Today I decided to do the P90X One on One with Tony Horton: Just Arms workout routine and it was awesome. The name of the workout is mean to be taken literally – you work “just arms” so if you haven’t yet done this routine, expect to get your arms blasted. The Just Arms routine specifically targets your Biceps, Forearms, and Triceps through a variety of exercises that Tony demonstrates. The nice thing about this routine is that you don’t have to worry about doing crazy jumping up and down or getting your heart rate pwnd by cardio. Additionally you don’t have to worry about your legs getting sore from too many squats or lunges. However, you should expect to tire out and pump up your arms by the time you are done with this badboy.
Just Arms Workout Review
The Just Arms routine begins with Tony Horton turning up some music from Jason Scheff designed to help pump him up. His buddy Mason Bendewald is filming the workout session – so expect him to make comments, ask questions, and crack jokes throughout. For this routine there isn’t much of a warm up because your body really doesn’t need a major warm up when you are doing just arms. If you want I would recommend maybe doing some arm circles, swimmers, and maybe a couple of light behind the back triceps stretches, but they aren’t really necessary.
Tony Horton “Just Arms” Video Preview
Tony starts off by saying, “Hello boys and girls, Uncle Tony here” which had me laughing. Then he talks about the fact that we are going to do some, “old school stuff” and then proceeds to flex his arms to show off his biceps, forearms, and triceps. The length of this workout is approximately 47 minutes, but the moves seem to fly by. To me this workout really only seemed like 30 minutes, but I guess we do take some short breaks so maybe that was why. The Just Arms routine is structured into 3 rounds each with 3 exercises: one to work the biceps, one to work the forearms, and one to work the triceps. Each round is done twice, so you do a total of 6 sets before moving onto the next round.
After you have finished all 3 rounds, there is one bonus round at the end with 5 exercises to give your arms one last pump before the DVD ends. I thoroughly enjoyed this workout from start to finish because it really made me work my arms hard without having to get my heart rate up. I honestly barely broke a sweat during this routine, but at the same time, felt like my arms got worked really hard. When I finished, I had a nice protein shake to help my muscles recover from the blast that they just endured. Below I’m going to break down the exercises and let you know what to expect.
Just Arms Workout Exercises
Tip of the day: Try to sustain weights and rep counts throughout your workout – it shows good stamina, strength, and resilient muscles.
Recommended Equipment: Dumbbells, Chair, Bench Press (Optional)
Round #1: Seated Curls, Forearm Curls, Tricep Extensions
Seated Supination Curls (Biceps)
The very first exercise in the Just Arms routine is Seated Curls. You grab some dumbbells, sit down on a chair, and do as many curls as you can. Obviously if you want to build some muscle and size, you should pick a heavier weight and do 8 to 10 reps. If you want to stay lean and maintain tone, you should be in the 12 to 15 rep range with a lighter weight. To do these curls, you sit down, keep your back and spine straight, and then curl up with a little supination (twist of the wrist) so that the weights are in normal curl position at the top.
When you bring them back down to the bottom, they should be in hammer position (i.e. parallel to each other). Since Tony grabbed 55 lbs. per side, I decided that I would take a stab at 40 lbs. per side because I didn’t know what to expect. I was able to do 8 reps for both the first and second round at 40 lbs. which felt pretty good. The second round was obviously tougher, so if you want to push yourself, try to maintain the same weight for both rounds.
Standard Forearm Curls (Forearms)
I honestly have never seen these hanging wrist curls before but they definitely did a nice job at burning my forearms. To do these all you need to do is grab some dumbbells, have a seat once again on a chair, and place the majority of your forearms on your thighs while holding the weights. Your wrists should be slightly overhanging your knees and the weights should be held in curl position. The goal of this exercise is to specifically isolate and work your forearm muscles.
Burn burn burn... word to chaaarmander
So bend at the wrists, let your weights hang down and then curl the weights up with your forearms. You can engage the biceps too, just keep your forearms planted on your leg the entire time. Try to bring your wrist as high as possible at the top so that you get maximum burn. During my first round of these, I went with 30 lbs. per side and it seemed too light because I was able to do 15 reps. During my second set though I decided to stay at 30 lbs. because my arms were getting tired – I ended up with 10 reps here.
