Best Bicep Building Program
Bicep exercises are some of the most popular exercises done by people throughout the world.Most experienced weight lifters will tell you that bicep exercises are not as important as people think.Everyone wants great looking armsBut most people don't do the right exercises.And most don't understand that biceps are only half the equation for amazing arms. So many people forget about the triceps. The biceps don't even make up half of the mass of your upper arm.The triceps make up approximately 2/3 of your upper arm musculature. So, don't forget about them.If you only work your biceps, you are missing out on MOST of the muscle mass within your arms. Be sure to check out the best triceps exercises too. Barbell Curls Are Not The Best Bicep Building ExerciseWhen I was around 12 or 13 years old, I thought the only exercise I ever needed to do was barbell curls. I didn't know any better and no one ever showed me anything else.I didn't have the Internet back then either.It was the early 90's for me, and I lived on a farm.
Best Bicep Building Program For Women
The coaches I had for sports weren't into weight training for kids that young. All the coaches I ever had never introduced me to weight training the right way.None.I had never seen any other exercises so I just did barbell curls all the time.Many people think weight lifting is all about barbell curls. It's sad but it's true. I thought I was so strong doing that isolation exercise.
Didn't even have a clue back then.I really had no idea what weightlifting was all about.I wish I would have had someone to show me the real weightlifting exercises. Compound exercises are the real muscle builders.I may have even reached my dream of becoming a professional baseball player if someone had showed me the proper way to lift weights. I really think I would have. I was close and weight training would have put me over the top. Build a Complete Body With Compound Weightlifting ExercisesPlease don't ever be one of the people that use a power rack or squat rack in the gym to do bicep exercises.I want you to learn about the best bicep building exercises here on this page.
BUT, I also want you to learn about building a complete body.I want you to focus on building muscle throughout your body. This is the key to building big biceps.
Build muscle all over your entire body using the best compound exercises.Learn everything you can here on this website. Learn how to build muscle and burn fat for the rest of your life.
Get the body of your dreams by focusing on your entire body. Alternate Dumbbell CurlsAlternate Dumbbell Curls are my favorite biceps exercise. Why is this?Well, I've been able to lift pretty heavy dumbbell curls for high reps with this exercise, and I attribute the size of my biceps to this exercise.I've built them from 13 inches or so all the way up to over 17 inches now — all naturally.And along the way, the weight I lifted on this exercise increased by HUGE amounts. You've got to do the same if you want to build your biceps. You will be able to lift so much weight because you can transfer your body weight from side to side as you lift which gives you an advantage over most of the other exercises.You can then control the negative and get awesome muscle growth.To get a little extra growth out of this exercise, you should grip the dumbbell on the outer right section of the dumbbell as far as possible. What this does is require your biceps to do a little more work at the top of each rep to get that full contraction.Trust me, this will help you a lot if you have lagging biceps.I really like Alternate Dumbbell Curls because you will get a good stretch on one arm while your other arm is performing its rep.
The set lasts longer when doing alternate curls, but the extension is worth the extra stretch time on your biceps.If I had only one biceps exercise to choose, I would have to choose this one.Work on progression with this exercise and you will see your biceps grow. This is one of the best bicep exercises out there and you probably won't get many that will argue that point.Some may argue that Close Grip Chin Ups are a better biceps exercise, and I just might agree with that one.The guy in the video above is doing alternate dumbbell curls with very good form. Notice how he controls the weight on the negative. Incline Bench Alternate Dumbbell CurlsThese are very close to Alternate Dumbbell Curls and are another favorite biceps exercise of mine.
The reason I like this exercise is because it gives you a much better stretch than other exercises.You won't be able to lift as much weight, though, but you will be able to get close depending on the level of incline you use.The lower the incline the better the stretch but less weight will be used.I like to use a high incline so I can still lift a large amount of weight. Heavy weights do something special for building muscle so always shoot for exercises that use heavy weights.You can use the grip method on this exercise too or any biceps exercise in which dumbbells are used. You need to have your feet on the floor with this exercise and give yourself a good base so you can use them to help you lift the weight.Transfer your weight back and forth as you do your reps and make sure to focus on a controlled negative as this is very important. Make sure you get a peak contraction on each rep and explode on the positive as much as possible.This is also one of the best bicep exercises and one of my favorites. Barbell curls always seemed to tweak my wrists and they just weren't worth it to me any more when I could lift more with alternate dumbell curls.If you have no problem with them, then they are a great exercise to use and progress on.
I just don't like them much myself. Everyone is different, though.You can use different width on your grips for barbell curls. You can also use different bars for your curls.If you want your wrists to feel a little more comfortable you can use an EZ Curl Bar where the bar is curved in at certain points to make the curls more comfortable to you.All of these barbell curl variations will build great biceps so experiment and see what feels the best to you.
Then stick with that for a few weight lifting cycles and you will see some good improvements.Barbell curls are a tough exercise to continue progressing with. I always had trouble with them because of my wrists. Emulate the form in the video above as an example and never go too heavy on barbell curls.Always ensure you have good form before increasing the weight. Preacher CurlsI do really like Preacher Curls and have been able to do a good amount of weight with two handed dumbell preacher curls.I like 1 armed dumbbell preacher curls, but it takes so much effort for 1 arm that I don't like to do them because the second part feels so difficult with the other arm.I would rather do some of the other exercises just because I am able to do more weight with them. I do like the stretch that you get with preacher curls, though.I would rather beginners start with alternate dumbbell curls and get really strong on those first before trying preacher curls.
Biceps Workout Chart Step By Step
Or even one of the other bicep exercises above would be a better choice for beginners.There won't be as much progression with preacher curls and you seem to hit a wall much quicker with preacher curls. Preacher curls only isolate the bicep more than other bicep exercises. This is why you won't be able to lift heavier weight.
