Arms of Steel opens with a circuit of six slots and only four exercises. The card reads 10 scissor chops, 10 arm scissors, 10 scissor chops, 10 arm circles, 10 scissor chops and 10 chest expansions: work through all six in order without stopping, then rest 60 seconds - that is one set. Level I is 3 sets, Level II is 4 sets, Level III is 5 sets. Pick a level before you start and treat it as a plan, not a promise: if it feels wrong after a set, change it for the next one and finish the day. Every card with levels on it in this program works exactly this way.
Scissor chops are the exercise that keeps coming back. Both arms straight out in front at shoulder height, then swept across each other and opened again - the chest does the crossing, the rear shoulders do the opening, and the arms stay level throughout. Between each round of chops comes something different: arm scissors, where the straight arms stack one above the other and swap places; arm circles, with the arms out to the sides drawing small circles; and chest expansions, the widest arc on the card, opening the arms fully to the sides and closing them across the chest. Four exercises, three positions, and one thing they all share - the arms never come below shoulder height until the set ends.
Reps are totals: 10 scissor chops is 10 crossings, 10 arm scissors is 10 swaps. In scissor chops, alternate which arm passes on top and cross all the way - hands past the opposite shoulder - before opening wide. In arm scissors, keep the movement small and crisp, one arm rising as the other lowers, and hold both at shoulder height between swaps. Small circles, straight arms. In chest expansions, open until you feel the shoulder blades draw together, then cross the forearms in front of the chest. Straight arms, level arms, all the way through.
Nothing on this card weighs more than your own arms - by the last round of scissor chops you will know exactly how much that is.
Make it Harder: Go one level up for the final set only - a Level I day finishes with a fourth set, a Level II day with a fifth.
Make it Easier: Run every exercise at 6 reps and keep your level's set count.
