Almost every day... without fail... someone sends me an email asking about bicep exercises. The song is always the same... "how can I make my biceps bigger?"Then the guy will go on to tell me that he's doing twenty sets of concentration curls, followed by twenty sets of dumbbell curls and a few more light sets to really get the pump.
That's what most guys do. And most guys will never stretch the tape measure beyond 16 inches.
So today, I'm going to give you some tips that you can use to build sleeve-stretching biceps.
Tip #1: Stop Torturing Your Biceps
Your biceps are a relatively small muscle group. They are no where near as large as the muscles in your legs, back and chest.
So why would you expect your biceps to be able to recover from the exact same workload that you inflict on larger muscle groups? It doesn't make any sense.
Because the biceps are a smaller muscle group, you need to work them hard and brief... and then let them recover. I recommend no more than three training sets for your biceps.
Tip #2: You Must Pick The Right Exercises
I don't know why... but people seem to love the concentration curl. Yet... it's one of the least effective bicep exercises. Why? Because this exercise severely limits the amount of weight you can use.
The most effective mass building exercises are the ones that allow you to safely move the most weight. That's why squats are a better mass-builder than leg extensions.
So when choosing bicep exercises... remember that you should be looking for exercises that will allow you to safely move the most weight.
With that in mind, here are my top four bicep exercises.
Best Bicep Exercise #1: Weighted Chin-up
This is the grand-daddy of bicep exercises. And for good reason. This exercise allows you to use the most weight. Plus, this exercise recruits extra muscle fibers because it involves moving your entire body instead of just moving your hands.
Do perform a weighted chin-up, place your hands on the chin-up bar relatively close to each other. Your palms should be facing you. Then simply pull your body up. When you can do ten reps or more, it's time to get a belt and start strapping some weight to your waist.
And when you're knocking out chin-ups with 90lbs around your waist... your biceps will be just about as big as they can get.
Best Bicep Exercise #2: Friction Barbell Curl
Not many people know about this exercise but it's one of my personal favorites. It's performed just like a typical bicep curl... grab a barbell and curl it. But on the way down, I want you to drag the bar down the front of your shirt. This will force your elbows back and make the negative portion of the exercise a little more efficient.
Best Bicep Exercise #3: Cable Curl
I don't do this exercise too often but I will rotate this exercise into my routine when I stop making progress with the other exercises.
Attach a straight bar handle to a low pulley machine and simply curl the bar. To make the exercises more difficult, bend slightly forward at the waist through the entire movement.
Best Bicep Exercise #4: Preacher Curl
This is another favorite of mine. It doesn't need much explanation. You must have a specialized preacher bench to perform this exercise. Simply sit at the preacher bench, drape your arms over the padding and curl the bar. I prefer an EZ-curl bar for this exercise. Also, I prefer to keep the rep count higher on this exercise as I personally see better results with higher reps.
If you haven't been able to make your biceps grow, give these exercises a try. Remember, the most important thing is to consistently get stronger. If you start out curling 100lbs and can add just two pounds to the bar every week, you'll be curling 200lbs in less than one year. And you'd better believe your biceps will be huge when you make that kind of jump.
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