By taroOn the Path to The Most Effective Biceps Workout
Primal instincts lay dormant in all people. While few will confess, animalistic urges flare to the surface in many situations. Competitive males, walking past each other, always compare themselves to their rival. Who is stronger? Who is tougher? The verdict is always influenced by the size of the most prominent symbol of masculinity – the arms. In face to face situations (where only the front of the arms are visible) the biceps form the majority of muscular mass. Given their symbolic significance, it behooves all men to embark On the Path to the Most Effective Biceps Workout.
The most effective biceps workout must have the following four constituants.
1. A basis in functional anatomy
Having the notion that the biceps bends the elbow is not enough – your rival will surely get the best of you! How can you curl effectively without knowing how the biceps function? How does one decide which exercises are best? Avid exercisers need to know:
- The biceps is composed of two muscular heads
- Both heads twist the palm up, bend the elbow and move the humeri forward
- Both heads rotate the humeri outwards
- Additionally, the inner head of the biceps pulls the arm towards the body’s midline. The outer head of the biceps pulls the arm away from the midline.
2. The best biceps exercises
The best biceps exercises accommodate all the functions listed above – just one discrepancy will greatly diminish biceps recruitment. The top fundamental exercise for the inner head of the biceps is the standing dumbbell curl. For the outer head the top exercise is the incline dumbbell curl*. Of course, great exercises performed incorrectly will completely miss the target tissue. Technique is everything:
- Start with the elbows straight and the hands neutral
- From a dead stop (no back-swing!) twist the wrists strongly and squeeze the elbows forward
- Make sure your humeri externally rotate
- Inner head activation requires inward movement of the elbow
- Outer head activation requires outward movement of the elbow
- Finish with forearms squeezing into the biceps and wrists fully supinated
- Reverse the above to return to the starting position. High tension on the biceps should be felt during both phases of the lift.
Women do biceps better! Kick-butt Muay Thai warrior Nora demonstrates perfect form..
Standing Dumbbell Curl
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Seated Dumbbell Curl
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*Why not barbell curls or chinups? With barbell curls, trainees place too much onus on pronating the wrists (the solid bar precludes visible movement). To improve the biceps building potential of barbell curls, remain true to functional anatomy by trying to supinate. Curl the bar by pressuring through the little-finger side of the palm. With chinups, the humeri move backward (the biceps are designed to move the humeri forward) which reduces biceps recruitment.
3. Antagonist Management
A tight and hyperactive triceps long-head is the nemesis of great biceps development. Use static stretching to inhibit the triceps long-head before each set of curls – your biceps will experience a growth spurt! PROPER stretching of CORRECT antagonists is the ultimate way to get obstinate muscles to grow and get strong.
4. Appropriate loading:
Incorrectly load a muscle and you will fail to elicit a growth response. Luckily, most muscles of the body will adapt to a myriad of intensities. While the biceps will grow using lighter weights and repetitions above six, heavy weights and lower reps should be modus operandi. Try a training cycle featuring heavy negatives to really boost results.
Exercise time and energy is too precious to waste. Strive for the most effective biceps workout. Prominent symbols of masculinity can never be too big.