Joe Pietaro
Joe Pietaro Contributer
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The secret is out and the genie cannot be put back in the bottle. Gym rats were looking for the solution to the age-old question, "How do your get big biceps?" and the answer may be a bit of a letdown for those who were hoping for something convoluted or exotic. It's a very simple one-word reply: curls. Yep, plain old bicep curls are the 'secret' that even the IFBB pros know. No curls, no arms; it's that basic.
But before you start complaining that there's no originality with that, understand that even the most basic of exercises can be varied to alter it even ever-so-slighty and masque it as a completely different movement. The way you hold the weight, dumbbells air barbells, the angle you use for the rep, alternate or simultaneous, wide or narrow grip, straight or E-Z curl bar, seated or standing... you get the idea.
If you do the same four exercises for biceps every week in the gym, then you are just going through the motions and not trying to mix things up for better results. Sure, there can be one or even two go-to exercises that you like to perform and just feel it the right way. So in that case, you should always implement them into your routine. But even in those circumstances, don't always perform them in the same order; if you did its first this week, then do it last ext week. That kind of planning keeps things interesting even when they're the same.
Your muscles may get used to certain things, but putting them through resistance movements will make them grow. You don't want that stagnated even a little, so switching things up even slightly is a good way to plan your routine. Doing an exercise like high cable curls are great for starters, super sets and finishers. So you can always do them, but do a round robin with those three different options to make them harder for you.
One biceps exercise that many people either are unaware of or overlook are spider curls, which are performed lying down on a 45-degree angle bench (if the decline variety, but facing the other way) and put it high enough that you have a full range of motion so that at the bottom of each rep, your arms are completely straight but the weight is not touching the floor. This is one of those movements where you can use either a straight or E-Z curl bar and change up the width of your grip on both.
Regardless of how you mix it up, it's a good idea to do at least one standing, one seated, one dumbbell and one barbell bicep exercise. You will obviously repeat that part of it, but have a plethora of options in front of you to make it a diverse routine using the most basic of exercises,
But before you start complaining that there's no originality with that, understand that even the most basic of exercises can be varied to alter it even ever-so-slighty and masque it as a completely different movement. The way you hold the weight, dumbbells air barbells, the angle you use for the rep, alternate or simultaneous, wide or narrow grip, straight or E-Z curl bar, seated or standing... you get the idea.
If you do the same four exercises for biceps every week in the gym, then you are just going through the motions and not trying to mix things up for better results. Sure, there can be one or even two go-to exercises that you like to perform and just feel it the right way. So in that case, you should always implement them into your routine. But even in those circumstances, don't always perform them in the same order; if you did its first this week, then do it last ext week. That kind of planning keeps things interesting even when they're the same.
Your muscles may get used to certain things, but putting them through resistance movements will make them grow. You don't want that stagnated even a little, so switching things up even slightly is a good way to plan your routine. Doing an exercise like high cable curls are great for starters, super sets and finishers. So you can always do them, but do a round robin with those three different options to make them harder for you.
One biceps exercise that many people either are unaware of or overlook are spider curls, which are performed lying down on a 45-degree angle bench (if the decline variety, but facing the other way) and put it high enough that you have a full range of motion so that at the bottom of each rep, your arms are completely straight but the weight is not touching the floor. This is one of those movements where you can use either a straight or E-Z curl bar and change up the width of your grip on both.
Regardless of how you mix it up, it's a good idea to do at least one standing, one seated, one dumbbell and one barbell bicep exercise. You will obviously repeat that part of it, but have a plethora of options in front of you to make it a diverse routine using the most basic of exercises,
