Get Bigger, Better Biceps

Summer is around the corner and you don’t want to be the pallid, twiggy guy who looks like he hasn’t left his man cave all winter. Don’t you want to walk with confidence and turn the heads of ladies while walking down the beach, working outside with a sleeveless shirt, or simply wearing a form fitting shirt? One of the most sought after body parts that attract women are a man’s arms. We’ve got the inside scoop on exercises and tips to the arms of your dreams. Here are 5 exercises to transform your itty-bitty biceps into bigger, better biceps (and arms).

1) Triceps Push down

Yes, we know you want those blasting cannons hanging down from your shoulder and were expecting all biceps movements. However, the triceps muscle actually comprises about 60% of the upper arm, while the biceps are a mere 40%. To perform this exercise, stand facing a cable column with the handle at or above your head. Grasp the bar with your palms facing down and bring it to the starting position with your elbows tucked into your sides and flexed. Extend your elbows through their full range of motion and return to the starting position. For heavier weights, leaning forward slightly is acceptable form. This exercise will also work the anconeous muscle. By using a rope instead of a bar, you can activate the lateral head of the triceps to a greater degree.

2) Skull Crushers

To perform this exercise, lie face up on a flat bench, raise your arms perpendicular to your body. Bend your elbows so your hands drop down on either side of your head and then extend them vertically.

You can either use a barbell or dumbbell for this exercise. If using a dumbbell, you may rotate your forearm to alter the intensity placed on the triceps heads. Positioning of the wrists and elbows in relation to the shoulder may be different for each individual due to their specific anatomy. Using an E-Z bar may help reduce strain on the wrists.

3) Reverse Barbell (or Dumbbell) Curls

To perform this exercise, begin by standing straight with your legs shoulder width apart and arms extended. Grasp a barbell (or dumbbell) with palms facing down and elbows tucked to the sides and fully extended. Bend your elbows to raise the weight, remembering to keep your wrist inline with your forearm. At full flexion, extend your elbows to lower the weight back to the starting position. This movement will not only work your biceps muscles, but also your wrist extendors.

4) Supinated Biceps Curls

Stand upright and grasp a barbell or dumbbells with your palms facing up and elbows tucked to your sides. Begin with your arms extended and bend your elbows to raise the weight through your full range of motion. Lower the weight back to the starting position. By varying the width of which you hold the bar or dumbbells, you can alter the emphasis you place on either of the biceps heads.

5) Hammer Curls

To perform this exercise, stand upright and grasp a dumbbell with your palms facing each other and your elbows tucked to your sides. Begin with your arms extended and bend your elbows to raise the weight through your full range of motion. Lower the weight back to the starting position. This is the best exercise to develop the brachioradialis (one of the 'upper arm' muscles). The other biceps muscles are also engaged throughout this movement.

Remember through all movements: keep a strong, stable torso by keeping the gluteals, abdominals, and spinal muscles engaged. You may also alter the speed of each concentric and eccentric motion to add variety and get an extra pump into the muscle. If you’re looking for an additional burn, hold and squeeze the muscle at peak contraction.

Also, remember to properly fuel your body with the proper amount and kinds of calories (no junk food/fast food, etc. YES…that means less eating out!). The most important kind of calorie (macronutrient) for muscle building, is protein. Adequate and quality protein is essential in our effort to build muscle, however many of us don’t get enough in our daily diets, or at the right time of day. This will be expanded on in future articles, however, take a look at this link that shares more of the differences of some proteins and includes an additional link to my personal favorite protein source (shake) at the end of the article: Discover Protein .