Athlean-X Ultimate Arms Workout Program [Full Review]

The company Athlean-X and its creator, Jeff Cavaliere, are two of the biggest forces in the fitness industry as of the last few years.

Here’s what you need to know about both!

Jeff Cavaliere, the pseudo-mastermind of fitness giant Athlean-X, is one of the most respected members of the fitness industry in the modern era, mostly because he:

• Has a Master’s Degree in physical therapy
• Has a strength and conditioning certification from the NSCA
• Spent several years as the strength coach and trainer for the New York Mets
• Wowed the likes of David Wright, Antonio Brown, and Tom Glavine with his programs

On top of his success in the community, Cavaliere also takes on a unique approach toward fitness. He emphasizes the basics of biomechanics, science, and injury prevention.

The result: Dozens of fitness programs for regular people with a wide range of fitness goals.

That’s where Athlean-X comes in.

Cavaliere uses his brand to push out fresh health and fitness YouTube content, new fitness routines for all skill levels, and supplements to trigger serious gains.

What is the Athlean-X Ultimate Arms Workout Program?

The Athlean-X Ultimate Arms Workout Program is for the serious lifters looking to boost arm strength, size, and vascularity over the course of six weeks.

This comes in the form of six training modules.

Starting with “Firing Range” and ending with “Arm-ageddon,” you’ll gradually hit your biceps, triceps, and forearms harder, longer, and faster than you ever have in your entire life.

Combine these workouts with the X-Factor meal plan, and gains are well on their way.

But this isn’t an arm-only routine.

In addition to starting each week with an arm-specific workout, you’ll also hit biceps and triceps once more during the week when you hit your upper-body push/pull muscles.

And no, you won’t skip leg day with this routine.

It’s your run-of-the-mill split with a little extra focus on those stubborn arm muscles.

Program Details & Features

We know you take your training seriously, and you’re craving massive arms to fill out your sleeves and create muscles worth flexing.

So let’s dive into the basics of this program!

Arm Workouts

This is the type of workout you’re here for, correct?

We thought so.

You’ll start each week with an intense arm-only workout, lending a wide variety of exercises, rep ranges, and training styles to each workout to ensure max gains.

Exactly what to expect depends on which week of the six-week program you’re on, with training concepts including:

• 3 sets of 5-7 reps (while cutting the weight in half after one set)
• Combo sets to failure
• 5 rounds each of bicep and tricep circuits

These workouts include every bicep and tricep exercise you didn’t know existed (like 3D curls and rocking tricep pushdowns) while never repeating a workout from one week to the next.

Plateaus? Not likely.

Draining? Absolutely.

C-4 Burst Workouts

The weekly C-4 Burst workouts are about adding conditioning to your arm specialization routine, particularly toward the forearms (nope, Athlean-X didn’t forget about them!).

Like the arm workouts, each week’s C-4 Burst is unique.

Some weeks you’ll muster through four rounds of lengthy dead arm hangs or variations of jump roping sets. Other C-4 Burst workouts are all about the barbell wring-out with different grips.

Some exercises will be high-rep (sometimes 30+), while others are time-based (60+ seconds).

Apex Leg Workouts

Did you really think Athlean-X and Jeff Cavaliere would push out a routine without hitting the legs in at least some way or another?

Once a week, you’ll face the Apex leg workout.

Fortunately, your weekly leg days aren’t going to be as lengthy or as intense as the upper-body workouts this program includes.

Your leg day will include modest sets (3-4 sets of 8-20 reps) of the go-to leg exercises—squats, deadlifts, swings, step-ups, hip thrusts, and more.

Most leg days are 20 sets are fewer, purely because the routine’s focus is your arms.

Upper Pull & Upper Push Workouts

You can’t expect to build massive arms while kicking chest, back, and shoulder exercises to the curb. So once a week each, you’ll target upper pull and upper push muscles as well.

For example, on pull days, you’ll start with several sets of back-specific exercises like lat pulldown variations and barbell rows.

