Pumping up the biceps: diagram, exercises for pumping up the biceps. How to get impressively sculpted biceps! How to pump up your biceps: biceps exercises with different equipment
In today's article we will tell you how to make your biceps sculpted. After all, every young man dreams of an athletic figure and strong, muscular arms. Pumped up biceps have always been and remain a symbol of masculinity. The desire to have beautiful and defined muscles makes guys go to the gym and work out until they sweat. Very few achieve good results. Usually, after the first few workouts, the desire begins to fade away little by little and the bodybuilding novice gives up this, as it seems to him, useless business.
Only a few continue to work hard without noticing difficulties in order to still achieve their goal. It is quite natural that it is impossible to achieve visible results after the first few workouts, since the growth of muscle mass requires serious and intense work. In this article, we will talk about the development of probably the most popular muscle among teenagers - the biceps.
In order to properly pump up your biceps, you do not need to use too heavy equipment, especially at the initial stage. First of all, it is necessary to build the relief of the biceps. In addition, this muscle, like all others, requires rest and recovery. In no case should you pump your biceps every day until you lose your pulse, as this will lead to injuries that will interfere with further training. You need to start with light dumbbells of 3-4 kg. These exercises are suitable for both training in the gym and at home.
Standing biceps exercise
After completing the mandatory warm-up, take the starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, dumbbells in your hands. Alternately lift your arms with dumbbells over time.
For example: do 1 approach for 1 minute. Then let your hands rest for 2-3 minutes and perform a second, similar approach. We simplify the third approach a little; after the break, we take the starting position and bring our hands together so that the dumbbells touch, raising them simultaneously 15-20 times. During the process, try not to swing your body, as the work should be done only by the biceps.
This question is asked mainly by men who are interested in making their hands bigger and more sculpted. These athletes are easy to spot in the gym, because their favorite equipment is the barbell. Their favorite exercise is the biceps curl. But this is not the only exercise machine that helps to pump up round, protruding biceps. Other exercises for biceps and options for how to pump up biceps are in this article.
Where is the biceps located?
When you tense your hand in your forearm, you see a small protruding ball. It comes in different lengths and structures. This is the extensor muscle of the forearm, that is, the biceps. Consists of 2 heads: external and internal. Underneath them is the brachialis, a flexor muscle. In arm exercises, when we lift weights, we use the brachialis, and when we extend the elbow joint, we use the biceps.
- To pump up your round biceps, do exercises that isolate all other muscle groups as much as possible. The main load should go to the heads.
- The statement that supination (rotation of the wrist) is required for training the biceps is not entirely true.
- If you do the exercises correctly, weight is of secondary importance.
- Most biceps workouts are easy to do at home.
- In the gym, you don’t have to stand in line at the barbell; use a horizontal bar or small dumbbells.
How to pump up your biceps: biceps exercises with different equipment
There are 3 equipment for effectively working the biceps: horizontal bar, dumbbells, barbell. You can choose one thing for training, but it is better to use different equipment on different training days. Practice consciously, following the execution technique. When working your biceps you should feel:
- muscle tension that is visible on the arm;
- slight burning sensation on the forearm.
Horizontal bar
To perform biceps pull-ups, grab the bar with an underhand grip. The wider the position of the arms, the greater the load on the outer head of the biceps; with a narrow grip, the inner head works better.
We count the number of times in approaches. There are 4 things you need to do:
- Do the first one to failure. Count how many pull-ups you did.
- Rest for 1-2 minutes. In the second approach, do half of the first.
- Rest for 3 minutes. Repeat the amount you did in the first approach.
- Rest 1 minute. Repeat the 2nd approach.
This is a serious workout for people with an average level of physical fitness. They do not need to use weights; their own weight will be enough.
Important: during pull-ups, the latissimus dorsi muscles are also involved, so girls should not overdo this exercise so as not to over-pump. If there are no other options, then use the horizontal bar through training.
Dumbbells
Lifting dumbbells for biceps is performed both standing and sitting. Whatever position you choose, follow the general rules: hold dumbbells with an overhand grip (with your fingers pointing away from you).
- Press your elbows tightly against your body and make sure they “walk” during the training.
- Keep your back straight, tense your arms at the elbow joint.
- Choose the weight for you: dumbbells of 1-1.5 kg are suitable for girls, and from 5 kg for men.
It is convenient to perform the “Hammer” exercise while standing. Take the starting position, legs slightly apart, elbows pressed to the body, arms with dumbbells lowered. Raise your arms one by one, but not towards yourself, but parallel to the floor (like a lever). It takes 2 seconds to lift, 2 to return to the starting position. At the fixation point, the elbow angle is 90°. If you can’t keep your back straight, stand near a wall, only your legs and pelvis deviate slightly.
