Welcome to the gun show
Everybody wants bigger biceps right? All guys want to show the girls how big their biceps are.
You will find the best arm exercises here and the best bicep workout to give you those sought after additional bicep inches!
Here is something that you might not realize about bicep workouts. They are good for your all round sports performance, not just lifting. If your biceps are weak then your ability to run and jump will be impaired. So it is not just about showing off for the gun show. Yes I said run! Biceps act as a driving force for sprinting and even the finish of a sprint. Driving your arms backwards at the start of a race increases your leg drive and during your final steps it can help to ensure your legs keep their stride with a strong driving force and momentum… Think about it, when you run what are your arms doing? Basically, they are driving the momentum at the same speed as your legs. Triceps do also come into play here but today we are focused on increasing your bicep size and strength.
Biceps are only part of the equation when it comes to creating overall bigger arms. In fact, triceps are 2/3 your arm! So if you are only sitting in the gym, pumping up your biceps (like many do) you are actually only working 1/3 of your arm which will result in a skinny arm with a little baby bump bicep to show off.
Furthermore, unless you walk around in a bicep pose position, triceps show better overall in natural hands down at your side stance… So don’t forget to train those triceps!
Alright, on to the bicep training!
How Do Your Biceps Work?
The biceps brachii begins at the scapula in two places and it is attached to the radius bone. It has a two-headed structure consisting of a short head and a long head. The bicep makes up around 33% of your arm muscle mass as we mentioned prior. You will be familiar with the term “curl” as this describes the main function of the bicep muscle which is flexing your elbow by moving your forearm towards your shoulder. The bicep also allows supination of the arm so rotational curls are good for your biceps.
The Best Bicep Workout
It is important that you include direct and compound biceps exercises into your workout. Avoid an “arm workouts” day where you spend a whole session on biceps training. Choose two of the exercises below and mix it up with different exercises.
Barbell Curl (Standing)
This is a really good biceps exercise and will use all of the muscles of the forearms and biceps so that you can stack the muscle up. Your arms will get a lot bigger when you perform standing barbell curls.
Set up with a standard bar and load some weights. Pick up the bar with your palms up and shoulder width apart on the bar. The bar should be in front of your hips with your arms hanging down. Don’t move your elbows when your curl, keep them tucked into your sides.
Then curl the bar upwards to your chin and maintain tension on your biceps throughout this motion. When you get to the bottom of the rep don’t let your biceps relax and also be careful not to create a bounce on your hips with the bar. Keeping your biceps tense is the key here.
If you have wrist rotation limit-abilities, or just pain in the wrist when using a flat bar. grab yourself an ezcurl bar and opt for the wide grip to accomplish a similar movement. This will allow you to have a slight rotation of your wrists inwards to avoid that strain on your wrist. I am a sufferer of wrist pain myself and a flat bar is just not possible for me anymore but ezcurl bars do the same and in some cases better.
Bent Over Rows Supinated
If you do this exercise properly you will gain real mass on your biceps. Load the bar up with as much weight as you can comfortably handle.
When you hold the bar your palms will be up (supinated) and shoulder width apart. You will be bent over so ensure that your upper body is almost parallel to the floor and that your lower back is not rounded. If you push your butt back you will maintain a strong core.
To perform the row, bring the bar up so that it touches your abdomen and then you will need to lower the bar so you arms are just short of fully extended. Be sure not to flare your elbows out and keep them by your sides.
Rotating Dumbbell Curl Rotating
This exercise is simple but effective. The alternating part will allow you to focus on each arm separately for the best results.
You will need two dumbbells here held down at your sides to start. Your palms need to be facing your body and your arms should be straight. Before you start the curling process make sure that your elbows are tucked into your sides.
Do a hammer curl and then when the dumbbell is away from your body start to rotate it so that by the end of the rep your palms will be facing your head. Alternate with the other arm and perform the same curl.
Using a full rotation also initially targets your forearms which are often overlooked in training and creating the roation is what biceps are built for so this will work on that peak. Make sure that you fully rotate at the top even slightly over rotate. You will feel the bicep contract with the rotation.
Chin Ups With Close Grip
Once you have perfected this exercise you will see bicep mass improvements. What you will be doing here is keeping your hands close together and using your biceps to raise your body.
Use a straight bar that you can reach while standing and grip it with your palms facing you. Your hands should be about 4-6 inches apart and outside your chin on either side. If you have the strength you can add more weight by using a weight belt, the same you would use for weighted dips.
It is important that you get your chin up over the bar if you can. If your chin touches the bar this will count as a rep and if you can’t achieve this then it is not a full rep. If you are struggling, bicep work will help this but you can also take advantage (if your gym has one) of an assisted pull up station or work on negatives. This is where you start at the top of the chin up and lower yourself down, doing this can help slowly focus on strengthening those muscles until you are able to do an unassisted, proper chin up.
Hammer Curls
These are great for developing your forearms and you should focus on lifting as much as you can while using the correct form.
You will need to hold two dumbbells down by your sides and have your palms facing your body with your arms straight. As always keep those elbows tucked in when you start the curl movement. Curl the dumbbell up as high as you can go without moving your elbows. At the top of the rep the flat side of the dumbbell should be close to touching the shoulder of the arm that you are using.
It will look like you are swinging a hammer with your palms facing toward your body throughout the movement.
There is also the cross chest hammer curls. Similar as normal hammer curls but instead of moving the dumbbell straight up in front of you, you bring it across your body so that your palm is facing your sternum at the full contraction/end of the curl. These tend to target more of the outer side of the bicep which is why I would suggest doing both in a rotation. First set normal hammer curls, second set cross body. Target that entire bicep for the ultimate growth!
Of course there are machines, cables, preacher curls and more. These exercises are focused on having the basics in your gym, as well many of these you will notice work hand in hand with your back day exercises so keep that in mind when planning out your routine.
