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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.
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Listed here mostly
are the best free weight exercises
(since I don't believe much in cable and
machine work when a free weight alternative is present):
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Barbell Curls |
Alternate Dumbbell Curls |
Preacher Curls |
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Concentrated Curls |
Hammer Curls |
Cable Curls |
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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.
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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.
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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.
[TOP]
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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. [TOP]
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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. [TOP]
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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. [TOP] |
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