Most guys would be lying; if they didn’t want an extra inch or two on their guns, or at least to have more defined arms.
Training your arms doesn’t have to be complex or complicated as social media gurus would lead you to believe. You don’t need to do a ‘1000 rep’ challenge or use complex machinery to develop an impressive set of bulging biceps.
You just need to do the basics and execute them well on a consistent basis.
A well developed set of arms on a man; will not only help build self-confidence, but functionally can help with grip strength in Deadlifts and aid performance in other compound lifts, such as Bench-Press and Shoulder-Press.
The problem is most guys:
Overcomplicate their bicep training
Lift too heavy with poor form
Or lift too light and don’t stimulate muscle growth
Only train their arms once a week
If you want to solve this problem; build a set of sleeve tearing gun’s that impress at the beach this summer, here’s our dummies guide to Building Bigger Biceps in the gym:
START WITH BIG MOVEMENTS AT HIGH INTENSITY
If you're struggling to grow your arms; it might be time to ditch the complex machinery, or light weight tempos. We recommend focusing on heavier movements, that can attack all areas in one hit. Whilst we recommend using weights that will actually stimulate muscle growth.
At PPS we also teach our clients to use a mix of different grips, to challenge different heads of your biceps, for greater overall development. The bicep is made up of two different heads; so we like to use a both ‘palms up’ grip and a neutral grip in our Bicep training, to target both.
Our simple exercise recommendations would be:
Palms Up: Barbell Bicep Curl
The tried and true, Barbell Curl is an exercise that cannot be underestimated for Bicep growth. The Barbell Curl is the ‘compound’ movement of the Bicep arsenal. This movement works both heads of the Bicep, while also heavy targeting forearms and brachialis. We recommend performing fairly heavy sets of 6-10 reps for this movement.
Neutral Grip: DB Hammer Curl
We recommend including a dumbbell movement in your bicep training, to help improve balance and right to left symmetry. The Neutral or Hammer grip is great for isolating the Bicep and adding thickness to the muscle. We recommend focusing on quality reps for sets of 10-12 reps for this movement.
FIX YOUR ELBOWS
We have all seen that guy in the gym; grunting away as he throws around heavy curls, swaying his lower back and using a tonne of momentum to get the weight up. It doesn’t make for pleasant viewing.
We can assume his Biceps haven’t grown much in the past few years either.
It’s important to keep your elbows in a ‘fixed position’ when curling. This will isolate the bicep, whilst keeping the shoulder (anterior delt) out of the equation. The more tension you can put on the bicep, the greater it will grow.
Think of the elbow as a ‘pivot point’, fixed in position while the weight rotates around it.
You might not be able to lift as much as you thought, but if we think ‘quality of quantity’ you’ll benefit a lot more in the long run.
INCREASE TRAINING FREQUENCY
If people are confusing your arms with a piece of thread hanging from your sleeves, then maybe it’s time to increase your bicep training frequency. For some guys; one day a week doesn’t cut the mustard (like in the old ‘bro split’ days) and we need to be targeting our Biceps 2-3 x per week. This means we can increase training load (volume) and spread it out over the week to combat fatigue.
Any muscle group can handle being targeted 2x per week, with the right recovery systems in place. Studies show that ‘Muscle Protein Synthesis’ (your body's adaptive response to lifting weights) has settled after 48 hours and you should be prime to go again. Doing so, will allow you to train your guns 104 times in a year, rather than only 52 (at once per week).
For a small muscle group like Biceps; we would recommend choosing 2 exercises for 3-4 sets on Day 1, then another 2 exercises for 3-4 sets to be completed on Day 2 of bicep training.
For example:
Bicep Workout 1
Barbell Bicep Curl: 4 sets of 6-10 reps
DB Hammer Curl: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Bicep Workout 2
Incline DB Curl: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
Rope Hammer Curl: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
This covers all bases for Bicep growth; Varied grips, intensities and rep ranges, whilst allowing for suitable recovery.
So if you have alway struggled to grow your arms in the gym we recommend re-evaluating your approach to gun training in the gym.
Keep it simple: focus on the basic movements. Lift with a decent amount of weight so you can hit all areas of the muscle and stimulate growth.
Go with a quality over quantity approach: Use a heavy weight but ensure your form is kept in check, to help isolate the muscle.
While upping the frequency: Hit 2-3 Bicep workouts per week, using the basic principles we prescribed.
Like any muscle-group we must use progressive overload to encourage growth (lifting more over time) and we must allow for suitable recovery.
Johnny Allen (Founder/Director)
P.S. We are taking on new guys into our exclusive PPS Transformation Programs at all locations.
Grow bigger arms, get stronger and transform your body, so that you can feel more confident at the beach this Summer.
Click the TAKE ACTION button and book a chat with the location that suits you best.
If your application is successful, we will offer you a FREE Body Composition Scan, Goal Setting Session and 1:1 x 45 Minute Coaching Session.