You’ll then close out the workout with grueling sets of bicep exercises.

The same idea goes for push days; however, these days will emphasize the chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Arm-Ageddon

You’ll finish out this Ultimate Arms Workout Program the same way nearly every Athlean-X program closes out—with a draining, strenuous, and sweat-provoking challenge.

It’s called Arm-ageddon, and it’s just as crazy as it sounds.

You’ll be crushing through 18 sets in a mere 24 minutes…twice.

While timing yourself, every minute, you’ll cycle through one of three bicep exercises for a predetermined number of reps or time.

After 24 minutes, you’ll do the same thing, but this time for the triceps.

Rest periods are sporadic, you’ll bust through six rounds of the workout in total, and you’ll add weight or reps with each circuit.

See where you stand against other Athlean-X lifters.

The Meal Plan

Like the majority of Athlean-X programs that we’ve seen, the Ultimate Arms program also comes with a clearly laid out meal plan for every day of the routine.

That includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and three snacks each day.

Each meal is broken down by ingredients as well as a color-coding system that explains why the particular ingredient was added (protein, carbs, or fats).

Now, there’s no more second-guessing what you’re eating and why.

4 Benefits of the Athlean-X Ultimates Arm Workout Program

1. Hit Your Arm Muscles In Every Way Possible: If your current arm workouts include nothing more than a few sets of bicep curls and tricep extensions, you’re already off to a bad start. This Ultimate Arms routine will target even the most obscure arm exercises with every rep range, circuit combo, and intensity level you could imagine.
2. No Muscle Left Behind: Sure, this is an arm specialization routine, but that doesn’t mean you’ll only be hitting your biceps, triceps, and forearms for the next six weeks. Each week, you’ll also have a leg-specific day as well as an upper-body/arm infusion day to really hone in on those stubborn arm muscles. No muscle is left behind!
3. A Forearm-Heavy Workout Once a Week: How many arm routines have you seen that disregard the importance of beefy forearms? Probably most of them. Thanks to the weekly C-4 Burst workouts, you can complement your peaking biceps and full triceps with thick forearms.
4. Target Your Arms the Ideal Twice a Week: There’s no guaranteed method for seeing gains, especially considering the role muscle types and workout intensity play in hypertrophy. But generally speaking, twice a week is seen as “ideal” for optimal growth, which is how you’ll be targeting your arm muscles each week!

3 Negatives of Ultimate Arms

1. No Refund Policy: Athlean-X programs are usually as legit as they come, but if you try this program out to find it’s not the program for you, don’t expect a refund. Will you be disappointed? Likely not. But research this program in-depth before committing.
2. Non-Arm Muscles Take the Backburner: Just because you’re choosing an arm specialization routine, that doesn’t mean that other muscles should take the backburner—it just means you should hit your arms more. This routine hits your back, chest, and legs once weekly, so they may not get the attention they need.
3. No-Diet Substitutions Included: Any meal plan that comes with a workout program is essential for optimal gains. However, unlike other Athlean-X programs, this meal plan doesn’t come with any form of substitution. You may have to settle for foods you dislike or make the risky choice of declaring your own ingredient substitution.

Wrapping Up This Review of Ultimate Arms

We must admit—the Athlean-X Ultimate Arms Workout Program is a terrific choice if you’re looking to bring your biceps, triceps, and forearms up to speed with the rest of your body.

You’ll hit your arm muscles in every way possible to ensure growth, target other muscles in your body once weekly, emphasize forearms once weekly, and use growth concepts that are proven.

But there are also a few downsides worth noting.

For one, you won’t get your money back if you try the program and don’t see it working for you. Also, other muscles are somewhat neglected, and the diet plan lacks substitution ingredients.

Overall, this is a terrific program if you really want to see massive arm growth.

But if you’re simply looking for a mass-building program, want to avoid the serious risk of overtraining, or are simply a beginner training for the first time, choose another Athlean-X program that targets each muscle group a bit more attentively.

Rating: 9.0/10