3 Exercises To Build Bigger Biceps
Well, summer is gone by now, and the good old “sun’s out,
guns out” motto loses its meaning. But, sleeveless or not, there is
no reason why you shouldn’t hit hard your biceps…arms season is all year
around! Ok, you would say, but what are the best 3 exercises for
bigger biceps?
Continue on reading below and you will find out how to get a bigger
biceps and a mountain peak. After chest, the biceps is probably the most
popular muscle group amongst lifters. Whether you agree or not, you have
to admit that there is something alluring about bulging biceps, especially
a well developed biceps peak. And in order to get them to fully develop as
fast as possible, you’ll need to abandon your traditional ways and think
outside of the box. So without further ado, here are three unique and
intense exercises that are guaranteed to give you the superhero biceps
peaks of your dreams:
1) Incline Seated Dumbbell Curls
This tool in our golden 3 bicep exercises, arguably stretches the biceps
like no other movement you can think of. The inclined seated dumbbell curl
takes advantage of the length-tension relationship, resulting in powerful,
growth-stimulating muscle contractions.
Because of the elbow position (drawn back and away from the body), the
outer, long head of the biceps (which inserts just above shoulder joint)
does most of the work here. You probably want to focus on the long head of
the bicep most as it is the most visible! Unless you have a habit of
hitting a double biceps pose every door you step your foot in. It is worth
mentioning that the bench should be set to a maximum of 45°, using lower
angles (flatter bench) will allow for a greater stretch but will also
increase your risk of injury, making it likely to cause inflammation of
the long head’s tendon. This can also be the case when using a weight that
is too heavy whereby this inflammation is often perceived as shoulder
pain.
2) One-arm Eccentric Barbell Curl
The best way to perfect your peaks is by giving more attention to
eccentrics, which allow for preferential fast-twitch muscle fiber
recruitment and prolonged time under tension. Multiple studies have found
that eccentric contractions are an untapped source of insane muscle
growth.
So instead of just slowing down during the negative portion of the rep,
you can benefit a thousand times more from deliberately accentuating it.
And there is no better way to do it than with the one-arm eccentric
barbell curl, originating from the masochistic mind of Charles Poliquin.
Start by sitting or standing behind a preacher curl station. Rest your
upper arm on the pad in front of you while keeping your arms supinated.
Begin at the top position of the curl, then slowly lower the bar with one
arm over an 8-second count.
Pause briefly, then have your training partner help you back up or just
use your free hand to complete the concentric part of the movement.
Poliquin recommends doing 8 sets of 3 reps with 2-minute rest periods
in-between sets, but we’ll leave that decision up to you.
3) Concentration Curls
Concentration curls is an often misunderstood exercise that is believed
to shape the peak of the biceps, rather than add size. Unfortunately the
actual shape of the biceps is determined by genetics – all you guys out
there CAN have bigger guns… but it depends on Mother Nature if they will
be flat like a flounder or peaked like a mountain.
Nevertheless, concentration curls are an amazing exercise to bust the
long, outer head of the biceps and really isolate the muscle. The reason
for this is concentration curls take away any shoulder movement and remove
bouncing weight out of the equation.
The important thing to consider when performing concentration curls is
the correct position of the elbow, which should be dug into the inner
thigh rather than rested on top of it (common mistake among many lifters).
If you find that you cannot lower the dumbbell all the way down without
touching the floor simply lift your heels up – at the same time make sure
not to hyper-extend (overstretch) the biceps… because this can lead to an
injury.
CONCLUSION: Here you have the top
3 best exercises to build bigger and better biceps (biceps peaks
included). You need to take good care at the proper form, the perfect
weight and never forget to warm-up.
