Categories: Fitness

Samson Dauda’s Off-Season Arms & Shoulders Workout

“The Nigerian Lion” pumps iron while vacationing in Crete, Greece.

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

  1. 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

Fitness Fusion HQ

Recent Posts

Yes, You Still Need to Use Sunscreen

How Does Sunscreen Work and Is it Healthy to Go Sunscreen-Free? How Does Sunscreen Work?…

2 hours ago

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy.…

5 hours ago

Intimate Partner Violence Linked to Women’s Cardiovascular Disease Risk

The Many Faces of Intimate Partner Violence and Its Impact on Women's Cardiovascular Health Intimate…

5 hours ago

7 Common Eye Diseases

Cataracts Cataracts cause cloudiness of the eye's lens and become more common with age. Symptoms…

7 hours ago

Kristin Cavallari Insists Next Boyfriend Get Vasectomy

Kristin Cavallari Doesn't Want to Have Another Child The 37-year-old TV star, who already has…

9 hours ago

Strength Training Early in Life

Safety First The question I receive most often, for good reason, is whether strength training…

12 hours ago

This website uses cookies.