‘The Godfather of Bodybuilding’ Charles Glass continues to watch over the sport as a world-class trainer. In a recent YouTube video shared on November 12, 2024, Glass outlined a workout to sculpt ripped arms. In addition, he discussed performance-enhancing drug use, bulking, and gave reasons why Mike Sommerfeld should have beaten Chris Bumstead at 2024 Mr. Olympia.
Having trained top-caliber threats of the Open class like the late Shawn Rhoden, Chris Cormier, Brandon Curry, and Flex Wheeler, Glass’ understanding of training mechanics and PEDs is second to none. He boasts decades of experience guiding athletes on the sport’s most prestigious stages.
In light of Chris Bumstead’s foray into the Men’s Open class, Charles Glass, like all of us, is curious how he’ll fare in a division without weight restrictions. He believes ‘Cbum’ will have to bring up his ‘front and back’ to be competitive. As for the 2024 Mr. Olympia, Glass contends that Mike Sommerfeld deserved the nod over the Canadian champion.
Charles Glass’ Workout for Bigger Arms
Find his exercise selections below:
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- Seated Dumbbell Curls
- Barbell Biceps Curl Lying
- Triceps Cable Pushdowns
- Standing Skull Crushers
- Standing Wide-Grip Barbell Curls
- Triceps Bodyweight Extension
Charles Glass advised lifters to raise the arms during repetitions of seated dumbbell curls to produce a greater contraction. He also shared that improving the brachialis is key to bigger bicep peaks.
“Instead of leaving our arms down at the bottom, you’re going to raise it up a little bit, keep more pressure on the bicep with a little small twist so the contraction is a lot greater,” explains Glass. It’s still possible to create that peak it’s just knowing what to do. The brachialis, it pushes it [the bicep] more.”
Glass prefers the straight bar for spider curls but says the EZ bar also works.
“I like the straight bar for the spider curl but a lot of people use the EZ curl, it doesn’t matter to me,” says Glass.
He says to bend the knees slightly during tricep pushdowns to keep unnecessary pressure off the joints. Then, revealed tips for achieving arm separation.
“Separation comes after you get the size. You can’t do both. I would like to get your arms bigger first then work on separating. That means you do more supersets. One where you really squeeze it in, squeezing and holding it longer, it separates the whole muscle. Then the striations come from the diet.”
With Chris Bumstead announcing his move to the Men’s Open division, Charles Glass discussed his potential at the Olympia and shared why he thought Mike Sommerfeld deserved the win in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Yeah, he’ll make the top 10 but he’ll be on the lower tier. Yeah, past six. The top three guys, we know who the top three guys are going to be and the fourth guy we know who it’s going to be. The guy who came in second to Bumstead, second, I would have given him the show.
His condition was better, everything was better on that kid. That kid was right and they just — why? Because he sells tickets. He has that look. Come on,” said Glass. “If you’re good, you should win it, I don’t care what you do, you should win the show. That kid was on point. My god. Damn.”
Lastly, Glass discussed cycling performance-enhancing drugs, revealing when to focus on heavier dosages versus lighter ones.
“You could sustanon with something else, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. You put enough in but it has to be more than what you’re taking. You take a little less so you need more.”
“You go Tuesday, Saturday, lighter doses, but then Monday, Wednesday, Friday, it’s a heavier dose,” he shared. “Then you switch off of that. Give your body a break where you’re only taking cypionate, cypionate, and that’s it. But you’re taking one and a half CCs each time.”
He also broke down his approach to bulking and the problem with watered-down gear.
“If I’m bulking I’m bulking. I don’t try to cut and bulk, no. I do one,” he shared. “You can grow but you got to take a lot of it. Now, they have the shit so watered down that you’re not getting pure testosterone, it’s watered down so much. Even if it says sustanon 250, it’s not really 250, it’s a hell of a lot less.”
The battle between Bumstead and Sommerfeld was close at the 2024 Mr. Olympia. IFBB Pro League Vice President Tyler Manion dissected the show results, revealing that Bumstead narrowly defeated Sommerfeld three poses to two.
From his opinions on PEDs and bulking to Chris Bumstead’s recent Olympia victory, Charles Glass isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Do you think Bumstead was the rightful winner of the 2024 Classic Physique Olympia?
Watch the full video from the Charles Glass GOB YouTube channel below:
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