Lying Tricep Extensions (Triceps)
You should already know this move because we do it on the floor in P90X during routines like Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. Tony decides to use his bench because “it’s more luxurious” and he asks “why not luxuriate?”…haha. I actually did these standing up because I don’t have a bench in the basement and I hate the floor version because there is less range of motion on the drop backs. I probably should have given them a shot on the floor, but I felt like standing up would give me more of a burn. I chose 30 lbs. per side and this weight worked out perfectly for 10 reps during the first set, and 10 additional reps during the second set.
Next time I think I will try these lying down, but I’d like to get a bench so that on the drop back I get that full range of motion. To do these you simply grab two dumbbells, lie down on your back, bend your knees and put your feet on the floor. Extend your arms straight out and bring the weights straight up so that they are parallel (hammer grip). Then while keeping your elbows locked in place, drop the weights back so that they come down by your ears – and then kick them back up; that is one rep. Continue to do as many reps as possible, but make sure that you don’t drop the weights on your face; if you’re getting tired, be smart and stop.
Round #2: Incline Bicep Curls, Reverse Forearm Curls, Tricep Kickbacks
Incline Bicep Curls (Biceps)
If you have a bench in the house, you should have a much easier time doing this than people without the added luxury. If you have a bench, you will want to adjust it so that it is on an incline of about 45 degrees. If you don’t have a bench, you can use a chair without arms and lean back so that you still have the 45 degree angle tilt. You should have chosen two dumbbells of a relatively challenging weight, but make sure you don’t go overboard here – these are a lot tougher than regular curls. So while you are leaning back, your goal is to do a curl in this lean position. However in order to really give your biceps the burn that they need and challenge yourself, you should try to keep your elbows and arms locked back the entire time. In other words, when you bring the weights up for the curl, your arms should stay back behind your body.
These are very much like the Lean Back Curls from the Upper Body Plus routine and in my opinion, those are certainly a viable alternative if you don’t have a bench or feel uncomfortable doing these in a chair. I chose 30 lbs. per side because I didn’t know what to expect – fortunately it turned out to be the perfect weight. During the first set I only managed to do 8 reps, but somehow ended up doing 10 reps for the second set. If you are doing these properly and are keeping your arms locked back behind (specifically your elbows locked back) your shoulders the entire time, they should be a lot tougher than standard curls. Mason gives you a great view of these with his side camera angle. In my opinion, this is one of the toughest exercises in this entire workout.
Reverse Forearm Curls (Forearms)
Just like the seated forearm curls that you did earlier, you grab a couple of light dumbbells and work your forearms. To do these you sit down, place your forearms on your thighs, and do reverse curls up (only bending at the wrist). The best way to know that you are in reverse position is that you should be able to look down and see your knuckles. While you are doing these, your forearms should be flexed the entire time and by the time you are done with both sets, your forearms should have really felt the burn.
Knucks out = more burn
You will also notice that these are a lot tougher to do in reverse in comparison to the standard seated forearm curls. I lightened up my weight for these in comparison to the first round because reverse are tougher. I ended up doing 10 reps during both the first and second set at 20 lbs. and it was very challenging. Tony only used 15 lbs. per side and he pretty much says that you don’t need more than 15 lbs. For this reverse version you may notice that your forearms come slightly off of your thighs (in a sort of rocking motion) – this is fine as long as you are using good form and aren’t lifting your entire arm.
Tricep Kickbacks (Triceps)
To do the Tricep Kickbacks, you get into Lawnmower stance, and grab a dumbbell in one hand. The other hand rests either on the bench or chair so that you can maintain good balance. For this exercise, all you do is take a hammer grip to your dumbbell and kick your arm straight back so that it is fully extended behind your back. Do a little isometric hold while holding the weight with your arm straight out, and then bend at the elbow and swing it back forwards up to your shoulder. Since I was using a chair for balance I decided to go with 30 lbs. while doing the Tricep Kickbacks and it turned out to be a good, challenging weight. During both the first and second set, I did 10 reps per arm at 30 lbs. and most definitely felt the burn. You will feel the burn in your triceps if you are doing these properly. The one thing to remember during this exercise is to keep your elbow up the entire time (both during the kick back and swing forward).
