Arms Make the Woman

by Julie Lohre, IFBB Pro Fitness
BMJ Volume 10

  Every morning, as the sun rises I hear tiny footsteps getting closer and closer to my bed. No need for an alarm clock here. 7:00 a.m. on the dot, I hear a little voice say, "Wake up sleepy potato". It's my 3-year-old son, Tre's way of letting me know that it's time to get up. It's a good way to start the day. I toss on some workout clothes, help Tre put on his, and head to the basement for our morning cardio and cartoon session before breakfast. When I am getting ready for a show, my trusty Stairmaster whips my butt into shape while he tunes into thirty minutes of his favorite purple dinosaur. I've done cardio at other times of the day, but the fat just seems to peel off with pre-breakfast Stairmaster, so we worked out this schedule. Everyone is happy and it starts the day off right.

  Next comes breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. Whether it's one of my huge veggie and egg white omelets or my favorite - Beverly's Ultra Size with egg whites for amazing pancakes, I love breakfast. Tre always joins me for protein pancakes. I make him special miniature ones that he can dip in sugar-free syrup. We have the breakfast routine down pat and Tre even helps by stirring the Ultra Size and egg white batter. Eating this way not only helps me keep my body in shape, but making sure my family has nutritious meals is even more important.

  After breakfast and a little playtime together, I am off to answer my-mail. I get quite a few each day from training clients and my website. The first email I opened was from a lady named Tracy. She asked a question I've been asked many times, "What type of workouts do you do for your arms?" Great question! , I think muscular arms are really important. Whether you are a man or a woman, muscular arms are part of the definition of fit. Great arms tell the world that you are strong, sexy and serious about fitness. As luck would have it, I had just devised a new arm training program. Actually, my arms are still sore from last night's workout. Let me tell you a little about it.

  I am lucky to have the best training partner ever, my husband Rick. He pushes me beyond what I think my limits are and never lets me slack. Last night at the gym, I put my new arm program to the test. Here's how it works. I pick three exercises for biceps and three for triceps. I start with a warm-up, and then one heavy set of ten reps. Next comes a series of drop sets for that exercise. I do eight reps, reduce the weight, eight more reps, reduce the weight, and finally six to eight more reps. That's one series. I complete a total of three series' of drop sets for each exercise.

  First, I'll give you a set by set example of my series of curls, then a chart that will give you an overview of my complete arm program. I start with curls. I use the 25# curl bar with a 10# plate on each side and do 16 reps as a warm up. It's time to get serious. I add two 5# plates to each side of the bar for a hard set of ten reps. That set was pretty tough so I better rest my biceps a little before I start my series of drop sets. But that doesn't mean I get into a conversation or check out who else is working out, heck no! I don't have time to waste. I pop down on the closest flat bench and crank out 15 lying leg raises for my abs.

  The leg raises give my arms about a ninety second rest. I hop up off the bench and add another 5# plate to each side of the EZ curl bar. Counting the bar as 25#, I now have it loaded to 75#'s with a 10# plate and three 5's on each side. I have to say, it is heavy. Six reps later, Rick helps me force out two more reps for a total of eight. But the set's only a third of the way completed. I set the bar down, and we peel off a five pounder from each side. The first reps aren't bad but by the 6th rep my arms are burning and once again, I need a spot to complete all eight. One more set to go. We take 5# plate off each side (now I'm down to one 10# plate and one 5# plate on each side). I get six reps and that's it.

  My biceps are exhausted. I do two full sets of lying leg raises while I prepare for my second series of drop sets. I complete a total of three series' of EZ curls, then I go to a triceps exercise, the triceps kickback to give my biceps an extended break before I hit them again with the same drop set series sequence on the concentration curl.

  For each exercise I follow the same pattern - warm-up set if needed, a hard set of ten, then three series' of drop sets. Talk about feeling the burn... Here is a page from my training journal that illustrates my exact training program:

April 21, 2006 Arms & Abs

Biceps		Warm-up	Set 1	Drop Set 1	Drop Set 2	Drop Set 3
	Standing Barbell Curl	45/16	65/10	75/8 65/8 55/6	75/8 65/8 55/6	65/10 55/8 50/8
	Concentration Curl	--	15/10	20/8 15/8 10/8	20/8 15/8 10/8	15/8 10/8 10/8
	Hammer Curl	--	15/10	25/8 20/8 15/6	25/8 20/6 15/8	20/10 15/8 15/8
Triceps
	Triceps Kickbacks	10/16	15/10	20/10 15/8 10/6	20/8 15/8 10/6	15/10 10/8 10/8
	Reverse Grip Single Arm press downs	40/16	50/10	60/10 55/8 50/8	65/8 55/8 45/8	65/6 55/8 45/8
	Skull Crushers	45/16	65/10	75/8 65/8 55/6	75/8 65/8 55/6	65/10 55/8 50/8

Stimulation - Recovery - Supercompensation

  After a long hard night's training, I finish off the rest of the Glutamine Select plus BCAAs that's left in my water bottle (I always mix two scoops Glutamine Select in my water bottle to sip while I train) and I head home for my last Ultra Size shake of the night. A girl has to grow, right?

