Great biceps aren’t built in the cable racks. Sure, you see plenty of lifters spending their days in the cable racks, plugging away day after day with set after set of concentration curls with the cabled resistance. And while these lifters might see a bit of hardening to their arms as toning occurs, they aren’t going to be able to build much in terms of appreciable muscle mass when they’re training in this fashion.
If you want to build some REAL biceps, then you need to use REAL weight. And that comes from the use of dumbbells. Barbells are nice, and they have their use. However, the fixed arc nature of the barbell results in a path of resistance that can not only strain the write causing tendonitis, but also limit the potential for muscle growth as the muscle bellies cannot fully contract and expand upon their own natural curve. For this reason, dumbbells always win out as the top exercise for building up the biceps. Are you ready for a few techniques you can employ in the gym for a biceps blasting workout in rapid fire fashion? Read on…
Down the rack
Dumbbell curls are highly effective, but only up to that point where you cannot complete any more reps with a particular weight. At that point, you have two options. You can stop the set and pat yourself on the back for a set well done, or you can set the weights down, step 2 feet down the rack, and pick up some lighter dumbbells by 20%, and try again! Continue for 3 to 4 cycles and those biceps will be toast!
Sit/Stand
Complete as many reps as you can with a weight for standing DB curls. Now, sit down and do it again. Stand and repeat. Sit and repeat. The simple action of taking a few seconds to catch your breath and letting the blood dissipate from the biceps region will give you a few more reps, and that’s all you need for a pump that goes well beyond what you’d see as a result of a regular set!
Concentration curls
Highly effective, and often over looked, concentration curls were wildly popular in decades past when the biceps peak seemed to rule the roost. Since then, athletes have let this one fall by the wayside, instead opting for heavy and fast curls. These are great, but once you can’t do anymore, it’s time to wrap up your rapid fire workout with some low and slow concentration curls! Place your elbow on the bench, grab a light weight, and complete the slowest and most painful biceps curls of your life, one arm at a time. Enjoy that pump!
