If you have been training your biceps for a while and have reached a plateau in your muscle grow and strength, or if you are just beginning to work your biceps, it's time to get to work. Incorporating several advanced training techniques in your extreme biceps workout shocks your muscles, which can help them grow. Perform this extreme workout once or twice weekly for four to eight weeks. Always allow at least two days between workouts.
Standing Biceps Curl
Begin your extreme workout with standing biceps curl to help build mass. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and grasp a barbell using an underhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your elbows close to your sides and your torso upright throughout the movement, bend your elbows and curl the weight to your shoulders. Slowly lower the bar back down to starting position and repeat.
Use a very light weight for your first set to warm up your muscles, and complete 15 to 20 repetitions. Increase the weight on the barbell to the heaviest weight that allows you to complete between eight and 12 repetitions for three sets without losing form. Rest one to two minutes between each set.
Preacher Curls and Hammer Curls
Complete three supersets of preacher curls with hammer curls. A superset is when you perform one set of eight to 10 repetitions of preacher curls, then without resting, perform a set of eight to 10 hammer curls. Follow each set with a 60-second rest, before repeating another superset.
Perform preacher curls by resting the back of your upper arms against the preacher bench. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip wider than shoulder-width apart and perform a curl.
Perform the hammer curl by holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inward. Keep your elbows close to your body, and curl the dumbbells to your shoulder. Slowly lower the dumbbell to starting position, and repeat.
21s
21s are a biceps curl exercise combining partial-range and full-range movements that work to develop and shape the entire biceps area. Begin by holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing forward. Curl the weight halfway up, or until your forearms are parallel to the floor, then lower until your arms fully extended at the starting position and repeat seven times. Without stopping, curl the weight all up to your shoulders. Lower the dumbbells, stopping halfway, before curling them back up to your shoulders. Finally, without resting, lower your arms down until fully extended and complete seven full-range curls. Rest one to two minutes before completing one or two more sets.
Running The Rack
Conclude your workout with a standing dumbbell curls by running the rack. Running the rack involves completing the curls using a set of dumbbells that allows you to complete three to five repetitions on each arm. Once failure is reached, immediately place the dumbbells back on the rack and pick up the next lightest pair of dumbbells and complete another set to failure. Repeat this process until you have used all the dumbbells left on the rack. The further you go down the rack, the more repetitions you will be able to complete.
References
- ExRx.net: Advanced Weight Training Techniques
- "Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger;1985
- "Strength Training Anatomy"; Frederic Delavier; 2001
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