Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout – Are you really a bodybuilder?

Rich Piana has changed my life completely. He really helped me change my lifestyle to start putting on a ton of muscle. I’ve written tons of articles about him, but I hadn’t yet given the Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout a try.

So I figured for spring break, I would treat myself. And give the Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout my full attention.

The Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout explained by our man in heaven himself, Richie rich.

It changed me. And look, I wrestle and do martial arts for fun. (only crazy people do that stuff for fun!!!) Yet, this workout still made me a new person.

I came in looking for muscular growth but came out with a whole new look on muscular endurance and bodybuilding.

What Is The Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout?

The Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout is a BRUTAL workout that will test your physical and mental capabilities in the gym. (no amount of wrestling practice prepared me for this one)

It’s true, you need to be at the gym for a full 8 hours. That’s a full schoolday, workday, and a full night of sleep.

Teenagers do the 8 hour arm workout by Rich Piana.

Truth is, I was only able to do this when my college was in spring break. Otherwise, there’s not a fat chance in hell you can get this done unless you’re free on a Saturday.

The Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout is made up of 16 workouts comprised of an A/B split.

So you start out with workout A, then move on to workout B, then A, then B, again. Does that make sense? A/B/A/B/A/B.

After every single workout, you need to drink a protein shake. I personally bought some Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Shakes. This was because they didn’t need to be refrigerated.

This Rich Piana arm workout is truly tough. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep before.

This workout is a true test of somebody. If you are able to complete this, you are a serious bodybuilder.

Rich Piana also advocates to eat a huge breakfast before coming, and let it digest a little bit. (This is the time to hit up the buffet)

What Are The Exercises in The Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout?

So, as I said earlier, it is made up of an A/B split. This is going to be your best friend and worst enemy.

The good thing is that, after 6 hours of complete fatigue and your mental capacity being altered, you will know how to keep going.

There isn’t a complicated workout scheme, and you can start just doing the workouts like you’re a robot.

But it’s also your worst enemy. The constant numbing realization that you’re doing the same exact thing over and over again just ruins you.

It’s like working on a factory line all day. There can be peace in the repetitiveness, and hell in the same fashion.

Workout A

Barbell Curls 4 sets of 10 reps
Skullcrushers 4 sets of 10 reps

Workout A is relatively simple compared to Workout B. And it’s way easier. I personally just supersetted the barbell curls and skull crushers.

So when you get done curling, go and do the skull crushers right after. This will help cut down on time ’til your next protein shake and work your muscles harder.

Workout B

Dumbbell Tricep Extension 4 sets of 15 reps
Dumbbell Hammer Curls 4 sets of 15 reps

Workout B is the one you will hate doing. It is like, a million times harder than Workout A.

I don’t know why it is, but it just is. The entire time I was doing Workout B I was praying and hoping that I could finish it faster.

In fact, it was the only time I was really begging for a protein shake. It was like a relief.

Workout B had me straining my entire face, begging for the set to be over. But, I loved every second of it.

Preparation

Okay, this is really going to be a long day.

I personally brought C4 Pre Workout with me. It made a huge difference having that caffeine with me throughout the day.

That caffeine is going to keep your energy up, even when you’re asking yourself why you’re sitting at a gym for 8 hours.

Secondly, you’re going to need 16 protein shakes. I personally recommend something that doesn’t have to be refrigerated.

Otherwise, an 8 hour vomiting day may be in your forecast.

Next, I would figure out what time you’re getting there. Plan out a solid 8 hours to be there, and make sure the gym is open during that time.

Many gyms are 24/7, so this shouldn’t be a problem. But always double-check.

I personally went 2 PM-10 PM. It avoided the morning rush and allowed me to sleep in more.

If I were you, try to end your workout later in the night. Just because there’s that psychological effect that the gym is ending when you are, so you will be less motivated to give up.

Breakfast

To do a successful Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Day, you need to have a great breakfast before going. And I mean it.

Rich Piana says you need to have a “HUGE BREAKFAST, MONSTER BREAKFAST” and let it digest for 1.5-2 hours before.

