If you asked most guys who work out at your gym which muscle group they prefer to train above all the others, I bet most would answer the same way: biceps! Why? Simply because you can watch yourself in any mirror and observe the biceps bulging and flexing as they do their thing with the dumbbells or cables. Feeling that burn and observing the results is always sure to bolster your confidence.
Here are my four top moves for building superior biceps peaks:
Alternating Dumbbell Curls – Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand held at arm’s length. Keep elbows close to the torso with the palms of your hands facing your thighs, this is starting position. Hold the upper arm stationary as you curl the right dumbbell up to your chin, rotating the palm of your hand until it is facing forward. Squeeze your bicep at the top of the rep, then lower the dumbbell back to starting position. Now do a rep with the left arm. Go for 3 sets of 8-12 reps each side.
Preacher Bench Curls – Position yourself over the preacher bench so that the armpits are snugly pressed into the pad. Grab a loaded barbell with only about 50-60% of your normal curling weight. Hang arms straight down, then curl the weight all the way up to the chin, squeeze, then lower slowly back to starting position. 3 sets of 8-12 reps should leave your biceps burning nicely.
Overhead Cable Curls – Stand in the middle of the cable crossover machine. Grasp the handles with each hand. Make sure the weight on each side is the same, approximately 70-80% of what you’d use to do a chest cable crossover fly. Standing straight, curl both hands to your ears, keeping elbows high and squeezing biceps hard before returning handles to starting position. Admire those peaks as you perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
Incline Dumbbell Curls – Sit on a bench at a 45- degree incline. Keep your back straight, feet flat on the floor, and arms at your side as you hold a dumbbell in each hand. Curl the dumbbell by flexing forearm toward shoulders, rotating you palms so that they are facing forward. Squeeze biceps tightly at the top. Slowly lower dumbbells in a controlled manner to starting position. Perform 3 sets of 8 -12 reps with each arm.
I like to train biceps and triceps on the same day using classic supersets. For example, you can perform a set of alternating dumbbell curls and then as your biceps rest, jump right into a set of triceps cable pushdowns. Remember, no matter what muscle group you’re training, keep proper form and execute each rep in a controlled and calculated manner without jerking or swinging.
