Tag: bicep
8 Top-Secret Hacks For Gaining Serious Bicep Size
If a gym bro had to choose between an orgasm and a bicep pump, he’d probably pick the latter. A bro waits for the arms day every week in hopes that he’ll walk away with at least an inch added to his arms.
You’ll see people missing leg days or even back days but you’ll never see someone intentionally skipping training their biceps. Even though the gym rats shower so much love on their guns, you won’t see many people walking around with jacked arm in your gym.
While many gym noobs think that the problem with their arms is that they aren’t training them enough, the real problem lies in how they’ve been training. In most cases, the problem doesn’t lie in quantity but the quality of their workouts.
In this article, we’ll go over the little tweaks you need to make in your bicep training techniques that will give you insane results. Warning – you might not be able to scrub your back after following these tips.
8 Tips For Gaining Bicep Size
Exercises, Volume & Intensity
For starters, let’s get done with the exercises, volume, and intensity debate. There is no doubt that your workouts should have a mix of compound lifts like the barbell and dumbbell curls, and isolation exercises like the cable and concentration curls.
If you’ve been doing a mix of three compound and two isolation exercises in your arm workout but are not seeing any results, it’s time to try something new. You should try alternating between compound bicep arm workout on odd weeks and isolation workouts on even weeks.
When it comes to volume and intensity, we recommend hitting failure on every set and exercise. Don’t worry about overtraining your arms. If you’re unhappy with your arm gains, chances are you’re nowhere close to overtraining your muscles.
Use Bigger Grips
Forearms are one of the most overlooked aspects of bicep training. You can’t have muscular biceps without strong forearms. While thin bars can save the manufacturing companies money, they don’t add anything to your bottom line.
Bar grip accessories like Fat Gripz can make the barbells rounder and thicker. Thicker bars can be harder to grab and hold onto which can put additional tensions on your biceps. The curling exercises can get harder on the eccentric part of the movement while using fatter grips.
As you perform the bicep exercises using thicker grips, your biceps will be put under increasing tension as your forearms begin to fatigue. Perform one bicep exercise with the fat grips at the starting of the workout or perform one set of each exercise using the grips to annihilate your pythons.
Be The Odd One Out
If you’re someone who does 8/10/12 reps of every exercise, you’re a part of the majority of the gym population. Most of us have been using this rep scheme without ever questioning it. It’s something we have been taught the moment we step inside a weight room.
Your goal with your new rep structure would be to add three reps to every set. Performing sets of 11/13/15 reps would add a significant amount of volume to your workouts which is perfect to shock your arms into growing.
Train Your Biceps From All Angles
Most people forget biceps are called biceps for a reason. Your biceps are made up of two muscles – the short and long head. You can’t expect both these heads to develop if you hit them from a single angle.
While training with a barbell, make sure you do one set each with a shoulder-wide grip, a wider-than shoulder-width grip, and a narrow grip. Similarly, using an EZ-bar can add much-needed variation to your training regime. Changing your hand placement on the bars will help polish your guns.
Disrupt The Preacher Bench
Look at the preacher bench in your gym and you’ll probably find a dude hunched over the arm pad and swinging back and forth to lift the weights. Using momentum on an isolation lift won’t do you any good.
Instead of sitting straight on the preacher bench, turn your body sideways and place your right arm on the arm pad so your right elbow and both shoulders are in a straight line. Sitting sideways will eliminate any possibility of using momentum. You could perform this variation on a preacher curl bench, machine, or even an incline bench.
Turn Your Wrists
If we got a penny every time we saw someone half-assing through dumbbell curls, we’d have enough to buy a Bitcoin. Get this, the degree of wrist rotation while performing the dumbbell curls is directly proportional to your bicep gains.
At the top of a dumbbell curl, your pinky finger should be outside your shoulder. If your palms are facing your shoulders flat, you are not squeezing your pythons enough for you to be able to develop the peak.
Add Advanced Training Techniques To The Mix
If you’re expecting extra-ordinary results but are doing the ordinary exercises, you’re just wasting your time. You have to throw new things at your muscles constantly to keep them guessing.
Using advanced training techniques like drop-sets, supersets, BFR (blood flow restriction) training, intra-set stretching, GVTs are a great way to spice up your workouts and make those pythons grow.
Adding these advanced training techniques will also make sure your workouts never get boring. You could try one new technique in every workout or perform a set of different advanced techniques in every exercise.
Perform Partial Reps
By partial reps, we don’t mean an incomplete range of motion. Since your guns are long muscles, you should train them in different ranges to optimally develop the length and the peak of the biceps.
21s are an incredibly effective exercise to target the long and short heads of the biceps. You don’t have to limit yourself to 21s. You could perform 24s, 27s, or 30s in the same rep scheme.
Don’t Forget Nutrition & Recovery
No matter how hard you train or how much you can curl, you need to remember that you break down muscle while you are training. Your muscles grow back bigger and stronger only when you’re meeting your daily nutrient requirement and are giving your muscles enough time to rest and recuperate from your workouts.
How much can you curl, bro? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
An Arm Workout You’ll Feel Until Next Week
The arm workout you will write home about.
Let’s be honest. Everyone loves training arms. Some bros (to look like total badasses) might say that legs are their favorite muscle group to train but push them a little, and they will tell you arm workouts run a close second. And at this point, you will know the truth.
We hate to break this to you, but there is no “alpha male“ without jacked muscles. A pair of ripped pythons can make you stand out. Jacked arms are symbolic of strength, look aesthetically appealing, and garner attention, whether in the workplace or on the street.
Although you might see people in your gym training their arms more than twice a week and flexing their guns at every chance they get (yes, even on leg days), but only a very few lifters have pythons that the Greek gods would approve.
Mostly, the reason behind lagging arms development is not a lack of training equipment or intent but a dearth of correct training techniques. If your arm workouts only consist of a few bicep curls and tricep pushdowns, do not be surprised if your tiny wigs never grow into venomous pythons.
Also Read: 5 Ways To Bring Up A Lagging Body Part
Workout Principles For a Kickass Arm Workout
Arms are a relatively smaller muscle group. While you do not need as much intensity while training your guns as you would while training your lower body, do not use this as an excuse to show them mercy. Here are the principles you should be following during your arm workout:
1. Antagonistic Supersets
Lifters tend to train their favorite muscle group at the beginning of a workout. While some people train biceps at the beginning of their arm workout, others start with triceps.
The problem with this technique is that by the time you get to training your weaker muscle group, you are fatigued, and do not have enough gas left in the tank to break new ground.
