Bigger Arms, Better Heart?
I was at a convention a few weeks ago for fitness and internet marketers. A guy was telling me about this study done on arm size and heart health. Turns to find out that building your arms actually improves your heart and decreases the chances of having a heart attack.
This makes sense, and I’ll give you two tips on building AND using your arms to improve your heart:
1. Build more muscle faster by using sets of 5 followed by sets of 15 reps. Take a heavy pair of dumbbells and curl them for five hard reps. Then without rest do a set of form-strict barbell curls using 15 reps. Repeat this cycle 2-3 times tops. That’s all you need to build larger biceps.
2. When you do your cardio, lift your arms high — swing them over your head if you can. Watch what happens to your heart rate! It will soar. Your heart has to work harder to get blood to flow “up” — and when you do cardio there’s not much above the heart.
Arms are the key. Swing them up as you walk and you’ll improve your cardio conditioning and fatburning all at the same time.
[ jB ]
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Comments (6)
Meg Lees said:
Hi John,
I tried both of these exercises you wrote about here and at the end felt like I had done a complete workout.
The feeling in my arms with the increased weight and performing both as you have directed here was quite awesome.
I actually incorporated these in my off day from training. e.g. if I trained Monday and rested Tuesday, I just did the above on the Tuesday and found it really great.
Question: Do you have other tips such as these for other body parts, including chest, back, triceps, quads etc? To include these little snippets into the routine I feel would really boost my training.
I really love this way of training and would be grateful if you could post others for other body parts.
Many thanks
Kind regards
Meg
Posted on Feb 12, 2009 10:12 PM
Jon Benson said:
Hi Meg,
Thanks for the kind words… and I’m glad you liked the workout.
There are tips in every F I T 365 newsletter I send out. Just make sure you are subscribed and you’ll get them. You can subscribe on any website of mine — like 7 Minute Muscle for example.
That, and simply search this blog for a specific bodypart. Thanks!
Posted on Feb 12, 2009 10:22 PM
Greg said:
Hey Jon,
Sorry to hijack the topic, but dd you know there are mountains in Texas? I did a 75-mile cycle race through the Davis Mountains last September, possibly the biggest physical challenge I ever faced. Not the Rockies (or Alps!) but very respectable nonetheless—lots of steep 5-mile grades, switchbacks, and best of all, almost no traffic. The point is, three years ago when I picked up “Fit Over 40” I knew it could help undo the damage of 25 years of smoking, drinking and eating McDonalds, but I never imagined I could race through the mountains using only my legs for power.
At the 60-mile rest stop, after a particularly grueling ascent, I was hanging out with a few of the other sufferers, complaining about fatigue and aches and sore asses. Right about then I noticed something, half the group seemed well over sixty, some in their mid-70s according to one of them. Amazing. I always assumed that when you get older you do what my grandparents did, and my parents, and almost any other old codger I knew—you settle back in your Barcalounger, see your physician every other week, wheeze a lot, maybe drool a little, take pills and drops, watch Matlock and Macgyver, and wait to die. Above all, you don’t leave the comfort and security of the Barcalounger, you might overexert yourself!
FoF was a big help in dispelling this notion. I’m looking forward to picking up “7 Minute” (have to get a job first, damnit) and stepping things up a notch. In the meantime, I’m off to the local 24hr Fitness Club right now to try the arm routine!
Yours in Bingonity,
-Greg
Posted on Feb 14, 2009 07:52 AM
Greg said:
OK, I’m back from the gym and my arms hurt. What’s next?
Posted on Feb 14, 2009 11:11 AM
Simão Lagoá said:
Hi Jon!
You´re bringing golden nuggets to the table every day!
Just wanted to drop a thank you, I was fortunate enough to apply this nifty tip a couple of days after I read it. I was “unfortunate” enough to feel the effects:)
Disclaimer: you should warn the readers every time they´re about to experience some (good) pain, this baby is a rocker! Follow instructions, presto! Pumped arms, just add sweat. Results will follow!
Great info, keep it up!
All the best,
Simão
Posted on Feb 27, 2009 11:09 AM
Jon Benson said:
Ha! Yeah, it’s a killa… ; ) But I’m all about intensity and shorter duration workouts. They usually hurt more, but actually stress the body “less” unless you do the HIT route, which I rarely do.
Posted on Feb 28, 2009 09:44 AM