  It's amazing how I was once skeptical of taking supplements, and now I wouldn't even think of trying to improve without them. Luckily, I was introduced to Beverly International early on. If you decide to purchase supplements to help you achieve your goals, don't make the mistake of thinking all supplements are alike. They're not. Don't confuse marketing with quality and results. With Beverly, I know that I am buying the highest quality supplements and the right ones to help me reach my goals. My personal consultant at Beverly, Mark Ritter, designs my supplement schedule around my personal goals.

  My goal for arms was not necessarily to increase my arm measurement per se, but to harden my muscles and lose a little arm fat while I added to my lean muscle tissue. Besides Glutamine Select Plus BCAAs and Ultra Size my other top two supplements for this purpose are Lean Out and Muscularity.

Lean Out - I take two capsules thirty minutes prior to each meal. I use Lean Out to attain a harder muscular look. When you train on a program as hard as the one I've described above you'll often find that the muscle you're trying to build is actually broken down for energy and you're going two steps backward to every one step forward. Lean Out helps me utilize stored bodyfat instead of hard-earned muscle tissue to fuel my workout.

Muscularity - Building lean muscle is a three-step process. First I stimulate my muscles by training. The second step is the recovery process. Before I can start building new lean muscle I have to rebuild the muscle fibers I broke down during training. The harder I train - the greater my need for adequate recovery. This is where Muscularity is invaluable. The branch chain amino acids in Muscularity do not have to go through the normal digestive process; they are almost immediately available to me for muscle repair. The third step in the lean muscle acquisition process is growth, or supercompensation. This is another area where Muscularity shines. I sure can't add extra calories if my goal is to get that tight, hard look, but I do need extra nutrients to bring about muscular growth. Muscularity gives me the amino acids and cofactors I need for muscle growth with no excess calories. It's just what I need to get leaner, harder biceps and triceps. I take three capsules with each meal and four more capsules before and after training. Two other supplements which I take are Ultra 40 and GH Factor. Ultra 40 gives me energy, adds to my pump by helping me get more oxygen to my muscles, and it's a perfect source of amino acids without the extra calories to assist in the muscular growth process. I personally take four tablets with each meal. GH Factor helps me maximize my natural output of growth hormone. This hormone is necessary for signaling the body as to when to burn fat and when to conserve muscle, so I find it very valuable in my program. I take six capsules thirty minutes upon arising and six more before bed

  Remember that training is what stimulates your muscles to grow. My triple drop set arm training will definitely provide the stimulation but don't forget the other 23 hours you spend outside the gym. Your results from training are dependent upon your ability to first recover from training, then it's your job to supercompensate (for muscular growth) with targeted nutrition. Train hard, eat smart, and take the right supplements to will help you achieve your goals.

  I got great results in both size and definition from my triple drop set arm program. My clients like it too (well at least after they get over the initial hate for the pain it causes). They've told me over and over about the amazing pump they get, but why don't you e-mail me at fitness@fuse.net and let me know what kind of results you get.

Julie Lohre Profile
Occupation: IFBB Figure Pro, Certified Personal Trainer and Contest Prep Specialist
Education: B.S. Political Science & Biology Northern Kentucky University
Marital Status: Married 7 years to Rick
Children: 3-year-old son Tre
Height: 5'5"
Off Season Weight: 130 lbs
Contest Weight: 120 lbs
Favorite Cheat Foods: Sushi and French toast
Favorite Bodybuilding Foods: Vegetables and my Beverly Ultra Size waffles with strawberries!
Role Model: The strongest role models in my life are my mother and my mother-in-law; they
are both incredible, giving women that I strive to be more like everyday.

Most Memorable Contest Moment:
I began serious lifting to get in shape after having my son.
Five months to the day from my son's birth, I won my first Overall Figure title at my very first show,
the Northern Kentucky Bodybuilding and Figure Championships. My most memorable moment came during that
contest when I took my son backstage to nurse him between rounds. Nothing could top the look on
the other competitors faces!

Julie Lohre's Ultimate Posing Guide and Workout Series:
I have a new DVD that has just been released this spring: Julie Lohre's Ultimate Posing Guide for
Fitness & Figure. I'm currently working on Ultimate Abs, an instructional training video.
I am extremely excited about these informational DVD's. My goal is to finish a full
series of training DVD's by next year.

Contest Prep and Personal Training:
I am working with women from novice to national level competitors in my contest prep and
personal training programs! Competing is my passion and I would love to share it with you!
Let me use my combined knowledge as a certified personal trainer, NPC judge and an IFBB
professional athlete to help you.

For more information on my new DVD's and personal training check out:
www.JulieLohre.com