The Romanian man-mountain, Andrei Deiu’ is an authority when it comes to building huge arms. In 2011, at just 17 years of age, he entered the Miami Pro and while it would be his first taste of competition, the young upstart impressed judges so much that he walked away as the winner.
Now at age 25, Deiu’ is building an enviable reputation as one of the world’s most exciting fashion models, lending his face and physique to brands such as boohooMAN active wear. And, with more than five million avid followers on Instagram, it’s easy to understand his growing popularity.
Andrei Deiu’, who has guns measuring in at 18.9-inches pre-pump, treats us to a masterclass for those serious about gaining muscle and building bigger arms.
Courtesy of boohooMAN
Have you learned a lot through working with renowned coach, Hany Rambod?
I have been working with Hany Rambod for the past three years and even now I’m learning new tricks and tips. That’s why they call him the Pro Creator! The mind-to-muscle connection is very important. Hany has taught me that you don’t always have to go really heavy in order to gain mass. If you go slightly lighter by 5kg or even 10kg, but make sure to contract the muscles and hold on, this helps to break down more muscle fibers and gives better blood flow.
Do you find that many bodybuilders wanting to grow their arms focus too much on their biceps? What else should they be doing?
In my younger days, I thought that training my biceps was the way to get bigger arms. In one way this worked as it did help me develop bigger arms but then I missed out, because I had weaker triceps. Now I say focus on balancing the full arm out, by working both triceps and biceps.
These days, I always start my arm day by training triceps and then biceps because the triceps are actually the bigger group of muscles. Also, I always try to vary and adjust the training every time I do arms, to make sure I activate all parts of the muscle so that my body doesn’t get used to moving the same load in the same way all of the time.
If you want to improve your arms, train them twice each week with three biceps and three triceps exercises. I only train biceps now once per week because I used to over train them and I feel that they are more over developed than my triceps. Also, I don’t want them to get any bigger as I need them to stay in proportion to my body. I train my triceps twice per week, one session is along with my biceps and then the other is paired with a chest session.
Do you make time for recovery?
Hany holds me accountable for making sure I get the right amount of sleep and rest. Quality muscle is made in the kitchen and while sleeping, because this is how your body recovers and is able to repair the muscle tissue that you have torn while in the gym. In the past, I never really took rest days as I thought that to get big, I had to go to the gym and train every day. Hany has taught me to listen to my body and rest when needed.
I try to get six to eight hours of sleep during the night and if I don’t, I will try to take a nap during the day. I take at least one rest day during the week where I’ll only do cardio if needed. I also make sure I get a sports massage at least once per week to help with my recovery, and I like to add epsom salt to baths.
How important to you is protein for muscle growth?
I believe protein is one of the most important things required to build muscle. Hany taught me that real food is always better than shakes or bars, but the reason he tells me to have at least a shake after my training is because it’s a quick acting protein source and digests faster to help my recovery.
My favorite protein is chicken, salmon, and steak [bison]. Usually, I eat five meals and take one shake each day and that equates to around 260 to 280 grams of protein. Currently I’m on a bulk, and so Hany has put me on at least six meals per day, with a shake. This comes to around 3,000 to 3,500 calories per day, and I also myself two cheat meals each week. These are cheat meals, not cheat days.
Andrei Deiu’ has worked hard to develop his killer bod. During his early teen years, his weight began to spiral out of control due to bad lifestyle choices such as playing video games into the late hours, and eating too much junk food. As it turned out, making positive changes to his physique — including feeling comfortable in his clothes — was also advantageous for his mental health, and he says that feeling has given him the confidence he needs, in order to continue with his bodybuilding career. In 2002, Deiu’ aims to gain his Olympia qualification and then complete on the show itself, hoping to improve on last year’s impressive seventh-place finish in the men’s physique category.
Andrei Deiu’s Triceps Workout
Triceps Cable Rope Extension: 4 working sets, 10-12 reps
Increase weight each set. The final set will comprise of a triple dropset in weight.
Skull Crusher: 4 working sets, 10-12 reps
Increase weight each set.
Make sure to squeeze and hold.
Weighted Triceps Dip superset with Diamond-Grip Pushup: 3 working sets, 10-12 sets (dips)
Increase weight each set.
Perform pushups until failure.
Andrei Deiu’s Biceps Workout
Dumbbell Curl (palms facing out): 4 working sets, 8-10 reps