Rich Piana’s Million dollar morning.

Personally, I went over to the local Burger King and devoured some food before. Burger King is surprisingly cheap, 10 nuggets for $1 ain’t bad.

40 burger king nuggets, 2 coca-cola freezes, and two double cheeseburgers later, I was ready to go.

I let it digest and did all my shopping in the meantime, then got ready to hit the gym.

Supplies

You’re going to the gym for 8 hours. You’re going to need some serious supplies.

First of all, I recommend bringing a charging cable for your iPhone/Android. I don’t foresee your battery lasting that long.

And it can get kind of boring waiting for your next workout doing nothing, so you will probably be using your phone.

Music

Trust me, 8 hours of muscle building can get a little boring without music.

If you’re doing this workout without music, please seek help with a medical professional. (just kidding, but seriously man)

I highly, highly recommend you bring some earbuds or headphones with. You know me, I always roll with the AirPods.

The Rich Piana Song

EVERYBODY RISE FOR THE NATTTTTYYYY ANTHEM. If you’re doing this workout, it is only proper that you listen to the Rich Piana Song.

The Rich Piana Song is called the “natty anthem”.

The natty anthem is my alarm every morning. Some people may think I am insane to wake up to Rich saying “Good f****ing morninnn” but I LOVE it.

If you’re doing the Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout, please give it a listen. This is a threat. Listen to it. Just for a little bit.

Listen to the rich piana song, AKA the natty anthem during the Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout.

Food

Now I know you’re bringing along 16 protein shakes. But, you will probably want some food in that mix too.

Trust me, after 6-8 hours, you might be wishing you had something more edible.

It doesn’t hurt to pack a few protein bars. Quest protein bars are my favorite by far.

Personally, I just bought Subway and shoved it in there. And man that was one of the better choices I’ve made. (grilled oven chicken sub is 5% certified delicious).

After The Workout

I planned a ton for the before part of the workout, but not the after part. And it screwed me over, like big time.

First of all, I just assumed I had a lot of food at home. (which surprise, surprise, food just doesn’t magically appear).

And secondly, Ian flaked on me. We were supposed to go to some barbecue place in town, but his girlfriend was begging him to come over.

So? Moral of the story? Can you even trust your own bros? No.

I’m just kiddin’, I love Ian. But then I made even worse mistakes.

Curls Before Girls

I went and hung out with a girl for two hours after I got done with the 8 hour arm workout. (no, I was not doing whatever it takes to get muscle growth. i’m sorry rich.)

This may be too much information, but in case you were wondering, no, it does not work after you have worked out that hard.

And no, I wasn’t embarrassed per se, but both of us agreed to just go home after that.

And then guess what? My house still had no food. So I tried to warm up some girl scout cookies in the microwave because I had no brain cells after completing that workout.

And surprise, surprise, they had tinfoil around them and I almost blew up my house.

Then I went to the 24/7 Walmart, but I was sick from the workout, so I didn’t even remember why I went. (I’m not kidding. I bought a 36 pack of Gatorade and drove 20 minutes home. Then got even more confused)

Make a game plan, get some dessert planned, and get ready to eat big. Don’t screw up like me.

After The Workout Moves

Here are my personal recommendations for something to do after the workout.

First of all, line up a good place to eat around your time. Find a place that’s open once you’re done with the workout.

It’s time to treat yourself, so get some desserts and whatever you want.

Don’t be concerned about putting on too much fat or anything. Truth is, you’ve probably burned 1.5k calories throughout the day working out minimum.

Furthermore, you need to seriously recover after doing all of this. Every muscle in your body is going to get taxed, and so is your central nervous system.

Treat Yourself

Also, you really need to treat yourself for what you just did. Many people won’t ever do the rich piana 8 hour arm workout or even get close.

This is a milestone in your bodybuilding career. Be proud of yourself and treat yourself!