Round #3: Twenty Ones, Forearm Curl Combo, Side Tri Rises
Twenty Ones (21’s) (Biceps)
You should be very familiar with Twenty Ones from the P90X Back and Biceps routine. In case you don’t know what to expect here, just know that you are basically doing 21 total curls. You are doing 7 curls starting with the weights at the bottom only curling halfway up, 7 more curls starting out halfway up to the top, and 7 full length standard curls from bottom to top. If you pick a weight that’s too heavy here, you are going to have a very tough time surviving. I ended up choosing 30 lbs. per side because I wanted a challenge. For the first set, I had a very tough time, but finished all 21 reps at 30 lbs. During the second set, I was able to do the first 14 reps at 30 lbs., but had to drop down to 25 lbs. for the last 7 reps because my arms were out of commission. I love this exercise and if you want to really give your biceps a nice pump, this will do the trick.
Forearm Curl Combo with Flutters (Forearms)
This is a really badass forearm combo because it combines the standard forearm curls that we did in the first round, with the reverse forearm curls that we did in the second round, and adds “flutters” which involve turning your wrists so that the weights flutter – which really engages and blasts the forearms. You start out sitting down just like you did in the first two rounds with your forearms on your thighs. Instead of doing curls right away, you start with 10 flutters (so rotate your dumbbells using only your wrists while engaging your forearms).
These flutters basically involve turning the weights 180 degrees in one direction, and then 180 degrees back in the other direction so that your arms are working. After 10 flutters, you do 10 standard forearm curls (like round one), then 10 reverse forearm curls (like round two), and you finish with 10 flutters or as Tony calls it “the sandwich.” So you basically do a total of 40 reps during each the first and second set. Tony’s arms look super ripped and then he does a pretty hilarious Velociraptor impression. My forearms were on fire after each set of these and I only used 15 lbs. I actually had to drop down to 10 lbs. for the last 10 flutters because my arms were so dead.
Side Tri Rises (Triceps)
I absolutely love doing Side Tri Rises because not only do they do an awesome job at working the triceps, but they really engage my entire chest and pectoral muscles. For these you do not need any weight – just a comfortable place to lie down on your side. To start, lie on your right side and place your left hand on the floor close to your armpit. Then take the hand that’s free and put it on the shoulder that is off the ground. To do the Side Tri Rise, you simply push up so that the arm of the hand that is on the ground is fully extended and straight. After it is perfectly straight, you drop back down to the floor and do another rise.
You are supposed to stack your legs and keep them on the ground the entire time. My recommendation would be to try to keep your body tight, engage your core, and go for maximum reps, but also try to get a full extension out of your arm with each rep. During my first set, I managed to do a total of 15 reps per arm, and I repeated the same numbers for the second set. I was following the tip of the day and trying to keep my reps consistent throughout the routine. Note: These may induce flashbacks of the P90X Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps routine.
Bonus Round: Crazy Eights, Wrist Curls, Hammers, Throws
Since the main workout is only 35 minutes, Tony decides to come up with a bonus round (thank God)! Without the bonus, this still would have been a well designed routine to work the arms, but most people would agree that this round was needed. Although Tony only does the bonus exercises one time through (with the exception of Crazy 8’s), I recommend doing the entire thing twice just like the main portion of the routine because it will give you a little bit extra burn that you may want and/or need.
My Chicken McBicep Nugget...haha
Crazy Eights (Biceps)
You get a little bit crazy with the “friggin eights” as Mason calls them. For this particular exercise, you should plan on doing 32 reps of static arm curls in sets of 8 reps. Pick up a couple of fairly challenging dumbbells, but don’t go overboard here because you will do another round of these to close out the routine. To do the Crazy 8’s, you simply hold one arm with a dumbbell halfway up in the curl position and keep it locked or “static.” With your other arm, you do 8 reps of curls, and when you are finished with 8 reps, you lock that arm halfway up, and do 8 reps of full curls with the other arm. You continue until you have completed a total of 32 reps (4 sets of 8 reps or a total of 16 curls per side). You may remember static arm curls from the P90X Back and Biceps workout – that’s pretty much what these are. I rocked with 20 lbs. for my first set and it turned out to be the ideal weight for me.
Behind the Back Wrist Curls (Forearms)
These didn’t really have a name that Tony mentions, he just said, “Here’s an off the butt forearm move.” To do these forearm curls you grab a dumbbell in one hand at a relatively light weight and bend slightly over. You should have your free hand pressing up against a chair or a bench, while your other arm should be tight to your side with the knuckles of your hand on your butt. You then simply leverage the strength in your forearm to do some wrist curls behind your back. These definitely do a good job at engaging the forearms even if you choose a relatively light weight. The key here once again is to get as much range of motion as you possibly can. I ended up using 15 lbs. per side and it was more than enough.
