You may be one of many who do set after set of bicep curls and nothing seems to happen. Well, it isn't just the number of curls that you do that counts. There may be a few things wrong with your routine that can be really easy to overlook. Your form may be a little off or you may not be spacing out your exercises correctly. You probably wouldn't associate a few of these tips with getting big muscles.
Here are a few easy mistakes and powerful potential exercises you can use to grow those biceps.
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A good set of biceps is hard to achieve, but they do exist.
So why does he have them and not you?
Lifting all the time isn't the answer.
You have to give your muscles some time to repair themselves after lifting. Your exercises are creating micro-tears in your muscle fibers and it's in the rest periods after a workout that your muscles are really growing. Ultimately, mass is built through the damage/repair process.
Throw all of your fear away.
Most time wasted at the gym comes from pure fear. We're constantly second guessing ourselves because of all the immaculate bodies prancing around us. Screw 'em. Put in some earbuds and do your thing.
Don't work your biceps every day.
If you want to work out every day, isolate different muscle groups. Less is more sometimes.
Sleep! Sleep a lot!
During sleep is when most of your human growth hormone (HGH) is released. HGH aids in muscle hypertrophy, the building of new muscle through protein synthesis. Restricting your sleep means that you are also restricting your muscle growth.
Your range of motion is key.
One great exercise to have as a cornerstone of your bicep routine is the bicep curl. This can be done with either and dumbbell (as pictured) or with a barbell. One major mistake at the gym is restricting your range of motion during this exercise. In the GIF below, a proper, full range of motion is achieved by fully dropping the hands to the side before pulling back up.
Don't forget barbells.
While the science isn't totally out on this, many bodybuilders swear that the barbell curl is the best arm exercise for gaining mass.
The Preacher Curl.
This exercise, when done with a proper full range of motion, can be the best bicep isolation exercise. By resting your arms on a padded, downward sloping surface, you are forcing your biceps to do all the work because the other muscle groups are resting. These can be done with either dumbbells or barbell. You might feel the burn on this one.
Pace yourself, though. You probably aren't going to be lifting as much as this fellow at the beginning.
Pace yourself, though. You probably aren't going to be lifting as much as this fellow at the beginning.
The Spider Curl.
By mixing up the center of gravity for your exercises, you are concentrating force on different parts of the muscle. This varied approach will lead to a higher peak in your bicep.
You have to push yourself.
It's good to know your limits, but pushing yourself is also key to inducing growth in those muscles. As muscles grow, the weight that you should be lifting will also be going up.
Oh yeah, lean sources of protein are also helpful.
Oh yeah, lean sources of protein are also helpful.
Hey, if you do all of these things, likely you will wake up and be peering right at this in the mirror.
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