Build Bigger Biceps: Training Guide To Perfect Your Pythons!

Build Bigger Biceps: Training Guide To Perfect Your Pythons!

Let's face it-everyone wants bigger 'guns'. Walking around with water-pistols isn't going to turn heads. You want the size, you want the peak... Here's what you need to make those pythons dangerous. Learn more.


Build Bigger Biceps:
Training Guide To Perfect Your Pythons!

Let's face it - everyone wants bigger "guns". Walking around with water-pistols isn't going to turn heads. You want the size, you want the peak... so what's holding you back? Genetics? To a degree. Specific biceps workout for growth? Good possibility! I have good news, and I have bad news.

 All Wants Bigger 'Guns.'  
How to Build Bigger Biceps - Jason Ferruggia

Before we get started, I want to get you on the right path ASAP. So, I put together a biceps specialization plan.

Today we’reropeclimb2 gonna talk about how to build bigger biceps.

Because, who wants to walk around with their shirt sleeves flapping in the wind? It’s a fate no man should ever have to suffer.

Of course, an easy way around that is to buy smaller shirts. Which, as a New Jersey native/ lifelong meathead, I’m all for. But a size small t-shirt with a pair of 11 inch pipe cleaners hanging out of them still isn’t quite the best look.

The first mistake most people make when trying to build bigger arms is they start doing an assload of curls. Every day.

But curls are an isolation movement that don’t allow for a lot of loading. That’s fine and dandy if you’ve been training properly for at least 3-5 years. And if you have gained at least twenty pounds of muscle already.

If you’re a newbie or even someone who has trained for many years but doesn’t look like it, you really have no business doing tons of curls. It will get you nowhere. The only thing you’ll probably end up with is wrist and elbow problems. Maybe some shoulder issues as well. Not great.

So what exercises should you be doing to build bigger biceps? We’ll get to that in a minute. But first a quick anatomy lesson.

Anatomy of the Guns

The biceps consist of two heads (hence the “bi”)- the long head and the short head. These muscles are trained with your palms facing up when you do chin ups or any type of curl.

The biceps is slightly fast twitch dominant when it comes to fiber type. This would normally mean that you should keep your reps in the medium range of 8-10. The problem, however, is that when you get strong, heavy curls can place a ton of stress on your wrist, elbows and biceps tendon. Therefore, the more advanced you are the more you’ll want to bump your reps up.

Along with the short and long heads of the biceps you have the brachialis. This is a smaller muscle underneath the biceps. When this muscle is well developed it makes your arms look bigger from the front. A lot of guys have arms that look big from the side but tiny when you look at them head on. That’s because the brachialis is underdeveloped.

This is muscle is trained by using a neutral grip when you do chin ups or any type of curl (hammer curls) for medium to high reps.
The First Step: More Supinated Rows & Chins

When you’re ready to start an all out assault on the biceps the first thing I would do is switch at a least a couple of the rows and chin up variations in your program to an underhanded (supinated) curl grip.

Even though the goal with these exercises is to train the muscles of the back you’re still going to be working your biceps. If you supinate your palms and turn your hands up you’ll work the biceps even harder.

So, if you’re doing bent over rows do them with an EZ bar and a supinated grip. Or do the same thing on a seated cable row. If you’re doing chin ups use rings and supinate at the top.

Another row variation that leads to huge biceps growth is the hand over hand rope row with a thick rope like they do in strongman contests.

Just making those small changes will help kick in some biceps growth.

Top 5 Biceps Building Compound Exercises

1) Rope Climbs
This is a highly functional exercise that incorporates nearly every muscle group you think of. However, the biceps do a large majority of the work and get massive amounts of stimulation.

2) Curl Grip/Supinated Chin Ups
Think about the most weight you can do a barbell curl with. For most people it’s probably no heavier than 95 pounds. Now compare that to a chin up. It’s the same type of curling movement at the elbow joint but it’s being done with all of your bodyweight. That’s way more than 95 pounds. The more weight you can do on any exercise for a given muscle group, the more effective it usually is.

Tip: Do these on rings or a Jungle Gym XT to decrease the stress on the wrists and elbows.

3) Neutral Grip/ Semi-Supinated Chin Ups
This is similar to the curl grip chin up except that your palms are facing each other. This is even easier on the joints and a more natural position. This variation stresses the brachialis muscles a bit more and will help your arms look thicker from the front.

4) Curl Grip/Supinated Inverted Rows
Again, compare the weight you could do on any curl variation to curling/rowing your bodyweight in this variation of an inverted row. The load is substantially heavier. And anytime you move your body through space, as opposed to simply moving your limbs, there is a much higher level of muscular activation.

