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How To Build Big
Biceps
By Vince DelMonte
The “Guns.” The “Pythons.” “Thunder” and “Lighting.”
The “Rockweillers.” There is no other muscle group that has
earned more nicknames than when describing a bulging and huge set of
biceps! Bulging biceps - every guy wants them. Count me in
this group.
The days are far from gone when you walk into the gym and see 9 out of
10 guys doing bicep curls all at the same time with the same
determination to add even ¼ inch to their biceps. Training
biceps has become almost an 'obsessive addiction' in the
gym. I
have seen guys do bicep curls in between sets just so they can 'see' a
little bit of a pump in their arms. I have seen guys spend an
entire hour bent over doing concentration curls while starring in the
mirror. I have seen guys take weights on vacation so that they
can do some bicep curls at their hotel before they go into the
club! I have seen guys spend longer amounts of times shopping for
t-shirts than girls shopping for a blouse with the hope that one of
these shirts will make his arms look 'good.'
Someone disagree with me that bicep
training has become an unhealthy
‘obsessive addiction.' for many. In the “Skinny Arms” defense,
the allure of peaked, mountainous biceps will never go away. Why
should it? The 'guns' are of a man's most prized possession and
one of many women's most desired body parts on a man (of course)!
My question is if 9 out 10 guys are obsessed with seeing their biceps
grow and dedicate so much of their workout volume to isolating their
biceps and using every technique from forced reps, drop sets, and 21's
which are 'promised' to be the most effective methods confirmed by pro
bodybuilders, why do they still have little to show for their efforts?
Let's examine five of the most common problems with bicep training
before I offer a step-by-step program to take your bicep peak to new
heights.
Problem #1
with bicep training – More is not always better
If doing 4 sets is better than 3 sets, why don't you just do 10
sets? Even better, why don't you just train them all day?
It has been said before, but it obviously needs to be said again: “Less
is often more.” Especially if you are not gifted with
“muscle-friendly” genes.
Your goal of each weight training
workout should be to simply 'out do'
your last workout. Once you achieve this with an extra pound or a
few extra reps, then it is time to move to the next exercise. Not
to Nazi-torture the muscle for another hour.
I have found this a hard concept for many skinny guys to grasp because
they are fixated on the instant gratification of making their biceps
'look' big during the workout and not what they look like when they
leave the gym, which leads us to our next problem.
Problem #2 with
bicep training – Being more obsessed with how they look
while you train rather than when you are not training!
Problem #2 ties in with problem #1. The truth is that the longer
you train your biceps, even if the weights are not extremely heavy, you
can achieve a fairly decent pump that can turn a few heads while in the
gym. This attention and perception that you are doing something
beneficial is deceiving. Yes, there is something to say about
keeping blood in the muscle as long as possible, but if the workout is
done with weights that do not overload your muscles and emphasize an
increase in strength, your biceps will quickly deflate back to normal
with no true muscle growth.
Problem #3 with
bicep training – Not focusing on increasing your
overall strength
Some of the biggest guys I know rarely even train their arms.
What they do though is put a strong emphasis around increasing their
chest, back and shoulder strength. If you simply focus on
increasing the weights on your rows, pull ups and chin-ups, rest
assured that your biceps will come along for the ride and grow
proportionally.
However, if you are always blasting and 'smoking' your biceps, they
will always be fatigued when you train your back muscles and, as you
should know, you are only as strong as your weakest link. This is
another reason to take a lower volume approach to arm training.
Problem #4 with
bicep training – Using the same bicep exercises every
time
Every pro bodybuilder will put
their money on two of the simplest
exercises for building huge biceps – barbell curls and dumbbell
curls. According to the pros, these two exercises have built more
huge guns than any other exercise in the world. I definitely
agree that these 'simple' exercises are a safe foundation to build a
program around, but let's also remember that pro bodybuilders using
steroids are going to have a strong response to practically any
exercise they do.
I have no problem using these two exercises under one condition – you
are getting stronger from week to week. As long as you are
increasing the weights and reps relative to perfect form, then your
arms should continue growing. Aim to build your barbell curls up
to 110 pounds for a few “slow speed” sets and your dumbbell curls up to
50 pounds for a few “slow-speed” sets that involve zero rocking and
swaying.
Once you build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds, you will be ready
to try these two different angles on the bar. You will have to
drop your weights a bit, but stick with these two variations until you
build back up to 110 pounds:
Bicep Exercise 1:
“Stress” the outer portion of the bi's by
placing your elbows outwards and using a super-close grip.
Bicep Exercise 2:
“Stress” the inner portion of the bi's by taking a
super-wide grip on the bar and digging your elbows into your side (and
don't let them move.)
Bicep Exercise 3:
To “stress” the brachialis and brachioradialis
stick to good old fashioned hammer curls and reverse curls. Don't
underestimate these two exercises in the slightest.
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Problem #5 on biceps
– Not enough tension on the muscle
I think many weight trainees do not fully grasp the concept of
isolating and actually training a muscle. They do not know how to make
the muscle work and fatigue. Instead, you see a lot of
swinging, momentum and sloppy lifting used to move the weight from
every part of the body except the one they are actually trying to
train. The biceps have a very strong response to “constant
tension,” which means you should never give them a chance to
breathe. Keep the bar constantly moving without pausing at the
top or bottom. Focus on squeezing the heck out of the bar and
never let your biceps relax until the set is over. Your entire
goal is to not allow any oxygen into the muscle which creates a spike
with your anabolic hormones to promote muscle growth. Resort to a
slower 3-0-3 or 4-0-4 tempo to get the job done.
VIEW OR DOWNLOAD
4- Week Bicep Prioritization Program - CLICK
HERE
Weight Training
Program Notes:
* Notice the simplicity of the workout structure.
This program will work extremely well for hardgainers. The overall
volume might be a little low for someone used to a traditional
bodybuilder split program and has more than four years of consistent
training.
* The power of the program is found in the principle
of prioritization by sequence on the first pull workout. Notice that
your prioritization muscle is being sequenced at the start of the
workout and the start of the week. This is happening on purpose. We are
intentionally giving your biceps an opportunity to train at their two
most “fresh” times – at the start of the week and at the start of the
workout.
* Focusing on increasing overall strength can still
be achieved on the second pullworkout where the biceps will not be
pre-fatigued.
* Notice the slow speed movements. Many
anabolic hormones are released when your muscles are under constant
tension. The tempo's are set up so that will be forced to move the
weight slower and with a greater amount of tension concentrically and
eccentrically.
* On a pull day, 402 would mean: 4 seconds to
release the weight, 0 second pause at the bottom and 2 seconds to pull
the weight. On a push day, 402 would would mean 4 seconds to
lower the weight, 0 second pause at the bottom and 2 seconds to push
the weight up.
* Focus on adding 5-10 pounds to each of your
exercises over the course of the next four weeks while keeping the rep
ranges and sets the same. It is not necessary to do more sets or
more reps. Focus on increasing more weight under the same set,
rep, tempo and rest prescription.
Conclusion
Focus on gaining an extra 5 pounds of overall weight this next 5
weeks. That works out to gaining about 2 pounds of dry muscle
accompanied by some water and glycogen weight. An extra 5 pounds
of overall weight should lead to at least an extra inch on your
arms. Keep the program going for another 5 weeks and you'll have
a whole extra inch on your arm in about 10 weeks! Then tell all
your friends to get tickets for the “Gun Show!”
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About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy
Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain
weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than
before.
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© Vince
Delmonte www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com
2007-2008. All rights reserved.
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