Another option for training with dumbbells is while sitting. Sit on a bench, chair or stool (if you train at home), tilt your body forward, place your feet slightly wider than your shoulders. The elbow of the working arm rests on the inner thigh (does not stand on it), the arm is extended from the dumbbells. Without straining other muscles, gently lift the dumbbell. Fix at the top point for a few seconds and smoothly return to the starting position.
At home, dumbbells are replaced with something heavy, such as a bottle of water or a book. But it’s still better to work with professional equipment; it’s more comfortable to hold in your hand without straining your wrist.
Barbell
Perhaps the most popular biceps machine in the gym. But correct work with the barbell is everything to us. The fact is that sometimes, due to the large weight, you want to “swing” and pull the projectile at the expense of other muscles. This is incorrect: the body should be static, only the elbow joints and biceps work. The rest is simple: bring the barbell to your chest or chin.
The Scott bench, suitable for working with small amplitudes, will be useful for pumping up the biceps. It is a flat hand rest that holds the elbow motionless. The bench eliminates the possibility of injury, since it “turns off” the back muscles from work, so the emphasis is only on the biceps - this is its advantage.
Trainers recommend working with different equipment, grips, amplitude and weight. This does not overload the muscles and guarantees precise training of the outer and inner heads of the biceps. If you are new to the sport, start with simple biceps exercises with dumbbells and on the horizontal bar, and start exercises with a barbell later and preferably under the guidance of a trainer.
Every athlete dreams of impressive arm sizes of 40–47–50 cm. But what do you need to know and do to achieve the desired muscle growth in the arms? The answer is in our article.
Powerful, sculpted biceps and triceps, developed deltoids and wide forearms are admiration from the opposite sex and respect from other athletes. There is probably no bodybuilder or bodybuilder who would not dream of pumping up huge arms. An arm volume of 40–45–47 cm, or maybe more, is the goal of jocks of all times. Many athletes, having enormous strength in their arms, are not distinguished by the impressive size of this area, and are racking their brains over how to achieve the desired results in muscle growth.
When talking about the enormous size of the arms, often only the biceps are discussed. However, in an arm with a volume of 40 cm, less than 30% of the total mass of the arm is allocated to the biceps. The remaining 70% is occupied by the triceps, so this group of muscle fibers should also not be forgotten.
How to pump up 40 cm biceps?
The first and most important rule is that your arms will grow only from hard training with iron. There are no other options to gain muscle mass (not fat!). However, you should not grab heavy weights from the start.
A fatal mistake for beginner naturalists is using overly heavy shells. In pursuit of large weights, athletes always make many mistakes in technique. Performing exercises with unbearable weights leads to constant cheating and “involvement” of the muscles of the back, chest, and legs. This will not affect arm hypertrophy in any way, but it will easily lead to unpleasant consequences in the form of cramps, sprains, dislocations and fractures. For exercises, it is necessary to choose a weight that will allow you to perform approaches smoothly and clearly, without violating technique. This is how maximum tension will be felt in the muscles being worked.
Muscular, voluminous arms are formed step by step. Sometimes this takes years. If a beginner came to the rocking chair with thin “matches” of 25 cm, then he will not reach a straight arm volume of 40 cm in a year or even less time.
It is worth noting the fact that the training of each athlete is individual. There is no template program that will work for everyone. Blindly copying the training splits of the “pros” has never brought much success to anyone. The best coach of any athlete is himself. By feeling their muscles, athletes, through trial and error, determine which exercises work for them and which do not bring much benefit.
Exercises to increase arm volume
To make your arms 40 cm in volume, you need to gradually but regularly increase the working weights. Therefore, the basic training plan for the muscles of the upper limbs will remain unchanged for many years.
The main biceps exercises are standing barbell curls and dumbbell hammer curls. They must be practiced regularly with constant addition of training weight. You can “finish off” the muscles at the end of the workout each time with new isolating exercises: curling your arms on a Scott bench, concentrated lifting of dumbbells, bending your arms on a lower block (bent or cable handle), alternating bending your arms with dumbbells.
Bench press with a narrow grip and dips on the uneven bars are the basis for the triceps. These are the exercises that should always be included in every arm workout. You can experiment with the end of the workout, just like when working on biceps, by adding a variety of isolations: arm extension with dumbbells while standing on an incline, extension at a vertical block, or extension of arms over your head.