5) Hand Over Hand Rope Row
This has a similar effect as the rope climbs. For this variation you need a long rope, preferably two inches in diameter. Attach it to a sled or heavy implement you can drag then row the weight toward you. This will absolutely smoke your biceps and forearms.


Going From Beginner To Advanced

A lot of people may get all the biceps growth they desire from the exercises above. Or they may hate isolation exercises and never feel like doing a curl. That’s totally cool.

As I’ve said a million times, beginners don’t need direct arm work and will get great results from chins and rows.

Increase the amount of reps you can do on chin ups and the weight you can row for sets of 8-15 reps and your biceps will grow. Make some big gains first, pack on at least your first twenty pounds or so and then worry about curling.

If you have been training properly for more than a few years and are ready to train the arms directly the section below is for you.

Advanced lifters will probably not maximize their biceps growth without some direct isolation work.

Big compound exercises like chins and rows will only take you so far. And the more advanced you get the better you should be at those exercises. So you’re not even recruiting your biceps as much as you did as a beginner doing chin ups. When you’re more advanced you’ll be using your lats to do more of the work. That means that if you want to build bigger biceps you’re gonna have to start curling.

Time to Start Curling

I’d start with three sets of curls performed twice a week at the end of your upper body days. No need to go overboard from the get go and do the Mr. Olympia arm blowout. For now, keep it simple and you’ll grow just fine.

If you’re starting from zero, just one set should be enough, in theory. Three will definitely get the job done. After a few months of that you can bump it up to four.

Pick one compound biceps exercise per workout and do three sets of 8-15 reps. Mix it up between exercises that hit the biceps (supinated/ palms up grip) and others that place more stress on the brachialis and forearms (neutral grip).

Top 5 Biceps Building Isolation Exercises

1) Standing Dumbbell Curl
This is an old standby and as basic as it gets. But it gets the job done. Be sure to turn your palm up fully at the top of the movement and try to have your pinkies higher than your thumbs.

2) Standing Hammer Curl
This one really hammers the brachialis and forearms.

3) Incline Dumbbell Curl
Great for training the biceps in a stretched position. The mistake that’s often made is setting the incline too low. This places too much unnecessary stress on the shoulders. Stick with around 60-75 degrees. Stretch the biceps fully at the bottom, but be sure to maintain constant tension and reverse the movement right back up.

4) Bodyweight Curl on Rings or JGXT
Set the handles at about neck height then grab them and lean back while extending your arms all the way. Curl your hands to your shoulders, allowing only your forearms to move. Keep your abs tight and glutes squeezed throughout the movement so that you don’t sag or buck your hips.

5) Reverse Curl
It’s a good idea to curl with all three hand positions – supinated/palms up, semi supinated/palms facing each other, and pronated/palms down. The reverse curl utilizes the last position and helps to ensure complete biceps development.

Don’t Go Too Heavy on Curls

You don’t want to go super heavy on curls. This is a huge mistake. When you walk into most gyms you’ll actually see the guys with the smallest arms going heaviest on curls. The guys with the biggest arms, who know better, are often curling the 25’s while some 140-pound guy throws up the 50’s with atrocious form resembling some sort of clean.

To get the biceps to grow you want to maximize the tension and stress that they are under with lighter weights. Going too heavy brings in other muscle groups and takes the stress off of the biceps. This is NOT what you want.

My advice is to keep your reps a bit higher on curls than on most other exercises. The stronger you are the higher you should go.

This will be much safer and less stressful to your wrists, shoulders and elbows.

Do three sets like this with perfect technique and get a good pump. Done properly, this will stimulate plenty of growth. Save the fancy stuff like drop sets and rest-pause for when you need it a few years later on down the road.

Squeeze HARD

Be sure to squeeze and contract your biceps as hard as you can throughout the entire range of motion and never release the tension.

This is not an Olympic lift or an explosive movement where you’re just trying to “get the weight up.” When it comes to building bigger biceps you need to concentrate on the muscle you are working and focus on directing all the tension directly to the biceps and nowhere else.

That means you deliberately curl the weight up by initiating with an intense contraction of the biceps. You then maintain that intense contraction throughout the set.

Another trick you can employ that seems to work well when training the guns is to use a 3-4 second eccentric. Lower the weight slowly and under control.

You don’t have to do it on every curl variation or every set but it can be a very powerful technique to help stretch the shirtsleeves.

Contract the Triceps

This is a cool trick I learned a long time ago from a very smart strength coach. I wish I could remember who it was so I could give credit here.

