It’s all a matter of having the proper form when you’re working out and lifting weights. If you don’t, adding weight to it will only make the form worse and will contribute to injuries to your body. It pays to start right and workout correctly.
To really bring out the definition in your biceps, try to work on specific areas of the muscle with exercises that target single muscle areas in the bicep area. That’s why they’re called ‘biceps’. There are two (bi) main muscles that make up your biceps and they can each be targeted with specific exercise routines. Here are a few exercises that can really make a difference in the way your biceps get a workout.
Barbell Curl
This exercise targets both areas of the bicep muscles and is quite possibly the easiest and best bicep exercise workout. You start out with your hands on a barbell, shoulder-width apart. Your palms should be facing upwards as you grip the bar. Stand straight up with your feet planted shoulder-width apart as well. Allow the barbell to hang at the end of your arms for a moment and then without leaning back or shifting your weight, curl the bar towards your chest in a slow and even arc.
Your elbows should stay in the same position throughout the movement, close to your sides. If possible you should always tense or squeeze the bicep muscle at the top of the arc, just before you start to lower the bar down again. You should also tense your bicep muscles as you slowly lower the barbell back down.
Just before your arms get straight again, you should begin the upward curl once more. It is important to use your muscle to pull the bar back up, not momentum. Swinging the bar will only result in injury or a pulled muscle. Slow, controlled movements are key to building bigger biceps.
Barbell Curls Lying Against an Incline
While this exercise is pretty much the same as doing preacher curls, the main difference is that the body is more supported by the inclined surface. It is nearly impossible to use momentum to cheat and swing the weights up in an effort to finish stubborn rep limits. This exercise targets the larger half of the bicep muscle and allows for a complete and full range of motion when compared to other curl exercises.
The exercise begins by laying a barbell underneath an inclined bench while you lay face down on the bench with your arms to either side. Grab the barbell with your palms upwards and slowly curl the weight upwards as high as you can while staying flat against the bench. As with preacher curls, the main force of the exercise is at the bottom of the arc movement so it’s very important to have that extension at the bottom of the movement to get the full benefit of the exercise. Be careful that you are not using your back to swing the barbell up.
Close-Grip EZ Curl Bar
Although this exercise may sound like the straight up bicep curl you’re used to doing with an EZ curl bar, this exercise is designed to target the outer half of your bicep muscles to add more definition to the side of your bicep area. Start out by gripping the curl bar with your hands around the middle bends at the center of the bar.
This will take some getting used to as you find the balance of the weight. Be careful as you fidget your hands to new positions so that you don’t lose your grip on the bar. Some people find it easier to squat lower and find the balance of the bar while it’s closer to the floor. Place your feet at shoulder-width and slowly curl the bar up towards you.
Remember to keep your elbows in close to your sides and resist the urge to swing the weight up towards you. At the top of the arc, contract your bicep muscles and then slowly lower your arms to the starting position and repeat to your rep limit. You’ll feel the burn of this one.
Follow up on your bicep workout with these killer
tricep exercises.