Biceps and triceps training must be combined into one workout using alternating methods. The arm muscles are made up of different types of fibers. Some of them respond to pumping, others to strength work. Periodization of exercises on individual muscle bundles will achieve maximum hypertrophy. Such approaches will most effectively increase endurance, improve muscles and allow you to make arms with a volume of 40 cm. Their essence is as follows (3 options):
- First, exercises are performed in several sets for the triceps, then an exercise for the biceps. And so in a circle: again working on the triceps, and then returning to the biceps.
- The athlete performs a triceps set, then rests as long as he needs, and then performs a biceps set.
- Superset: one set of two exercises (biceps and triceps) that are performed consecutively without a rest pause or with a very short break of 15-20 seconds.
At the end of the training process, after heavy weight exercises on the arms, it is recommended to do some stretching. She will not allow loss of mobility and stagnation in growth. Good quality stretching will relax, calm and accelerate muscle growth.
Nutrition for gaining muscle mass
No matter how hard an athlete works out, no matter how strictly he follows all the rules for gaining muscle mass, it is unlikely and almost impossible to “accelerate” his arm to 40 cm without a properly formulated diet.
The body must receive sufficient amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates for muscle growth. Just like with training, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to nutrition. It will be different for everyone, depending on their goals, body characteristics and taste preferences.
Lean, wiry athletes who lack just a little arm size to achieve success need to focus on carbohydrate foods to compensate for the loss of energy costs. Athletes who are prone to obesity should, on the contrary, eat more dietary meat, fish and eggs in order to build up muscle cells in the arms to a volume of 40 cm of protein. But the food consumption plan should be equally fractional for everyone: at least 6 meals a day in small portions.
Video on how to pump up voluminous arms:
Hello everyone. In this issue we will talk about how to quickly pump up your arms (biceps and triceps).
We will fully understand all issues related to arm training, discuss mechanics, muscle anatomy and the effect of various exercises on different parts of the arm muscles. Well, in the end, we’ll look at the nuances of creating training programs for the fastest possible growth of arm muscles.
The biceps consists of two heads:
- The longus (long tendon, but the muscle is small) is located on the outer part of the arm.
- The short one (short tendon, but large muscle) is located on the inside of the arm.
Both heads are connected into one tendon which is located next to the elbow joint.
The tendon itself is attached slightly inward (to the side of the forearm).
This means that in addition to bending the arm, the biceps can also supinate it (i.e., turn the palm towards the thumb).
I think everyone understands what we are talking about, i.e. many perform dumbbell curls with supination.
And this is exactly the steering wheel that I am now theoretically talking about.
Accents on the heads of the biceps
According to statistics, there are no problems with the development of the short head (the one located on the inside of the arm), it responds perfectly to the load, and grows well from any bending of the arm. But with the development of the long head, the one that is located on the outer part of the arm, most people have problems!
Treatment: in order to fight the external head (long), you need to move your elbows as far behind your back as possible, this is the only way to engage the outer part of the biceps.
In order to fight the internal head (short), on the contrary, you need to bring your elbows forward as much as possible.
Grips when working on biceps
- The wider your grip, the more the inner head will work.
- The narrower your grip, the more the outside head will work.
Brachialis
This is the shoulder muscle and plays a very important role. It is located under the muscle (i.e. under the biceps) and is involved in most of the work when training the biceps (about 50-70% takes over).
It is this muscle that allows you to lift heavy weights in standing barbell curls, not the biceps itself.
The best exercises to train your biceps
- Barbell curl
- Dumbbell curls with supination
- Lifting dumbbells for biceps while lying on an incline bench
- Hammer curls (hammers)
Triceps
The triceps consists of three heads:
- Lateral head (aka external)
- Medial head (also known as the middle or small ulnar head, located next to the elbow)
- Long head (also internal, attached to the back of the shoulder blade)
All three heads are in the same ligament, in the area of the elbow, and that is why all three heads work simultaneously in all exercises that involve the triceps. However, each head is not trained evenly! Those. each of the heads receives its own degree of load (this depends on the mechanics of the exercises).
Each of the 3 heads (connected, because they work in conjunction) but they can be either short or long. This matter depends on your genetics. However, this can be easily checked and found out!
For example:
- if your triceps are short, they look longer and more massive
- and if it is long, then the triceps looks short with a peak.
2.Biceps and triceps (small muscle groups) grow only in conjunction with large muscle groups (legs, back, chest). That is why all other attempts to increase arm muscle mass by focusing on other large muscle groups (legs, back, chest) come to naught. You won't succeed, take my word for it!
This is usually resorted to by beginners (beachers) who want to develop ostentatious muscles (such as biceps, abs) while focusing on their back, chest, and legs. However, checkmate. If you seriously train large muscle groups (chest, back, legs), then the small ones will grow even on their own, because they have no way out!