Not only do antagonistic supersets lay the groundwork for biceps and triceps muscular balance, but they also are time efficient.
2. Hypertrophy
Hypertrophy refers to an increase in muscular size achieved through exercise. To achieve hypertrophy, you should perform 12-15 reps per exercise and not rest more than 60-90 seconds between sets.
In this arm workout, you will not be stopping for rest between exercises while performing the antagonistic supersets.
Remember: Do not lift a weight that is too light, as that will not allow you to see the same gain of definition.
Related: 5 Ways To Write a Great Training Program
3. Rest-Pause Sets
Most individuals usually perform 12-15 reps in a set. After a few training sessions, people get a good idea of how much weight they need to be lifting to hit failure by 12-15 reps.
While there is nothing wrong with this technique, you need to remember that we are on a mission to remain sore until our next arm workout. We want to push our arms to their limit.
Rest-pause sets give your ATP (adenosine triphosphate) reserves enough time to replenish so that you can perform an additional 5-10 reps without getting you out of hypertrophy.
Muhammad Ali explained this the best when he said:
“I don’t count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count.”
Also Read: How To Increase The Time Under Tension To Maximize Your Gains
4. There Are No Accessory Muscles in This Arm Workout
Forearm training is an afterthought in most arm workouts, but this routine is unlike most regimens. Bodybuilding is a game of illusions. Muscular forearms and small joints (if you have them) can give an illusion of bigger arms. Stick with this arm workout for 12 weeks, and you might end up looking like The Hulk – at least in the arms department.
Check Out: Advanced Training Techniques To Take Your Gains To The Next Level
5. Mind-Muscle Connection
Bodybuilding is not about lifting as heavy as you can or just going through the motions for the sake of it. If you want your biceps to look like mountain peaks and triceps to resemble horseshoes, you need to focus on contracting your muscles with every rep.
The better your mind-muscle connection, the more muscle fibers you will be recruiting during your exercises. A higher degree of muscle activation also means that you lower the chances of injuries during your sets.
You should not turn your rest periods between sets into dead time. Utilize that time to flex your muscles as hard as you can and hit your favorite poses.
Related: 6 Ways To Improve Your Mind-Muscle Connection
6. Shock Your Muscles Into Growing
Your muscles stop responding when they get used to your workouts. Contrary to popular opinion, you do not always need to perform new exercises to stimulate muscle growth.
If you perform the arm workout laid out in this article for eight straight weeks (which you should), you could add variety to your workouts by switching the number of sets, reps, and advanced training techniques. Never perform the exact same workout for more than three weeks on a stretch.
With all said and done, here is a simple gauge to find out if your arm workout was a success: are you able to touch your right shoulder with your right hand? If yes, then you did not go hard enough. Keep taking this test between your sets to check how you are doing.
Must Read: This is How Your Training Should Change as You Get Advanced
8 Week Arm Workout From Hell
As Big Ramy would say, “the winter is here.”
If you have lagging arms, the “bulking season” is a great time to work on them. Carve them while they are under wraps, and come out brandishing your polished guns when the sun is out.
1. Superset
(a) Standing Bicep Cable Curl: 3 sets 12-15 reps, no rest
Steps:
Adjust the pulley to the lowest setting.
Attach a straight bar to the pulley.
Grab the bar with a supinated (palms facing up) grip and stand upright with a shoulder-width stance.
While keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, curl the bar toward your chest.
Hold and contract your pythons at the top for a couple of seconds.
Return to the starting position with a slow and controlled motion.
Repeat for recommended reps.
(b) Straight Bar Tricep Pushdown: 3 sets 12-15 reps, 30-60 second rest
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a cable stack as high as possible.
Stand with an upright torso in a shoulder-width stance.
Grasp the straight bar with a pronated grip (palms facing down) and lean forward slightly by hinging at the hips.
Initiate the movement by extending your elbows and flexing the triceps.
Pull the handle down until your elbows are almost locked out.
Squeeze the life out of your triceps at the bottom of the movement.
Return to the starting position with a controlled motion.
Repeat for repetitions.
Rest-Pause: 10 seconds 8-10 reps
Every exercise in this workout routine (except forearm lifts) includes a rest-pause set. Meaning – after performing 12-15 reps of an exercise, rest for 10 seconds, and then perform 8-10 more repetitions of the same movement with the same weight before moving onto the next lift.
2. Superset
(a) EZ Bar Skullcrusher: 3 sets 12-15 reps, no rest
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This is no accident. You will be alternating between biceps and triceps as the first exercise of your supersets. This technique will ensure that you are training both muscle groups with the same intensity.
Steps:
Choose your desired weight and sit on the edge of a flat bench with the EZ bar on your lap.
Lay back while lifting the bar to your chest.
Once in position, press the bar until your arms are fully extended and perpendicular to the floor.
While keeping your elbows pinned in position, lower the weight towards your forehead by lowering your forearms.
Once you are a few inches away from your forehead, reverse the movement by extending your elbows while flexing the triceps to lock out the weight.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
(b) Zottman Curl: 3 sets 12-15 reps, 30-60 second rest
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Steps:
Hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing each other.
Curl the weights up to your shoulders, keeping your upper arms still and turning your hands so your palms face up as you lift.
Pause at the top of the movement and slowly rotate your grip so your palms are facing downwards.
Lower the dumbbells slowly back to the starting position using the overhand grip.
When the dumbbells are close to your thighs, turn your hands so that your palms are in the starting position facing one another.
Rest-Pause: 10 seconds 8-10 reps
3. Superset
(a) Barbell 21s: 3 sets 12-15 reps, no rest
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Steps:
Stand upright with a shoulder-width stance.
Grab a barbell and hold it in front of your thighs.
While keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, curl the barbell to the halfway point (up to your belly button).
Return to the starting position and complete seven repetitions with this range of motion.
Without pausing, curl the same weight all the way to the top, then lower the weight to the halfway point and back up again. Perform this for 7 reps.
Finally, perform 7 reps of full barbell curls from the bottom to the top.
(b) Dumbbell Kickback: 3 sets 12-15 reps, 30-60 second rest
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Steps:
Position yourself on the left side of a flat bench with your right knee and right hand resting on the bench.
Using a neutral grip, pick up the dumbbell with your left hand. Keep your back straight and look forward.
Tuck your left upper arm close to your torso and bend at the elbow, forming a 90-degree angle with your upper arm and forearm. This is the starting position.
