How do I get thicker Biceps?

[Chris303]

Hey Gents!

Quick question, any advice on adding more mass to the biceps?

I need my guns to get bigger, please help!

Chris

[TOkidd]

Just stick to the basics:

EZ-bar curls, dumbell curls, preacher curls. There's tons of different curls, but the basics are the best for building general mass and thickness. Include low-rep sets and mid-rep sets. That's about it.

[Chris303]

Right on sounds good

Many thanks TOkidd

[pasha]

Concentration curls work well..!!

[TOkidd]

Concentration curls are great, but are a more targeted exercise for achieving bicep peak. IMO, not the best for building general mass and thickness.

[Chris303]

They say the Bicep has two parts? Inner and outward muscle group, My outward part is great but the inner seems to be lacking mass, making my arms looks smaller than they really are.

Wide arm curls?

[F250Hoss]

Barbell curls

[noon]

Mix in reverse curls with a weight that allows u to do between 5 & 8
Preacher curls heavy and slow focus on the negative portion
of the lift finish with hammer curls & barbell curls if done correctly
your arms will grow

[gula187]

Concentration curls always worked for me

[digsy1983]

My outward part is great but the inner seems to be lacking mass, making my arms looks smaller than they really are.
?

so you are after working the peak??? pretty boys on the cable machines are good for peak work and also partial reps on preacher curls (from the halway point to the close postion) i've found anything thing that the arm curls from semi - bent to fully bent is good for working peaks, and also ive found 8-12 rep max per set most beneficial.

[zeemzima]

heavier weight with less reps to get more mass, like reps of 5 or 6 so you can barely finish the last rep

[senzubean]

db curls, barbell curls, hammer curls, concentration curls, reverse barbell curls, wrist curls and reverse wrist curls will hit all parts of bicep/forearm

[Chris303]

So all these work outs sound great! Can I pick proper form from YouTube videos? What's a good source?

[Times Roman]

do not overlook your triceps. your triceps become the foundation for the bicep. pretty hard to have wide biceps with a narrow foundation!

[TOkidd]

I don' know what exactly you're looking to find on YouTube. Proper form? If that's the case, that's pretty easy.

Keep your bicep workout simple at first:

1 set warmup curls with easy bar. Use a weight that you can comfortably do 20 reps with.

Now do some stretching, and stretch between each set.

4 sets ez bar curls. 10/8/6/6
4 sets seated dumbbell curls. 8/8/6/6

As for proper form keep your elbows glued to your sides, and don't let them move at all while you are curling. Typically, the negative portion of the rep should be slow and controlled, while the positive portion can be a little faster and more explosive. When doing dumbbell curls, allow your wrists to supinate so that your palms are facing your hips at the end of the movement. This allows for maximum stretch in the bicep. Then, as you begin you positive rep, twist your wrist so your palm faces up. Don't ever swing the weights or let momentum hep your lifts although a little bit of cheating is acceptable if you're trying to squeeze out those last two reps.

After six weeks of this regimen, you can replace the ez bar curls with preacher curls one weeks, and the seated dumbbell curls with hammer curls the following weeks. These exercises will give you the mass and strength you seek, and definition and peak are things you can worry about later.

As the previous poster stated, DO NOT be one if those guys who works his bi's but ignores his tri's. It looks totally ridiculous. As a matter of fact, if you're serious about having bigger arms, you should be equally serious about having an overall muscular physique. Big arms look weird with a small chest, just like a huge chest looks weird with small arms and lats. Etc. etc.

[MickeyKnox]

monkey curls. (not sure what else to call them) this is what has worked for me. EDIT: they are called Alternate Dumbell Curls.

standing in front of mirror holding a dumbbell in each hand. starting with right hand, raise dumbell across your body and end in the position as if your right arm was in a sling. hope i described it correctly.

[nkyle90]

At what point does a mirror become part of a workout?

[MickeyKnox]

At what point does a mirror become part of a workout?

at the point you decide to lift..

[TOkidd]

monkey curls. (not sure what else to call them) this is what has worked for me.

standing in front of mirror holding a dumbbell in each hand. starting with right hand, raise dumbell across your body and end in the position as if your right arm was in a sling. hope i described it correctly.

I think the more common name for this type of curl is concentration curl, and it's primarily for building bicep peak. An even better way to do them is to bend at the waist, let your arm with the dumbell hang down to the floor, then without allowing your elbow to move (some people brace their upper arm against their thigh to prevent movement) raise the dumbell to your opposite shoulder (as you said, like your arm were in a sling). Slowly lower the weight without allowing your elbow to move, and raise again, etc. You can also do it seated with your upper body hunched over.

Oh, and I agree, a mirror is almost as important as weights when it comes to bodybuilding. It's very important for checking your form, keeping it perfect at all time, as well as flexing your muscles in between sets - an important part of every workout, I believe.

[MickeyKnox]

I think the more common name for this type of curl is concentration curl, and it's primarily for building bicep peak. An even better way to do them is to bend at the waist, let your arm with the dumbell hang down to the floor, then without allowing your elbow to move (some people brace their upper arm against their thigh to prevent movement) raise the dumbell to your opposite shoulder (as you said, like your arm were in a sling). Slowly lower the weight without allowing your elbow to move, and raise again, etc. You can also do it seated with your upper body hunched over.

lol, i know what a concentration curl is. give me some credit for gawd sakes..lol

picture a hammer curl. now turn your wrists so they face the mirror. right hand towards left shoulder. left hand towards right shoulder.

ill try to find a youtube vid

[MickeyKnox]

this is what im referring to..