Conclusion: Be sure to train large muscle groups (chest, back, legs) without missing a single workout, then small muscle groups (arms, deltoids) will grow.
3. Lack of correct exercise technique + lack of mental brain-muscle connection, this is exactly when you seem to be doing biceps exercises, but it’s not your biceps that get clogged, but your forearms or back.
You don’t feel your muscles, you do everything haphazardly in the hope of getting everything at once, without putting in the proper effort!
The cure here is to learn how to do the exercises correctly, pick up an empty bar and learn.
Perform 5-10 sets with light weight (feel) your biceps, the burning and blood flow () think about the biceps when you train them. This applies not only to the biceps, but also to other muscle groups. It’s just that our topic is now hot, so I gave an example.
Sequence of exercises
Remember once and for all: we start with heavy basic exercises and end with lighter ones - secondary (isolating exercises).
For biceps, the conditionally basic ones are:
- Standing biceps curl
- Lifting dumbbells for biceps while standing/sitting (+ possible with supination)
- Reverse grip barbell curl
- Hammer curls with dumbbells
- Reverse grip pull-ups (really the basic and best exercise)
Minor:
- Concentrated bicep curls
- Larry Scott's bench with a barbell or exercise machine, etc.
For triceps, the main basic exercises are:
- close grip press
- dips
Minor:
- French barbell presses
- extension at a vertical block (although with the proper execution style, it can be considered basic).
We create the most effective training programs
P.S. I forgot to tell you about one very effective technique for pumping up your arms!
Its essence is simple, we will alternate exercises that are antagonistic to biceps and triceps.
Those. it will look like this:
- basic biceps exercise 4x6-12
- basic triceps exercise 4x6-12
- basic biceps 4x6-12
- basic triceps 4x 6-12
Do you see this alternation? First comes the biceps, then the triceps, then the biceps again, etc.
This is a very effective trick that you should definitely use!
By the way, always start your workout with biceps, followed by triceps.
Otherwise, if you start with the triceps, it will limit the strength in the biceps curls.
Basically, this rule applies at the initial stage for beginners and intermediate levels of training, more advanced (experienced) look at the situation (because for the advanced, starting training with triceps is a chance to give at least some unfamiliar stress in order to trigger growth.
And this is the training program:
- Barbell curl for biceps, standing 4x6-12
- Barbell bench press with close grip 4x6-12
- Hammer curls (hammers with dumbbells standing) 4x6-12
- Dips (emphasis on triceps) 4x6-12
That's all. This is the most effective complex for the rapid growth of arm muscle mass.
Nothing more is needed! I personally train according to this scheme, and I’m happy with the results.
For more advanced athletes the scheme is as follows
- Barbell curl for biceps 4x6-12
- Bars (triceps emphasis) 4x6-12
- Lifting the barbell with a reverse grip 4x6-12
- Close grip barbell press 4x6-12
- Lifting dumbbells for biceps, standing 3-4x6-12
- French bench press 4x6-12
Don't forget that any workout should last no more than 45 minutes. This is worth considering constantly!
You can come up with a whole lot of these working schemes. I brought you quickly compiled by me personally, based on many articles on this site, I cited sources for the main articles, read, study, I hope you found it interesting, now you will definitely be able to pump up your titanium arms, see you again, friends.
Best regards, administrator.
Find out how to make the top of your biceps look impressive under a T-shirt, important tips and tricks for pumping up your biceps.
The muscles in our body develop unevenly, it depends on genetics and training methods; sooner or later the question arises of tightening up a specific muscle group so that it does not lag behind others.
For example, if they lag behind, in addition to the traditional one, add to the sides; if these are the upper muscles, then they should be included in the training program; if the back of the thigh lags behind, add leg bending.
But once it comes to the biceps, the task becomes more complicated. , spectacular top of the biceps - depends on the short head, and it is hidden under the external one. The short one is closer to the body, which is why it is called internal, and the long one is outside the arm, which is why it is called external.
The main thing when working on biceps is the width of the grip; the wider the grip, the more the short head is involved in the work; the narrower it is, the stronger the outer one.
Also, the position of the arms is of no small importance; the more you extend your arms when working with a barbell or dumbbells, the more the outer part of the biceps works; the less it extends, the more the emphasis shifts to the inner section.
Below we will outline important rules for targeted training of the short head of the biceps:
1. Properly distribute the load between days
I will say right away that biceps belongs to small muscle groups, so it is faster than large muscles such as the back, chest and legs. Therefore, you can train your biceps more often and more intensely.