Moving only at the elbow, raise the dumbbell behind you until your arm is fully extended.
Pause, and then lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
Repeat this movement for desired reps before switching sides.
Rest-Pause: 10 seconds 8-10 reps
4. Superset
(a) Single-Arm Overhead Extension: 3 sets 12-15 reps, no rest
Steps:
Stand upright in a shoulder-width stance.
Grab a dumbbell with one hand and position it behind your head with the elbow flexed to 90-degrees.
Place your other hand on your side or abdomen for stability.
Press the dumbbell upward until your arm is fully extended.
Pause and contract your tricep at the top of the movement.
Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides.
(b) Dumbbell Hammer Preacher Curl: 3 sets 12-15 reps, 30-60 second rest
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Steps:
Grab a dumbbell in each hand and sit on a preacher bench.
Keeping your elbows flexed and your palms facing each other (neutral or hammer grip), place the backs of your upper arms flat on the pad.
Lower the dumbbells in a slow and controlled motion until your arms are fully extended.
Curl the dumbbells back to the starting position explosively.
Pause and contract your pythons at the top of the movement.
Repeat for reps.
Rest-Pause: 10 seconds 8-10 reps
5. Superset
(a) Supinated Grip Pull-Up: 3 sets 12-15 reps, no rest
Steps:
Grab the pull-up bar with your hands roughly shoulder-width apart and your palms facing towards you.
Bring your shoulder blades down and contract your lats and biceps to pull up until your chin rises above the bar.
Pause at the top and squeeze your biceps.
Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
(b) Diamond Push-Up (weighted): 3 sets 12-15 reps, 30-60 second rest
Steps:
Get on all fours with your hands together under your chest.
Position your index fingers and thumbs so that they are touching, forming a diamond shape.
Extend your arms so that your body is elevated and in a straight line.
Lower your chest towards your hands while ensuring you do not flare your elbows out to the sides.
Stop when your chest is a few inches away from the floor.
Return to the starting position explosively.
If the bodyweight version of this exercise feels too easy, feel free to add resistance by getting someone to place a weight plate on your upper back.
Rest-Pause: 10 seconds 8-10 reps
6. Triset
(a) Pull-Up Bar Hang (Dead Hang): 3 sets failure, no rest
Steps:
Use a step or bench so you can easily reach the bar. You shouldn’t jump into a dead hang.
Grab the overhead bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
Hang on to the bar while keeping your arms straight.
Hang for as long as you can.
(b) Farmer’s Walk: 3 sets 30 seconds, no rest
Steps:
Grab a dumbbell in each hand.
While standing tall, keeping your shoulders, back, and core tight, walk at an even pace for 30 seconds.
(c) Behind Back Cable Wrist Curl: 3 sets failure, 30-60 second rest
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a low pulley.
While facing away from the pulley, squat down, and grab the bar with a pronated grip.
Squat back up and stand with a shoulder-width grip.
While keeping your arm straight, slowly open your hands and let the bar slide from inside your palms to the tip of your fingers.
Return to the starting position by clenching your fists so that the bar is raised into your palms.
Curl your wrists and hold for a count of two.
Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Conclusion
Disclaimer: It is absolutely normal for your arms to cramp up during the day after you perform this brutal arm workout. Get accustomed to the pain, and it will not be long before you put on an inch on your arms. Good luck!
How often do you train your arms? Let us know in the comments below.
Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Claim The Mr. Biceps Crown With This Zac Aynsley Arm Workout
We are letting you in on Zac Aynsley’s secret to massive arms.
Before we get to the meat of the article, we want you to put your hand on your heart and answer this for yourself – Would you still workout if you could never have biceps like Arnold Schwarzenegger, no matter how hard you try?
If you just caught yourself shaking your head, rest assured, you are not alone. Arms are probably the most loved muscle group. Look around your gym on any random day, and you will probably see a good number of people training their arms. Heck, you might even find people who are training their legs flexing their arms in the mirror.
If building guns is as easy as curling dumbbells for a few sets, everyone would be walking around with bazookas. There is one fitness celebrity, though, who continues to impress with their arms – Zac Aynsley.
Zac’s arms are so freaky that the Governator himself praised his pythons.
“For years I had people telling me I was worthless, but here was The Terminator telling me I looked great. It meant the world to me.”
There has been no stopping Aynsley since that day. His physique is improving in every aspect, and his pythons are taking on a life of their own. But things were not always so smooth for Zac Aynsley.
The Zac Aynsley Story
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSmUOX0oMWX/
Zac Aynsley did not always have perfectly chiseled arms. In fact, Zac had a pretty traumatic childhood. He was bullied for being too thin and weak. In an interview with GQ magazine, Zac revealed that –
“BETWEEN [THE AGES OF ] 10 AND 15, I HAD SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. I’D REGULARLY CLIMB TO THE TOP OF WATER TOWERS THINKING, ‘IS THIS THE DAY I’M GOING TO JUMP?’”
Let us not get ahead of ourselves. Let us start from the beginning.
Zac Aynsley was born on July 2, 1994, in Northumberland, England. In his childhood and teens, he was malnourished, underweight, and ate a poor diet. Zac’s diet mainly consisted of sweets and processed foods.
Also Read: 5 Foods You Need To Cut Out Of Your Diet Right Now
Because of how he looked, he became an easy target for bullies while still in high school. Constant ragging caused Zac depression, anxiety, and panic attacks.
During this time, Zac was not physically active. He spent most of his days playing video games to escape the harsh reality.
An Unexpected Turn
One day, Zac’s friend asked him if he wanted to try his hand at DJing. Aynsley could not turn down the deal and quickly accepted the offer to try it out to change his monotonous lifestyle.
At the age of 15, Zac Aynsley got a taste of stardom when he became popular at local clubs for his DJ skills. Not only was Zan earning handsome money, but he was also gaining positive attention from people around him. The newfound fame added to Aynsley’s confidence and self-esteem.
One thing led to the next, and before Zac could make sense of any of it, he was touring the country.
Even though Zac’s DJ career was taking off, he had to return home to finish college. With all the partying, drinking, and success he had, Zac forgot to work on his worsening health. He was in the worst shape of his life when he got back to Northumberland.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTC-v2toBst/
To get reconnaissance of his health, he went to the doctors to get his blood work done. To everyone’s dismay, Zac’s internal organs were deteriorating due to his reckless DJ lifestyle.
According to Zac, the doctor told him that he had a liver of a 50-year old. Zac was warned that he needed to make amends to his lifestyle if he wanted to live a long and healthy life.