So here’s a simple checklist to remind you:

  • Find a place to eat at after you complete the rich piana 8 hour arm workout.
  • Set aside a good amount of money to eat there. Get whatever you want, and more. Seriously, treat yourself big time.
  • Save some dessert/treats for home. The last thing you’ll want to do after the workout is cook, so get some food that you can microwave to enjoy. (Lunchables, Tyson chicken things, etc.)
  • Take a multivitamin

Also, I recommend taking a multivitamin after. Since you’ve been sweating and everything all day, it will help a ton.

I don’t have any specific multivitamins I like to use. But, you really can’t go wrong with One-A-Day. Just make sure the multivitamin you take has a ton of calcium, magnesium, zinc, and Vitamin D.

These will probably be the most important vitamins you need after this workout, not only to aid recovery but to keep yourself from feeling terrible.

Personally, the day after the workout, I went to a KFC buffet. Tons of chicken and at a low price. So, if it’s in your area, that’s my recommendation. (apparently this is a popular idea from what I’ve read online)

BEN & JERRYYYSSS

If you’ve ever watched Rich Piana’s content, you will know he has a healthy obsession with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Which, he isn’t wrong about. Their ice cream is absolutely delicious.

I recommend getting yourself a pint at the grocery store. I always opt for these flavors (if you want some recommendations).

  • Half Baked (my favorite)
  • Anything peanut butter (peanut butter half baked is non dairy and is delicious!)
  • Cookie Dough anything

Effectiveness of The Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout

People are always arguing about the effectiveness of the Rich Piana 8 hour arm workout.

Rich Piana said it can put an inch onto your arms, but mainly due to inflammation.

He said after a few days it will go down, but there will still be permanent growth. This is because the muscle tissue is being stressed and tested like never before.

The fact is, right after the workout your arms are going to look huge, and bigger than they ever have before.

Both Ian and I both looked at our arms, flexed (even though it hurt like I was getting stabbed by a methhead), and both agreed that we looked huge.

Ian said in the video, “I don’t think my arms have ever looked this big ever”.

I looked in the mirror and just said, “Holy smokes dude, I’m lookin’ 5% shredded”.

And the truth is, after working your arms out that long, they look HUGE.

Well, Do You Grow Any Muscle After The Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout?

This is where the line gets a little bit blurred.

Bodybuilding, powerlifting, any lifting really, isn’t about doing one big workout. Because that’s not how the body works.

The only scientifically proven way to grow muscle is through progressive overload.

Progressive overload is increasing the resistance your muscles endure over time.

Truthfully, to grow muscle and get big, it’s more of a long term game than anything.

If you did one 8 hour arm workout a year and didn’t work out your arms the other 364 days of the year, you probably wouldn’t see any growth.

But, You Can Still Get Permanent Gains From The Workout.

This isn’t any casual workout. Truthfully, it is probably one of the most stressful workouts you will do.

If you follow a normal workout routine you’ll be fine. Most of the professionals use Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Blueprint to Mass, which is free.

Since I was following the Arnold Blueprint to Mass, the 8 hour arm workout confused the muscles greatly.

While many people disagree with the idea of “muscle confusion” to grow the muscle, it certainly is true.

Your muscles don’t grow because they literally get “confused”, but because they deal with a brand new resistance and stress they’ve never dealt with before.

When your muscles face that new resistance, they want to grow. It’s part of your human genetics, as a way to adapt to changes and grow stronger. It’s the game of life, really.

How Much Muscle Exactly Will The Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout Give Me?

Okay, this is a complicated question with a complicated answer. But, I will try to answer it for you.

So, the Rich Piana 8 hour arm workout will put immense stress on your arms.

The widely regarded idea across the bodybuilding and fitness community is that you can gain up to 2lbs of muscle a month.

I like to think of it as a limit. Around every month or so (it’s not exactly like that) your progress bar resets. Every workout you do slowly builds up that progress bar.

A graphic explaining how the Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout affects your progress.
A graphic explaining how the Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout affects your progress.

Hopefully, this little infographic helps explain it a little bit.

The idea here is that, you are stressing the muscle so hard, it has no choice but to grow.

You’ll never be tested harder.

You can do your normal 6-day routine, but not every time will you be progressively overloading every muscle.

