The biceps is often referred to as a hallmark of strength; it is a crucial player in achieving the look of sculpted arms. To design a bicep routine that can hit this muscle effectively, we need to understand its anatomy first. In this detailed guide, you will learn everything related to the anatomy of your biceps and the exercises that you can do to get the best results.
Biceps Anatomy:
The biceps or biceps brachii, (Latin for the two-headed muscle of the arm) or biceps muscle, is a two-headed muscle (having two points of origin) on the upper arm. It has a long and short head that both originate from the scapula (shoulder blade) and insert into the radius bone in the forearm. The bicep does flex the elbow, but it also assists with shoulder flexion and supination of the forearm.
The Best Exercises for Bicep Growth:
Barbell Curl:
How to: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart while holding onto a barbell with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders and curl the bar towards your chest while keeping your elbows in a fixed position.
Muscle Group Targeted: Both heads of the biceps
Dumbbell Hammer Curl:
How: Grab a pair of dumbbells, and take a neutral grip (palms face in). Top the weights up to your shoulders.
Focus on: brachialis (underneath the biceps)
Preacher Curl:
How To: Position yourself against a preacher bench so your arms rest on the pad, then curl a barbell or dumbbells through a full range of motion.
Targeted Area: Top of the biceps, specifically the long head
Concentration Curl:
Execution: Seated on a bench, in a slight lean forward position, curl one dumbbell with one arm, taking the bicep through a full Range of Motion.
Muscle Group: Focuses on the biceps, especially the short head
Incline Dumbbell Curl:
How: Sit on a decline bench, arms straight down and curl dumbbells to your shoulders.
Target Area: Stretches the long head of the biceps; this can produce greater triceps activation.
Top Tips on Hammering Out Biceps Workouts:
Warm-up properly: it is important to perform a thorough warm up to increase the blood flow and prepare the muscles for the workout. You can do things like light cardio and dynamic stretches.
Emphasis on Form: Perform exercises with the right form to get most of your biceps involved while minimising the chances of injury.
Change your grip: Utilize multiple grip types (wide grip, narrow grip and neutral grip) to hit different areas of the biceps and areas around the biceps.
Add Progressive Overload: You should increase the weight you lift from time to time, to keep the muscles challenged and stimulate growth.
Give Enough Recovery: Just like other body, biceps also take time to recover. Always take rest days to recover and build muscle!
To get well-developed and defined biceps, you need to exercise correctly with good form in your plan. In conclusion, knowing how the biceps are structured and how to effectively use different exercises can help you develop bigger arms. Keep in mind that consistency is important to fitness; so be true to the bicep workout you started and reward yourself by reaping the benefits of your efforts.
