Monday, August 18, 2008

Tips For Building Bigger Biceps

By R. West

The best way to build bigger biceps is to incorporate a few different types of curls that each trains the muscles in a different fashion. It is important to note that the term biceps refers to two different muscles (long head and short head) and by diversifying your workout and attacking your arms with various approaches; you can be assured that your arms will get a comprehensive workout.

The most grueling biceps training routine is performed with the use of supersets. The concept behind doing supersets is that there is almost no rest between sets, causing your muscles to overload- thus triggering growth. I suggest using a three or four station rotation. I have always performed a three-station routine. I prefer to do this workout with a partner for two reasons; motivation and timing. Bicep workouts cause a lot of pain, and the extra motivating force, that comes from working out with a competitive partner, provides the extra boost that I need to push my body hard enough to finish the workout. When working with a partner, I begin my rotation just as my workout partner finishes theirs. The competition that comes as a result of taking turns shortens the rest period between sets, making the workout more challenging and thus more effective.

The program consists of three stations, each targeting and isolating the biceps in a unique and specific way. For the first station, I recommend the standing dumbbell curl. Begin the movement with the dumbbell heads pointing to your front and back, and rotate the dumbbells as you lift them so that the heads of the dumbbells are pointed to your left and right as you complete the movement.

The second station is the standing barbell curl. Select a light weight for this station because even the what may seem to be a light weight in the beginning, is going to feel very heavy after just a few repetitions. Make sure you keep your back from excessive rocking back and forth as this may cause injury or help you cheat on your lifts- two very bad things.

Finally, on your third set, move to a bench and perform seated dumbbell curls. Keep the dumbbell heads pointed parallel to your body, i.e. the heads should point over your shoulder at the end of the movement. Do not rotate the dumbbells while doing these curls.

When you have completed 4-6 rotations, it is time to move on to a burnout station. For the biceps, I recommend burning out with incline-curls. These will add significant size to your arms, in a relatively short time. Incline-curls are very similar to the last station in the rotation, except they are performed while on an incline bench. These are great to finish a bicep routine because they simultaneously stretch and flex the biceps muscles. Incline-curls are very effective at adding size to the biceps, and they are most effective at the end of a workout, when your muscles are torn because they double as a stretching routine. You can lift both dumbbells at the same time, or one after another. If you lift them at the same time, this workout offers a good stretch for your chest.

Written by Rick West. Find more of his work here: BodyMakeoverOnline

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