“The Nigerian Lion” pumps iron while vacationing in Crete, Greece.
Last updated on April twenty fifth, 2024
Men’s Open bodybuilder Samson Dauda entered the upper echelons of the IFBB Men’s Open division by winning the 2023 Arnold Classic and ending third behind Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan on the 2023 Olympia. He continued his streak of podium finishes with a runner-up rank behind Choopan on the 2024 Arnold Classic and 2024 Arnold Classic UK.
On April 22, 2024, Dauda published a video on his YouTube channel revealing his hypertrophy-focused off-season arm and shoulder workout during his off-season.
Samson Dauda’s Arm & Shoulder Workout
Here is a summary of the high-volume training session:
Check out Dauda’s training below:
Single-Arm Dumbbell Curls
Unilateral training is great for identifying and correcting any strength or muscle imbalances. While not as efficient as standard training, unilateral training helps ensure muscular symmetry for the reason that dominant arm can’t overpower the non-dominant arm.
Dauda opened with 18-kilogram (40-pound) dumbbells, progressed to twenty kilograms (45 kilos) for the second set, and concluded with 24 kilograms (53 kilos).
Concentration Curls
Dauda performed concentration curls in a hip hinge, together with his torso parallel to the ground. His non-working arm was situated on the dumbbell rack. He fully prolonged his elbows at the underside to attain a deeper biceps stretch.
After a set of crossbody concentration curls, Dauda adjusted the exercise, positioning his forearm at 90 degrees to raised isolate the biceps. He employed momentum in his final reps, swinging his torso to coach past mechanical failure.
Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press
Dauda grabbed the Smith machine barbell inside shoulder-width to bias the triceps. He lowered the bar until it was a couple of inches off the chest while keeping the elbows tight to the edges and stopped shy of full elbow extension at the highest of his range of motion (ROM) to keep up constant tension on the triceps.
The 32-year-old employed slow eccentrics and paused within the fully shortened position to extend the time under tension (TUT) and maximize muscle hypertrophy. (1) Dauda began with a 10-kilogram plate on both sides, progressively adding one weight plate per side until reaching three plates on his final set.
Superset: Rope Tricep Extensions and Cable Bicep Curls
Cable rope extensions bias the medial and lateral triceps heads. Staying consistent with form cues from the previous exercise, Dauda used slow eccentrics and paused within the fully flexed position.
Dauda secured two D-handle attachments to a single pulley for the cable biceps curls. He grabbed the handles with a narrow, supinated grip.
Superset: Behind-the-Neck Smith Machine Shoulder Press & Cable Lateral Raises
Dauda performed behind-the-neck presses seated on a weight bench. He lowered the barbell until it was at the bottom of his skull, then fully prolonged the elbows at the highest.
The bodybuilder performed cable lateral raises on a functional trainer, positioning himself barely behind the pulleys. He grabbed the best D-handle attachment together with his left hand and vice-versa with the opposite. While maintaining slight elbow flexion, Dauda raised his arms to the edges until they were parallel to bias the lateral deltoids.
Cable Rear Delt Flyes
Dauda set the pulleys at eye level. He grabbed the cables and stepped back to interact the weights. He retracted his scapula, pulled the cables out to the edges with a slight bend within the elbows, and paused at the highest to completely shorten the delts.
Dauda’s bronze medal performance on the 2023 Olympia earned him qualification to the 2024 Olympia, scheduled for Oct. 10-13 in Las Vegas, NV. He stays a top contender to challenge Lunsford for the Olympia throne.
References
- Azevedo PHSM, Oliveira MGD, Schoenfeld BJ. Effect of various eccentric tempos on hypertrophy and strength of the lower limbs. Biol Sport. 2022;39(2):443-449. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2022.105335
