Biceps Training

Where are the biceps located? Click here.

Why train your biceps?

• Protect and strengthen the elbow joint.
• Allow the back muscles to work to their full capacity.
• The biceps usually fatigue first in back exercises such as pull-ups and rows.
• Referred to as "pipes" or "guns", strong biceps are very impressive and strengthen elbow flexion.

Do:

• Warm up the elbow joint by performing proper warm up sets to warm up and oxygenate the tissues.
• Focus on squeezing the biceps for a peak contraction during each movement.
• Keep your abs tight to stabilize your body.
• Use a variety of exercises to stimulate the biceps and prevent plateau.

Don't:

• Lift your elbows up while curling as it reduces stress on your biceps and recruits the anterior delts (shoulders).
• Swing the weights; If you curl 50-pound dumbbells but your back and momentum are doing 60% of the work, you're likely to receive more biceps stimulation if you curl 25-pounders using strict form.

Tips for the Advanced:

• Although the straight bar is commonly used in the standing barbell curl exercise, the EZ-Bar is more natural for most users. Besides preventing pain in your wrists, elbows and forearms, EMG studies show that a slightly narrower grip stimulates the biceps to a greater degree.
• Add intensity by not allowing the biceps to relax before you begin the next rep.
• In biceps training, you're after the pump. Big weight in biceps exercises leads to increased risk for injury. Go with 7 to 12 reps. 2-3 exercises, 2-3 sets each.
• Train your biceps once per week; occasionally twice. Remember: your biceps already get plenty of indirect training whenever you do pulling motions such as seated cable rows, barbell rows, pull-ups, etc.
• Anatomically, the two biceps heads are almost identical, sharing a common insertion point and only slightly different points of origin. Although you cannot isolate either head of the biceps, you can tip the balance very slightly to the long head by curling on an incline, so that the head is fully stretched at the start of the movement. The short head can be emphasized by curling with your elbow out in front of you. However, keep in mind the ultimate shape of your biceps is primarily a function of genetics.
• Build basic mass first with exercises such as barbell and dumbbell curls before moving on to any shaping movements such as cables and machines.
• EMG studies show that preacher curls stimulate the greatest percentage of muscle fibers. For maximum effectiveness, keep your elbows in line with your shoulders and wrists and grab the bar at slightly less than shoulder-width apart.
• Although thought of mainly as a back exercise, the chin-up provides a break from traditional biceps movements and effectively targets the biceps. The real difference between doing this for back or biceps lies in your mental focus. Think about contracting your biceps, not pulling with your back.
• Remember to train the brachialis, which is a muscle located on the outer part of your biceps. Concentrating on the brachialis can add size to your upper arm. A great exercise for the brachialis is the hammer curl (performed by using a neutral grip in various curling exercises).