Two-time 212 Olympia champion Shaun Clarida is working to regain his Olympia success in 2025 by bringing the best version of himself yet. And, while the “Giant Killer” has grown his massive arms through a wide variety of workouts, the New Jersey native recently shared that he’s returning to isolated arm workouts to get jacked for the jackpot in Las Vegas. Here’s how he’s doing it.
“Can’t remember the last time I had a full direct arm day,” wrote Clarida in a message for his almost 700,000 Instagram followers.
The Giant Killer, like many bodybuilders, augments his arm size by working hard on other exercises such as deadlifts, or chest exercises like the bench press that recruit the biceps as well. Other times he may execute one of two arm exercises as part of a wider session. Still, with the opportunity to raise a third trophy at the 2025 Olympia event in October firmly in his sights, Clarida shook up his normal routine. “So, here it is,” demonstrated the champ, going all out with this biceps, triceps, and forearm session for success in Sin City.
Shaun Clarida’s “Direct” Arm Workout
Shaun Clarida’s ‘Direct’ Arm Workout Breakdown
Clarida started out with machine overhead triceps extensions to hit the long head of his triceps. The overhead movement is a great way to achieve this, and his heavy reps will bring size and stability too. The bodybuilder will also work the lateral head to define that ‘horseshoe’ line, and the medial head for additional mass.
Clarida is a details man, and his grip is always of the utmost importance, so in moving on to hammer curls where the palms are facing his side, the Giant Killer is able to lift a heavier weigh. This approach focuses the load on the short head of his biceps that travels up his inner arm and can reduce shoulder strain.
Next up, Clarida hacks his grip once again, this time executing reverse cable extensions with his palms facing upwards. This move is a great overall triceps taxer that shouldn’t overstress the elbows as long as you don’t lock them out.
To fix any imbalances, Clarida opts to perform his preacher curls with alternative arms. Here, he will build both heads of biceps and the brachialis (attached to the elbow). Clarida’s strategy during this workout appears to use fewer free weights in favor of cables and machines so that he is isolating the targeted muscles without replying on supporting muscle groups to make each lift. This is evident once again with machine triceps pushdowns, working the medial and lateral heads of the triceps to add further size and definition to his arms.
For the finisher, Clarida uses a Gymleco 365 Forearm Machine, opting to obliterate his forearms with a wrist curl and a gripper exercise. The wrist curl required the Giant Killer to rotate tubes against resistance, twisting forwards and backwards, while the gripper involves placing both hands on the inner handles and attempting to squeeze them together. Not all gyms have this device, but you could use a spring-loaded gripper to finish your own forearm workout.
“Best mode,” wrote one impressed IG follower. “Shaun, your workouts look incredible,” enthused another. To try Shaun Clarida’s “Direct” arm day for yourself, practice each move towards failure, repeating 3 sets of 10-12 reps per exercise.
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