As you lower the weight on curls try to actively contract your triceps. Imagine you are doing a reverse grip push down. Do that all the way to full elbow extension at the bottom. This makes the biceps contract harder when you start lifting the weight again on the next rep and also protects the elbows at the bottom.
As soon as you reach full extension of the elbows reverse the movement immediately without pausing, and start the next rep. There should always be constant tension and continuous movement.


Your Key Takeaways

    Do three sets of curls, twice per week, on upper body days.
    Stick with sets of 8-15 reps, control the negative, maintain constant tension/continuous movement and squeeze as hard as you can.
    Slowly increase the weight every few weeks.
    Also be sure to change exercises frequently so that you don’t develop any overuse injuries.
    Get a good biceps stretch at the end of every workout, then go home,

Thanks for reading.

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Meet The Squats: 7 Squat Variations You Should Be Doing

Meet The Squats: 7 Squat Variations You Should Be Doing

    In the old days, there were two kinds of squats: 'good' and 'bad.' Today, you can shop around between  multiple versions of the movement. No more excuses. Get off the machines and give the squat a shot!

 Want to know how to pick an experienced lifter out of a sea of newbies? Take a look at their squat. Do    they move any weight? Are they doing full squats? Do they squat at all? All three questions can usually be answered with a single glance.                                                                                                                 

But notice what question I didn't ask: Are they holding a barbell across their traps?

Make no mistake: The classic barbell squat is one of the cornerstones of countless great lifting programs.     Done correctly, it will add size. It trains everything from your quads, glutes, and hamstrings to your intestinal fortitude. However, it's by no means the only squat variation, and it's not the only one that deserves              consideration in your program.                                                                                                                   

Open your mind and get to know the all-stars of squatting, along with my favorite cues for each version of   this essential movement.                                                                                                                           

Reigning Champ Back Squat

Advantages: Posterior chain power, hypertrophy

This is what you think of when you hear the word "squat." In my opinion, the back squat is the king of the     strength-training world, and we're all just lucky to bask in its glory. Not only is it the most commonly utilized form of squatting—except for the half-squat, maybe—the full barbell back squat is one of the most effective exercises in the history of civilization for strengthening the lower body.                                                         

While it trains the entire lower body musculature, the back squat places greater emphasis on the muscles of    the posterior chain, such as the glutes, hamstrings and spinal erectors, than other squat variations. It's also an unparalleled lower-body mass-builder, so if size is what you're after, you need to give it a serious look.        

Cues: Grab the barbell with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width, step under the bar, and place it across your upper back just below the top of your trapezius. Be sure to keep your shoulder blades pulled tightly    together and maintain a tight upper back throughout the lift.                                                                       

After stepping out of the rack, initiate the movement by pushing your hips behind you. Keep your chest up     and maintain an arched back while lowering yourself until the crease of your hip is lower than the top of your knee. Allow me to repeat that: lower than the top of your knee. Strongly reverse the movement until back to the starting position. That's one rep.                                                                                                             

Challenger 1 Front Squat

Advantages: Balanced leg strength, core and upper back strength, harder to cheat

The front squat is quickly gaining popularity among a wide variety of athletes, partially because of its           prominence in CrossFit protocols. It's also a crucial component of Olympic lifts. Whatever the reason you  do it, it's an outstanding movement, not least of all because it's harder to do really badly than a back squat.

By locating the barbell across your shoulders in front of the body, the front squat puts much more emphasis on the quadriceps and upper back than the traditional back squat, but still trains the glutes and hamstrings    well.                                                                                                                                                         

 

Cues: I prefer a clean grip for the front squat. To perform it this way, grab a barbell with a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. Swing your elbows under the bar until they are pointing forward and the barbell rests    across your shoulders in front of you.                                                                                                         

Keep your elbows pointed forward throughout the movement. Squat while keeping your weight on your heels. Keep your chest and elbows up.                                                                                                  

Challenger 2 Overhead Squat

Advantages: Balance, muscular control, increased mobility

Like front squats, overhead squats have their roots in Olympic weightlifting. The overhead squat strengthens the midpoint of the barbell snatch and is essential to mastering that particular lift. For non-competitive            weightlifters, it can be an effective way to train the lower body while developing balance and mobility.           