The Tipping Point
At this point, Zac decided to turn around his life. He attended University and earned a degree in photography. Aynsley was eventually introduced to bodybuilding which helped him channel his focus, energy, frustration, and anger into something positive.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSzaZ1wIdvx/
Like most newbie lifters, Aynsley became a die-hard Arnold Schwarzenegger fan after seeing his pictures and videos. The Austrian Oak gave him additional motivation for working out and becoming healthier.
Zac Aynsley worked on all aspects of his daily routine to improve his fitness level. He made sure his diet had enough calories and nutrients to help his body recover from the mess it was in.
The progress he saw in a couple of weeks was enough to get him hooked to the new lifestyle.
Internet’s Coming of Age
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRZKrsRI8Pc/
Years of hard work and sacrifice helped Zac build an incredible physique. Little did Aynsley know at that time, but his new and improved body was going to change his life in more ways than he could have imagined.
Zac started gaining a lot of traction on his social media profiles as soon as he started posting his photos online. Impressed with Zac’s physique, one of Florida’s top photographers offered to do a photoshoot with him. Aynsley knew this was too good and big an opportunity to skip. He flew down to Florida, and this decision became a turning point in his career.
Seven weeks after the photoshoot, Zac started receiving recognition from some of the most influential people in the fitness industry, including Arnie and Phil Heath.
Since then, Zac Aynsley has hit several milestones, including:
10+ TV appearances
10+ Book covers – USA
5+ Minor magazine covers / 15+ Features
Traveled to over 17 countries
Zac Aynsley’s Nutrition Plan
You do not end up looking like Zac Aynsley while hogging on burgers and fried chicken. Depending on your current weight, you need to determine a daily calorie goal for yourself. Incorporate quality sources of protein, carbs, and fats to meet your daily macro goals.
Thanks to his ectomorph body type, Aynsley had been a weak kid growing up. Zac eats anywhere between 3200-5000 calories a day, depending on if he is bulking or cutting. To make up for his fast metabolism, Zac eats up to seven meals a day.
Zac Aynsley’s Bulking Diet Plan
Meal #1
3 egg whites
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 cups milk
1 banana
Meal #2
5 oz chicken
8 oz sweet potato
1 banana
2 slices whole-grain bread
Meal #3
5 oz chicken
1/2 cup brown rice
citrus fruit
salad
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ8lZlyH4JL/
Meal #4
3 egg whites
half cup oatmeal
1 apple
5 oz fish
2 cups vegetables
Meal #5
1 apple
8 oz yogurt
half cup cottage cheese
1 scoop protein shake
Meal #6
protein shake
brown rice
Post Workout
protein shake
white potato
L-Glutamine
Meal #7
5 oz steak
1 egg white
4 oz sweet potato
2 BCAA pills
Meal #8
casein protein shake
Eating eight (nine, if you consider the post-workout) meals is no joke. It can be especially tuff for you if you usually eat three meals a day and want to gain weight and put on muscle mass. If you are having trouble eating eight meals a day, supplements can help you meet your daily macro goal.
Here are some of our favorite supplements:
Best Men’s Protein Powders For Bulking & Lean Muscle Growth 2021
The Best Mass Gainers For Clean Bulking & Muscle Mass 2021
Best Pre-Workout Supplements For Muscle Building (Updated 2021)
Zac Aynsley Arm Workout
Pre-Requisites of The Zac Aynsley Arm Training Split
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1. Partial Repetitions
Zac Aynsley incorporates the partial rep advanced training technique at the end of his sets to annihilate his muscles. In the case of machine preacher curl, he completes 15 full reps and then limits the range of motion to the top half of the movement until he hits muscular failure.
Related Read: Advanced Training Techniques To Take Your Gains To The Next Level
2. Zero Routine
Aynsley picked up this training principle from the Governator. He never limits himself to a pre-planned workout and usually modifies his routine on the fly. According to Aynsley, your body will get used to your workouts if you follow a set routine and stop responding. For this reason, he never does the same workout twice.
3. Warm-Up Sets
Before starting the working sets, Aynsley might do a set or two with a lightweight to get a feel for the lift. It also helps in getting the blood flowing to the target muscles.
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4. Short Workouts
According to Zac Aynsley, most people make the mistake of stretching their workouts too long. His arm workouts never last more than 45 minutes. Aynsley limits his rest duration to less than 45 seconds between sets.
Keeping the rest time short is necessary for inducing a muscle-ripping pump. Also, since your arms are a small muscle group, they do not need the typical 1-2 minutes of rest for recuperation.
Must Read: The Science Behind Muscle Recovery: Understanding Active Recovery
5. Mix-Up The Number of Repetitions
Aynsley constantly switches up his rep structure to keep his muscles guessing. For some exercises, he might do as many as 30-40 reps per set.
Zac Aynsley Bicep and Tricep Workout Routine
1. Machine Preacher Curl – 3 Sets 15-10 Reps – 30-second Rest
Zac Aynsley starts his arm workout with an isolation lift to pre-exhaust his muscles. Exhausting your muscles at the start of the workout will ensure that you do not have to lift heavyweight in compound exercises. You will get almost the same amount of muscle fiber recruitment while lifting lighter weight in compound lifts as compared to lifting heavy without pre-exhaustion.
2. Superset
EZ Bar Curl (wide grip to narrow grip)- 3 Sets 15-10 Reps – No Rest
Single-Arm Cable Tricep Extension – 3 Sets 20-15 Reps (each arm) – 30-second Rest
Aynsley starts EZ bar curl with a wide grip and performs 15 reps. Without keeping the bar down, he switches to a narrow grip and curls until failure.
Single-arm cable tricep extension is a high-rep exercise for Zac. He never does less than 15 reps of the lift. Aynsley trains his triceps to failure on the tricep extension. After he is done with 15-20 reps on each side, he does a dropset until failure.
3. Single-Arm Machine Bicep Curl – 3 Sets 15-12 Reps (each arm)
During single-arm bicep curl, Zac keeps the reps slow and controlled. He follows a 1:1:2:0 (concentric, pause and squeeze, eccentric, and rest at bottom) rep tempo to annihilate his biceps. If you do not have access to a bicep curl machine at your gym, you could use the cable machine by attaching a D-handle bar to the pulley.
4. Cable Tricep Extension – 3 Sets 20-15 Reps – 30-second Rest
Zac Aynsley follows a full range of motion while performing the exercise. He brings the bar close to his forehead at the top of the movement and extends his arms straight at the bottom.