[nkyle90]

maybe we should start putting mirrors on the ceiling for when I bench then

[red_hulk]

this is what im referring to..

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKjsCOVVuCg&feature=related

I'm pretty sure they have a specific name but I'm drawing a blank and can't seem to find it. But I think it was something like cross-body hammer curls or something along those lines.

And you use a mirror for lifting to make sure your form is good or if there is something you need to correct. Gym aren't lined wall to wall with mirrors just you can check yourself out

[kronik420]

Chin ups.

[TOkidd]

Hmmm....gotta try those some time. I'm a big fan of standard Hammer Curls.

[ickythump]

I hold a chin up for 20 to 30 seconds, then so a few chin ups...saw it on men's fitness, position your arms and body do u feel it in biceps

[TOkidd]

Chinups definitely help develop your biceps, but it's primarily a back exercise and you want to avoid using your biceps too much. If you have a proper training regimen and are working your full body, there are many exercise that will help develop your biceps, but the work you do specifically for your biceps (curls of various kinds) are what will really give you the results you want.

BTW, the reason I've advocated EZ bar curls and not straight barbell curls is because I find straight barbell curls tough on the wrists, expecially at higher poundages. IMO, the EZ bar is much easier on the wrists but achieves the same results as a straight bar.

MickeyKnox:

I tried those curls you posted during my last bicep workout and they're great. I will definitely add them to my repetoire.

[ickythump]

I think the strength you can build from chin ups directly contributes to curl strength...i utilize them

[TOkidd]

I think the strength you can build from chin ups directly contributes to curl strength...i utilize them

This is certainly true. As long as you save the chins for back day, there's no problem. But it is primarily a back exercise. Lots of exercises utilize multiple muscles, just like bench press works the shoulders and triceps. But I wouldn't do bench press as part of my shoulder routine.

I'm not disagreeing with your statement. I just see chins as a back exercise that happens to also hit the biceps pretty heavily (as do most back exercises). It may contribute to your biceps' overall size and strength, but the curls you do when you work bi's specifically are more important IMO.

[M302_Imola]

This is certainly true. As long as you save the chins for back day, there's no problem. But it is primarily a back exercise. Lots of exercises utilize multiple muscles, just like bench press works the shoulders and triceps. But I wouldn't do bench press as part of my shoulder routine.

I'm not disagreeing with your statement. I just see chins as a back exercise that happens to also hit the biceps pretty heavily (as do most back exercises). It may contribute to your biceps' overall size and strength, but the curls you do when you work bi's specifically are more important IMO.

When concentrating on biceps you need to use a fairly close underhand grip and really squeeze the biceps at the top of the movement. Underhand chins concentrates on biceps mostly , overhand chins concentrate on the lats mostly. I do overhand chins on back day and underhand chins on bicep day.

[TOkidd]

....

[ickythump]

It's not a go to for biceps, just good to throw into a routine on some day...

[hyphy_beast]

Instead of using the more natural feeling grip on the ez bar where your thumbs are up and wrists turned in towards each other, try turning you're wrists outwards so your pinkys are above your thumbs. Real close grip. Good for the inner head of your bis. Fail between 6-8 reps heavy weight OH and don't over train them

[Far from massive]

this is what im referring to..

Did anyone notice how much "Docs" elbows were moving when he did his set?

[ickythump]

" Do you do chins on back day as well as when you work your biceps?"

I do that chin up hold i mentioned earlier in when i do biceps, just usually towards the end, because i feel it gives me a nice pump....on back day i do deads and Romanians etc but i do wide grip overhand pull ups which i don't really feel in my back....most back exercises are pulling andwill hit your biceps..i was recommending to incorporate pull ups also because the strength can be utilized for doing heavier weight later when targeting biceps I've read

[M302_Imola]

I agree that narrow-grip chins work the bi's much more than wide-grip chins. Using an an underhand grip does involve the bicep even more, amd dependimg on how the exercise is performed, it can work the bi's more or less.

Still, the way I see it, on back day you should concentrate on working your back, knowing that most back exercises (chins & rows) are going to hit the biceps as well. I consider this an important supplement to regular bicep training, but the focus should always be on isolating the lats, not the bi's, so I avoid an underhand grip when doing narrow-grip chins, and instead do them with my palms facing eachother. On bicep day, I do a variety of curl exercises, because this is proven to be the best way to isolate and work the bicep.

I'm not saying that chins (and rows) can't be useful for bicep developments, but I personally do not do chins on bicep day. On back day I focus on using my lats far more than my biceps (so I avoid grips that involve the biceps too much), but my bi's still get a good workout.

Do you do chins on back day as well as when you work your biceps?

I agree with what your saying. I do overhand chins (concentrating on the lats making sure to point my chest upward) on back day and then do narrow grip underhand chins sometimes on bicep day. Works out nicely since there's 4 days in between when I do back and biceps.