Biceps

                                  

Biceps:

Biceps Brachii are probably the most favorite muscle to work out for most beginners.  This is because most people are impressed by big arms (women of course).  I rarely work my biceps because I know that true size of your guns comes from your triceps.  This doesn't mean that you shouldn't work your biceps, they definitely add to the appearance of your arms.  Biceps consists of two major components – a long and a short head, and a small muscle located at the bottom of the biceps, near the elbow bend – Brachialis.  The best way to work the biceps is to do no more than three exercises in one training session where in one, your wrists stay neutral throughout the exercise, in another, your wrists are facing palms up, and in the last one, you supinate your wrists throughout the movement (meaning your wrists go from neutral at the bottom to palms facing up at the top).  Not necessarily in that order.  There is an enormous amount of exercises designed to hit your biceps from every possible angle.

Barbell Curls (straight bar curls) are the best mass-builder for the biceps.  They work your entire biceps structure.  To perform them correctly use the following directions.  First, stand straight, with your feet about shoulder width apart (if another stance is more comfortable for you, go ahead and use it).  Hold the barbell with palms facing up, also about shoulder width apart, perhaps a little closer together, whatever feels comfortable.  Without squatting down or moving your torso, slowly bring the bar up to your chest.  You may or may not touch your chest with the bar, once you pass the vertical line and bring the bar closer to your chest, your biceps stop working.  To keep continuous tension in your biceps you might want to stop a few inches short of your chest.  At the bottom, don't bounce the bar of your thighs.  You can do this with dumbbells as well, but why?  They are more uncomfortable, and its more difficult to raise them evenly than if you perform this exercise with a bar.

Alternate Dumbbell Curls can be done standing or seated.  This is an exercise best suited for supination.  Its a good mass builder as well.  From having your arms resting on the sides of your body with wrists neutral and facing each other.  As you bring one dumbbell up to your shoulder, start rotating your wrist inward.  By the time the dumbbell approaches your shoulder, the dumbbell should be facing up.  You can squeeze out a peak contraction at the top and then reverse the movement so that at the bottom your wrist is neutral again.  Next, perform the same exact movement with the other arm.  Keep alternating in this manner for the duration of the set.                 *It might be a good idea to switch the order in which your arms go first from workout to a workout, but not from set to set.

Preacher Curls can be done with a straight bar or a cambered bar and they work the brachialis.  For this exercise I prefer a cambered bar because of how it feels in my hands.  The position of hands on a slightly angled bar is more comfortable for the wrists.  You can also use dumbbells in this exercise.  If you do, don't alternate every rep, first, do a set for one arm, then for another.  To do preacher curls, sit down so that majority of your triceps touches the pads.  Keep your feet planted and your back straight as you curl until your forearms are nearly perpendicular to the floor.  Then lower the weight without releasing the tension in your biceps.  You can also do this exercise on a machine.  If you do, don't use cables, use a hammer strength machine.

Concentrated Curls bring up the peak on the biceps. Seated concentration curls should be done with a dumbbell and you may or may not supinate during this exercise. The palm should always be facing up at the top of the movement, but at the bottom, it can either face up or be neutral. Lean forward from your waist and hold a dumbbell so that your elbow rests against the inner thigh on the same side of your body. The palm faces the opposing thigh if you want to supinate or faces upward if you don't. Extend your arm so that the dumbbell almost touches the floor, then begin curling the weight up toward your chest. Squeeze out a peak contraction and then lower the dumbbell back to where you started. If you can, try to touch your chest or shoulder at the top.

Hammer Curls can be done standingor seated and should be done with alternation of arms.  They can also be done with a bar, but you are better off using dumbbells.  In this exercise your wrists stay neutral throughout.  In addition to working the biceps, hammer curls work your forearms.  For the sake of the argument, lets pretend you are doing seated alternate hammer curls (I prefer standing).  Sit on the end of the bench holding two dumbbells at arms' length, palms facing each other.  Keeping your back straight, flex one elbow to begin curling that dumbbell up toward your shoulder, maintaining your neutral wrist position throughout.  Once your forearm is at roughly a 45-degree angle relative to your upper arm, reverse the movement and lower the weight back down.  Repeat the process with the other arm and continue in alternating fashion until the set is completed.

Cable Curls can be done with one or two arms.  They will give you definition rather than mass and will work your peak.  You can do them either facing the weight stack or facing in the opposite direction, its up to you.  If you are doing two arm cable curls, do it as if you were doing barbell curls.  If you are doing one arm curls, do it as if you were doing concentrated curls.  Those are the exercises that they imitate.