Andrew Jacked recently partnered with rising Men’s Open division bodybuilder Vlad Suhoruchko for an intense arms workout as he prepares to defend his title at the 2023 Texas Pro.
Chinedu Andrew Obiekea, also known as Andrew Jacked, is a Nigerian professional bodybuilder who shot to fame in 2022 due to his muscular physique, perfect V-taper, and excellent proportions. After earning his IFBB Pro card with a dominant win at the 2022 Arnold Classic Amateur, Jacked secured a direct qualification to the 2022 Olympia with a dominating victory at the 2022 Texas Pro. He added another feather to his cap with the 2022 Arnold Classic UK win before Olympia.
Jacked surged into the top ten and secured an eighth-place finish in his maiden Olympia appearance. What made the performance more impressive was the fact that Jacked was on the verge of pulling out of the event due to an illness and still managed to produce a stellar performance.
He made a quick turnaround and competed at the 2023 Arnold Classic next, finishing third. Andrew will return to the stage at the 2023 Texas Pro in hopes of registering his second consecutive victory at the Olympia qualifier. In his recent physique updates, the 38-year-old looks primed to dominate the stage once again.
Jacked joined Ukrainian IFBB Pro bodybuilder Suhoruchko for an arms workout. Vlad earned his IFBB Pro card with a win at the 2019 Dennis James Classic. He has competed at several Pro shows since and achieved his first victory at the 2022 IFBB Yamamoto Pro Show. He is a hot prospect and is perceived as a future top contender in the IFBB Pro League.
Andrew Jacked and Vlad Suhoruchko go through an arm workout
Jacked visited Suhoruchko for the training session and followed the latter’s lead for this session. The duo trained arms together, and the video of this training session was posted on Suhoruchko’s YouTube channel. So let’s go over this training session and see how the big men fired up their massive arms.
Biceps
Machine Preacher Curl
Preacher curls are arguably the best biceps isolation exercise. Since the triceps are firmly pressed against the pad and the shoulder is neatly placed on the edge of the pad, none of these muscles can take over the movement. As a result, the biceps get optimal stimulation. Also, the setup eliminates the possibility of using momentum. (1)
Jacked and Suhoruchko started the training session with preacher curls on a selectorized machine. They performed the exercise unilaterally using slow and controlled movements to build the mind-muscle connection.
EZ Bar Curl
The bodybuilder duo next took to the EZ bar curl to work the biceps. The EZ bar has a zig-zagged shape that enables an angled grip. Unlike a straight barbell, the EZ bar can be a lot easier for the shoulders, wrists, and elbows as it promotes a more natural angle of grip and movement. (2)
Jacked and Suhoruchko cranked out a few sets of EZ Bar curls next to add more stimulus to the biceps brachii muscles and jumped into another machine exercise.
Machine Biceps Curl on Matrix Curl Machine
Seated biceps curls eliminate the role of stabilizing muscles, and the lifter can focus a great deal on the biceps alone. Additionally, various machines add to the benefits of this variation as well. Andrew and Vlad took to the seated biceps curls on the Matrix curls machine next.
This machine works the biceps from a stretched position. Additionally, the machine has a pad to press the triceps against so that the biceps are forced to do the work, similar to the preacher curls.
The training partners pushed through some solid sets of unilateral biceps curls on the machine before moving on to a free weight exercise next.
Dumbbell Zottman Curl
While most of us want big biceps and triceps, we often ignore the forearms. However, it is possible to train the biceps and forearms together. Enter Zottman curls. Although it is primarily a biceps exercise, it helps improve forearms and grip strength, and muscles. (3)
Jacked and Suhoruchko pushed through a few sets of the Zottman curls and wrapped up the biceps exercises.
Triceps
Incline Cable Triceps Pushdown
This is an effective isolation exercise to work all three triceps heads. Additionally, it is excellent for getting a deep stretch in the muscle to stimulate growth. However, it is essential to use moderate weights to avoid excessive stress on the elbow joint. (4)
The bodybuilder duo carefully did some sets of the exercise to work the triceps and took to the next lift.
Machine Overhead Triceps Extension
The overhead triceps extension is a hypertrophy-inducing exercise that activates all three triceps heads. Additionally, studies show overhead triceps extensions induce nearly 40% more muscle growth than triceps pushdowns. (5)
Andrew and Vlad pushed through some heavy sets of the movement on a plate-loaded machine and took to the next exercise.
Reverse-Grip Cable Triceps Pushdown
Cable triceps pushdowns are a great exercise to train the triceps in totality, irrespective of the grip and other factors. However, using the reverse grip helps emphasize more on the outer triceps head. The training partners cranked out a few sets of this exercise and followed on to the day’s final exercise.
Triceps Dip Machine
Triceps dip is one of the most effective compound exercises to build muscle and strength. Jacked and Suhoruchko performed the machine press variation of this exercise to wrap up the show. The dip press machine allows you to reduce as well as increase the resistance beyond your body weight. This helps people at all fitness levels to utilize this equipment to achieve their goals.
The duo annihilated a few sets of triceps machine dip presses and called it a day in the gym.
Overall, the workout included:
Biceps Exercises
Triceps Exercises
Jacked is one of the rising contenders in the Men’s Open division. Experts predict he can make a splash at the 2023 Olympia if he builds his legs up more. The Nigerian is doing the necessary work to achieve the desired results.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Vlad Suhoruchko’s YouTube channel:
References:
- Preacher Curls for Biceps: The Good, the Bad and The Alternatives (Author – Taylor Stranaghan, BHK)
- Four Benefits of Training With an EZ Curl Bar (Author – Olivier Poirier-Leroy, NASM-CPT)
- Try The Zottman Curls To Grow Your Forearms And Build Stronger Arms (Author – Mike Dewar)
- Incline Cable Triceps Extensions (Author – Dr. Malik)
- Triceps Brachii Hypertrophy is Substantially Greater After Elbow Extensions Training Performed In The Overhead Versus Neutral Arm Position [Authors – Sumiaki Maeo, Yuhang Wu, Meng Huang, Hikaru Sakurai, Yuki Kusagawa, Takashi Sugiyama, Tadao Isaka (Affiliation – Faculty of Sport and Health Science, RItsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Japan), Hiroaki Kanehisa (Affiliation – National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, Kanoya, Japan)]