5. Reverse-Grip Cable Tricep Extension – 3 Sets 20-15 Reps – 30-second Rest
Aynsley finishes off his workout with the reverse-grip cable tricep extension.
This might look like a short workout, but if you keep the intensity high, you will not know what to do with the pump in your arms at the end of the Zac Aynsley arm routine.
You will never see Zac Aynsley lift crazy weight while training his pythons. He chases a pump and focuses on a mind-muscle connection.
Conclusion
Now an official Generation Iron sponsored and managed athlete, we are proud of the fact that Zac Aynsley is growing in popularity inside and outside the gym, and inspiring people to transform their lives. We cannot wait to share more about Zac’s journey as it unfolds.
Finally, if you are inspired by Zac Aynsley’s story but doubt yourself and your ability to transform your physique, let this message from Zac be the guiding light for you:
“Go ahead, tell me that I’m not good enough. Tell me I can’t do it! Because I will show you over and over again that I can, and trust me… I will.”
We could not have summed up the article better ourselves.
Who, according to you, has the best arms in the fitness industry?
Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
How to Add Inches To Your Guns
Here is how to add some size to your arms.
How do you make your arms bigger? Well there is obviously one simple answer to this, and that is to shop one size smaller…
All kidding aside, good arms can really make a physique pop and make everyone take notice
So what is the secret?
Well the secret to getting big is muscular hypertrophy, and that essentially means an increase in muscle mass. And this muscle mass is built by overcoming an external force ie – weights, it is really that simple.
Now let’s take a moment to look at the arms in particular which is a combination of the biceps and triceps.
The Biceps (biceps brachii):
The biceps consists of two heads (as per the name suggest), there is a ‘long head’ and a ‘short head’, and they work as a singular muscle and they are responsible for arm flexion.
The Triceps:
The triceps consists of three heads, again as per the name suggests. It has a long, head, lateral and medial heads, and is responsible for elbow extension.
So what exercises will help me achieve muscle hypertrophy?
Biceps:
Here is a rundown of some great exercises to give you that bicep peak bulging
21’s (curls):
The number “21” refers to the number of total reps you do in one set, but the “21” is also divided into three 7-rep segments that ultimately target the entire bicep.
1st 7 reps: For the first seven reps, go from the bottom of the movement up to the halfway point (with your arms at a 90 degree angle and hands at elbow level)
2nd 7 reps: Go from the halfway point up to the top of the bicep curl (hands up near shoulder level.
3rd 7 reps: Start at the bottom of the movement and complete a full range of movement all the way up
How To Perform 21s Bicep Barbell Curls
Stand upright and grab a barbell with an underhand grip.
Place your hands shoulders width apart and allow your arms to hang toward the floor.
Tuck your elbows tight to the sides of your body.
Curl upward until you make a 90-degree angle at your elbow.
Bring your arms back to full extension and repeat six more curls reaching the 90-degree angle at your elbow.
Now, from the 90-degree at your elbow position, curl the weight up until the barbell is one to two inches away from your shoulder.
Lower the weight back to the 90-degree elbow position and repeat six more times.
Now, allow your arms to return to full extension.
This time, curl your arms all the way to full extension.
Keep curling until the bar is about one to two inches away from your shoulder.
Repeat six more curls through this full range of motion to complete a total of 21 curls.
Kettlebell Curl – as the name suggests either using a kettlebell in each hand, curl as you would do with dumbbells or using a heavier kettlebell curl using both hands.
Concentration Curls
Sit on a bench with desired weight
Then lean forward and place your elbow to the base of your knee
You will be curling one are at a time
Palms facing upwards
Let the dumbbell hang towards your foot
Then curl up towards your shoulder while ensuring the elbow does not move
Bring the weight back down and repeat accordingly
Clairemont curls
Start in a similar position as you would do with seated dumbbell curls
Ensure the bench is slightly inclined
Grab the dumbbells and lean back
Then curl the weight, instead of down and up, you arms will be curling out wide and up
During the movement ensure your body does not move forward or cheats
Ensure the elbows stay tight and don’t flare out during the movement
Repeat reps accordingly
Spider Curl – using the flat part of an arm curl/ preacher curl bench. Grab your barbell or dumbbell, with palms facing upwards, bring the weight down while the elbow and triceps stay tight and close to the flat part of the bench. Fully extend then slowly contract back upwards.
Waiter curls
Grab one dumbbell, and cup it with both hands
Palms facing upwards
Ensure hands are either side of the handle
Start with the dumbbell hanging low
Then slowly curl the dumbbell using both arms towards your chest while keeping the elbows tight to the body
To ensure maximum bicep contraction try to push using your palms and not your fingers
Bring the weight back down and repeat accordingly
Triceps:
Here is a rundown of some great exercises to get your tricep horseshoe to pop
Weighted Dips – add weights to your body via a dipping belt, weighted vest or by holding dumbbells in between your legs
Closed grip bench press – similar to bench to hit the chest, this time being the grip closer to ensure that the triceps are taxed instead of the chest
Weighted bench dips – get yourself in between two benches, hands on one and feet on the other, and get someone to add weight to your legs. Then dip while keeping the weights balanced on your legs
Skull Crushers – lying down on a bench, bring the weight towards your head and then extend upwards to flex the tricep.
Body Weight Skull Crusher
Either set up a smith machine or use the fixed barbells or similar on a rack
Grab the bar with an overhand grip and ensure with a shoulder width stance
Ensure the rest of the body is rigid
Then lower your body down below bringing your head just below the bar
Then use your triceps to extend back up
Repeat again as required
Cable Skull Crushers
Set a bench next to a cable machine
Set the pulley to its lowest setting
Attach EZ attachment or similar to pulley
Make sure the bench is not too close so you have enough tension on the negative part of the movement
LIe back on the bench, and grab the attachment and extend above your head
The bring it back down slowly (the cable will ensure that you have to control the negative aspect of the movement)
Repeat accordingly
So there you have it, these bicep and tricep exercises will ensure your t-shirt sleeves are bursting at the seams and everyone will be asking if you have a permit for your guns.
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This 1000-Rep Arm Workout Will Add 2-Inches To Your Arms
“I should stop training my arms” – said no one ever.
If you are anything like most lifters, you love training your arms. A devout Roelly Winklaar fan, you start thinking about your next week’s bicep workout while performing the last set of dumbbell bicep curls.
