Training Anatomy – Biceps

But before I go on, let me show you a picture here in the corner on the left.

The picture shows fitness model Janet Layug. Now, to achieve such a sculpted yet feminine physique, one must exclusively do weight training. Not CrossFit, not calisthenics, and certainly not Hot Iron or other trendy nonsense, but weight training. Janet Layug, shown in the picture, does weight training with heavy weights, at least five, but possibly even six times a week.

The endlessly repeated, incredibly boring, yet utterly ridiculous claim by women is that they don't do weight training because they don't want to get too muscular. I'm sure everyone is familiar with this myth. It has been written a thousand times that this is nonsense, and I have written about it a few times myself. I don't want to dwell on it now, but it is certainly thought-provoking and brilliantly demonstrates the selectivity of the female brain that we don't train biceps because that would make our arms big, but we mercilessly train legs and glutes because that doesn't make them big, it just shapes them. LOL. Anyway.

Returning to Janet Layug, look at her picture again. This girl, as I mentioned, most likely does weight training at least five times a week. And yes, arms too. And yes, biceps too. Not with 3 kg, but with 8-10-15 kg, and yet her biceps didn't become huge. She maintained beautiful, femininely slender, sculpted arms, and this is exactly what I want to make clear. Because if a fitness model, under truly serious strain, doesn't get muscular, then you, who are reading this post and are likely just imitating your workouts with 2-liter bottles of Traubi soda, you have no chance. Women shape, men build muscle. You know, testosterone, which women have as much of as rationality.

Bicep training is mandatory for women too, of course, along with tricep and shoulder training, but that will be for another post.

Men don't really need convincing when it comes to bicep training. They do it even when they shouldn't, but that's just how it is, isn't it? Chest and biceps 'til death.

In this post, as the title already suggests, we will be talking about bicep exercises, with which women can achieve slender, yet femininely shapely arms, and men can achieve beautiful, rounded, toned forms that evoke curves.

Just like with chest muscle training, it's not a bad idea to approach bicep muscle sculpting with some thought.

 

Basic rules

1. Maximum 3 bicep exercises. No more is needed.
2. The upper arm can be divided into 2 parts, and should be trained accordingly. One is the bicep muscle itself, the other is the brachialis, which is located under the bicep. To achieve shapely arms, we must work both muscles.
3. Still train in a long-sleeved sweatshirt, but then I realized it's pointless to tell women this, because it's like asking them to go out without showing off their cleavage.
4. For each muscle group, know at least 5-6 types of CORRECTLY performed exercises, in this case, for the biceps and brachialis muscles, and continuously vary them per workout.
5. Breathing. Exhale on exertion, inhale during the negative phase (when lowering the weight). Inhale slowly, the movement is also slow. Exhale quickly, the movement is also fast.
6. Ideal rest time between two exercises is 45 seconds.
7. Utilize the negative range as well. Lower the weight with resistance.
8. Focus specifically on the exercise, don't just lift your arm. We train with concentration.
9. Bicep training should always be combined with chest muscle training. For women, with tricep and shoulder training.
10. Keep your body stable and still. Only one body part should move, and that should be exclusively the arm. Forget about swinging and assisting with your upper body forever. Only exceptionally stupid people perform exercises with momentum. Don't be one of them.

+1 Your wrist is straight throughout, it doesn't bend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since I've been working with women, perhaps only 3 girls could properly hold their wrist straight while doing dumbbell exercises. I think it was 7 girls who learned this in less than 3 months. There's no problem with this, it's a gender-specific trait, without any mocking. It's simply about basic coordination problems, which fundamentally question the legitimacy of women and driving.

 

Bicep (outer) exercises

Standing biceps curl with EZ bar

Important. For all standing dumbbell exercises, slightly bend your knees and keep your back straight at all times. Bending your knees takes the load off your spine, and the stress from the movement is absorbed by your thigh muscles.

 

Standing alternating hammer curls

The essence of alternating arm exercises is that the other arm does not move until you complete the exercise with one arm. 😀 Well, I've explained this incredibly clearly, but you get the point. We're not doing Norbi's aerobics. The focus is always on a specific movement, concentrating on a specific muscle. If you start another movement parallel,

so if you start another movement parallel, the focus weakens, and the energy is divided, not concentrated.

