using rubbing alcohol on the arms, after the workout.

[MCWAY]

Well, Thursday of last week, I measured my arms after trying this program last Sunday. The end result: 3/16th on an inch......not too shabby.

If I try this program again, I will make a few changes. For starters, I will pick another tricep exercise than pushdowns for Workout 1. I felt that it was too easy to cheat on those, as the go through the program.

Another item is that I will go a bit lighter on the dumbbells. It may seem easier the first two workouts. But, as the day progresses, those dumbbells become more of a challenge. And I won't have to worry about my grip failing on me again.

As stated some time ago, the biggest reason I didn't try this program years beforehand is that I don't like the idea of taking several days off before and after this workout. Even though my arms were somewhat stiff last week, I was dying to hit the gym to train upper body (chest and back) last Monday and legs last Tuesday. Even then, I only took three days off, before training upper body (including arms) Thursday.