Bicep Routines

Biceps Overview

The biceps are a very difficult body-part to isolate because the forearms and back can easily enter into the movement during bicep exercises.For this reason, light weights should be used for beginners performing bicep exercises in order to concentrate on proper technique. However, as you gain more experience and a strong mind-muscle connection with the biceps, you may opt to handle heavier weights during your bicep workouts.

During bicep curls, it is important to place your elbows on your sides and keep them there during each rep. Also your upper arms should not move at all and your wrists must not bend down during bicep curls. And after each repetition, only lower the weight 75% down.

In regard to isolating specific parts of the the bicep, incline curls isolate the lower portion of the bicep which resides closest to the forearms, and hammer curls isolate the outer part of the bicep at the sides.

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Mass Routines

Although the biceps are difficult to isolate, they are unique in the sense that they do not necessarily have to be trained with light weights in order to be isolated effectively as muscles such as the back and hamstrings do.You can lift heavy with the biceps while performing cheat curls as long as you use proper technique.

Now this does not mean that you should sacrifice proper technique for more weight. A set of curls will only be ineffective if your form is significantly flawed.

Cheat curls, which still remain as a bodybuilding secret in some bodybuilding circles, are a legitimate form of bicep curls that allows you to lift more weight than you normally could than with traditional bicep curls. Cheat curls offer extra assistance in the beginning stage of the bicep curl which is the part of the movement that fatigues the lifter first but targets the biceps the least, thus allowing you to squeeze out more total reps that specifically target your biceps and use more weight. And lifting with heavy weights is obviously the basic foundation of any mass routine as any knowledgeable bodybuilder would know. More weight equals the activation of more fast twitch muscle fibers which are mostly responsible for growth in muscle size.

Notes: Start with cheat curls to execute the main mass exercise while fresh… This workout targets the upper biceps with incline dumbbell curls and the outer biceps with hammer curls.

Notes: Alternate workout for those who dislike incline dumbbell curls.

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Balance  Routines

The sample balanced routines on this page will generate gains for your biceps in both muscle mass and definition. These routines are therefore ideal for those with generalized bodybuilding goals. They will include a variance of rep ranges as well as a mixture of both mass movements and isolation exercises.

The mass movements will supply for you that strong foundation of bulk and strength in the biceps while the isolation exercises will make your biceps more defined and develop the peaks of your biceps as well (Arnold Schwarzenegger was notorious for possessing great bicep peaks and speaking about how he developed them from performing particular isolation exercises such as concentration curls).

Notes: When pyramiding up the rack, begin with a light weight that you can milk 15+ reps and end with a weight on your last set in which you can only execute 5 or 6 reps with… Out of all the exercises available for the biceps, cable curls may be arguably the most effective in terms of giving you a great burn and pump if you do them correctly.

Notes: When pyramiding up the rack, begin with a light weight that you can milk 15+ reps and end with a weight on your last set in which you can only execute 5 or 6 reps with… Concentration curls are number one recommended exercise by Arnold Schwarzenegger for developing high bicep peaks.

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Definition Routines

Although the biceps may be bombarded with relatively heavy weights for as low as 6-8 reps for an effective workout, there is another school of thought which purports that the biceps are best trained when using ridiculously light weights in order to concentrate on proper technique to efficiently isolate them.

I believe that both approaches are plausible for bodybuilding purposes. However, if your goal is to make your arms more defined and “cut” it is more advantageous to use lighter weights for increased reps and concentration on proper technique. This way you generate a greater pump in your biceps and activate a wider range of muscle fibers to spur on gains in muscle definition.

In executing the following routines,  settle with using a light weight on all bicep curl exercises. Make sure your elbows remain firmly tucked in toward your sides and do not hurl out away from your hips during curls in attempt to make the lifts easier to execute. You must lock your wrists and not allow them to bend down while performing bicep curls as well.

For each rep you should curl the weight up relatively fast and aggressively and then lower it down slowly. Also, in order to more thoroughly isolate the biceps and leave the forearms as much out of the curling movement as possible, do not lower the weight all the way down before you execute your next rep. Instead bring it down to about the point where your elbows maintain about a 120 degrees bend so you can keep constant tension on the biceps only.

These bodybuilding routines will also put an emphasis on performing exercises with high rep range.

In regard to resting time between sets, do not rest more than 45 seconds between sets.

Notes: In regard to the superset activity in this routine, pointing your arms out specifically targets your inner biceps while pointing them in targets your outer biceps. During these supersets, do not rest at all between transitions from exercises but you may rest 25 seconds or so in between cycles. Make sure that for both of these variations of dumbbell curls that only your arms flair out to their desired points and that your elbows remain tucked in toward your sides, always maintaining contact with your lower ribs.

Notes: This is a simple definition workout for biceps  which covers a wide range of exercises.