When someone thinks of the strength and power of a bodybuilder, weightlifter or general athlete, they invariably visualize a person with a big chest and large muscular arms. The muscle that dominates the front of the upper arm is the biceps brachii. This is the muscle that bulges out when you are asked to "make a muscle," and you lift your arm up and bend your elbow to flex your arm.
Action
The biceps brachii is the muscle attached to the upper portion of each arm that flexes the forearm. In other words, this muscles bends the arm at the elbow, drawing the forearm closer to the shoulder. The biceps brachii is attached to other muscles of the upper arm via cartilage called tendons. It also attaches to the bones of the upper arm and shoulder by ligaments.
Assistance
The biceps brachii is called a flexor muscle. Its function is to flex the arm. However, it cannot straighten the arm. For this to happen, the biceps brachii works in conjunction with the extensors, known as the triceps, to create a fluid bio-mechanical movement. The biceps brachii is assisted by the brachialis and the brachioradialis, which is the muscle that flexes and rotates the forearm.
Common Exercises
Any action that involves the bending of the upper arm at the elbow joint will utilize the biceps brachii. However, there are a number of exercises that train the biceps brachii directly. Some of these exercises include the biceps preacher curl, the standing biceps curl, the incline seated dumbbell curl, the alternating dumbbell curl and the concentration curl. These exercises require that the upper arm remain still while bending at the elbow and forcing the biceps brachii to lift the weight.
Other Exercises
The biceps brachii muscle assists any type of rowing movement, pull-down movement or chinup movement. The biceps brachii will also assist the major muscles being used in a dead lift exercise or any exercise that trains the trapezius muscle, the muscle that attaches from the shoulder to the neck. The biceps brachii is the showy muscle of the front upper arm. It bends the arm at the elbow and is involved in any pulling movement.
References
- "Mayo Clinic: Fitness for Everybody"; Diane Dahm and Jay Smith; 2005
- "Serious Strength Training"; Tudor Bompa, Mauro Di Pasquale, Lorenzo Cornacchia; 2003
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