Hammer Curls (Biceps / Forearms)
Tony doesn’t even say anything when transitioning from the previous exercise which made me wonder whether he intended for everyone at home to follow him. I felt a little bit rushed, but kicked my ass into gear and grabbed some dumbbells to join him for the Hammer Curls – especially since these are one of my favorite bicep exercises. To do the Hammer Curls, just grab some challenging dumbbells and turn the dumbbells so that they are parallel to each other on the side of your body.
In other words, your fingernails should be turned towards the inside of your body and knuckles out while you curl. These are easier than normal curls, but here you are going for a shit ton of reps, so don’t go too heavy. The goal with these is to tire out your biceps one last time so that you feel dead. I ended up doing 20 reps at 20 lbs. per side and I probably could have used 25 lbs. or 30 lbs., but I didn’t know what to expect at this point in the workout. Tony does more reps than me (I think he did somewhere between 30 and 40 but I’m not going to count).
Throws (Triceps)
Tony calls these “throws” because you make a little bit of a throwing motion, but they are basically just standing triceps extensions. Grab a couple of dumbbells, lift the weights up over your head, bend your elbows, and drop the dumbbells behind your back. When they are hanging behind your back, you lift or “throw” them upwards to extend your triceps. This is another personal favorite so I’m glad it was included in the bonus round. With this exercise, make sure that you choose a weight that isn’t too heavy because at the top of your rep, you might drop the weight on your head or tweak a muscle in your arm. I did a total of 12 reps while holding 25 lbs. per side which was really easy for me, but I was pretty tired. Next time I’m going to move up in weight and see how it goes.
Crazy Eights Again (Biceps)
For the final move in the Just Arms workout, we get to blast our biceps with the Crazy Eights for a total of 32 static arm curls. I decided to be like Tony and use the same weight as I used during the first set. I was able to manage to finish the entire sequence of 32 reps with 20 lb. dumbbells in each hand, but it was a hell of a battle. I took one mini break before finishing my last set of 8 reps because my arms were on fire. With that said, I thought that it was a great way to end the routine. I kind of wished that we would have stayed true to the sequence and done two sets of each move in the entire bonus round, but after doing this move, I was fine with calling it quits. Plus with Tony’s, “Which way is the beach?” joke while flexing and pointing had me laughing.
Just Arms Review (Conclusion)
Upon finishing the One on One with Tony Horton Just Arms routine, I can say that it was a lot of fun and phenomenal arms workout. If you want to build muscle in your biceps, forearms, and triceps through highly targeted exercises, I would recommend including this workout in your routine from time to time. I think I’m going to include it in my itinerary every couple of weeks because some days I don’t want to do cardio, core work, or legs – I would rather do “just arms.” I like maintaining total body fitness, but when I want to work my arms with dumbbells, this offers nice variety and is honestly one of the better routines I’ve ever done. The way it is designed with 3 rounds, 3 exercises targeting biceps, forearms, and triceps, with the bonus round really makes for extremely dead arms by the time you finish.
Be smart... keep track
I did notice that at the end of this routine that there is an advertisement for the Upper Body Massacre (30 15 routine). I actually experienced the UBM before this one and it’s obviously a lot tougher than Just Arms, but it’s strictly bodyweight exercises and completely different. This routine involves weights and although it may not seem as hard as some others, it will give you good results if you pick the right weights and use good form. A lot of times people think that they have to work really hard in order to get good results – and that’s not always true. If you aren’t doing highly effective targeted exercises, you won’t get as visible of results as someone who is doing a routine like Just Arms and is using heavy weights throughout.
I wouldn’t say that Just Arms is overly difficult – most people will have no problem surviving because you can use whatever weights you need. It is not as tough as a routine like P90X Chest and Back, but it undoubtedly of moderate difficulty if you use heavy weights to challenge yourself. It is certainly both longer and tougher than Diamond Delts from the One on One series which is another dumbbell-based strength routine. When I finished this workout, I didn’t feel drop dead tired – I honestly didn’t sweat much, but my arms got straight rocked. This routine is a gem in the One on One series, so make sure you give it a shot and see what you think.