For bicep training tips, we went to the guy with the big cans. And that’s what Calum von Moger – Mr. Universe according to the International Fitness Federation – told us.
People always go to beefy guys for advice, take it for granted. For the 2014 International Fitness Federation Mr. Universe, Calum von Moger, this is tantamount to an endless string of questions about how he rocked such gigantic biceps.

We asked our 13 questions to a 25-year-old Australian who was forced to move to Los Angeles in search of bodybuilding recognition and fame.

1. What is the most overrated bicep exercise?
Bending on the lower block with one hand. If you’re standing too close to the block, any lateral elbow deflection during the lift can reduce the load on the biceps.
Moreover, as soon as the arm rises above the level of the elbow joint, the biceps gets a short respite (when the arm is fully flexed). At this point, the load falls on the elbow, and not on the biceps. The elbow should remain pressed to the body, and not move forward during the movement of the handle. Move away from the block a couple of steps to keep the muscles in tension all the time.

2. What is the most underrated bicep exercise?
Concentrated dumbbell curls while standing; it’s amazing how often people do them wrong. When performed correctly, they turn into one of the best bicep exercises and really isolate the part of the muscle that gives the bicep peak the necessary height.
I do this exercise while standing with one hand on my knee. The variation in the sitting position is called concentrated flexion.

3. What is your favorite bicep exercise?
Scott Bench Curls because I can make a great brain-to-muscle connection and my arms respond beautifully to that. I have found that this movement for the short head provides constant pressure from the beginning to the end of the range of motion. And I add a powerful contraction in the peak flexion position.

4. What do you recommend to enhance the effect of bending on the Scott bench?
I like to do 1-2 sets to force the pump, and then a few working sets of 10-12 reps each. Periodically I resort to drop sets – upon reaching muscle failure, I reduce the weight by about 25% to continue the approach – and partial repetitions: I do six repetitions in the lower phase of the movement and six more in its upper half. When I train with a partner, in the last set I ask him to put pressure on the projectile while I resist his movement down. This turns the eccentric phase into a real challenge and leads to the most monstrous muscle pressure you will ever feel.
When my partner presses the bar, I focus on the eccentric or negative phase of the movement, which is often overlooked. And since you are stronger in the eccentric phase than in the concentric phase, this allows you to more fully work out the muscle fibers and squeeze them to the last drop. I am convinced that the eccentric phase is just as important as the concentric, although many athletes neglect it. With the help of negatives, we can achieve much more damage to muscle fibers.

5. Where does bicep training fit in your training split?
I recently revised my strategy. The arms are the strongest part of my body, and I had to reduce the load on the arms in order to maintain the proportional development of all parts of the body. Now I train biceps once a week along with triceps. Only hands. And I limit myself to about ten sets for biceps. I used to do up to twenty sets, but now I cut the amount of load in half.

6. What rep scheme do you recommend for biceps?
I start with standing barbell or EZ barbell raises. I do two warm-up sets and two work sets. Then I move on to some variation of dumbbell raises, Scott bench curls, or concentration curls—and do 3 sets of each. I usually get to muscle failure around the 10th rep. About six weeks before the competition for the Mr. Universe title, I used a high-rep scheme, because I wanted to enhance the rendering of the relief of the hands. And even earlier, I trained for weeks with a weight that I could not lift more than 6 times – this is quite a serious working weight.

7. Do you have any favorite examples of intense bicep training?
Negatives and partials aside, I’m a big fan of forced reps and drop sets. In barbell raises, I do a lot of cheating reps. Many do not understand the principle of cheating repetitions and do not know how to benefit from them. With cheat reps, you do as many clean sets as you can, but then you don’t drop the bar, you create an extra one. momentum from the knees and hips to continue the approach. This allows you to complete a few extra reps that you normally wouldn’t be able to do.
I also like to supinate my hands and raise my little finger as high as possible. This shifts the focus to the outer head of the biceps. I also do the hammer curl not with dumbbells, but with a rope handle on the block. This opens up the possibility of a slight supination in the upper phase as I turn the brush. I tense the muscle and hold the peak contraction for a second at the top point.

8. What is the best way to increase the intensity of your biceps workout if you are working without a partner?
Work at a fast pace. Sometimes I do supersets and combine biceps with triceps exercises, which reduces rest between sets. While the biceps are recovering, you are training the triceps; and while the triceps are recovering, you are pumping the biceps. This is a very intense strategy and it cuts down on your total workout time.

9. What is the biggest mistake you make while training your biceps?
Lack of concentration. I think the whole secret is in the connection of the brain and muscles. If you can’t set it up, your workout suffers and you’re doing automatic moves. Being focused means not being distracted by anything.

In addition, I often see people who perform exercises with the wrong technique. You must master the technique before you take on heavy working weights.

10. What was your biggest mistake early in your career?
I often veered off course, trying to take the maximum possible weight that I could lift. After a while, you start working with really heavy weight, but this greatly increases the risk of muscle tear, which I have experienced several times. Fortunately, the injuries were minor. Today, I no longer use this biceps training strategy. I realized that I don’t need to lift super heavy weight to be successful.

11. Do you have a favorite way to end a super bicep pump workout?
Let’s say I’m doing the Scott Bench Curl, doing drop sets with heavy working weights and dropping a couple of plates when I hit failure. I do this several times. How much to lose, I decide intuitively; it depends on how I feel.

12. What is the most valuable piece of bicep training advice for you?
When I was preparing for my second competition, I I was advised to do standing barbell raises with a straight bar rather than the curved bar that I used all the time before. The exercise was easy for me, but as soon as I switched to a straight neck, my wrists began to hurt, because the lower grip loaded them more. Over time, my wrists got stronger, and I think I was able to add quite a bit of quality mass by doing straight bar curls early in my workout.

13. When people ask what is the secret of your muscular arms, what do you answer them?
From the very beginning I loved to train my arms; I did this three times a week. Obviously, you should enjoy your bicep training and push yourself to the limit. At the beginning of the workout, do exercises with heavy weights, and at the end – isolated exercises. That’s the whole secret.