The absolute best bicep workout 5 bicep exercises for muscular upper arms
If you're like most exercisers, you had two simple goals when you started exercising:
- Big pecs
- Big biceps
And if you're a woman, there's a good chance that defined and shapely arms have always been high on your list of priorities.
If you're reading this article, it's likely that you either don't yet have the biceps development you want, or that you're looking for something new for your biceps training.
And in both cases I will help you further.
The anatomy of the biceps muscles
When most people talk about the biceps, they are referring to a muscle called the biceps brachii. This is a muscle with two muscle heads that looks like this:
This is the muscle that most biceps exercises emphasize.
However, if you want to achieve exceptional arm development, there is another muscle associated with the biceps that you should know about:
This muscle is the biceps brachialis, which lies underneath the biceps brachii and supports it when flexing the arm.
This muscle looks like this:
The significance of this muscle is that it does two things when it is well developed:
1. it provides separation between the biceps and triceps.
2. it pushes the biceps brachii upwards and makes it look bigger.
There are exercises that emphasize the biceps brachii and there are exercises that emphasize the biceps brachialis.
I will have you do both.
The simple science of effective bicep training
There are a lot of theories about the best way to train your biceps.
Some say that you should focus on high repetition workouts to really feel the muscle burn.
Others say that you should train your biceps several times a week.
Still others say that you shouldn't do any direct bicep training at all and instead focus on multi-joint exercises.
I've tried all of this and more and I've worked with thousands of clients and here's what I've learned:
1.Most people need to train their biceps directly to achieve the muscle mass and definition they desire
Heavy back training will build biceps, but it's rarely enough to build the mass and definition most people want.
2. heavy barbell and dumbbell curls are best for building strength and mass
You can also include high repetition cable curls in your training program, but these cannot replace heavy curls with free weights.
3. one heavy bicep workout per week is generally sufficient
A crucial part of your bicep training is the correct volume or total number of repetitions you perform per week.
This is especially important if you do a lot of heavy training in general, as the general rule is this:
The heavier the reps, the fewer reps you can perform per week without experiencing symptoms of overtraining.
This is especially true for multi-joint exercises like deadlifts and squats - the heavier weights you use, the more time your body needs to recover from them. I have tried many different training splits and training frequency schemes and what has proven best has also been proven by two extensive study reviews on the subject (1, 2).
If you train primarily with heavy weights (80 to 85%+ of your 1RM weight), the optimal volume appears to be 60 to 70 repetitions every 5 to 7 days.
This applies not only to the biceps, but also to any other major muscle group. In the case of the biceps, we have to take into account that they are heavily involved in pulling exercises.
If you are doing say 60 reps of heavy pulling for your back, then an extra 60 reps of bicep training is probably too much.
I have worked with thousands of people and found that 30 to 40 repetitions of direct bicep training per week (in addition to pulling) is sufficient. However, occasionally I come across people whose biceps are very stubborn and I have them do the following each week:
- 9 sets of heavy pulling/rowing (4 to 6 reps) plus 3 sets of bicep curls with a repetition range of 8 to 10 reps.
- 6 heavy sets of bicep curls several days later.
This slight increase in weekly volume isn't a magical solution, but it does help break through stubborn plateaus.
Now that we've got the basic training theory out of the way, it's time to look at the best biceps exercises.
The best biceps exercises
Ignore the bodybuilding magazines. You don't need to perform 50 different types of curls to build impressive biceps.
In fact, of the multitude of biceps exercises you could perform, only a handful are really necessary. These are..:
1. barbell curls
Barbell curls have been around since Sandow's day and are still one of the best all-round biceps building exercises you can perform.
2. dumbbell curls
The SZ bar variation of barbell curls is an effective biceps building exercise and great for giving your wrists and elbows a break from barbell curls.
3. alternating dumbbell curls
Just like barbell curls, alternating dumbbell curls have been used to train the biceps since the birth of bodybuilding.
4. dumbbell hammer curls
Hammer curls are my favorite exercise for building the biceps brachialis, which is why many bodybuilders use this exercise to improve the peak of their biceps.
5. pull-ups with an underhand grip
Pull-ups with an underhand grip are a functional exercise that puts a lot of stress on the biceps. As you get stronger, you can increase the difficulty by using a dip belt or weight vest.
Progressive overload is the key
So much for the best bicep exercises. These are all the exercises you need to build the biceps you want.
Before we talk about biceps workouts, however, I want to make sure you understand a crucial part of training with weights in general:
The key isn't just the execution of exercises - it's the progression in those exercises. For steroid-free exercisers, the most important type of progression is overload. This means increasing the weight you can move over time.
The reality is that if you want a part of your body to get bigger, you need to make that part stronger.
That is your absolute priority, an increase in weight on the bar over time. If you do this and eat enough, your muscles will grow.
The ultimate bicep training session
A good biceps training session does the following:
- It includes exercises that emphasize the biceps brachii.
- It includes exercises that emphasize the biceps brachialois.
- It focuses on heavy weights.
I would like to give you a simple bicep training program so that you can see how my advice works for you.
For the next 8 weeks, perform the following bicep training session once every 5 to 7 days:
- Barbell curls: warm up and 3 sets of 4 - 6 repetitions
- Dumbbell hammer curls: 3 sets of 4 - 6 repetitions
- Dumbbell curls: 3 sets of 6 - 8 repetitions
That's all. Just 9 sets for your entire training session.
And just in case you're not familiar with how the repetition ranges work, here's a simple explanation:
- If you are able to perform more reps than the upper limit of your repetition range dictates, then the weight is too light and needs to be increased.
- If you are unable to perform the number of repetitions specified by the lower limit of your repetition range, then the weight is too heavy and needs to be reduced.
So if you can perform 8 repetitions of barbell curls with a certain weight, but your plan specifies 4 to 6 repetitions as the repetition range, then you need to increase the weight.
And if you put 10 kilos more on the bar and then only manage 2 repetitions, then you need to reduce the weight.
As soon as you reach the upper limit of the repetition range for a set, you increase the weight.
So, for example, if you can do 6 reps on your first set of barbell curls, you increase the weight by 2.5 kilos on your next set and work with this weight until you can do 6 reps, at which point the game starts all over again.
Your weekly goal is to increase the number of repetitions in your exercises, which will lead to an increase in weight over time.
The bottom line on bicep training
In many ways, building impressive biceps is like building any other muscle group in your body:
- You need to do the right exercises
- You need to move heavy weights.
- You need to use sufficient training volume.
- You need to be patient.
This last point is particularly important with biceps. If biceps are not one of your genetic strengths, it will take time to see results.
I would say one year of training to fill the sleeves of your shirt, two years to get regular compliments and three years to look like a fitness model.
Something else I've seen over the years while working with countless clients is that many people simply can't build muscle mass around the biceps unless they do a mass-building phase.
They may see significant beginner gains in all other areas of the body, but cannot build significant mass in their biceps until they are in a caloric surplus.
So train hard, stay consistent, eat right and you will build the kind of biceps you desire.
Refrences:
Source: https://legionathletics.com/best-biceps-workout/
By Michael Matthews