Help with getting bigger biceps!

[jw519]

so far i've been using the curl machine with adjustable weights...
i do about 5 sets of 10 starting with 80 and ending with 120...and then i do 5 sets of 21's using this bar with adjustable weights...starting with 50 and ending with 90...
but it seems as though i'm not seeing that big of a result..so please give me a better, more effective way to get bigger biceps...thank you! o and i'm kind of a newbie at the gym...so if you do suggest some workouts..please give a brief explanation about the particular workout thanks!

[Mikey1]

stop curling altogether......

- chinups
- pullups
- rows

[B-tech]

stop curling altogether......

- chinups
- pullups
- rows

Seriously? Could we really stop curling and have our backwork do all of the stuff for us? Wow, I may try that....but what about preacher curl?

[Mikey1]

Seriously? Could we really stop curling and have our backwork do all of the stuff for us? Wow, I may try that....but what about preacher curl?

yes seriously.....

chinups are by far a better exersise for your biceps than curls

[Lovemuscle999]

stop curling altogether......

- chinups
- pullups
- rows

Do you not even think that barbell curls should be included for some direct bicep work? I do agree with you though.

[workinhard811]

i would defiently add chins, but cut out all types of curls? ? ? ?

Thats a bit extreme dont you think ? ?

[BodySculpting]

stop curling altogether......

- chinups
- pullups
- rows

I couldn't disagree more.

Although this has been debated time and time again, direct workout is needed to fully stimulate muscle hypertrophy. I remember a trend back in the summer of 04 on this board in which people where stopping all direct arm workouts and would be like, "well...my arms haven't grown and gotten smaller, but I am sure they will grow soon." Bull****. You need direct workout on all your muscles. This is not to say the above mentioned excercises won't help out immensely, but they shouldn't be the core of your bicep routine because they are not direct workouts. Go ahead and strop training legs, you get indirect workouts on them from walking, stop training triceps, the chest hits them. Come on....

[Reuter]

I couldn't disagree more.

Although this has been debated time and time again, direct workout is needed to fully stimulate muscle hypertrophy. I remember a trend back in the summer of 04 on this board in which people where stopping all direct arm workouts and would be like, "well...my arms haven't grown and gotten smaller, but I am sure they will grow soon." Bull****. You need direct workout on all your muscles. This is not to say the above mentioned excercises won't help out immensely, but they shouldn't be the core of your bicep routine because they are not direct workouts. Go ahead and strop training legs, you get indirect workouts on them from walking, stop training triceps, the chest hits them. Come on....

True that, also, back to the getting your biceps bigger, i read somewhere that when you do a curl, bring it down, and then come up a quarter of the way and then come up again , and thats one, than it works well. So i tried it for a couple of weeks and it worked real well. I could deffinately tell a difference.

[jw519]

how many sets/reps of chins and pulls should you do?

[$AJ]

-food
-heavy back work
-more food
-food
-food

some curling, like 2 or 3 sets of db curling and hammer curling.

get away fom the machines.

[Rocky_Maivia]

and then i do 5 sets of 21's using this bar with adjustable weights...starting with 50 and ending with 90...

Thats your problem there.

Something like

Barbell Curls 12,10,8,8
Dumbbell Curls 12,10,8,8

would be more effective IMO.

Remember overload in the weight room and overload at the dinner table and you will grow.

[Powerbuilt]

I have good thick arms, very vascular and good symmetry and definition. I actually give biceps there own day with a light forearm work afterward.

Heavy Preacher Curls - 4 sets 12,8,5,3
BB Curls - 4 sets of 6 to 8
DB Concentration Curls - 4 sets 12,10,8,6
Reverse Curls - 10,8,8,6

I'll swap Preacher curls for heavy dumbbell curls on the preacher bench
I'll swap BB Curls with DB curls or sometimes BB concentration curls on an incline bench
I'll sometimes swap DB concentration curls for alternating DB curls.

My main goal though is to do back on Monday then give 4 days before bicep day. That way they get two workouts in a week. My back is damn strong, but does not do a sufficient job in working out my biceps. I have people tell me that there back work kills there biceps. If your back day kills your biceps, then your biceps need more direct work. You can not maximize back day with weak biceps. When i do pull downs, I stop when my lats fatigue, not because my biceps do. My biceps have don't even start working hard during my back workouts.

My profile: When standing sideways, my biceps look very large compared to my neck and waist. They are just as wide as my shoulders and shadow my chest. I have had people tell me how impressive they look. When I flex a bicep for a side profile you can not see much of my chest, with my lat chiseling out from behind. The only reasons I mention this is because were here for bodybuilding. Symmetry is very important..

A few will disagree of course but if a secondary muscle hurts during a lift, that just tells me that I am not developing my total body and I am neglecting something. Muscles will often out run other muscles. If your triceps hurt after chest day, they need more work. If your abs hurt after DB pullovers, you need to work them more. The best way I found to achieve symmetry is to fell my body’s responses to lifts.

This is just the way I do it.

[Armwrestler]

Heavy barbell curls are best mass builder generally. Heavy, with slight cheating, is certainly ok and will hit muscle fibers the most, creating hypertrophy effectively. Reps of 6-10 do the job. Do core work too, like squats for core musculature. It will help at least slightly. Back work is needed too. It works biceps alot, BUT remember sometimes you feel pump in biceps during back exercises, but it is not trained to the fullest. For example, during deadlift, you may feel the biceps being worked hard. True for sometimes, but overall the biceps is still working in static position, partly just for keeping your arms sockets intact during the heavy lift. Pump is created, but the biceps is not worked in the ROM that will give it most mass. For barbell rows or chins, sure, they are not so static as in deadlifts, as they do have some range of motion together with the heavy load. That's extremely useful too, but just remember direct work is best though. You get peaks from direct curling too. You may get mass from back work but the biceps does not go through motion of curling and squeezing, so not much peak is trained. So why not simply go for the curls, especially barbell, for mass and peak, though the peak is not as great as from concentration curls. But the point is mass, and concentration curls only work peak.