Sometimes you are tired, can’t go 100%, have to leave the gym early, somebody takes your machine, low intensity, whatever.

But with the Rich Piana 8 hour arm workout, your muscles are being overloaded extremely. This forces your muscles to grow.

To simplify this, there’s no way your muscles won’t grow given you eat enough food after the workout.

So, no, it’s not a way to put 50 inches on your arms overnight. But it will definitely force growth into your arms. It’s not a chance, it will.

Should I Do The Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout?

Now that you’ve read a lot about it, you may be wondering if you want to take it on.

So ask yourself this question? Do you hate yourself? If you do, you should do the rich piana 8 hour arm workout.

I’m just kidding. But truth is, it’s a very brutal and tough work out.

If you want to take bodybuilding seriously and continue it maybe as a career (like I plan to), it’s definitely worth a shot!

Is your normal workout routine is boring? Give it a go!

If you’re looking to put on some size and test yourself, do it.

The Rich Piana Arm Workout Isn’t All About Arm Muscles

What do I mean by that?

Ironically enough, I feel like it wasn’t my arms that were worked out the hardest during the rich piana 8 hour arm workout.

It was my brain that was worked the hardest.

And that’s the truth. Having the mental toughness to sit at the gym for 8 hours, and just keep doing the same repetitiveness over and over again is tough.

Not only that, your muscles literally feel like jelly when you’re doing this. Being able to just sit through that and keep pushing, is just crazy!

After around 5 hours, everytime I went for a set it just didn’t work. It hurt so bad, my muscles were twitching and aching, but I just kept pushing.

I would think, “what if Rich Piana was watching me?” and just kept pushing. It made me realize bodybuilding and lifting is something I take very seriously.

Just to keep pushing beyond all odds. It was incredible, it’s made me realize I had a tough mindset that could push above all.

It’s something I’ve transferred to even this website now. I used to be lazy when writing articles because, to be honest, working on this website is hard.

But I remember, I have that strong mental mindset to just keep pushing through.

It really changes you not only physically, but mentally.

Suddenly, going to work doesn’t suck as much. You start to appreciate things like that. You realize that an 8 hour workday isn’t so bad. School isn’t so bad.

Changes I Made To The Rich Piana 8 Hour Arm Workout

So, I reviewed this program a bit, but I had to make some changes.

I didn’t change any of the rich piana 8 hour arm workout in regards to the actual exercises.

But, Rich Piana said you needed 16 protein shakes. (which some say he later on changed to BCAAs). Truth was, I couldn’t afford 16 protein shakes, nor did I think it would be completely healthy for you.

So I instead opted to do one protein shake after every two workouts, not one. So essentially, you’re only downing one protein shake per hour.

This saves cost, and hopefully your kidneys. It greatly depends on the protein shake you choose though.

For instance, my protein shakes each had 25g of protein in them. Yours might only have 10g, in which case you might want more.

Also, I did end up adding a short meal-break about 7 hours in. Ian and I both paused the timer and went to the Subway across the street.

I don’t recommend that, but we both ran out of food (since Ian didn’t bring any) and thought it would help.

The reason I don’t recommend that is because it made the workout a million times harder. After pausing and eating, when you go back to the gym your muscles just aren’t ready.

Ian and I were gone for only 30 minutes exactly, but the muscles just were not cooperating.

I ended up throwing up soon after too.

Results

The results are in.

My arm was a full inch bigger, and Ian’s arm was a full 1.1 inches bigger.

Ian hasn’t been lifting as long as I have necessarily, so he had a bigger opportunity.

After a few days, the pump faded, but there was still a tiny growth.

Both of us can attest that the rich piana 8 hour arm workout not only kicked our behinds but grew our arms.

It tested both of us physically and mentally.

And I think Ian may have found a new love (hate?) for the gym.

Conclusion

The rich piana 8 hour arm workout is simply no joke. It’s a brutal way of testing how serious you are about the gym.

You will get gains, you might even throw up, but it’s something you’ll never forget doing.

So, are you ready for the challenge? Get to the gym.

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