When people talk about the "Blond Myth," they aren't just reminiscing about a guy who could out-eat most small villages in the off-season. They're talking about a man who, at just 5'4", carried 21-inch arms that looked like they belonged on a superhero, not a human. Honestly, Lee Priest’s arms were so dominant they almost ruined his symmetry. Every time he stepped on stage, his triceps would hang like a side of beef, and those forearms? Freaky. There’s really no other word for it.
If you’re looking for a "scientific" workout with perfectly calculated rest periods and RPE charts, you're in the wrong place. Lee didn't care about that. He trained by feel, used heavy weights, and did enough volume to make a marathon runner quit.
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The Lee Priest Arm Workout: What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of guys think you have to choose between going heavy and going high volume. Lee basically said, "Why not both?" He was known for doing 20 to 30 sets per body part. You’ll hear modern "fitness influencers" say that’s overtraining. Maybe for some. But for Lee, it was the only way to get that dense, grainy look that made him a legend.
He didn't just do "arm day." He attacked it. Usually, he’d pair biceps and triceps together in the same session. This creates a massive pump because you’re forcing blood into both sides of the limb simultaneously. He didn't always use supersets, but when he did, he didn't lighten the load. He’d grab the heaviest dumbbells he could control and just go to work.
The Biceps Foundation
Lee’s biceps had a peak that rivaled Robby Robinson. He achieved this through a mix of basic mass builders and targeted isolation.
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- Barbell Curls: This was his bread and butter. He didn't do those dainty curls you see people doing with the 20-pounders. We’re talking heavy straight bars. He wasn't afraid of a little "cheat" either. If the weight was heavy, he’d use a bit of body English to get it up, then fight the negative on the way down.
- Dumbbell Curls (Incline and Seated): He loved the incline version because of the stretch it puts on the long head of the bicep.
- Preacher Curls: If you want that lower bicep thickness, you have to do these. Lee often used the machine version or the EZ-bar. He focused on the squeeze at the top and never fully locked out at the bottom to keep the tension on the muscle, not the tendons.
- Concentration Curls: These were his finishers. He’d lean over, lock his arm against his inner thigh, and just squeeze until the muscle felt like it was going to pop.
Triceps That Hang
Triceps make up two-thirds of your arm's mass. Lee knew this. His triceps development was so thick it looked like it was bolted onto his humerus.
He starts with heavy pushdowns. Using the rope or the V-bar, he’d hammer out sets of 10 to 12. But the real secret to his triceps was the overhead work. You can’t get that "hanging" look without hitting the long head. He’d do overhead dumbbell extensions or cable extensions religiously. He also swore by close-grip bench presses—going heavy, but focusing on the triceps doing the work, not the chest.
The Supersets That Built the Myth
If you want to try the Lee Priest arm workout the way he often did it during a contest prep to get shredded and keep the heart rate up, you have to embrace the superset. He’d move from a bicep move directly into a tricep move. No rest. Just blood flow.
- High Cable Curls paired with Rope Pushdowns: 3 sets of 10-12 reps. This is the warm-up. Get the blood moving.
- Incline Dumbbell Curls paired with Triceps Pushdowns: 4 sets of 10. Heavy weight here. Don't compromise form, but don't be a wimp about the pounds.
- Machine Preacher Curls paired with Machine Triceps Extensions: 3 sets of 12. Focus on the contraction. Squeeze it like you mean it.
- EZ-Bar Curls paired with Overhead Cable Extensions: 3 sets of 15. The volume starts to add up here. The burn should be getting pretty intense.
- Alternating Hammer Curls paired with Single-Arm Overhead Extensions: 3 sets of 10-12. This hits the brachialis and the long head of the triceps.
The Forearm Secret Nobody Talks About
You can't talk about Lee Priest without mentioning those forearms. They were arguably the best in the history of the sport. Most guys treat forearms as an afterthought—maybe two sets of wrist curls at the end of a back day if they aren't too tired.
Lee treated them like a primary muscle group.
He’d do wrist curls with a barbell behind his back. He’d do reverse curls with an EZ-bar. He’d do hammer curls. But the real "secret" was the frequency and the reps. He often suggested doing 25 to 50 reps per set for forearms. He’d even do "timed sets" where he’d just curl a light bar for five or ten minutes straight. The goal was to create a pump so painful it made you want to quit. He believed forearms, like calves, could handle a ridiculous amount of abuse because they are used to being active all day.
Training Instinctively vs. The Program
Lee was an instinctive trainer. This is a bit of a lost art. Nowadays, everyone is obsessed with their "app" telling them exactly what to do. Lee would walk into the gym, see what equipment was open, and decide based on how he felt. If his elbows were a bit cranky, he’d start with cables to warm up. If he felt like a beast, he’d go straight to the heavy dumbbells.
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This doesn't mean he didn't have a plan. It means he was in tune with his body. He knew when to push and when to back off. However, "backing off" for Lee Priest still looked like more work than 99% of people do on their best day.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Arm Day
You probably don't have Lee's genetics. Few do. But you can apply his principles to finally get your arms to grow.
- Up the Volume: If you’re only doing 6 sets for arms, double it. Try 12-15 sets for biceps and the same for triceps.
- Prioritize the Stretch: Include movements like incline dumbbell curls and overhead extensions. If you don't stretch the muscle under load, you're leaving gains on the table.
- Don't Fear the Heavy Weights: High reps are great for the pump, but you still need mechanical tension. Work in some sets in the 6-8 rep range with basic movements like barbell curls and close-grip bench.
- Train Forearms Twice a Week: Don't just do one set and leave. Treat them with respect. Use high reps (20+) and focus on the burn.
- Focus on the Negative: Lee was a master of the eccentric. Don't just let the weight drop. Control it on the way down to tear those muscle fibers.
The Lee Priest arm workout isn't for the faint of heart. It’s a high-volume, high-intensity grind that demands everything you've got. But if you want arms that actually fill out your shirt sleeves, stop looking for shortcuts and start doing the work.
Grab a heavy bar. Do the reps. Don't stop when it hurts; stop when you're finished.
To implement this effectively, start by adding one "Lee Priest Day" to your split every two weeks. This prevents total burnout while shocking your nervous system with the sheer volume. Pay close attention to your elbow health—high-volume arm training can be taxing on the joints, so use sleeves if you need to and never skip the warm-up sets. Focus on the mind-muscle connection during every single rep, ensuring the bicep or tricep is doing the actual moving, not your momentum.