Very few people will dispute that the most popular muscle group for many gym rats is the biceps. It has its own emoji, for goodness sakes (you’ve used it and you know it). For anyone who ever flexed his or her arm when asked to “make a muscle,” training the biceps is a must. Some people may train them with back or chest while others hit them with triceps for a full arm pump, but they definitely get trained hard regularly.
The best muscle group to pair them with is another discussion for another day. What’s important right now is how to train them when the time comes. Fortunately, M&F, Flex, and M&F Hers has spoken to numerous authorities on the subject. These four champion bodybuilders and physique superstars of the past and present can and will help you stretch the sleeves, or maybe you’ll abandon them completely and rock a tank top.
Andrea Shaw – Focus on Full Range of Motion with Isolation Preacher Curls
The 2020 Ms. Olympia recently went to the gym with “Femme Flex Friday” host Alina Popa. During their time training, Shaw shared that she started her biceps training with a preacher curl to isolate each arm on its own. She also talked about working a full range of motion from start to finish.
“The key to the movement is to fully extend the arm before raising it back up.” Shaw prefers to perform 15-20 repetitions with this exercise.
2 of 4
Bill Dobbins
Lou Ferrigno – ‘Push the limits’ with Incline Dumbbell Cur
A man that literally played the “Incredible Hulk” has to be included on any biceps program. The two-time Mr. Universe winner liked the incline dumbbell curl. He would perform four sets of 8 reps, and he would add weight each set. Ferrigno believed that pushing yourself to the brink of failure was vital to build big arms.
“No matter how hard it may be to bump up your poundage from set to set, it is important that you do so. I firmly believe that you get the most growth activation and strength improvement out of the last set or two of an exercise, when your muscles are pushed to their limits.”
3 of 4
Per Bernal
Akim Williams – Rise of the Cable Curl Machine
Williams is one of the top current bodybuilders in the world, and he has his eyes set on more. The judges and fans normally have their eyes on his 23-inch arms. Williams credits machines as the keys to his success, and one of his favorite movements is the basic two-arm cable curl, which he does for four sets of 20 reps.
“Because I’m using both arms and a bar attachment, I like to go as heavy as possible on this exercise to make it a mass builder,” he explains. And I also don’t go quite as slow on the negative here as with the one-arm version—I’m chasing the pump a little bit more at this point.”
4 of 4
Alex Ardenti
Ultimate Champions’ Biceps Workout
Apply what these three champions have shared, and begin your own assault on the upper arms. This workout can be done once every five to seven days. If you do it with back or chest, then train biceps after. If you train biceps with triceps, use this workout as a part of it.