The inverted bicep curl always starts with a hammer grip, then begins to rotate at the elbow, until at the end of the movement, the fingers are completely facing your body. Now, this may not be clear in writing, but we'll start shooting exercise videos in January 2015, and it will be clearer then.

 

Biceps to chest

The movement starts next to your body and ends in the middle of your chest.

 

Bicep curls on a 45-degree incline bench

Now, this anatomy drawing is crap, I just didn't feel like looking for a better one. For this exercise, push your arms back as far as you can, and only your forearms move. The upper part of your arm doesn't move forward at all.

Years ago, there was a guy. At that time, I went to a smaller gym. The disadvantage of smaller gyms is that the jerks seem even more idiotic than they actually are, even though they weren't small to begin with. So, in this place, there was a muscled-up idiot who thought he was some kind of big shot. He saw me working with light weights, and of course, a peasant like him couldn't resist making some terribly funny remark, so he did, as expected. "Hey, you. Don't you want to work with weights?"

I told him, come here, my good friend, sit down, and do it like I do. He came over with that classic confident, satisfied walk and expression that the biggest plebs usually have when they come out of the toilet after a shit in the housing estate and sit down in the living room in front of the TV. "Show me," he said condescendingly, and I handed him two 8-kilogram dumbbells. Before that, the monkey showman had been doing biceps curls with 20-22 kilograms and was completely convinced that he was a big deal. He was incredibly confident, like most stupid people who know everything, and are the best at it too. I gave him the weights and told him to do it as I said.

He started. Of course, I had to continuously correct him until he finally started doing it correctly. I didn't ask for much, just that he do 3 sets of 15 reps. Now, by around the 11th rep of the third set, his biceps were so fatigued that he couldn't finish. Not with 22 kilograms, which he was "dancing" with before, but with 8. It was obvious that the situation was extremely awkward for him, like when you visit someone and have to take off your shoes, even though you know your feet stink terribly. The guy felt something similar when he dropped the weights, with that classic bewildered look in his eyes, because how could some skinny sprout humble him, him, the great security guard, or some similar tough guy with serious qualifications.

I tell him, well, yes. Technique matters too, not just weight.

The conclusion. Only technique matters, not weight. Great technique with heavy weights, now that's something. You can flail around with heavy weights, but if you don't have the technique, then it's nothing but clowning around, thrashing about, Vida Ildikó's language exam.

Bicep machine

I only included this to emphasize. Bicep exercises should only be done with free weights or, at most, on a pulley. Machine biceps exercises are ridiculous and deeply pathetic. Don't do them.

 

Hammer curls on preacher bench

The divine Scott bench. It stabilizes the arm, allowing for clean movements. It's a very good, very effective exercise. Pay special attention to setting the correct seat height for this exercise; your armpit should fit precisely along the lines of the bench. Here, it's necessary to mention the role of a notebook, meaning you should record the seat height. This will be a great help not only for this but for other exercises as well. Write down the seat heights, angles, weights, and generally everything, so that next time you go, you don't have to figure out "how was this done, and how much weight did I use last week?".

Choose 1 of these exercises one week, and 2 the next week.

 

Brachialis (inner) muscle exercises

For the highly knowledgeable idiots, meaning those who consider themselves experts after 3 months of gym attendance, the difference may not yet be apparent, but for those familiar with the subject, it is all the more so: all arm exercises targeting the outer muscle are performed with a hammer grip or rotation, while the inner muscles are worked with a straight grip (palm facing the ceiling).

 

Bicep curl on Scott bench with EZ bar

Concentration curls

The one bicep exercise above all others. An eternal classic that neither time nor any new wave movement could undermine. The concentrated bicep curl is the Holy Grail of bicep shaping. Do it. If possible, perform it in a pyramid set (decreasing or increasing the number of sets and weights).

 

Bicep curls on a 45-degree incline bench with an EZ bar

I love this exercise. Stable body position, which leads to concentrated workouts. I wouldn't recommend it as much for beginners, as the elbow can easily go back, which would mean we're talking about back exercises, but when performed correctly, it's one of the most effective exercises.

Choose two of these one week, and one the next week.

I haven't included cable bicep exercises because you should first learn to work properly with free weights, keeping your upper body still and your body stable throughout. To perform cable bicep exercises, you need to get stronger. Not just physically, but primarily mentally. The essence of all this gym work is focus and the most concentrated execution on the specific muscle. We are laying the foundations now; later we can embellish it.

In the next part, I will continue with tricep exercises.