You can use a barbell for this exercise, dumbbells, one arm at a time, ez curl bar, cables, and more. Use the video above to assess your form on preacher curls. Choosing the Best Bicep Building ExercisesIf you need any help choosing bicep exercises or other exercises for the rest of the major muscle groups, just let us know.We do have step-by-step muscle building and fat burning programs available that tell you exactly what to do.If you really want to build those biceps, you need to choose the best bicep building exercises as discussed on this page.But you need to understand that a complete program that builds your entire body is THE only way to get even better arms. The WLC System gives you the complete muscle building and fat burning system you need. One More Secret Weapon For Building The Biceps:You need to choose a good weight lifting program that focuses on progression. That's the first step.Progress on the amount of weight you lift with the bicep exercises above, eat a calorie surplus high in protein, and build big biceps. It really is that simple.You need to realize that it will take time to get big biceps.
Be consistent and always work on building strength in the muscle building rep ranges of approximately 5 to 12 reps.You should also check out the that I use. They will help you to lift more weight and build more muscle. I use them every workout and can personally vouch for them.I was able to overcome my strength limit on the bicep exercises above by using these gloves. I could never get past 50 pound dumbbells for alternate dumbbell curls.After buying the gloves several years ago, I've went up to 75 pound dumbbells in each arm for reps. Get you a pair. You won't be disappointed. The link is below:My New Grips have lasted me more than 5 years now — the same pair!!!
No other glove on the market will last anywhere near that. Mine are still going strong too. I probably won't need another pair for several more years.When your hands are comfortable, you can lift even heavier weight and last even longer on each set. These padded gloves/grips really do work. They are well worth the money.
Dennis, sorry for the confusion.I was trying to say that Barbell Curls are not the best biceps exercise because you can actually use heavier weights with Alternate Dumbbell Curls.I believe Barbell Curls do not put you in a mechanical position to lift really heavy weight.I believe Alternate Dumbbell Curls do.And yes, there is a big difference in the two exercises. I know they are both curls but you can get a greater range of motion with alternate dumbbell curls including twisting the weight at the top, bottom, or throughout the movement.Barbell curls do not allow any movement like that and can be very tough on your back and wrists.For me, Alternate Dumbbell Curls have worked so much better than Barbell Curls. So that’s what I was trying to say with the article. I apologize again as I did not do a good job of getting that point across.Thanks for allowing me to clarify that!Can you tell more more about your overall workout program here? Have you also hit a wall in strength gains on your arm exercises? I am also sorry for not understanding that you were not knocking “curls” only that your point was Barbell Curls were not as effective as Dumb-bell curls. I did not do a good job of realizing you were simply breaking down Curls.
I use the twisting of the wrist motion when I do alternate Dumb-bell curls and it makes a huge forearm explosion temporarily and when you squeeze at the top of the twist it gives the bicep a mountain peak look also. Barbell curls can hurt your lower back if you’re not careful and all curls can hurt your wrists if you don’t watch it.My over all workout program is not as strict as I’d like but I usually go every other day Bicep-Tricep-Bicep-Tricep. I do a variety of exercises Hammer curls. Dumbbell curls, Barbell curls starting out light at 25 lbs 3 sets of 10. Then up to the 35 lbs 3 sets of 10 then max out at the 45lbs maybe 2 sets of 10 or to fail. For my Tricep days I do dips, closed grip bench presses starting at 60lbs and working up to maybe 100 lbs. A total of 10 sets of 10.
My diet has to be strict free of cholesterol but I do eat ahigh protein selection. I take no supplements and have 17 inch arms at age 54. I have not lost any strength in my arm exercises and actually I could lift more but due to a shoulder injury by pushing it I am reluctant to go much heavier. I do want to increase my arms to 18 before I get too old to achieve it.
Thanks for everything. Hey Dennis, thanks for understanding.One of the points I attempted to make that I didn’t do a very good job at making is to choose weight lifting exercises that put you in a mechanically advantageous position.For example, a 1-arm overhead press allows you to lift a lot heavier weights than doing both dumbbells at the same time. It’s much easier on the lower back AND you are in a much better position that allows you to lift heavier. Lifting heavier and heavier over time leads to results. It never fails.Barbell curls, as you said, can be very tough on your lower back and your wrists.
If I do barbell curls, I always put one foot forward and switch about halfway through. This takes a lot of stress off your lower back.I have learned over the years of weight training that saving your lower back is very important. There are so many great exercises like the Squat, the Deadlift, Bent Over Rows, and Overhead Press that stress the lower back so much. You have to be careful not to add too many or you will end up injuring your lower back.For example, Standing Calf Raises are another exercise that will add some stress to the lower back. Picking up and moving weight also stresses the lower back.
Many exercises work it so it’s good to keep the stress down on the lower back whenever possible.Another 1 of my favorite exercises is the 1-arm Dumbbell Row instead of the Bent Over Row. It puts you at a great mechanical advantage and allows you to lift very heavy weight. You can use your entire body to help lift the weight and overload your back and arms even more.What does your overall workout program look like?
Do you work other muscle groups? The BIG 7 exercises: Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Rows, Overhead Press, Dips, and Chin Ups will definitely build your arms because they are going to allow you to lift very heavy weights. Lifting heavy weights makes your entire body grow including your arms.Heavy weight = results even if it’s not an exercise that specifically targets the biceps or triceps. For example, you get a contraction throughout your arms when deadlifting. It really works. Heavy weights on other exercises will build the arms.All you have to do is work on making progress in the amount of weight you are lifting with all the right exercises.When you make progress lifting heavier weight, you grow.
It almost never fails.