Bis & tri's: unforgettable arms; 1998 Fitness Olympia champion Monica Brant shares how her bi's and tri's leave a lasting impression - The Total Package

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, Dec, 2002 by Kathleen Engel

Monica Brant is considering the notion put to her that weight-trained arms are a badge of fitness. The torso and abs may be covered, the quads and hams may not show; but those arms are prima facie evidence. Yes, she agrees, sharing an anecdote.

"My girlfriend and I had gone to this place across the street from where I live, and we had sushi and a drink or two. A few months later, we went back to the same place - but this time I was wearing a red wig. I had just gotten it, and was having some fun trying it out. We ordered some sushi at the bar. The same bartender was there as before, and when he looked at me he said, 'You look really familiar.' Then, after a moment, he said, 'I recognize you!' I asked, 'Yeah? How could you tell?' He said, 'I recognize your arms.'"

polishing your badge

Back in the day (1991, to be exact), before legions of fitness fans flipped Monica Brant pancakes at home, Monica worked those arms with six- and eight-rep sets for about half a year. "You live and you learn," she says simply. "I didn't need to train that way."

During her competitive years, Monica never stressed about "bringing up" her arms. She certainly never strapped a tape measure across her biceps. The body-parts demanding her focus were back and legs. Arms had to be shapely and strong enough to perform her fitness routine with ease. Gymnastics training and strength moves practice nailed her triceps. Biceps, however, posed more of a challenge.

"Nowadays, I try to train arms once a week or every 10 days," says Monica, who maintains her recognizable arms with a high-rep scheme, tip- top diet and a commitment to a high level of fitness. "I do 3-4 exercises for each muscle group, 3-4 sets of each exercise. Since I think my biceps are just a little lacking, I train them a bit heavier, in 10-12-rep sets. For triceps, which I don't think need to get any bigger, I do 15-25 repetitions.

"Actually, I don't like training biceps," she admits. "I have to kind of force myself to train them. It's something about the movement that makes my irritability go up."

keep it simple, sweetie

Were she to meet with you over your gym's juice bar, this is what Monica would tell you:

* Know your objectives. A competitor views her arms differently than a woman who simply wants to "tone up."

* Assess the time you want to allocate to exercise. Be reasonable. Prioritize your goals and see where arms fit into the scheme of things.

* Draw up a plan.

* Stick to the plan.

* Reassess the plan. If it isn't working, scrap it. Draw up a new plan.

"I've been supersetting bi's and tri's for a while now," Monica explains. "But each time I train, I do different exercises. I might perform a cable concentration curl today, but next time I make it a dumbbell concentration curl. Instead of a regular curl, I'll try a hammer grip. I like variety, which gives me the best workout. And I don't feel like I get stuck in a rut."

Typically Monica strings exercises together in her mind as she walks into the gym and surveys the equipment. You may require a more formal program design, she stipulates.

four signs may need to change your arm program:

* You've noticed that your back and chest workouts suffer because your arms give out too soon. You may need to develop greater strength and endurance.

* You're not seeing significant changes in terms of growth. You may need to change the rep scheme, go slightly heavier for a while, change your exercises and order, or even check to see if you're overtraining.

* Your arms are getting bigger and thicker, but lack shape and definition. You may need to tinker with your rep scheme and exercise choices. More important, you may have to make some new food choices.

* You find yourself just going through the motions in the gym.

"I can't rake credit for everything... my mom has always had great arms," Monica notes. "In recent years, she's had to learn to train a bit better to maintain them. She's hard on herself, and that's what it rakes."

Like her mom, Monica is all business in the gym. Her superset workout is a great way to get the job done as efficiently as possible, she says. The program works for anyone, but if your goal is to put on some shapely arm muscle, Monica suggests training heavier, lowering the number of repetitions and raking a slightly longer rest between sets. With proper form all the way and performing each set to fatigue, your arms will be pumped at the end!

high-cable curl

"This is one of those exercises throw in every once in a while for variety. I grasp a straight bar attached to the upper cable and sir on a bench racing the cable stack, my feet planted on the floor in front of me. Keeping my torso erect and my upper arms stable, I curl the bar toward me, squeeze my biceps hard and slowly return the bar to the start position."

alternative: "The low-cable curl hits the muscle from a different angle."

bench dip

"I place my hands a comfortable distance outside of my hips on the bench, stretch out my legs and rest my feet on the floor in front of me. Keeping my torso erect, I lower my body to the point where my upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor, then push up. Since everybody has a different flexibility range, stay within your comfort zone and maintain an even tempo."