Found a bicep article too...
I have no Friday night life ..........
Quote:
The Bionic Woman
Build better biceps with these four essential techniques.
Originally featured in:
Muscle & Fitness, Hers
Let's see those sexy biceps--go on, flex 'em! Are they as tight and developed as you'd like, or do you think they could use a bit more shape and size? If you want to flex to impress, this simple, four-part primer on form, intensity, exercise selection and frequency will give you the tools you need to take your biceps from so-so to show-stopping.
As with most muscle groups you train, the biceps need some individual attention to become stronger and more shapely. All too often we throw a few biceps curls in at the end of a workout without devoting enough effort to make a visible difference in the muscle. If you've been diligently targeting your biceps each week yet haven't seen promising results, don't despair: Even top-level fitness competitors like Susie Curry and Lovena Stamatiou-Tuley had to change their biceps training methods to achieve the athletic development they display today.
"I still have trouble developing my biceps," Susie admits. "I used to do more reps with lighter weight, and I used to superset biceps and triceps exercises. I've seen better results by training biceps separately, giving them more attention and not overtraining them like I used to do." Lovena actually devoted an entire year to bringing up her bi's. "These things don't happen overnight," she explains. "The biceps is a fairly small muscle group and it doesn't grow quickly."
To sculpt standout biceps, you need more than just a list of exercises. So before you try out the sample routines from Lovena, Susie, and fellow competitor and personal trainer Melissa Frabbiele, take some time to read "Biceps Basics." Arm yourself with this information on form, intensity, exercise selection and frequency to help you build better biceps.
Biceps Basics
1. Form. The first step is positioning your body correctly for each exercise. Sounds simple enough, right? For standing exercises, Suzanne Meth, MS, ATC, CSCS, an athletic and personal trainer at New York City's La Palestra, recommends keeping your knees under your hips and slightly bent, abs pulled in and shoulders back. You might also try tilting your pelvis up slightly to minimize your ability to use momentum in bringing the weight up. If you tend to cheat during standing biceps curls or have trouble maintaining your form, try standing with your back against a wall, adds Melissa.
For most standing and seated movements, you'll be moving your lower arms only, and your elbows should move neither forward nor backward. That's worth repeating because it's an important point: Your elbows should move neither forward nor backward. "For curls, make sure you descend all the way, keeping your elbows tucked into the sides of your body and just using your biceps," Melissa says. When lowering the weight, stop just before lockout so that your elbows still retain a slight bend.
A palms-up grip is preferred in barbell and many cable exercises, but you have a few options when training biceps with dumbbells. Try a supinating curl, in which you begin the curl with your palms facing your outer thighs. As you bring the weights up, simultaneously twist your wrists so that at the top, your palms face up. (Think sUPination, if that helps.)
Another grip option--the neutral grip--is used in a hammer curl. Your palm faces inward throughout this movement, with the top of your thumb facing up. Whatever the move, always keep your wrists in line with your lower arms and hands. (If your wrists flex forward or extend backward, you stress the joints and get less out of the exercise.)
Using a full range of motion is another vital point to biceps development. "I usually ask people to move as fully and completely as they can," explains Meth. "If a movement is done that way in real life, then it should be trained as such for maximal development."
Each fitness pro we spoke to emphasized the importance of form over weight: "It isn't about the weight; it's about full motion and strict control," Lovena notes.
2. Intensity. Working your biceps shouldn't be a walk in the park, but neither should you be forced to swing your body to bring the weight up. The weight you select should be heavy enough to make the last few reps of the movement very challenging. If you lose your form, the weight's too heavy.
For optimal biceps development, all three competitors recommend using a moderate rep range, rather than high reps of, say, 15-20. While Melissa uses a slightly lower rep range of 6-8, Lovena and Susie prefer sets of 10-12 reps. Make sure you do each rep with textbook form and that you squeeze the muscle on the way up and resist the weight as you return to the start position. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets.
To make the movement more effective, try bringing the weight up a bit more explosively but go somewhat slower on the negative portion of the rep. "I believe in doing a slower eccentric," says Lovena. "Try a 1:3 ratio, where you bring the weight up for one second and down for three. Don't just go through the motion; there's no magic in the machine or weight. It's all in your focus."
3. Exercise Selection. If you do standing dumbbell curls each and every time you train biceps, you'll quickly see that it's easy to fall into a rut. Repeating the same exercise time and again won't result in an optimally shaped muscle. Lovena explains that the exercises you choose really depend on your goals: "If you're out for overall conditioning, then one exercise might be good enough. But if you think, Gosh, I'd really like to firm up my arms, you're going to have to do more than that."
Biceps movements can be done either seated or standing, using both arms or just one at a time. You can use barbells, dumbbells, machines, cables, resistance bands and even your own bodyweight--but that's not all. You can also perform a variety of biceps exercises on a flat bench, incline bench or even a Swiss ball.
Meth says the best way to hit the biceps is actually on an incline bench, where your arms hang straight down (about 15-20 degrees beyond your torso). "This puts a stretch on your biceps as it crosses the shoulder joint," she states. Use a lighter weight for these and take great care during the lift to maintain your form.
We've provided three sample workout routines for you to try, but don't stop there. "If you really want to work your biceps, cross-train them," Meth advises. "Vary not only the exercise stimulus but change your frequency, rep, set or rest scheme every once in a while." Alter your exercise order and selection at least every couple of months to prevent boredom and to target each angle of your biceps.
4. Frequency. Training your biceps once or twice a week is sufficient and won't cause overtraining if you plan correctly. "Normally I train biceps twice a week, like on a Tuesday and Friday, after my back routine," explains Susie. Lovena isolates her biceps only once a week, either training them with back or by working biceps and triceps on the same day. "I'll work bi's and tri's together, especially if I'm really trying to focus on my biceps," she says. "You can really fire up your arms by alternating those movements."
Because back exercises also heavily work the biceps, many people prefer to schedule both bodyparts on the same day. If you train bi's after back, it can require less time and effort to achieve the same result as training biceps alone. If you're time-crunched, try working both of these bodyparts together. Doing them on consecutive days, however, increases the chance that you'll overtrain your bi's.
If you devote some time each week to focusing on your biceps, your efforts will be worth the payoff of shapely, visible muscles. "Your midsection isn't always going to be out in front of people, but your arms are," Lovena notes. "So great biceps can really make a difference in how fit you look, even if you're just wearing a T-shirt."
Have fun reading....