Well, in conclusion, do barbell curls mainly as you get to work the biceps as more "wholesome" with the heaviest weight you can ever use, out of all forms of curls. Heavy load is important, remember. But of course this is not powerlifting in this case. Simply heavy but in correct rep range. Back work will then supplement everything.

[Mikey1]

i would defiently add chins, but cut out all types of curls? ? ? ?

Thats a bit extreme dont you think ? ?

chinups hit the biceps harder than any curl ever will

[Mikey1]

You need direct workout on all your muscles.

chinups and pullups ARE a direct bicep workout.....when performing these exersises which do you think is the first to fail, your biceps or your lats?.....i guarantee you its gonna be your biceps

[BenchPsr83]

The best way to get a full pump in your biceps (not sure how much it helps them grow....really helped me though):

DROP SETS

Take dumbbells that you can do 8-10 GOOD reps of. So moderately heavy weight.

Then, divide that weight in half, and get another set of dumbells. Divide the weight of the 2nd set and get a 3rd set.

Now, start with the heaviest. Do as many GOOD reps as you can. The moment you can't do anymore, drop the heavy ones and pick up the in-between set. Do as many GOOD reps as you can with those. As soon as you can't do anymore, drop them and pickup the 3rd set. Do reps of those until failure.

You will get pumps like you have NEVER IMAGINED. The middle set is the hardest btw. Hurts like a bitch. These things work every cell in the muscle since you tire them out so much.

They really helped me grow so I swear by them, but I know plenty of people that disagree so do them if you want.

-GS

[Gizmosbro2]

preachers opposed to standing curls.. w/ full ROM

[Boridi]

close grip chinups

[StompinTom]

close grip chinups

I second that.

[murdock_]

i do bis on my back day... key imo

i do alot of back work, close chins, 3 sets of straight bar, 3 sets of preacher or hammers (depending on last week) and 3 sets of concentration... my bis feel great after. and so does my back... one of my favorite days... my other favorite is the rest... i think im addicted

[AirForce_Animal]

I couldn't disagree more.

Although this has been debated time and time again, direct workout is needed to fully stimulate muscle hypertrophy. I remember a trend back in the summer of 04 on this board in which people where stopping all direct arm workouts and would be like, "well...my arms haven't grown and gotten smaller, but I am sure they will grow soon." Bull****. You need direct workout on all your muscles. This is not to say the above mentioned excercises won't help out immensely, but they shouldn't be the core of your bicep routine because they are not direct workouts. Go ahead and strop training legs, you get indirect workouts on them from walking, stop training triceps, the chest hits them. Come on....

I agree with ya, how can u expect ur arms to grow without directly hitting them with some type of bicep isolation exercise. I know that chinups have helped me out a lot, but I definitely make sure to include my curls:
standing barbell curls- 5 sets of 12 reps (medium weight)
e-z bar curls on preacher- 5 sets of 12 reps (medium weight)
dumbell curls one arm at a time (static contraction)- 3 sets of heavy ass weight to failure.

[F W Nietszche]

Although chins and rows hammer the biceps, nothing beats a set of machine curls (unilateral) with forced reps for a finisher. Gives the greatest pump, feels good even through it doesn't cause the best growth by itself.

[Mikey1]

how can u expect ur arms to grow without directly hitting them with some type of bicep isolation exercise

that makes absolutely no sense at all.....going by that logic, you must isolate every muscle in your body to make it grow?

- chest grows with benchpressing (no isolation needed)
- quads grow with squats (no isolation needed)
- lats grow with pullups (no isolation needed)
- etc etc

if you had to do isolation exersises for every muscle in your body, you would be in the gym all day, everyday......your statement above indicates that isolation movements are superior to compound

[Aussie Flare]

I've seen a bigger growth in my bi's since introducing incline dumbell curls, 3 sets of 6, followed by ez bar preacher curls and then hammer curls.

Arnold said to gain 1 inch on your arms, you'd have to gain at least 10 lbs in body weight.

So i think AJ summed it up by eating ALOT more than you are now!

[daninthemix]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - many are afraid to drop direct arm work because they think their arms will shrivel into those of a 12 year old girl....wrong.

I'm sure some ppl do need direct work and some do not. But many never even entertain the possibility their arms can grow (optimally) with just heavy back work.

By all means spend all day curling, but don't do it out of fear.

[$AJ]

preachers opposed to standing curls.. w/ full ROM

don't do full ROM on preacher curls; that's asking to hyperextend the elbow. stop just short of full extension.

[gymaddict01]

i dont even have bis in my journal...i just do a heavy back exercise, which i have found to give me bigger bicep gains than the curls i used to do. nothing beats a few good sets of hammers tho

[BodySculpting]

chinups and pullups ARE a direct bicep workout.....when performing these exersises which do you think is the first to fail, your biceps or your lats?.....i guarantee you its gonna be your biceps

I don't know who ever feels their back fail. Of course biceps are going to fail in chin ups, it doesn't mean its the main muscles being worked. Look at your chest, do you really feel YOUR CHEST failing, or is it your triceps that fail first? Yet, you don't see anyone saying avoid direct tricep work. Chinups involve your biceps, they help your biceps grow, but they are not by any means a DIRECT BICEP excercise.

[Mikey1]

Yet, you don't see anyone saying avoid direct tricep work.

yes you do.....i say it

[Gr8Ape]

When you are an advanced lifter, i doubt not doing arm work if beneficial