Even though people love training their pythons, how many of them do you think are content with their progress? One of the reasons why people train their arms so often is that they are not satisfied with their workouts.
Most of the time, the problem is not with the lifter’s intent or performance but is with the workout routine itself.
If you cannot resist flexing your guns in car windows as you walk past them, have hit a plateau, or want to spice up your training, the 1000-rep arm workout is for you.
Introduction To The 1000-Rep Arm Workout
1. The 1000-rep arm workout is pretty straightforward and doesn’t contain any technical mumbo jumbo.
2. You will be doing five sets of 20 reps for five bicep and tricep exercises each, equaling 1000 reps total.
3. For the best result, strictly stick to the prescribed exercises, sets, reps, and rest periods.
4. The 1000-rep arm workout can be longer as compared to your vanilla workouts. Plan your gym sessions accordingly.
5. Since the 1000-rep arm workout employs extreme volume and intensity, you should not perform it every week. Start by following this program every alternating week and then switch to performing it once every three or four weeks.
The 1000-Rep Arm Workout From Hell
1. EZ Bar Curl – 5 Sets 20 Reps
The 1000-rep arm workout will take a toll on your joints, and the EZ bar can make your life a little easier. Before you begin training, perform at least a couple of warm-up sets with lighter weights.
Steps:
Stand upright while holding an EZ bar with a narrower-than shoulder-width grip.
As you breathe in, curl the barbell by bending at your elbows until your lower arms are perpendicular to the floor.
Make sure you are not using momentum to lift the weights.
Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for recommended reps.
2. Straight Bar Pushdown – 5 Sets 20 Reps
Alternate between bicep and tricep exercises so that your muscles are getting enough rest between sets.
Steps:
Stand facing a cable pulley machine with a shoulder-wide feet placement.
Set the pulley at the highest position.
Grab the straight bar attachment with an overhand grip.
Pin your elbows to your side as you push down the bar until your lower arms are perpendicular to the floor.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
3. Cable Curl – 5 Sets 20 Reps
You need to contract your biceps and triceps with every rep if you want to get the most bang for your buck. Going through the motions for the sake of it is not going to get your results. Establish a mind-muscle connection with your arms and squeeze the life out of them with every rep.
Steps:
Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance while facing a cable pulley machine attached at the lowest setting.
Grab an EZ bar with an underhand grip.
Curl the bar while having your elbows glued to your sides.
Return and repeat.
4. Overhead Cable Extension (Rope Attachment) – 5 Sets 20 Reps
Since this is a high-intensity workout, don’t worry about following a rep tempo or going slow. Pump out the recommended repetitions with a decent speed, and let the intensity do its magic.
Steps:
Set the pulley at the highest adjustment.
Grab the rope attachment and face away from the machine.
Bend over at your waist until your torso is at a 60-degree angle with the floor.
Extend your arms straight and contract your triceps at the top of the movement.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
5. Double-Arm Dumbbell Hammer Curl – 5 Sets 20 Reps
As fatigue starts to kick in, feel free to lighten the weights but do not compromise on form and intensity. If you don’t feel a pump after 20 reps, it’s a sign that you need to lighten the weights and focus on contracting your muscles.
Steps:
While standing with a shoulder-wide stance, grab a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing each other).
Keep your elbows at your sides and curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders.
Pause and squeeze the life out of your pythons at the top of the lift.
Do both arms at the same time.
6. Lying Extension With Rope Attachment – 5 Sets 20 Reps
Steps:
Place a flat bench beside a cable pulley attached to the lowest setting.
Lie down with your back placed on the bench and your head next to the pulley.
Grab the ropes with both hands and perform a skull-crusher type movement.
Don’t let your elbows flare out as you perform the exercise.
7. Seated Barbell Curl – 5 Sets 20 Reps
Steps:
Sit on a flat bench and place a flat barbell on your thighs.
Grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip.
Curl the weights from the top of your thighs towards your shoulders.
Return to the starting position with a slow and controlled motion.
This exercise works on your bicep peaks.
8. Double-Arm Dumbbell Kickback – 5 Sets 20 Reps
Steps:
Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance and grab a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip.
Bend over at your lower back until your torso is at a 60-degree angle with the floor.
Lift your elbows until they are slightly above your torso. Bring the dumbbells close to your chest.
With your elbows pinned at this position, extend your arms straight.
Contract your triceps at the top of the movement.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
9. EZ Bar Reverse Curl – 5 Sets 20 Reps
Steps:
Stand upright while facing a cable pulley attached at the highest setting.
Grab the EZ bar attachment with an overhand grip.
With your elbows pinned to your sides, curl the bar by bending at your elbows.
Contract your biceps at the bottom of the movement.
10. Bench Dip – 5 Sets 20 Reps
Steps:
Place two flat benches parallel to each other.
Sit down on a bench and place your hands next to your thighs.
Place the balls of your feet on the second bench.
Hinging at the elbow, lower your body down as far as you can, or until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
Extend your arms straight to get back to the starting position.
Rest – 2 Minutes
After every set, make sure you are not resting for more than 120 seconds. Two minutes are all you need for catching your breath and ATP replenishment. By the end of the workout, you will be running on fumes, and you will have the most insane sleeve-ripping arm pump.
Conclusion
The 1000-rep arm workout routine will train your guns from every angle. It will help break plateaus and ensure overall arm development. While we recommend following the exercises mentioned in the article, you could use substitutes or perform your favorite lifts, given they target the muscles in the same way.
In the weeks where you will not be performing the 1000-rep arm workout, you can follow your usual (read: vanilla) bicep and tricep training routines.
How often do you train your arms?
Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
10 Pec-Popping Push-Up Variations
10 Pec–Popping Push-Up Variations
Push-ups are underrated and underperformed. Although the benefits are clear, they’re often forgotten in the vast selection of programs out there. Walk into the gym any given Monday and you’ll see a lot of benching with little to no push-ups happening. That’s a problem.
Why you should be doing more push-ups:
• Increase Relative Strength. Your relative strength is your ability to move your body through space. Strive for a decent balance of both relative strength and free weight exercises in your program.
• Shoulder Health. Push-ups are a closed-chain exercise, where your hands are fixed in place and don’t move while pushing against an immovable object (in this case, the floor). This allows your scapulae (shoulder blades) to move freely as opposed to benching, where they’re fixed in place against the bench.
• Space/Equipment Efficiency. No gym? No problem. You can pump out push-ups pretty much anywhere you have floor space.