Cues: Snatch or press the barbell overhead and, while keeping it over your center of gravity, perform a      squat. Overhead squats demand a certain degree of shoulder mobility to be executed correctly, but taking wide grip on the barbell makes this much easier.                                                                                      

You may find it difficult to use a heavy enough weight on the overhead squat to truly challenge your legs, but that's not the point here. The hip mobility demands it places on you carry over to all other squatting             variations.                                                                                                                                                

Challenger 3 Zercher Squats

Advantages: Torso and core strength, less spinal compression, carryover to deadlift

A fairly uncommon exercise in most gyms, the Zercher squat is one of the best movements out there for developing a strong upper back and torso. Despite being a squat, however, most lifters find that it has a strong carryover to the deadlift and embrace it for that reason.                                                             

Even so, it is a valuable addition to your program on its own merits. Be careful of loading this movement too heavily too quickly, though. You're holding the bar in your elbows, after all.                                                 

Cues: Real masochists, er, minimalists, start off by deadlifting a barbell off the floor, setting it on their thighs, hooking their elbows under the bar, and pressing it up. For the rest of us, place the barbell in the rack just  lower than your sternum.                                                                                                                         

With your elbows bent at your side, place the barbell in the crook of your bent elbows. Squat until your     elbows go between your knees or the bar touches your thighs. That's one advantage of the Zercher: It tells you when you reach depth.                                                                                                                     

Challenger 4 Anderson Squat

Advantages: Better control at depth, harder to cheat

This is another fairly uncommon squat variation, but if you try it for a while, you might find it has a great effect on the quality of your other squats when you switch back. Named after the legendary Olympic weightlifter     and strongman Paul Anderson, the Anderson squat begins at the bottom of the squat. By doing this, you        eliminate momentum and the "bounce," or stretch reflex that builds up, when descending into the squat.         

Anderson Squats—Bottom Position Squats

 

Cues: In other words, it keeps you honest. This makes the movement much harder, so it is excellent for developing authentic strength. Anderson squats can be done in a front or back squat fashion.                  

   Simply place the barbell on the safety pins in a rack at a height that would be at or near the bottom position of your squat. Be sure to pause between reps with the bar on the safety pins. This will ensure you don't cave to the temptation to bounce for assistance.                                                                                               

Challenger 5 Bulgarian Split Squat

Advantages: Trains balance, hypertrophy, addresses strength imbalances

This single-leg squat variation has become incredibly popular recently, and with good reason. Unilateral         training can have benefits for all lifters, whether for bodybuilding, powerlifting, competitive sports, or             recreational training. Working one leg at a time helps improve imbalances between sides, trains overall sense of balance, and allows you to overload the muscles without needing as much weight.                                    

Despite what you see around you in the gym, you can go surprisingly heavy with these squats. Just start        slowly and focus on developing balance and familiarity with the movement before stacking on the weight.       When you're comfortable, you can up the ante with dumbbells at your sides, held in front of you goblet squat-style, or with a barbell in either a back squat or front squat position.                                                   

Cues: Place one foot a few feet behind you on a bench or raised platform. Keeping an upright torso, begin by pushing your hips back, like in a back squat. Allow your back leg to bend at the knee.                          

Descend until you reach the bottom position, which can be when your front leg reaches parallel, or when     your back knee touches the ground. It's not uncommon to feel a stretch in the quadriceps and hip flexors of the rear leg.                                                                                                                                              

Challenger 6 One-Legged Squat

Advantages: Balance, mobility, high-tension strength

The one-legged squat, or pistol squat, is the ultimate test of unilateral lower body strength. As with other feats of strength like the one-armed push-up or pull-up, the one-legged squat requires mastery of your     bodyweight, balance, and skill. When mastered, it is an excellent and impressive way to build strength      throughout the lower body. Until then, it's an excellent way to fall on your can.                                       

Cues: Building up a one-legged squat can be difficult, so approach it as a long-term project. Start by            squatting to a high box or bench, being careful to lower yourself under control. Once you can do a few reps at a certain height, lower the box and repeat.                                                                                             

Using this method you should eventually be able to work your way down to a full one-legged squat. Some people find that holding a light dumbbell or plate in front of them helps to balance them, but keep it light. In time, you might be able to perform a one-legged squat with more added resistance.                                  

Challenger 7 Hack Squat

Advantages: Quad strength, lack of spinal compression

Some say the hack squat is as much a deadlift as it is a squat, because the load comes off the ground.        However you classify it, the hack squat can be an effective movement for building lower body strength and muscle. It's an under-utilized exercise that places a strong focus on the quadriceps, because leaning forward like in a back squat simply isn't an option.                                                                                                  

Due to its strength and mobility requirements, it's best to start off with a reasonably light weight until you get used to it. Your grip strength will have a lot to say about how light.                                                              

Cues: Position a barbell just behind your legs, with your feet flat on the floor or heels raised on a small plate. Grab the barbell behind you with an overhand (palms facing backward) grip. Keeping your back arched and chest up, extend your hips and knees until you are standing straight up.

