M&F cover star, coach, and fitness entrepreneur Don Saladino has been working with Ryan Reynolds since before the first Deadpool movie took us all by storm in 2016 and now, with the highly-anticipated third instalment expected to drop in the summer, there’s never been a better time to start the same Deadpool arm day workout that got Reynold’s into super… or should we say anti-hero shape? All Saladino asks is that you don’t use your bulging biceps for the purposes of committing a crime.
Saladino is no stranger to sculpting Hollywood’s elite so that they’d fit perfectly into a Lycra bodysuit. Having worked with high profile actors such as Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Emily Blunt, this in-demand PT formulates his workouts based on each client’s upcoming roll. For Deadpool, the goal here is about getting Reynolds into a state of hypertrophy (muscle growth) by taxing the muscle fibers and forcing them to adapt and get larger. To this end, one of Saladino’s staple Deadpool 3 arm workouts revolves around supersets and tri-sets, where two or three exercises are performed in quick succession with minimal rest. As with any muscle building program, make sure that the rate of protein that you are consuming is greater than that of the muscle breakdown (around 1 gram per pound of bodyweight) and expect to sweat, so stay hydrated.
Superheroes Build Muscle Using Supersets and Trisets
Reducing the rest periods between sets is a great way to speed up workouts and keep them engaging, especially for experienced gym-goers that want to shake things up a bit. You may also find that you are raising your heartbeat to greater levels as you bring in more of a cardio aspect to your session, requiring stamina and endurance and scorching more calories as you go.
Fatiguing the muscles through multiple sets with little rest will help you to push past plateaus and efficiently target muscle groups. Saladino has it all figured out for you with the initial tri-sets being designed to warm you up and focus on mobility (so that you can ace those sword fighting battles of course). The supersets, on the other hand, are about getting you buff enough for your comic book debut. Each superset will blast opposing muscle groups, for example: biceps then triceps, meaning that you will obliterate your arms in order for them return bigger and better than ever before.
“Crime and heroics never stops, so why should you?” asks Saladino. “So, beginners back off the intensity a bit. For those of you who feel like you can handle it, put your foot on the f*** gas and go as hard as you can.”
The Deadpool Arm Day Workout
Tri-set: 3 Rounds
- Thread the Needle for 20 Seconds
- Arms Bars for 20 Seconds
- Cats & Dogs x 10 Reps
Superset 1: 4 Rounds
- Close Grip Barbell Curl x 8 Reps
- Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension x 8 Reps
- Rest for 90 seconds
Superset 2: 4 Rounds
- Zottman Curl x 10 Reps
- Single Arm Overhead Cable Extension x 10 Reps
- Rest for 90 Seconds
Superset 3: 4 Rounds
- Single Arm Cable Curl (to chin height) x 12 Reps
- Reverse Grip Pushdown x 12 Reps
- Rest for 90 Seconds