• Core Work. Contrary to popular belief, push-ups are more than just an upper body exercise. They require full body engagement while your core works hard to stabilize your torso throughout your set.
• Variety. Variety is one of the most important factors when building muscle. There are tons of push-up variations you can do.
The last point is the focus of this article. Push-ups can become monotonous if you’re only doing one variation. You need variety in your exercises in order to elicit adaptation and continue to see gains. Plus, it keeps your workouts engaging and motivating.
10 Pec-Popping Push-Up Variations
1. Isometric Push-Up
Your muscles can contract concentrically (when it shortens under load), eccentrically (when it lengthens under load), and isometrically (when there is no change in joint angle under load).
Isometric push-ups are one of the most effective ways to increase total time under tension without any added resistance. What’s more, they’re a great way to practice optimal technique and reduce potential cheating.
Version 1: Perform a single rep for a 30-45 sec hold at the bottom (your chest should be an inch or two off the floor).
Version 2: Perform multiple reps with shorter holds(ex. 6-8 reps with 3-5 sec isometric at the bottom position).
2. Pec-Poppin Push-Up (DeFranco Variation)
This gem is one I borrowed from Joe DeFranco. If you have trouble feeling your pecs during push-ups, look no further. The previous variation showed an isometric contraction in the bottom portion of the push-up. Here, you’ll be adding an isometric contraction at the top.
How to do it:
• Start in a full push-up position and “pull” yourself down to the floor by pressing your hands down and back into the ground.
• Once you reach full depth, press back up until your arms are locked and hold.
• At the top, “drag” your hands together without actually moving them and hold for 2-3 seconds (squeeze your pecs as hard as you can while you hold).
10 reps is all you’ll need if you’re doing them right.
3. Eccentric Push-Up
It’s common to see lifters focus their effort on the concentric phase of exercises and completely neglect the eccentric. While a slow eccentric phase isn’t always warranted (ex. during a max effort deadlift), at times it can be a great way to increase your muscles’ total time under tension. I mean, if Arnold and Yates incorporated it into their training, there’s gotta be some benefit to it.
Since you’re stronger during the eccentric (lowering) phase of the push-up, you can handle more resistance and a slower tempo. And when it comes to building muscle, tempo is one of the most important training variables.
Tempo for exercises is like cooking times for recipes.If you take your chicken out of the oven 10 minutes early, it’s going to be inedible. Similarly, if your muscles aren’t under load for adequate time, adaptation and hypertrophy won’t occur.
Version 1: Perform a single rep for 20-40 sec. Add a weight vest or plate for extra resistance.
Version 2: Perform multiple reps with shorter eccentric phases (ex. 6-8 reps with 3-5 sec eccentric).
4. Full Stop Push-Up
Bring your chest to the floor and come to a full stop for a 1-2 sec. Keeping your body stiff as a board, push yourself back up as one tight unit (i.e. don’t let your chest rise up before your hips and vice versa).
The full stop push-up ensures you’re going to full depth and eliminates any potential cheating or momentum.
5. Decline Push-Ups
Decline push-ups are the bodyweight equivalent of inclined presses, with emphasis on the pec minor (upper portion of the chest). With most push-up and flat bench variations focusing on the pec major, this one is an essential part of your arsenal if you want to build a bigger, fuller chest.
6. Positional Isometric Push-Up
Positional isometrics are when you add segmented pauses throughout the entire range of motion an exercise. While isometrics don’t involve any movement, strength increases occur at roughly 10 degrees of either side of the joint angle. So if you’re feeling weakest at the bottom of the push-up, adding holds there will make you stronger in that position. Conversely, if you feel weakest at the top of your push-up, adding pauses there will make you stronger as you lockout.
How to do it:
• Start in a full push-up position and lower yourself ½ way and hold.
• Lower yourself to full depth with your chest an inch off the floor and hold again.
• Push yourself back up ½ way and hold one more time.
• Push yourself back up fully to your starting position and repeat.
Rep/set ranges are dependant on your goals and training history. In general, a 2-4 sec pause for 4-6 total reps is a good start.
7. Banded Push-Up
Banded push-ups are a great way to add accommodating resistance, whereby you’re increasing the resistance of the load throughout the range of motion. In other words, it gets harder as you reach the top of the push-up.
8. Med Ball Push-Up
The med ball push-up is like the bodyweight equivalent of a squeeze press (where you’re pushing the dumbbells into each other as you do a bench press). If you want to feel your chest light up during push-ups, look no further.
9. Pulsing Push-Up
Pulsing reps are basically 2 reps in 1. Go to the bottom of your push-up, come up ½ way, go back down to full depth, then push yourself up until your arms are locked. Adding the ½ rep places greater emphasis on your pecs as they’re working the hardest at the bottom of the push-up.
10. Kettlebell Push-Ups
Increasing the range of motion of your push-ups whereby you’re elevating your hands slightly is a sure-fire way to increase pec engagement. You can use kettlebells, plates, yoga blocks, or even a couple of thick books.
Summary
Push-ups (along with chin-ups) are the king of upper body relative strength exercises. Try each of these variations for 2-3 weeks at a time to battle the monotony of regular push-ups and continue to elicit adaptation for greater hypertrophy gains.
Best Exercises for Bigger Biceps
Best Exercises for Bigger Biceps
Curls are the fundamental biceps-builder, but they can become monotonous and downright boring. Hence why most of the people you see doing curls at the gym don’t have much progress to show for it. They’re doing the same variation with the same weight for the same amount of reps, week after week.
In order to elicit muscle adaptation and build a bigger set of guns, try implementing the following considerations and exercises into your program.
Training Considerations for Building Bigger Biceps
The ceiling of loading potential is low. Curls are a single joint movement involving flexion and extension of the elbow. That said, you can’t handle as much resistance compared to compound lifts. Rather than feeding into the idea that you have to curl heaver weights every week, you can continue to see gains in your biceps using the following strategies.
Use variety. Different rep ranges, grips, tempo, and tools will help stimulate hypertrophy.
Frequency is important. Instead of hitting biceps once a week, try adding another day to your split.
Intensity is important. Get after it. When you feel like you can’t do one more rep, do two. That said, stay true to your form as much as you can.
Intent is important. To really see noticeable gains, dial in on your biceps and move the weight with intent every rep of every set. As C.T Fletcher says, “I command you to grow!”.
Best Exercises for Bigger Biceps
Chin-Ups
I know what you’re thinking and you’re right, chin-ups aren’t really a “biceps exercise”, let alone a curl. And if you’re doing them right, you should feel it more in your lats and forearms anyway. All things considered, you can focus your intent on your biceps instead as you pull yourself up and squeeze the heck out of ‘em during the eccentric (lowering) phase.
