General Biceps Workout Info
Understanding the muscle structure is key to maximizing your bicep workout. The biceps are the front part of your arm, and a biceps workout should develop your arm muscles such that they create a rounded peak at muscle rest-state.
Developing a biceps workout is important as they are one of the muscles that many men like to target for the summer. Some may even consider it a defining arm exercise as it indicates that they workout.
The bicep itself is two headed, composed of the short and long head, where the bellies of each head unite close to the insertion point. The tendon of the long head helps to stabilize the shoulder joint when movement is taking place.
A bicep workout needs to fully utilize the full travel of the muscle as the main actions that the bicep muscle perform are the flexion and supination of the forearm. Usually both of these movements go together, such as when you lift a glass to your mouth (the upwards and turning motion) or when you are twisting a cap off a jar and pulling instantaneously.
Immediately beneath the main muscle of this part of the arm, you have another portion called the brachialis, which is also included in aiding all the movements you make. It lies distally to the humerus and passes underneath the main tendon of the inner elbow.
When performing exercises for this region of the arm, it is a good idea to do them from a variety of angles so that you can ensure that you are targeting the muscle effectively. This will also translate over into your life better since you are obviously not always going to be lifting objects solely in one direction. Using a multiple of different angles will remedy this problem very well.
So be sure to include one or two sets of exercises for this muscle in your next workout. Try changing the particular exercise every week or so to fully reap the benefits from your training program.
Biceps exercises
When performing your bicep exercises there are a few important things you must remember for the ultimate biceps workouts :
First you must always ensure that your elbows stay as close to the sides of your body as possible. Far too often individuals performing bicep exercises will start letting their arms swing around midway through the lift. Usually this is seen with the elbows moving in an outwards direction rather than staying locked forwards. This is not beneficial because it will place more strain in the shoulder joint and could potentially lead to shoulder injuries.
The second thing to remember during your bicep exercises is to never allow momentum to do the work for you. This is probably the number one mistake people make. If you’ve ever watched a guy in the gym who is clearly trying to impress people with the weight he’s lifting, this will undoubtedly be occurring. Since he’s using too high of a weight for his muscular strength, he needs a small amount of additional help to get it raised upwards.
Where does this additional force come from? The momentum of his body. You will swing his hips outwards slightly then transfer this movement to the stomach and then to the arms. The really bad part about this is in doing so, the spine becomes disastrously out of alignment and a huge load of stress is placed upon it as well as the shoulders. You really must make sure you do not perform this error because not only are you not strengthening your biceps when you do, you are also risking severe injury.
Finally, remember to always try and lower the weight as low as you can for effectiveness, but not 100% lean and straight. If you are only able to perform half reps you are probably using too much weight and it would be very beneficial for you to decrease it. This is a relatively small muscle and for most people it can’t handle huge loads. You will see much greater benefits using correct form than trying to load on the resistance but moving out of correct form. Train smarter – not harder!
In any arm workout routine, you will need to include exercises to work your biceps.
Biceps workout routine can be done in conjunction with your triceps workout routine if you like. This will result in your arms feeling particularly pumped afterwards. You don’t need to incorporate them however – you can do your triceps on a different day to your bicep workout. My suggestion is to do them both together for a few months, then for variation, change your routine so that you perform them on different days.
An effective bicep workout routine can consist of the following exercises (check out the videos):
1. Cycle for 5-7 minutes (to warm up your muscles)
2. Barbell Curls – 3 sets of between 6 and 10 reps
3. Close Grip Chin Ups – 3 sets of between 6 and 10 reps (add weight for resistance if required)
4. Concentration Curls – 3 sets of between 6 and 10 reps
Every 4 weeks or so, try alternating between one of the above exercises and one of the following:
- Hammer Curls - 3 sets of between 10 and 15 reps (add weight for resistance if required)
- Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets of between 20 and 30 reps
The number of reps you perform will depend on your fitness goals.
- If your aim is for strength or muscle size, perform between 6 – 10 reps
- If your aim is for muscle tone, perform between 10 – 15 reps
- If your aim is for aerobic fitness, perform 20 reps or more.
For an aerobic workout, you don’t really need to stick to this order. Your main focus is on raising your heartbeat – not lifting weights. Try jumping between these exercises and other muscle groups such as legs, back etc. Also, try removing weights and perform between 50 and 100 sets of each.
Make sure you drink enough water during your bicep workout routine.
Tip: If you want your arms to look big, don’t neglect your triceps. The triceps are much larger than your biceps and you’ll find that when you build up your triceps, your arms will look much bigger.
