When people think of bodybuilding, the first thought that goes through the mind of many people is either someone hitting a biceps pose or a most muscular, which also can feature the biceps. When little kids are asked flex their muscles, the biceps are the first body part they try to accentuate. Big guns have always been the symbol of being muscular.
Having a strong, well-developed set of guns will also help you develop other body parts as well — mainly your back. Moves like the deadlift and bentover row will only get better when you focus on your biceps as well, as this muscle is the secondary mover during those exercises. Beef up your biceps, and your back will follow soon after.
No one would know more about this topic than the men that have held the title of Mr. Olympia. All 15 legends of the sport had to sport a pair of big biceps so they could flex for a fan at any moment. The five champions included here share their favorite biceps builders which you can try for yourself in the workout at the bottom of this feature.
The first man to hold this prestigious title is the late, great Larry Scott. You know that this legend had to be included in this one because of his association with the classic preacher curl. He explained to Flex that the exercise— which also became known as Scott Curls— was actually taught to him by another legend of that era, Vince Gironda.
“I started training at Vince’s Gym in 1960, and Vince [Gironda] got me doing a lot of preacher curls [angled side of bench] and spider curls [straight side of bench]. He believed in keeping the elbows stabilized, whether training biceps, triceps, or forearms, and using a bench is the best way to do this.”
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Gene Mozee
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Cheat Curls
Most people would think the “Austrian Oak” should be featured because of the concentration curl and his famous quote in Pumping Iron. However, his 22-inch arms were thanks in part to the cheat curl. The seven-time Mr. Olympia gave Flex readers a pointer on how to make the classic barbell curl an even more effective move.
“When it comes to building sheer mass, there is no better exercise than the barbell cheat curl. I would start the movement with a barbell at thigh level, shoulder-width grip, and nudge it into motion with a slight ‘kick’ from my body. I’d choose a weight that was too heavy for me to curl using strict form, but not so heavy that I had to rely solely on body English to get the weight from point A to point B. The idea behind cheat curls is to get the barbell past your sticking points and let your muscles get stressed fully at the points where they would normally find the exercise easy. Because you’re stronger during the negative phase of a lift, the heavier weight used for cheat curls also lets you work the biceps during the all-important downward half of the movement.”
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Jasminko Ibrakovic
Phil Heath: Standing Dumbbell Curl
“The Gift” was blessed with biceps long before he stood on a bodybuilding stage. See some of his college basketball footage if you don’t believe me. When it comes to standing onstage with the best in the world, you can’t assume you’ll coast with genetics. That’s why Heath found ways to make the most out of the exercises he did use, like the standing dumbbell curl. Heath gave Flex an insight on how he executed this exercise. His version is a little different.
“When doing dumbbell curls, I don’t alternate reps. I alternate every five reps. So I’ll do five reps on the right side, then five on the left, five on the right, five on the left. That way each side gets a longer rest during the set so you can get a couple more reps. Also, by not alternating every rep, you can focus more on each individual arm.”
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BLACKDAY
Jay Cutler: Hammer Curl
Very few legends had the physique to stand toe-to-toe with Ronnie Coleman while he was the king of the sport. Jay Cutler did and eventually strong armed the title of Mr. Olympia away from him. His arms are a reason why he was able to do so. The Las Vegas native and four-time Sandow winner provided reasons why he loved the hammer curl so much when it came to his upper arm development.
“(It’s my) favorite exercise for, you know, making that forearm, making that thickness from the side of the biceps. When you do a side chest or any of the side poses, this is the exercise that will help you accentuate the width on the side.”
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HD92
Dexter Jackson: Machine Curl
No one has stood on the Olympia stage more times than the 2008 champion, Dexter Jackson. He also holds the record for most wins in IFBB Pro League history with 29. The man is doing something right with his physique and that includes how he trains his biceps. “The Blade” told Flex why he used machines like the preacher machine curl to sharpen his arms.
“I’ll usually do them first. In some ways, they’re better than free-weight preachers, because the machine’s mechanics keep tension on your biceps throughout the exercise.”
