When you hang out at legendary Muscle Beach Venice, you'd better have some serious beach muscles on display. Specifically, nothing grabs the attention of star-struck passers-by like a pair of huge, rippling biceps of the sort fashioned by Ike Catcher—a Muscle Beach Nutrition-sponsored athlete—over many years of serious training.
"I like having big arms," says Catcher, at the risk of stating the obvious. "I call them 'think-twice' arms. You don't get into any problems with big arms, and all the ladies got something nice and chiseled to grab onto."
At this point, you might be thinking that you'd like a pair of pythons writhing under your sleeves, as well. If so, you've come to the right place, as Catcher reveals his best arm-building workout in the accompanying video, as well as in the workout table below.
Do this arm workout several times a week. It should take 40 minutes to complete. Before starting, heed Catcher's words of motivation: Always try to be a better version of yourself. Always strive to improve yourself. And never get too comfortable.
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EZ-Bar Curl
3 sets, 8-10 reps
 
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2
Concentration Curls
3 sets, 8-10 reps
 
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3
Triceps Pushdown - Rope Attachment
3 sets, 8-10 reps
 
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4
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl
or Scott Curl.
3 sets, 8-10 reps
 
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5
Incline Dumbbell Curl
3 sets, 8-10 reps
 
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Technique Tips
EZ-Bar Curl
Arms are not one of the big muscle groups, so Catcher keeps the volume lower. "Eight to ten reps is good to build the muscle and get a nice pump going," he says.
The EZ-bar is a great arm-builder because it takes the tension off the wrists, allowing you to load more weight on the bar. Achieve a full range of motion on each rep while keeping that tension in your biceps.
"Don't just let loose," cautions Catcher. "Get into a nice groove, a nice rhythm, then take a little break and hit another set."
Concentration Curl
If you've done concentration curls in the past, there's a good chance you did them incorrectly.
"The most common mistake I see with the concentration curls is that people lean their elbow on the inside of their leg," notes Catcher. "You want your arm suspended in the air; you don't want it leaning anywhere."
Hold the weight in your right hand, resting your left hand on your left leg. As you curl the weight in your right hand, turn in your wrist for a nice little twist so you can really feel the biceps. Pause at the top, then release.
"I like to do one-arm exercises because you can focus on and concentrate your efforts on each biceps a lot more than you can with both arms," explains Catcher. "You've got to mix it up. You shouldn't do too many two-handed or one-handed stuff. Both are great."
Rope Push-Down
This is the only triceps exercise in this entire arms workout because you're trying to focus on the biceps and that massive biceps pump. On the push-down, keep your elbows tight to your body and press down the rope attachment with your triceps.
"I always advise people to twist their wrists out as they push," says Catcher. "It's better activation for the triceps."
Scott Curl
Biceps growth did not always come easily to the long-limbed Catcher. "For years, when I first started training, I struggled to get volume on my biceps," he explains. "This exercise did it for me. It's the go-to exercise if you have long arms."
Set an incline bench to slightly below 90 degrees. Set your arm on the bench holding the dumbbell, then extend the weight down and come back up. "It's such a great exercise because you cannot get a better biceps isolation than this," Catcher explains. "I'm 6-foot-9, so for all you tall people out there, this is the exercise to do if you want to have good biceps on a long arm."
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Catcher places this exercise last because it incorporates more than just arms, and it stretches and works your whole body.
"I like doing incline curls at the end because it brings everything together," he explains.
Attacking the biceps from yet another angle helps with balanced development.
"Attack your biceps from all different angles because you want to give your arms shape like a sculpture," says Catcher. "You can't just hammer a stone from one direction and hope it's going to look nice. You've got to come from different sides and different angles."