How John Cena gets those big guns! The WWE Muscleman explains his workout for
huge arms!

WWE wrestler John Cena is known for his incredible stature, after all, he's been working out since he was 18. After competing in some bodybuilding shows in his late teens and early twenties Cena set his sights on Wrestling. Now at 32 years old John Cena certainly knows his body and currently standing at 6ft 1" and 240 pounds is certainly in the shape of his life. But how does he do it? Here's a glimpse into Cena's arm routine.
John Cena Workout & Diet
1) SEATED ONE-ARM DUMBBELL OVERHEAD EXTENSION
Cena
sits on a bench with a dumbbell raised behind his head, so that his upper arm is
vertical and his elbow is extended. To begin the movement, he lowers the
dumbbell as far as he comfortably can behind his head, which usually results in
the weight touching his upper back lightly in the bottom most position. He
pauses for a second in "the hole," feeling an intense stretch along the entire
length of his triceps, before raising the weight back to the starting position,
making sure to keep the upper half (i.e. the biceps and triceps) of his working
arm stationary. However many reps he completes, he matches that with the other
arm to prevent the creation of a strength imbalance or exacerbating any existing
imbalance.
2) CLOSE-GRIP CHIN
Cena hangs from a bar overhead using a narrow, underhand grip. Pulling, rather
than jerking, he lifts his body till his chin approaches the bar. Lowering
himself slowly, he returns to the starting position and repeats. (If you have
trouble lifting your bodyweight for the number of reps listed, Cena recommends
using an assisted version such as the Gravitron machine.)
3) PREACHER-BENCH EZ-BAR CURL
Cena positions the seat pad so that when he sits down his elbows rest nearer to
the bottom than the top of the vertical side of the arm pad. He holds a weighted
bar with a shoulder-width grip and bends his elbows slightly before the rep even
begins. He flexes his elbows in earnest to begin curling the weight at a
moderate pace, under control. He stops once the bar nears his chin, squeezes his
biceps hard for a one-count, then slowly lowers the bar back down, rather than
simply letting it drop.

4) PARALLEL-BAR DIP
After
selecting parallel dip bars that are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart,
Cena lifts himself using a neutral grip (palms facing his body) until his arms
are fully extended and his torso is nearly upright. (The closer your arms are to
the sides of your body, the greater the triceps stimulation.) In this starting
position, his knees are bent 90 degrees and his ankles are crossed. Without
letting his elbows flare out and keeping his torso as vertical as possible, Cena
bends his elbows to lower his body as far as he comfortably can in a controlled
descent, at which point he feels a stretch in his shoulder joints. He
straightens his elbows to lift his body back up, pushing until his arms are
fully extended.
If you're a beginner and find the dip exercise too difficult, try going through
a shorter range of motion and then gradually increasing the depth. Also useful
are machines that allow you to do the exercise with less than bodyweight.
5) STANDING ALTERNATE DUMBBELL CURL
Holding a pair of dumbbells at arms' length so that his palms face each other,
Cena stands with his feet approximately shoulder-width apart, knees slightly
bent, torso erect, low back slightly arched and abs tight. He begins curling one
dumbbell toward his shoulder, turning his wrist as he goes so that by the time
the dumbbell approaches his shoulder, his palm is facing up. At full
contraction, he squeezes his biceps hard and then lowers the weight back down to
his side. He repeats using the other arm, continuing in alternating fashion
until he completes his reps.
TRAINING SPLIT
DAY BODYPARTS TRAINED
1 Upper body
2 Lower body
3 Cardio
4 Upper body
5 Lower body
6 Cardio
7 None
THE ROUTINE
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Seated One-Arm DB 3-4 8-10
Overhead Extension
Parallel-Bar Dip* 3-4 8-10
Close-Grip Chin 3-4 8-10
-or-
Preacher-Bench 3-4 8-10
EZ-Bar Curl
Standing Alternate 3-4 8-10
DB Curl
NUTRITION AND DIET:
John's diet is the most important aspect when it comes to keeping in shape. Don't just think he trains hard in the gym, his diet accounts for much of his success in achieving the physique he has.
Typically a days nutrition intake would be:
Breakfast: 8 eggs, 8 whites, two yellows and 100g of oatmeal with applesauce or raisins.
Midmorning snack: protein bar
Lunch: 2 x Chicken Breasts, 100g Brown Rice and veggies
Mid-afternoon snack: Tuna in Wholewheat Pitta Breads
Pre-Post Workout: Whey Protein Shake and a Banana
Dinner: Grilled fish or chicken, brown rice or pasta, vegetables, and salad.
Evening Snack: Casein Protein Shake Protein shake or Low Fat Cottage Cheese Slow Release Proteins)
STATS:
BIRTHDATE: April 23, 1977
FROM: West Newbury, Massachusetts
HEIGHT: 6'1"
WEIGHT: 240 pounds
Article Excerpts courtesy of Muscle & Fitness Magazine
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