5 Tips to Bigger Biceps 22nd November,2016

Alright, let’s get this straight first. Anybody who is starting to hit the gym wants to have bigger arms, specifically the biceps. Let’s face it, we veterans who have been doing it for years also started with wanting bigger biceps at first when we joined gyms. But the sad part is, after endless sets of curls and arms so sore that you couldn’t brush your teeth properly, we were left with nothing. I don’t want you to repeat the same old stuff that I did and fail over and over again. So without all the bullshit, let’s get straight into the science of Bicep-iology.

  • Get STRONGER
    The basic philosophy of getting bigger is getting stronger first. That means, you gotta progress in terms of either more reps or more weights. If you are doing the same workload in terms of resistance, day in and day out, why does your body need to change? Remember, your body forges according to the demands that you put it into. So if you don’t keep on increasing the demand (resistance), your body has no reason to grow. Hence, you see a small growth in the beginning and then it stops, that too because you started from nothing to doing something at the beginning.
  • Focus mostly on stronger movements
    While training every body part, there are usually exercises that allows you to lift more and then there are exercises that doesn’t allow you to lift as much. The best example would be Barbell curls vs. Preacher curls. If you observe carefully, it’s easier to progress in barbell curls compared to the preacher curls. Let’s take another example, Bench press vs. the flys. It’s obvious that you can progress quicker in the Bench press than you can on the flys. With that being said, try to include the stronger compound movements at least 60-70% in your workout.
  • Keep that form strict
    Now, it is important to lift heavy, but that doesn’t mean that you lift heavy by breaking the form. AT least 70-80% of your form should be very strict. Don’t compensate form just for the sake of lifting heavy. This is where a lot of beginners go wrong. They try to emulate the pros and just lift heavy with bad form. This not just pushes you to the verge of getting injured but take majority of stress away from the targeted muscle too.
  • Assault them twice per week
    Why train them once when you can train them twice? I mean instead of doing 6 exercises for the Biceps on one day, try doing 3 on a day and the remaining 3 the other day. There is only so much you can do. In one session, more doesn’t mean better. You cannot fill a bucket when it’s full. You have to let it drain out and once it’s empty, you can fill it up again. You body cannot take in the full effects of training them with 6 intense sets at a single session so it’s wise to divide them into two separate sessions with different goals, which brings us to the final tip.
  • Have some variety
    Although the 8-12 rep range is considered to be the best rep range for muscle growth, you would be missing out on it if you are just limiting your training to that. An optimal Bicep workout would be divided into two parts, one day of the week focusing on that 6-12 range, where going heavy (with good form) and getting stronger is the goal whereas on the other day, you can train on the higher reps (15-25) and focusing on the muscle pump. On the heavy days, your can take longer rest in between sets (1-2) mins and shorter rest periods on the pump days (30-60 secs).

MONDAY

EXERCISES SETS REPS
Barbell Curl 4 6-8
Hammer Curl 3 8-10
Dumbbell Curl 2 10-12

THURSDAY

EXERCISES SETS REPS
Inclined Dumbbell Curl 4 12-15
Concentration Curl 3 12-20