Bodybuilding veteran Samir Bannout is taking issue with a popular arm exercise. In a recent Old School Labs podcast, he described biceps 21s as stupid and explained why it’s best to go by how you feel when training the body part.
During his bodybuilding tenure, Samir Bannout reached the pinnacle of the sport in 1983. He won the prestigious Mr. Olympia contest, showcasing remarkable back definition complimented by dry conditioning. In retirement, Bannout continues to watch over the sport he once ruled over.
From voicing his unfiltered opinions of Open contenders to his thoughts on the dangers of steroids, Bannout brings about important dialogue in the growing industry. This time, he took aim at a commonly used workout for building bigger arms, biceps 21s, which involves three sets of seven reps, completed without rest.
Samir Bannout Talks Arm Training, Says Biceps 21s Are ‘Stupid’: ‘Go By How You Feel’
According to Bannout, biceps 21s are ‘stupid’ and arbitrary. He believes the number of repetitions performed during a bicep-focused exercise should come down to proper mechanics and feel.
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“It’s stupid. Why, why is it 21? Why is it not 25? Why is it not 18? I mean, for me, I want to do the full range of motion and when the muscle is fatigued, that could be at 17, it could be at 24, it could be at 14.
The bottom line is it’s okay if you’re doing it with the right mechanics. John, if you decided to go from here to here with total focus, total focus, then all the way down or half way up and then half way down.”
For those seeking gains, Bannout says to go by how you feel instead of locking in a set number of repetitions. He also called out lifters who use excessive body English while executing cross-body hammer curls.
“It’s okay to fatigue the muscle. But nobody should say, 21s or 17. Go by how you feel. Blitz the muscle, kill the muscle, that’s it. If you gave up at 18 or at 23, that’s fine. So, also John, I see many people while we are at it, they are doing this movement [body English during cross body hammer curls].”
He says legends like Sergio Oliva and Arnold Schwarzenegger practiced slow and controlled repetitions to effectively hit the brachialis.
“I mean, why? Oliva, Arnold, and Serge, and Zane, they will go up and down slow, and turn your wrist. That way you can get the brachialis on the way down. But welcome to the jungle. We have people doing this [excessive body English], trying to reinvent the wheel for us.”
“It’s annoying but we need to talk about that. Life is about experience. We need to educate the kids. Yeah, the muscle is going to be activated, but what is this? It’s completely whacky.”
Bannout prefers a broader range of motion when he trains the biceps.
“For me, I would go up and on the way down, change my wrist, hit the brachialis, if you want to build the proper way on biceps. We have enough biceps so why? You’re not actually hitting your biceps. Whatever, to me it’s annoying,” says Bannout.
Moreover, Bannout says it’s best to avoid fixed sets and reps, adding that it’s okay to finish at 16 instead of 21.
“Nobody should say 8×10 or 3×12 if you finish at eight or you finish at 16, that’s okay with me,” adds Bannout. “I don’t approve of that 21s thing.”
While Samir Bannout doesn’t approve of biceps 21s, they have become a go-to staple in many bodybuilding stars’ workout routines. Former 2008 Mr. Olympia Dexter Jackson incorporates them into his arm training. In addition, the inaugural Arnold Classic champion Rich Gaspari also credits them as an effective finisher exercise for building bigger biceps.
Having rubbed shoulders with Arnold Schwarzenegger on stage, it’s safe to say Samir Bannout has a firm grasp on how to build the biceps effectively. Most importantly, he says to go off of feel during workouts instead of aiming for a predetermined number of repetitions or sets.
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