The favorite muscle group of many experienced bodybuilders and almost all beginners is the biceps. What have we heard from others since childhood, it was only worth hinting that we started playing some kind of sport? Correct: “Come on, show your biceps!” Where do you need to start building biceps “like Arnold’s” and what are the secrets in pumping 60-centimeter arms for all the pros?

Of course, to start, as in training any muscle group, and the biceps are no exception, you need to start with anatomy. Without this, we will not be able to understand why this or that grip of the bar critically affects the appearance of our hand, and twisting or vice versa screwing the wrist, we will get a completely different training effect. And here it is worth paying attention that although there are such tricks in training any muscle, there are perhaps more nuances in working on biceps and triceps than anywhere else.

Shoulder Anatomy

The biceps or biceps brachii is a large, highly visible muscle on the front of the shoulder. The biceps, according to the general opinion, is the formal personification of the human musculature, and traditionally the assessment of the physique is reduced to the assessment of the size of the biceps. Many bodybuilders, especially beginners, focus most of their attention on the biceps. In this regard, countless articles, literature, training programs, tips and recommendations on biceps training have been created. Analyzing modern data, it is safe to say that approximately 80% of all information about biceps training is false. The biceps has two heads or bundles (“bi” means “two”). The long head is located in the front, outer part of the arm, starting from the upper edge of the scapula, called the articular fossa. The short head runs closer to the inside of the arm and also starts from the shoulder blade, but slightly lower. Further, both heads merge and enter the tuberosity of the radius. The main function of the biceps is to bend the arm at the elbow joint, so almost all exercises consist of this movement.
Also, along with the biceps, the small brachialis (shoulder) muscle forms the arm structure, which does not formally belong to the biceps, but trains with it and also affects the appearance of the arm in “biceps poses”.

Thus, the muscles of the upper limb are divided into the muscles of the shoulder and the muscles of the forearm. The muscles of the shoulder, in turn, are divided into two groups – anterior (flexors) and posterior (extensors). The anterior group consists of three muscles: coracobrachialis, biceps brachii, and brachialis.

The coracobrachial muscle, m.coracobrachialis, starts from the top of the coracoid process, passes into a flat tendon, which is attached below the crest of the lesser tubercle to the humerus, at the level of attachment of the tendon of the deltoid muscle. Main function: flexes the shoulder at the shoulder joint and brings it to the body. Participates in the rotation of the shoulder outward (if the shoulder is pronated). If the shoulder is fixed, the muscle pulls the scapula forward and downward;

The biceps muscle of the shoulder or biceps, m.biceps brachii, has two heads – short and long. The short head begins together with the coracobrachial muscle from the top of the coracoid process of the scapula. The long head originates from the supraarticular tubercle of the scapula with a tendon that penetrates the capsule of the shoulder joint from top to bottom and extends to the shoulder, where it lies in the intertubercular groove. At the level of the shoulder, both heads are connected into a common spindle-shaped abdomen, which passes into a tendon attached to the tuberosity of the radius. Main function: flexes the shoulder at the shoulder joint; flexes the forearm at the elbow joint; the forearm turned inward turns outward (supination);

The shoulder muscle, m.brachialis, starts from the lower two-thirds of the body of the humerus between the deltoid tuberosity and the articular capsule of the elbow joint, the medial and lateral intermuscular septa of the shoulder. Attaches to the tuberosity of the ulna. The bundles of the deep part of the tendon of the muscle are woven into the capsule of the elbow joint. Main function: flexes the forearm at the elbow joint.

Biceps workout

Many people wonder how, among such a wide variety of exercises and various options for their implementation, find and use what is most suitable for you? In fact, the tactics are quite simple: you need to start bodybuilding with the classics, which are effective for most people.

It is a mistake to believe that the classics are outdated programs, which have been replaced by new sophisticated trainings. In fact, the classical approach gives you the highest guarantee of success, however it is not a complete solution to the problem. If you have been studying for at least 2 years and did not get a good result, so the program needs to be changed. In this article, we will try to outline the classic canons of biceps training, as well as give advice on improving the training. I would like to immediately dispel one very popular myth: it is often claimed that some exercises develop the biceps in width, others form the peak, the third upper part, the fourth lower part, and so on. In fact, everything is different: the shape of the biceps is determined by 90% genetically, and almost all exercises involve the biceps completely. Thus, it is almost impossible to change the shape of the biceps, which cannot be said about its volume.

Features of biceps training

For beginners, you should not train every day because your muscles are not used to heavy loads yet, develop them gradually. For example, start with 3 workouts a week for an hour and do not forget that muscles love a large number of repetitions and exercises through strength – this will not only create muscle relief, but also contribute to the growth of the biceps muscle (biceps).

It is enough to train biceps 1 time in 1-2 weeks. You should not do this more often, as the muscles will not have time to recover, and growth is possible only if the recovery is complete. It is a mistake to assume that isolation is the best choice for arm muscles. Biceps, like other muscles, are best pumped with basic exercises, in particular underhand pull-ups, reverse grip bent-over rows, and standing bicep curls.

For athletes with less than 2 years of experience, it is optimal not to use isolation exercises. The optimal number of repetitions for the growth of biceps is 8-12, for an increase in strength 6-8. The set should last about 1 minute. Do about 2-3 sets per workout (the sum of the sets of all exercises). Do 1-2 bicep exercises per workout. To prevent muscle adaptation, try to change the set of exercises every 2 to 4 workouts. Beginners can do this less often.

One of the effective stimulating factors is a progressive increase in load. Add weight gradually every 1 to 3 workouts. For maximum biceps work, use super training techniques. In a split, biceps can be trained with triceps, shoulders, forearms, back, or chest.

Basic exercises for biceps

Basic exercises for training biceps such:

Barbell curl for biceps
Lifting dumbbells for biceps
Alternate curls with dumbbells
Concentrated curl
Bending the arms on the Scott bench
Bending the arms with dumbbells with a grip “hammer”
One arm curl with lower block handle
Spider curls