Biceps

digitalwolf said:
When using barbell bars etc, how do you say what weight you are lifting?
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When using DB you say the weight of one DB ie. if you curl 10kg DBs then you say I curl 10kgs

When using a bar you add up the total weight so add the weight of the plates and the bar ie. 2x10kg plus bar = 30kgs
 
I find Biceps a tricky one too.

I can do 3x8 with 15kg DB, but can only do 3x6 (well more like 2x6 then 1x4) with 17.5kg DB, but those I still find myself swinging the DB up a bit especially in the later reps. I haven't plucked up the courage to try pull-ups yet as I have no idea whether I can. I weigh around 65kg so I shouldn't be that hard to pull up :p
 
I'm possibly the worlds most pathetic curler in relation to arm size. I hate curling, always have. I've neglected doing them for years and just basically relied on my back work, especially chins, to build my biceps. Also tendonitis in my forearms has restricted me but I've managed to cure that now. So for the last 2 months I've been able to make a big effort with curls and my biceps have really come on.

Just started light with EZ-Bar preachers middle of October with 2 sets of 15 reps with just 20kg. I then did this every 48 hours adding between 2kg-3kg each workout. I think 33kg was my max, then I dropped to 2 sets 10 reps and kept adding 2kg every workout until I hit my max again at 44kg. Then I dropped reps to 5 and again kept adding 2kg.

By the end of November I was using 54kg on preachers after I'd already done 4x5 on weighted chins in same workout (so heavily pre-fatigued) Might not sound a lot to some but to me that's huge progress :)

I've found my biceps respond to little and often as opposed to hammering them once a week like some do. No need to hit failure each workout but no need to be scared of it either, once a fortnight is fine.

Just thought I'd share my experience, if I can improve biceps, anyone can! ;)
 
I feel the same as you CW. I tend to not bother to do my arms that much as they get a work out from other exercises, however I do do some curls every other week - and hey I've got 16.5" arms as a result so it can't be that bad.

Though the secret to big arms is big triceps. Biceps are only half of your upper arm, tris are what makes an arm look "big" IMO.

If you want to shock your muscle into growth I'd drop the reps and increase the weight one week. Then go back to lighter weight higher reps. That's what works for me.
 
digitalwolf said:
Whats the key to big biceps?

I currently do 3 x 10 @ 10kg on an EZ bar.

Thats it, on another day I also do close grip palm in pull ups but thats it.

Do I lift more and do less reps on the EZ or do I do another exercise along with the EZ ?
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Dump the EZ bar and use a straight bar. A straight bar forces your biceps to work harder, also try not to bring the elbows forward too much as this takes tension away from the bi's.
 
Do triceps, not only for the largeness of your arms, but also because your arms will curl inwards if the muscles are not balanced. Same reason you should do your back if you are doing your pecs.
 
Freefaller said:
I feel the same as you CW. I tend to not bother to do my arms that much as they get a work out from other exercises, however I do do some curls every other week - and hey I've got 16.5" arms as a result so it can't be that bad.

Though the secret to big arms is big triceps. Biceps are only half of your upper arm, tris are what makes an arm look "big" IMO.
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Woah! Just measured my arms because of your post, 17.5" :) I'm sure they were only 17" last time I measured! Mainly thanks to my triceps but those curls certainly seem to have done some good!

Hmm, I can see me getting carried away now and doing a full body measurement...
 
I do triceps on the same day and they are coming on nicely. I do v bars as a warm up and then 3 x 10 @ 35kg on the smith machine, close grip.

Is 3 x 10 a good rep range for the ez bar or is there a better one?

Oh I used to do standard barbell curls and used to suffer with wrist pain.
 
I struggle with elbow joint problems, so bi's and tri's can be very painful for me. Thats why i do them on the same day. Once the elbows are fully warmed and massaged its not as bad and i get both done.
Point is, i find that performing one then the other helps keep balance for that particular exercise. eg. do bicep curls, then when i do tri pushdowns i feel like my arms 'want' to maintain a neutral position rather than flailing out to the sides. The reverse is true for doing bi's after tri's as well.
its something that works for me, but after nerly 20 years of training in gyms, i've never really thought about until now. Go figure!
 
hyper_piper45 said:
How did you manage to cure this? I get really bad tendonitis in my arms aswell and it holds me back on my bi's.
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A combination of things mate. I've suffered with this problem for years and at one point it forced me to give up the gym totally for a good few years after I spent a fortune on physio, accupuncture, heat treatment, etc.

1. A herb called Cissus Quadrangularis - Not that cheap and needs mega-dosing for best results. I love this stuff and really rate it.
2. Changing small things like grip in exercises to relieve the stress and give them a chance to heal.
3. Massage the tendons, really pushing the fingers in is supposed to stimulate new growth and repair and reduce scarring.

Straps are also very usefull for taking stress off the injured tendons whilst still allowing you to go heavy for back work.

The Cissus alone will allow you to continue training but it's just a case of two steps forward, two steps back. Just as things get better you'll inevitably get more confidence and raise the weight... and if anything like me, aggravate the injury and back to square one. Changing grip from underhand to hammer or overhand or vice-versa is good trick for helping the tendons heal and relieve stress while the Cissus works it's magic :)
 
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Although I do not exercise them too intensely (few sets after a back session or leg session) I usually do pull ups, curls or just anything that really isolates them. For some reason my Bi's are a lot stronger in comparison to other lifts I do. However as others have mentioned I'm working more on my Tri's at the moment. (if you flex both muscles the tri appears a lot bigger I believe, giving off that more rounded appearance)
 
The tricep is a larger muscle and is what really gives your arm size.

It's worth remembering that the bicep is the fastest recovering muscle in the body (calves are very similar). This is why many people benefit from training them regularly.
 
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