Learn how to build huge arms with this four part series

This is the first post in a four part series on how to build huge arms. This post is all about getting big biceps!

The full series is: PART 1, PART 2, PART 3 and PART 4.

Part 1 of building huge arms - the biceps

Everyone loves the biceps and everyone ones huge ones. A lot of effort goes into pumping those biceps at the gym but it seems not many people do it correctly. I see bad form, bad exercise choice, bad sequence of exercises, bad warms ups… the list goes on.

This post will look at everything you need to know to build huge biceps.

Where are the biceps and how do they work

This might seem like an obvious question. Everyone knows where the biceps are! However, it is important to know exaclty where they are and what they do if you want to train them correctly. Perhaps the reason people train them incorrectly is because they have no idea where they are or how they move?

This is the best image of the biceps I have seen which is from Bodybuilding.com. It clearly shows how the biceps tie into the shoulders and attaches to the forearm. This is important as it gives you some idea of how the biceps is used as a “lever” to pull things up toward the shoulder with the hands.

My brother, an aspiring young scientist, recently explained to me how if the biceps were position higher on the arm up near the shoulder we would all be able to lift hundreds of kilos more due to the change in leverage! Awesome.

So what do you need to know to get huge biceps?

Training the biceps is simple. We don’t have to make it complicated like lots of the fitness magazines want you to believe. However, there are a few simple things we need to know to make our biceps training successful and if we can remember them everytime we train then we will have perfect results.

To get huge biceps you need to:

- know the right exercises
- know how to do each exercise perfectly
- eat right
- rest right

If you make sure your workout has all of these elements covered then you will be on the right track. This post will look at all four.

The best biceps exercises

The first thing you need to know is what exercises work the biceps the best. If you don’t know that then the other stuff doesn’t matter. Here are the three best biceps exercises you can use if you want to hit the biceps hard.

1. The standing bar bell curl
This is the king of all biceps exercises. It has been used by professionals for years and it always brings good results when it is done correctly.

The great thing about the bar bell curl is that it is a raw motion. There is no fluffing around, you just lift the weight the way the biceps lift naturally. And, to add to it, you can handle a lot of weight. The bar bell allows things to be spread out evenly so you can generally whack a few more discs on and not worry about losing form.

To do the standing bar bell curl:

- stand with your feet shoulder width a part
- pick up a medium heavy bar bell with your hands no wider than shoulder width a part
- let the weight relax on your hips
- keep your elbows in place throughout the whole motion (this is key)
- tense your biceps
- using that tension left the weight up to just above your nipples
- tense hard again and slowly lower down to a count of four
- repeat

2. The concentration curl
This is another basic exercise that everyone knows but no one knows how to do well. It is something that you need to master, however, as the motion used in the concentration curl holds true for all other biceps exercises. It is the core.

To do a concentration curl:

- sit on a bench that allows your butt to be slightly higher than your knees
- spread your legs and place a weight on the floor inbetween
- grab the dumb bell with your right hand and place your left hand on your left knee
- plant your right tricep muscle on the inside of your leg and then lean your body over the weight in the middle
- tense your biceps and curl the weight slowly up to your shoulder and then lower to a count of four
- repeat

It is very important to not lean backwards over the lifting arm. You should always have your torso firmly planted so that it leans over the centre. This keeps the pressure on your biceps and stops the shoulders from coming into play.

3. The Preacher Curl
The good old preacher curl! If you want to do this exercise at your gym you better get there early because all the big guys hog it out. It is a fantastic biceps exercise that targets and isolates the biceps better than almost any other exercise.

To do a preacher curl:

- sit on a preacher curl bench and adjust the seat so your arm pits are on the top of the pad
- grab the bar bell with a medium grip
- tense the biceps
- lift the bar until your arms are half way up (there is no need to go all the way to the shoulders)
- lower the bar until you get a good stretch in your biceps.

Remember that in all of these exercises the technique you use is the most important thing. If you have poor technique you will have poor results. This is especially true for the biceps where so many other muscles like to jump in and help them out because they are not as strong as the rest. Keep your technique sharp and don’t give in to fatigue.

Eat right, rest right, etc.
The other sections on getting huge biceps such as the diet and the resting procedures will be discussed in the fourth and final post in the Guide to Building Huge Arms series. The reason for this is that those tips are applicable to all areas of the body.

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