The "biceps" are probably the most over trained body part for a
large majority of gym goers. I have lost count of the amount of times
that I have gone to the gym and seen people doing endless sets of curls.
In the time it takes me to complete my entire workout I have seen
people remain the same spot doing curls, over and over again!
Let me tell you here and now - you will NOT get big "biceps" by doing this. When it comes to building muscle quality comes before quantity. There is a difference between high volume and doing ten sets of bicep curls!
The biggest mistake people make when it comes to "biceps" is over training them, what they seem to forget is that your biceps get worked in so many other exercises. Pretty much any 'pull' exercise will work your biceps in some shape or form. Think about pull ups, rows; pull downs - if you think about the movement itself you can easily tell that your biceps are being worked.
So after working them through other exercises doing another ten sets of direct bicep work is going to lead to one thing - over training! So if you want truly big "biceps" then read the following.
Focus on core movements - The main source of your bicep work should come indirectly from core pull movements; I'm talking pull ups, rows and deadlifts. Make sure you dedicate an entire workout to pull movements and this will ensure that your "biceps" are getting maximum stimulation. If your pull day consists of a good level of volume then you should be getting adequate bicep involvement and should not need to worry too much about isolation exercises. Make sure you go heavy on your rows and consider adding weight to your pull ups.
Cut down on isolation - As I've already mentioned, lots and lots of sets of bicep curls are not going to give you big "biceps"! Personally I do very very little direct bicep work, in fact I can go weeks without doing any type of curls and guess what? My biceps are bigger than they ever have been, and that is because I am working them indirectly from much more effective exercises.
If you feel that you have to do some kind of curl then that's fine, and there is no harm in it providing you don't overdo it, so follow these pointers; firstly your form is very important for bicep curls. Swinging your entire body to curl the barbell is NOT working your "biceps"; this is very bad practice because your biceps will get very little involvement. This is where you have to say goodbye to your ego at the gym, because it might be time for you to drop the weight a bit!
That's right; you need to drop the weight to one that you can handle without having to use any other body part other than your "biceps". Your body must remain perfectly still so it is just your biceps doing the work. You will get much more muscle stimulation this way than using a heavy weight and using the rest of your body to assist with the lift.
Remember your diet is important as well, I say this every time but you need to realize that your body cannot grow without sufficient calories!
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Let me tell you here and now - you will NOT get big "biceps" by doing this. When it comes to building muscle quality comes before quantity. There is a difference between high volume and doing ten sets of bicep curls!
The biggest mistake people make when it comes to "biceps" is over training them, what they seem to forget is that your biceps get worked in so many other exercises. Pretty much any 'pull' exercise will work your biceps in some shape or form. Think about pull ups, rows; pull downs - if you think about the movement itself you can easily tell that your biceps are being worked.
So after working them through other exercises doing another ten sets of direct bicep work is going to lead to one thing - over training! So if you want truly big "biceps" then read the following.
Focus on core movements - The main source of your bicep work should come indirectly from core pull movements; I'm talking pull ups, rows and deadlifts. Make sure you dedicate an entire workout to pull movements and this will ensure that your "biceps" are getting maximum stimulation. If your pull day consists of a good level of volume then you should be getting adequate bicep involvement and should not need to worry too much about isolation exercises. Make sure you go heavy on your rows and consider adding weight to your pull ups.
Cut down on isolation - As I've already mentioned, lots and lots of sets of bicep curls are not going to give you big "biceps"! Personally I do very very little direct bicep work, in fact I can go weeks without doing any type of curls and guess what? My biceps are bigger than they ever have been, and that is because I am working them indirectly from much more effective exercises.
If you feel that you have to do some kind of curl then that's fine, and there is no harm in it providing you don't overdo it, so follow these pointers; firstly your form is very important for bicep curls. Swinging your entire body to curl the barbell is NOT working your "biceps"; this is very bad practice because your biceps will get very little involvement. This is where you have to say goodbye to your ego at the gym, because it might be time for you to drop the weight a bit!
That's right; you need to drop the weight to one that you can handle without having to use any other body part other than your "biceps". Your body must remain perfectly still so it is just your biceps doing the work. You will get much more muscle stimulation this way than using a heavy weight and using the rest of your body to assist with the lift.
Remember your diet is important as well, I say this every time but you need to realize that your body cannot grow without sufficient calories!