Let’s face it pretty much everybody wants a bigger pair of arms. It’s one of the most prominent mirror muscles and it’s also essential on tightening up those sleeves in time for summer. So how do we grow a bigger pair of biceps?
Whatever muscle we are training it is important to train it through its full range. We know that the biceps move the arm at the elbow but do we know where the muscle begins and ends? To be honest the exact origin and insertion is not important. What is important is that the muscles cross the shoulder and in the case of the biceps, insert on the lower arm which has the ability to rotate. The angle of the shoulder and the direction in which the palm is facing can change the length of the bicep. By knowing this we can vary the positioning of both the shoulder and the palm and train the full range of the muscle.
So with this in mind let’s get started!
Exercise 1
Standing Barbell Curls
4 x 10 (90-120s rest)
Let’s start with a nice simple exercise. Pick a weight that is challenging for the 10 reps! Here the shoulder is in a neutral position and locked to the side of the body. Palms are facing upwards holding the bar in an underhand grip. The goal here is to go as heavy as possible for a hard 8-10 reps while maintaining form and posture (without swinging!). Ensure you lock the shoulders in place and keep your core and glutes tight to help stabilise.
Exercise 2
Standing Dumbbell Hammer Curls
4 x 10 (90-120s rest)
All remains the same as above with the only difference here being the positioning of the wrist. Place it in a neutral position facing the body so the bicep is slightly lengthened vs the BB curl.
Exercise 3
Barbell spider curls
3 x 12 (45-60s rest)
Using a bench set on an incline to support the chest lean onto the bench and then place your shoulder in such a position so that your arms are out in front of you. Grip the bar with an underhand position shoulder width apart. This combination of the arms in front of the body and palms up places the bicep in a more shortened allowing a greater squeeze.
Exercise 4
Incline Dumbbell Curls (palms facing down 45 degrees)
3 x 12 (45-60s rest)
Sit back on a bench set at an incline. Grab a pair of dumbbells and allow your arms to hang behind your body (It is important to ensure that the arms stay behind your body throughout the entire movement). Now place your wrist at an angle that is halfway between palms facing down and neutral. Maintain this wrist and shoulder positioning throughout the movement to train the bicep in a more lengthened position.
Upon completing all of the above you will have trained the biceps through their complete range. As range is one the keys to creating more growth, you are well on your way to tightening up those t-shirt sleeves in time for summer!
Watch this space for more training tips on how to help blow up those triceps but for now just sit back and wait for those biceps DOMs!
