6. Include machine and cable handles exercises Free weights are an important and effective way to build up the muscles of the biceps, yet they are not the only alternative. There exist many productive machines for biceps, produced by companies like Nautilus, Cybex, etc. Do yourself a favor and experiment with all the machines for bending available in the gym. You can be sure to find at least one that works effectively for you - it means you will be actually feeling your biceps work; the pumping up at the end of the series is phenomenal and the next day you will feel slight pain.
Machine cable bending also gives your biceps a stimulus different from what you get with free weights as the tension is constant and there aren’t opportunities to stop and have some rest. Choose one or two movements with dumbbells and one or two machine or cable handles exercises. In this way you will get the best of what each movement can offer. Certainly, you can ignore my recommendation and continue doing the same three old kinds of bending for biceps, but you don’t know what you will be missing – let us say about 5 cm of arm measurement. 7. Tighten your arms and hold them immobile if your deltoids overload them A problem I had for years without even realizing was that my shoulders were overloading my biceps - not only seen from the outside, but during workouts for biceps as well. This in fact is a common problem for all whose overhead press is their strong movement. To prevent your shoulders from robbing your biceps you must tighten your arm. Doing bending for biceps with the working arm on the inner thigh can be a solution, the way it is with concentrated curls. Almost all machines for biceps hold your upper arm immobile so the biceps is isolated. In the beginning this method might seem discouraging as it usually causes a sharp drop in the weights used. This is due only to the fact that the biceps take on the whole load alone for the first time. This also means that finally they have got the chance to grow, so do not waste it. 8. Work for the brachialis during every training session The brachialis muscle situated next to the long head of the biceps is technically not considered a part of the biceps, but it looks like one. Developing it you make your upper arm bigger. People often say that a well-developed brachialis pushes the biceps upwards and gives us the illusion for a bigger top of the arm. As many of us are genetically endowed with big biceps, we should make the effort to improve the shape of its muscle. Although you wish to preserve the number of series between 9 and 12, always include some “hammer” series to be sure your brachialis develops well. 9. Pose and stretch In rule 2 I mentioned the thought-muscle connection but it is time now to give more detailed explanation on the topic. If you do not feel how the muscle works, I mean really feel it loaded to the full during each series, then you are not a true bodybuilder. You are simply somebody lifting weights. Which is not bad, except you will never be able to stimulate muscle growth exhausting the natural potential of your organism because you are not loading your muscles enough. One of the ways to improve significantly your nerve productivity is to include posing in your training sessions. After each series for biceps do some pose, for example double biceps. Tighten your biceps strongly and hold for at least five seconds. This will improve your ability to contract the muscles during the series itself. After posing stretch the biceps. The easiest way to do it is simply grip with your arm extended some stationary vertical object – like the handle of a machine or the squat stand and let your body fall backwards until you feel your muscle extended. (Warning: do this slowly and extend only to the point you feel only slight pain from the stretching. If you move your body sharply or too fast and apply strong load, you might tear your biceps! Stretching helps the blood flow, so the waste products can be easily thrown up from the muscle. Experts of John Perillo’s rank think this also facilitates growth by tearing the fascia – the connective tissue that envelops the skeletal muscles. 10. Do series of few as well as many repetitions On the whole you will get the best results from series of 8 to 12 repetitions. But the human body is so remarkably adaptable to all kinds of conditions that from time to time you will have to combine short and long series if you want to achieve the aims you have set yourself. Try doing series of 4 to 6 repetitions and ones of 15 to 20 for a change. The short series is a good way to become stronger and it will pay back when you do the standard 8 to 12 repetitions series. A series of many repetitions is a good final for a workout with pumping up. Following these rules helped me to achieve highest results with my biceps. Well, I cannot compete with Lee Priest or Ronnie Coleman and I never will but still I am proud of improving their size. If we must be realistic, few of the people reading this possess the potential to achieve 50 cm of arm measurement – with or without anaboles. Everyone of them, however, will own a growth of 3 to 10 cm. If you want to show the best your biceps are capable of and develop them to the highest possible volume, follow these ten rules described above. The next talk is going to be about the big old muscle opposite the biceps – the triceps. But till then – get down to work.
Ron Harris Note: To contact Ron Harris visit his website www.ronharrismuscle.com
