Answering our questions is Andrey Antonov.

Armwrestlers who train their arms separately, make a big mistake – says Andrey Antonov. – Muscle growth is limited by quantity of hormones in blood, and is independent from the number of sets and reps. That’s why modern science recommends combining basic, multi-joint exercises with isolations of small muscle groups, with basics at the start of workouts. After a workout like this, the hormone levels are the highest, and absorption into muscles is the most effective.

But wait! What about disabled sportsmen? Not all of them can do basic exercises.

In armwrestling, the disabled can do basics for the target muscle group – says Antonov. – That is presses (standing or bench), deadlifts and vertical pulls. These exercises cause huge hormonal injections. On the days of those exercises, one should also do arms. When you have no other basics planned for a particular day, do deadlifts, no more than 2-3 sets. That’s how you get those hormones pumping into your muscles, via blood. That’s the whole role of deadlifts and squats, nothing more. Roman Grizzly, Vladimir Krupennikov , Ruslan Mammadov – all disabled sportsmen, all winners of Worlds and Europeans against healthy opponents. None of them did deadlifts or squats, because of their disabilities. But that didn’t stop them from winning.

Please remember, that we’re talking “clean” athletes only here. No amount of physical strain can achieve the quantity of hormones produced by anabolic steroids. And with steroid users, there’s no need for additional, hormone-producing exercises. Isolations are enough in their case.

Artur Grigorian