1. Pull-up Series
Find an adult who can perform 10 pull-ups, and that individual will have impressive biceps. The pull-up is the “magic” exercise in regards to building muscle size in the biceps. A real pull-up begins with the arms completely straight and ends with the chin even with or above the bar. The unfortunate element of real pull-ups is the difficulty. The silver lining is that there is a proven series of exercises that will enable you to perform pull-ups. The first exercise in the series is the basic cable pull-down. The pull-down can be performed with a wide pull-up grip or chin-up grip (arms close together with palms facing your face). Perform pull-downs until you can complete one repetition with your bodyweight. The next exercise in the series is the flexed arm hang, as seen in Presidential Fitness Challenges. To complete the flexed arm hang, hold onto a bar with a chin-up grip. Keep the chin above the bar for as long as possible. Once you can keep the chin above the bar for 30 seconds, move on to the next exercise. The next exercise in the series is the chin-up. Move on to pull-ups (hands wide) when you can complete five chin-ups without help. You will have big biceps once you can complete 10 pull-ups.
2. Go to Failure
Exercises like the bench press and squat should not be performed to failure because of the demand those exercises place on the entire body. The chances of continuing an efficient workout after failing on a squat attempt are slim. The biceps, on the other hand, place a low demand on the body. The biceps are a small muscle group and respond well to exercises performed to failure.
3. Drop-Down Sets
A traditional drop-down set calls for an exercise to be performed with decreasing weight. To perform a drop-down set on machine preacher curl, perform 10 repetitions with 60 pounds, then drop the weight to 50, complete 10 more reps, and continue dropping weight after every 10 reps until the weight is as low as possible. Drop-down sets for the biceps can also be performed by varying grips. Holding dumbbells, perform 10 repetitions with the palms facing the floor. Then with the same weight, complete 10 repetitions with the palms facing the ceiling. Finally, do 10 repetitions with the same weight and the palms facing each other. Always go to failure with drop-down sets. Building muscle is not a glamorous process; it takes a lot of hard work and dedication.
Find an adult who can perform 10 pull-ups, and that individual will have impressive biceps. The pull-up is the “magic” exercise in regards to building muscle size in the biceps. A real pull-up begins with the arms completely straight and ends with the chin even with or above the bar. The unfortunate element of real pull-ups is the difficulty. The silver lining is that there is a proven series of exercises that will enable you to perform pull-ups. The first exercise in the series is the basic cable pull-down. The pull-down can be performed with a wide pull-up grip or chin-up grip (arms close together with palms facing your face). Perform pull-downs until you can complete one repetition with your bodyweight. The next exercise in the series is the flexed arm hang, as seen in Presidential Fitness Challenges. To complete the flexed arm hang, hold onto a bar with a chin-up grip. Keep the chin above the bar for as long as possible. Once you can keep the chin above the bar for 30 seconds, move on to the next exercise. The next exercise in the series is the chin-up. Move on to pull-ups (hands wide) when you can complete five chin-ups without help. You will have big biceps once you can complete 10 pull-ups.
2. Go to Failure
Exercises like the bench press and squat should not be performed to failure because of the demand those exercises place on the entire body. The chances of continuing an efficient workout after failing on a squat attempt are slim. The biceps, on the other hand, place a low demand on the body. The biceps are a small muscle group and respond well to exercises performed to failure.
3. Drop-Down Sets
A traditional drop-down set calls for an exercise to be performed with decreasing weight. To perform a drop-down set on machine preacher curl, perform 10 repetitions with 60 pounds, then drop the weight to 50, complete 10 more reps, and continue dropping weight after every 10 reps until the weight is as low as possible. Drop-down sets for the biceps can also be performed by varying grips. Holding dumbbells, perform 10 repetitions with the palms facing the floor. Then with the same weight, complete 10 repetitions with the palms facing the ceiling. Finally, do 10 repetitions with the same weight and the palms facing each other. Always go to failure with drop-down sets. Building muscle is not a glamorous process; it takes a lot of hard work and dedication.