Chin-ups are one of the tried and true ways to increase your relative strength (how efficiently you can move your body through space in relation to your weight). And while it can be easy to cheat your way through dumbbell curls by swinging the weight up, it’s much harder to do so during chin-ups.
Note: No, “kipping” chin-ups will do nothing for your biceps. You’ll just look like a tool.
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Barbell Curl
You can’t go wrong here. If you want bigger arms and you haven’t started with these, stop reading right now and go grab a barbell.
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Overcoming Isometric Barbell Curl
It’s universally forbidden to curl in the squat rack, with two exceptions to the rule.
If you’re curling more weight than the other guy is squatting.
If you’re doing 3D curls.
Credit goes to Joe DeFranco for this gem. This is probably my favourite way to do curls and I’m sure it’ll be one of yours as well.
The overcoming isometric curl (aka 3D curl) combines all three types of muscle contractions into one exercise: concentric, eccentric, and isometric. Put lightly, it burns the hell out of your biceps.
To do it, set up a couple spotter arms or safety pins on the squat rack at about sternum-height. Grab a barbell and curl it up against (underneath) the spotter arms so it’s placed firmly against them. Curl the barbell up against the arms as hard as you can for an 8-10 sec contraction (at this point you should really feel your biceps and core fire up). After the initial hold, take a step away from the rack and perform 10-15 barbell curls. You’re welcome.
Barbell Curl with Positional Isometrics
Positional isometrics are when you add segmented pauses throughout an exercise’s entire range of motion. You can read my full article on the subject HERE.
Other than the obvious fact that you’re increasing your biceps’ total time under tension using isometrics, it’s also a really effective way to minimize the most common technique flaw during curls: swinging.
You’ve seen it before. The egotistical maniac flailing his arms in front of the dumbbell rack using weights he has no business lifting. Granted, when you’re really going for it and reaching the end of a tough set, a little body English doesn’t hurt. But when your entire set consists of swinging heavy weights to impress your gym crush (who couldn’t care less, mind you), you’re neglecting the most important part of biceps curls: your biceps.
Positional isometric curls are harder to “cheat”, thus making your biceps the prime mover of the exercise.
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Prone Inclined Dumbbell Curl
Credit goes to John Meadows here. Keep the dumbbells pressed together and squeeze the hell out of your biceps. You get a great peak contraction at the top of the curl. As with the positional isometric variation, the prone position doesn’t allow much wiggle room for cheating, which is always great for isolating the biceps.
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Inclined Hammer Curl
If you have pre-existing shoulder/pec pain, you might want to shy away from this one for now. To do the inclined curl, have your arms extended with your biceps fully stretched. You can use a supinated or neutral grip here, as long as you feel the contraction where it matters: your biceps.
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Kettlebell Rope Curl
Other than just looking cool, the benefits here stretch beyond just building bigger biceps. The inconsistency of the weight challenges your core while the rope handle trains your grip strength. A 3-in-1 curl variation if you ask me.
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Tilted Barbell Curl
A common theme you’ve probably noticed is to eliminate cheating as much as possible in order to obtain maximal muscle contraction. Here, stick your butt against the wall and glute it there. With your torso tilted forward slightly, stretch your biceps with your arms fully extended and perform curls. Stay leaned over throughout your set to reduce assistance from your torso and hips.
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Tip: Flex your triceps at the bottom of each rep as you lockout your arms for elbow stabilization and a greater contraction in the opposing muscles (the biceps).
5 Exercises Required to Boost Bicep Growth
Best Exercises For Building Your Biceps
“I don’t like training my biceps,” said no one ever. For many gym bros, their self-esteem can be directly proportional to the size of their guns. Countless people around the world spend hours working on their arms but only a few of them have some well-chiseled guns.
If you’re determined to grow your pythons, choosing the right exercises is half the battle won. The exercises on the list are a mix of isolation and compound lifts so you can get the best of both worlds.
Barbell Curls
Barbell curls are a great compound (multi-joint) exercise which can help in developing muscle mass and strength. To make the most of this lift, use an Olympic barbell. Doing so will recruit your core stabilizers.
Using the Olympic barbell can result in adding inches to your biceps. Make sure you don’t use momentum by jerking or swinging back and forth to lift the bar. Keep your torso upright and your elbows pinned to your sides.
Hammers Curls
Hammer curls are an incredibly effective exercise in improving the length of your biceps. Performing the dumbbell hammer curls also recruits your forearms as you hold the dumbbells with a neutral (palms facing each other) grip.
You can target your biceps from different angles while performing the dumbbell hammer curls. Curling the dumbbells straight forward will target the medial biceps. You can work the outer bicep heads by curling the dumbbells in a crossbody motion and curling with your arm pointing outwards will hit your inner bicep heads.
Machine Preacher Curls
The machine preacher curls are a great isolation exercise as it’s a combination of the preacher bench and cables. If you want to work on your bicep peak, you can’t go wrong with the machine preacher curls.
Most people make the mistake of lifting heavier weights than they can handle in this exercise. Letting their egos get in the way gets the better of them and they leave gains on the table by not following a full range of motion.
21’s
21’s are one of the most underutilized bicep exercises. You haven’t experienced the nastiest bicep pump of your life until you’ve done the 21’s. 21’s can help add size and definition to your guns.
Stand with an upright torso with a barbell in hands extended at arm’s length. Hold the barbell with a shoulder-width grip. Start the lift by performing seven reps from the bottom to the middle of the movement (like half barbell curls). Without resting, lift the barbell so it is next to your shoulder (top of the barbell curl movement).
Perform the next seven reps from the top to the middle. After completing the second mini-set of seven reps, perform the last seven repetitions with a full range of motion. The three mini-sets of 7 reps form a single set, and you need to complete it without stopping for rest.
Overhead Cable Curls
If you’re like most people, you like to show off your pythons with the front double bicep pose. Performing the overhead cable curls will polish your guns by working on the peaks and developing definition and separation.
Stand in the center of a cable pulley machine while holding a D-handle attachment in each hand with a supinated (palms facing the roof) grip. At the starting position, your arms should be fully extended at your sides so your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
While keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the weights by flexing at your elbows. Hold and squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement. Return to the starting position and repeat for the recommended reps.
Which is your favorite bicep exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
*Header image courtesy of Envato Elements