But this does not mean that you can pump it up almost every day; you shouldn’t load your biceps on Monday, your back on Tuesday, and your biceps again on Wednesday; your arms won’t have time to fully recover, since any exercises on the back put a lot of stress on your arms.
If you train your arms 2 times a week, during the first workout, pay attention to heavy basic exercises for the short and long sections of the biceps, and devote the second session exclusively to isolated exercises for the internal section. In addition, change the position of the grip, hands, inclinations of the bench, use more variety so that the exercises in 2-unit workouts are not repeated.
2. Pump up your biceps after your back
This is an excellent solution to the problem when immediately after the back there is a load on the biceps. Typically, all traction exercises are basic, so the arms receive a serious load, which involves all the muscles.
Therefore, after training your back, you should finally train your arms in order to maximize muscle hypertrophy and bring the sensation to full strength.
Just don’t try to do the opposite, biceps, and then rows for the back, otherwise you will somehow work your back, the strength will drop, and the grip will weaken.
3. Start your biceps workout from the base
First of all, pay attention to lifting the barbell for the biceps while standing, using a wide grip; this basic exercise engages the biceps to the maximum, loading it to the smallest muscle fibers.
Set it heavy so that you can do 6-8 without disrupting the movement technique; at the very end of the exercise you can use it, slightly tilting your back back and, as if throwing the barbell up, lower it slowly with a feeling of complete burning.
4. Concentration on the inside
It will not be possible to isolate the load separately and direct it 100% to the short muscle, but it is possible to specifically pump the internal area and 
You can raise the top of your biceps using different grips, inclination angles and different body positions.
After you have done a heavy basic exercise with standing arm curls, it’s time to concentrate the maximum load on the internal area, this is achieved through bench bending, curling and curling.
Set the weight so that you can perform 10 repetitions, try to use a different angle of inclination and body position each time so that the muscles receive a varied load, this will allow you to constantly load different muscle areas, all this will lead to an increase in volume.
5. Don't be afraid to improve your exercises
On the same Scott bench, lifting is usually done using an E-shaped bar; introduce variety using a straight bar, dumbbells, and kettlebell. The usefulness of the kettlebell lies in the fact that it rotates a little in the hand and the weight hits the biceps, while reducing the load on the forearm.
Please note, when you lift a dumbbell, you usually take it in the center of the handle, this is convenient, but to shift the load to the inside of your arm, take an external grip, that is, so that your grip rests on the plate closer to the outside of the dumbbell, so that when bending your arm, you feel the load shifting to internal area.
Try setting the gymnastics bench at an angle of 45 degrees, lie on it with your chest and perform arm curls, for example with dumbbells, you will immediately feel how almost the entire load goes to the top of the biceps.
6. Use training to failure
Choosing the right exercises for training your arms is only 70% successful; to get the maximum benefit, you need to use a variety of training methods. They should be used in the last 1-2 approaches of the exercise; the most common ones used for pumping up large arms are:
– they are also called stepped ones, the principle is simple, lift the weight for 10-8 repetitions, then reduce the weights by 25% and do 10-8 repetitions again without rest, then reduce it by 25% and squeeze out the same 10-8 repetitions. Continue until muscle pain prevents you from performing a single bend, and the weight in your hands is minimal. The weight at the end may be 2-3 kg, and you will not be able to do a single repetition.
Try biceps training in crossovers using a cable, they are easy to reduce weight.
Partial reps– the essence of the method is this: perform a full bend of your arms with a barbell or dumbbell, then extend your arm only halfway and bend it again, and do this until the end of the approach. This method concentrates on peak contractions in the muscles and more weight can be taken.
- these are the famous forced repetitions, when the last repetitions were given with enormous effort, you, with the help of a partner, go beyond the pain in the muscles, the partner helps you lift the barbell, slightly pushing it, in the place where you stopped, entering the dead center, you lower the weight yourself, slowly, concentrating on the muscles being trained.
– take a very light weight, about 20-30% of your maximum weight, with which you can do only 1 repetition. So, with this small weight, perform up to 20 repetitions, then resting for no more than 1 minute, again do another 1-2 approaches. You will immediately feel how your muscles fill up and increase in volume.
– perform 1-2 warm-up approaches and immediately set a heavy weight with which you can perform a maximum of 6 repetitions and no more. Then, after resting, reduce the weight so that you can do 8 repetitions, then 10 and 12. That is, you start not by increasing the weight, but by decreasing it, coming from the opposite side of the approach.
Apply these important tips and the question of how to raise the upper biceps will become irrelevant, you will increase your upper biceps, making it powerful and voluminous.
