Retro Athlete: Moe Elmoussawi

[EG News]

Moe Elmoussawi liked high reps—did he ever! For a while he cranked out 1,000 per body part in sets of 50 to 100. The routine below was the one he used before placing ninth in the 2008 Olympia—his career high point—and it’s a little less of an endurance test (he alternated it with a moderate-volume workout). Still, its tally of 625 reps is about four times what most bodybuilders do in a biceps routine. The mega reps didn’t transform all of the 5'9" Lebanese-native into a Goliath, but his arms were two of the best in every contest he entered, including the 2008 and 2009 Olympias. Though he cracked the top 10 in both of those appearances, ahead of several legends, he never won a pro show over his 12-show, five-year career. (He was third in the 2008 Ironman Pro, won by Phil Heath, and second the next year.) He last competed in 2011. Settling in New Zealand after a stint in California, the entrepreneurial immigrant focused on expanding his sports nutrition business. Today, he’s also an IFBB official and promoter.

FLEX FACT

When he won the Mr. Lebanon as a teenager, Elmoussawi was training only his arms.

MOE ON BICEPS TRAINING

• “I do one workout of five exercises, four sets each and eight to 10 reps per set.”
• “The next workout I do all high reps and dropsets.”
• “The key to a high-rep routine is to really focus on contracting the muscle hard. Keep your head in every rep.”
• “I work biceps after back once every five days.”

ELMOUSSAWI’S HIGH-REP BICEPS ROUTINE

• Alternate Dumbbell Curl | SETS: 4 | REPS: 50, 20, 15, 40*
• One-Arm Preacher Curl | SETS: 4 | REPS: 50, 20, 15, 40*
• Alternate Hammer Curl | SETS: 4 | REPS: 50, 20, 15, 40*
• One-Arm Cable Curl | SETS: 4 | REPS: 50, 20, 15, 40*
• Concentration Curl | SETS: 4 | REPS: 50, 20, 15, 40*

* Dropset with four subsets of 10 reps.

FLEX

Continue reading...