Thread: 21's

I use them once in a while as part of a shock routine. Great for pumps.

I ran into this guy my size once, but he had 17+ inch arms. I asked him his secret and he said "21's".

You have to do them as a competition with somebody else though. That was what he told me.

Originally Posted by min0 lee

Anyone ever use this technique? I do them once in a while and they feel good.


21's are a form of partial reps. instead of doing the full motion of the rep, do only the first half of one full motion for 7 reps. then, do the second half of the motion for 7 reps. then finish off the set with 7 reps of the full motion for a total of 21 reps.

I love them. did them for hamstrings the other day....my rear is still sore.

For biceps, they work wonders....I do 3 or 4 times 21's every second bi w/o...seems to yield results....

Originally Posted by min0 lee

Anyone ever use this technique? I do them once in a while and they feel good.


21's are a form of partial reps. instead of doing the full motion of the rep, do only the first half of one full motion for 7 reps. then, do the second half of the motion for 7 reps. then finish off the set with 7 reps of the full motion for a total of 21 reps.

i do them

Originally Posted by Luke9583

I ran into this guy my size once, but he had 17+ inch arms. I asked him his secret and he said "21's".

You have to do them as a competition with somebody else though. That was what he told me.

When doing with a partner, I call it "21 pass-off"

I do them as well. I had a trainer once who told me to do 21's as a great way to finish out a Bicep workout. I've since incorperated this exercise into my normal routine for Tri's as well.

I never thought of using this technique for gluts and hams but JLB brings a good point. Tonight is Leg Night so I'll give it a shot! (Thanks JBL)

wit....You may not be able to walk. LOL

Another thing i used to do that worked great i called brother curls...

you take a weight that is near 50-60 percent of ur 1rm and you curl it once then hand it to your partner, he/she curls once and hands it back, then you do 2 reps, pass it off and so on and so forth till you hit 10 reps...then you do 10 reps again, then 9 reps and then 8 reps and you descend all the way till 1 again...its a great way to finish off a routine... in fact next week i'm gonna do 2 sets of 21's then brother curls!!! i just wonder if that will make your arms bigger or just fill them with fluid (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy) as opposed to making the fibers bigger (sarcomere hypertrophY) which is my goal...strength

I did them in high school.

do u recommend them mudge?

My favorite intensity method is rest pause - using a weight close to your 1-rm and doing 4 reps with a spotter while pausing 7-15 seconds between each rep.

Originally Posted by Duncans Donuts

My favorite intensity method is rest pause - using a weight close to your 1-rm and doing 4 reps with a spotter while pausing 7-15 seconds between each rep.

I overheard some guys at the Y claiming there method of doing one rep @ 95% of 1 RM for 1 rep, 10 sets, with short rest periods is supposed to be effective. I however, have no tried it.

Yep, I do them occasionally, I like them a lot for bench... well 'like' might not be the right word, they are bitches!

Originally Posted by Luke9583

I ran into this guy my size once, but he had 17+ inch arms. I asked him his secret and he said "21's".

He was lying.

Originally Posted by Egoatdoor

He was lying.

That's always a possibility.

I do them. Really gets the biceps pumped up.

Sorry to be the bubble burster in here, but why 21's? Why not 18's or 40's?

21's IMO are pretty much like mullets and mesh hats... an ugly fad. There is nothing special about them. You would do much better to do one high intensity set to failure with full reps than three seperate sets of partials.

21's belong in Flex magazine, IMO along with all the other wives tale exercises.

Really gets the biceps pumped up.

And we all know how important that PUMP is.......

Yeah, I was kind of wondering why anyone would do them too..

What may work for others may not work for some.
I personally love doing them for biceps and triceps.

Originally Posted by JLB001

wit....You may not be able to walk. LOL

LMAO!! I should have read your post before I went to the gym!! I'm not doing too bad but WOW! I'm slightly sore throughout my Hams and Gluts but I still feel pretty Noodle-ish. I waited till the end of my workout and finished off with 21's on a standing Hamstring Curl machine. GREAT way to smoke yourself into complete muscle fatigue!

Now I'm not sure if I'll try this on EVERY leg day but this one was sure a good one!!

Thanks JBL (I think).

I think they're overrated. I could see giving them a try once in a while, but I don't understand what makes them so special...

Originally Posted by min0 lee

What may work for others may not work for some.

I agree. I have not done 21s for years because I found straight sets or drop sets worked ( and burned my arms) better for me, but that doesn't mean I would not suggest a client try them or that I might now throw them in some time into my workout in the future just to change things up. I would say that I do not think one should rely on them or use them in every workout.

would say that I do not think one should rely on them or use them in every workout.

I agree, I use it maybe once a month to shake things up. I also like to run the rack too.

Originally Posted by Duncans Donuts

My favorite intensity method is rest pause - using a weight close to your 1-rm and doing 4 reps with a spotter while pausing 7-15 seconds between each rep.

I do this for my biceps and they work great.

21's or variation of them occasionally make it into my SHOCK week.

Originally Posted by camarosuper6

Sorry to be the bubble burster in here, but why 21's? Why not 18's or 40's?

21's IMO are pretty much like mullets and mesh hats... an ugly fad. There is nothing special about them. You would do much better to do one high intensity set to failure with full reps than three seperate sets of partials.

21's belong in Flex magazine, IMO along with all the other wives tale exercises.

Obviously it has very little to do with the #21 persay...As it has more to do with the theory behind the half-reps (start of the rep and end of the rep)...then the full range. more than anything, it's variety...and way to shock the muscles...perhaps a good jump-start for a stagnant routine.