July 24, 2026, 8:40 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Luis de la Fuente not only led the Spanish national team to win the 2026 World Cup, but he also secured the title for the biggest biceps among all coaches. Awarded by FITBOOK, of course. And the man is actually 65 years old. Becoming a world champion as a Spanish coach is certainly challenging for all of us. However, you can aim to look as good as de la Fuente at 65. FITBOOK took a closer look at the well-toned Spaniard.
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“This is my elixir of life”
Luis de la Fuente is not only a gifted coach but was also a successful player who played for clubs such as Athletic Bilbao and FC Sevilla during his career. However, during his active time, he suffered severe knee injuries. As a result, he began lifting heavy weights regularly and increasingly enjoyed it. But it didn’t stop at mere enjoyment. According to the Spanish sports portal “Relevo,” the current world champion said: “Work, work, and more work. Discipline. I always talk about values, discipline, and the ability to exert effort and endure suffering. This is my elixir of life. For me, sports is a way of life, more than just looking better or worse.”
He grew up this way, has been doing sports since he can remember, and knows he can’t live without it. When Luis de la Fuente slipped and injured his hand during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, in the Spain vs. Ivory Coast game, the worst part for him was that the injury disrupted his routine and thus an important source of motivation, writes “Relevo.”
De la Fuente made it clear how much sports mean to him in an interview with the “Comité Olímpico Español”: “Every day, when I see myself in my moment of glory, which is my sport and my gym, I tell myself: This is success.”1
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De la Fuente’s Arm Training
If FITBOOK is awarding world champion coach Luis de la Fuente the prize for the biggest biceps in the coaching business, we must, of course, take a look at his arm training. In the documentary “El hombre tranquilo,” which translates to “The Quiet Man,” we get fragmentary insights into what the man delivers in the gym–especially his four arm exercises.2
During training, the coach wears gloves and performs all his arm exercises one-handed. This makes sense, as it allows for better focus on the target muscle. Additionally, as de la Fuente does, you can gain extra sensation in the muscle by touching it with the free hand. It also seems that de la Fuente follows the pyramid system, increasing the weight from set to set. Typically, this would involve three sets, with the weight in the last set being so high that only six to eight repetitions are possible.
Biceps
The first one-handed exercise de la Fuente does for the biceps is dumbbell curls. It’s important that he performs them seated on an incline bench. The bench is set to about 60 degrees. This way, the arm hangs behind the body plane, and thus the biceps, especially the long head of the muscle, is stretched more than with standing curls. This actually maximizes muscle growth.
For the next biceps exercise, the bench remains at a 60-degree angle, and you stand behind the backrest and place your arm on it. The same principle as before applies here. The position allows the muscle to be stretched more. The Spaniard repeatedly touches his biceps to gain the aforementioned extra sensation. This is also known as the “mind-muscle connection.” This simple trick used by de la Fuente could be the cherry on top for your training. A 2018 study showed that the “mind-muscle connection” led to 12.4 percent growth in the biceps, while the comparison group, which did not focus on a “mind-muscle connection,” achieved only 6.9 percent muscle growth.3
Triceps
For the first triceps exercise, the dumbbells remain in use. The bench is placed in a horizontal position, and you lie on it. Then de la Fuente begins with dumbbell skull crushers–naturally, as you might have guessed, one-handed. The bent arm with the dumbbell is pressed upward next to the head.
For the second triceps exercise, it’s away from the dumbbells and over to the cable machine. There, de la Fuente performs triceps pushdowns while standing: He attaches a rope to the carabiner and presses it down one-handed, standing upright.
Discipline and the Right Choice
De la Fuente’s arms are no magic trick; the essentials are given to us by the world champion himself: first and foremost, discipline, and secondly, a good selection of exercises. Perhaps one of the exercises will interest you, and maybe your biceps will also burst out of your T-shirt at 65.