Training for Big Biceps
When training for big biceps the intensity of the workout is as important as the amount of weight you use in the gym. Big biceps training requires momentum from start to finish, there is no room for long rest periods. You want to get into the gym and do what you have to do and then you can rest or hang around talking for as long as you like but the most important thing to remember once you start your bicep workout is to keep your eye on what you are there for and that is to build some solid bicep mass.
As you are making your way to the gym, get a clear picture in your mind of what it is you are looking to achieve. If it’s biceps training day, picture yourself in the gym performing the exercises you like to work on and feel your biceps gorged with blood. You know that super tight feeling I’m talking about, that’s what you want to get yourself ready for before you even hit the gym.
When training for big biceps start your biceps workout with a few light warm up sets. If I’m starting with barbell curls I might even start with an empty bar and do about 20 reps to get the blood flowing into my biceps and then I’ll do 2 or 3 slightly heavier sets each time for around 8-10 reps till I’m ready to blast my biceps with my first proper set. I don’t even count the first few warm up sets as part of my workout, they are simply preparation sets before the onslaught begins.
The first set of a hardcore bicep workout should be performed with a weight that you can get 8-10 reps out. The last few reps should see you at the absolute point of failure if you are planning to add mass to your biceps. If you can easily do 10 reps, the weight you are using is too light. If you can only do about 3-4 reps before failure than you are using a weight that is too heavy. Training for big biceps is about training smart for your particular body. You need to find a weight that is within the 8-10 rep range for each set. Bodybuilding is about building muscle and building strength. Forget about the ego and forget about wasting time using weights that are too heavy, concentrate on finding the perfect weight for you and increase each week as your strength increases. Powerlifting is for people who want to build strength but not necessarily build size. It’s ok for power lifters to do sets in the 3-4 rep range but to gain serious body mass you need more reps to stimulate the sort of growth you are looking for as a bodybuilder.
Ideally you want to do about 3 sets for your first exercise followed by two more exercises both for 3 sets each. This is a total of 9 sets for the standard mass building bicep routine. There are of course exceptions to the standard mass routine but they will be addressed in other big arms articles. As a basic rule about 9 sets of biceps training till failure is usually plenty of work for each bicep workout.
The key to growth will always be the intensity at which your workout is performed. If you wait around for minutes between each set you will not shock the muscle with enough intensity to achieve the maximum amount of growth from each workout. By keeping your rest periods between each set as short as possible, around 30 seconds to 1 minute maximum, you will impact your biceps with so much force that it will be virtually impossible not to grow. This is the exact reason why some bodybuilders like Lee Priest and Shawn Ray got so big so fast while they were still very young. They train hard, heavy and with maximum intensity every time they go to the gym.
If you are going to make the effort to go to the gym and your goal is to build as much muscle mass in as short a time as possible, you can do it by making every single workout count. If you have had difficulty adding mass to your biceps do yourself a favor and try performing 9 sets to absolute failure keeping your rest time between sets to no longer than 30 seconds. Do these short but super intense style bicep routines for a month and I’m sure you’ll be overwhelmed with the result.
Brandon
April 10th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Excellent advice for everyone looking to build biceps that will make people stare in awe!
Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 16 | FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog
September 24th, 2007 at 6:27 am
[…] John Hill presents Training for Big Biceps posted at Big-Arms.com[…]
Weight Master
October 1st, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Weight Management and Fitness Forum - 2nd Edition …
Welcome to the October 1, 2007 edition of Weight Management and Fitness Forum. We appreciate all of your support and great submissions for our second edition. We hope you enjoy the collection we have selected.
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