Thanks for reading.                                                            

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Cable Wrist Curl

  1- Start out by placing a flat bench in front of a low pulley cable that has a straight bar attachment.

   2- Use your arms to grab the cable bar with a narrow to shoulder width supinated grip (palms up) and bring them up so that your forearms are resting against the top of your thighs. Your wrists should be hanging just beyond your knees.

    3-Start out by curling your wrist upwards and exhaling. Keep the contraction for a second.

   4- Slowly lower your wrists back down to the starting position while inhaling.

    5-Your forearms should be stationary as your wrist is the only movement needed to perform this exercise.

   6- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations:    

1-This exercise can also be performed sitting down by kneeling and using the bench as a resting position for your forearms. Your   wrist can hang over the bench and the same movements as mentioned above can be performed.                                 

 2-You can also use a dumbbell instead of a barbell.                                  

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triceps and biceps exercises

triceps and biceps exercises

triceps and biceps considered muscle and Turaacepc of the smaller muscles of the body compared to muscles like chest muscle, back, or man, and for that you can spend less time in the gym to get the same results. You have absolute freedom in choosing how to exercise  triceps and biceps. Some people prefer to collect Aledlten in one serving, and some prefer to train every muscle separately.

Never neglect the training of a Aledlten. Increase the funny shape you may get it, chances of getting an elbow injury and this sure to distribute evenly exercises and time for both musculi . 

First start muscle biceps

Exercise 1: lift the bar (barbell biceps curl)

 

What to remember when doing this exercise

1-Bend your legs a little bit and that to reduce the pressure at the lumbar region.

2-Do not fluctuate back and back in an attempt to lift the weight.

3-Do not drop the bar free fall, in contrast then slowly dropping off the bar and control most of the exercise

4-Do not extend your hands to the fullest extent when dropping off the bar, and this for two reasons: first to increase the intensity of exercise to avoid injury and the second facility.

5-Do not raise the bar to shoulder level

6-Do not move the elbows when applying exercise.

7-Always see the front to reduce the chances of getting a neck injury.

Exercise 2: Exercise concentrate (concentration curl)

 

biceps of the best exercises where the target muscle biceps and isolated from the rest of the body muscles. Beware of this exercise if you are suffering from an elbow injury, or lower back.

What to remember when doing this exercise

1-Tilt body building on the pelvis instead of the arched back.

2-Not to go back when lifting dumbbells This is cheating and will not get the maximum benefit from the exercise.

Exercise 3: sit and raise the bar (preacher curl)

 

What to remember when doing this exercise:

1-Be sure to adjust the status of the chair right way: If you so much for dropping off the chair down will find it difficult in trouble folding your hands and may be exposed to an elbow injury.

2-Your posture straight and focus to raise biceps weight only with no moving back or shoulder.  

3-Besdrick do not focus on the chair in an attempt to get some help to lift the weight.

We now turn to muscle triceps

Exercise 1 draw down (triceps pushdown)

 

Beware of this exercise if you suffer from lower back injury, elbows, and make sure you take the correct posture before applying your workout.

What to remember when doing this exercise

1-Then slowly dropping off the bar with the division of power equally between the hands in order to bar tend not apply when the exercise.

2-Do not move the body forward or building on the bar to help pay for the weight.

3-Do not move the elbows when you drag a private bar

4-You should be going up by weight is a slow process and the process of fully controlled most of the exercise to take advantage.

5-Bend your legs a little bit and this to reduce pressure on the lower back

Exercise 2: push the dumbbell back (triceps kickback)

 

Beware of this exercise if you suffer from lower back injury or elbows.

What to remember when doing this exercise

1-Tummy tuck inside with leg bend to relieve pressure on the back.

2-To avoid hitting a facility at the end of the exercise movement.

3-Do not move your arms and maintain a constant level of the shoulder for the duration of the exercise.

Exercise 3: push the body (bench dip)

 

This exercise is one of the most important exercises that strengthen muscle triceps addition to the pectoral muscle and shoulder.

Beware of this exercise if you suffer from lower back injury or elbows or shoulder.

What to remember when doing this exercise

1-Adjusting status forearm as shown in the picture because I saw a different postures curiosities in the lounge.

2-Maintain a close position of the pelvis and back on the bed.

3-Not to swing for the duration of the exercise.

4-Do not move the elbows maximum of exercise to take advantage.

5-The maximum descent is parallel to the ground with arms. 

Thanks for reading.     

  

     

   

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