Biceps Development

Bicep Development
By Zach Bashore

The biceps are another one of those overtrained muscle groups
that people have trouble with. Is it the ease of doing
hundreds of curls or the uneducated decisions we make when
training them? This article is aimed at the ones who are
interested in the basics of bicep training and may also help
the experienced lifter bust out of his or her plateau. You
are going to learn what the biceps is, best exercises, best day
to train, and how your split should look.

Your biceps are involved with many activities you do each day
such as carrying and lifting things. Tthe bicep is the muscle
running along the inside of the upper arm which bends your arm at
the elbow. The biceps muscle consists of three groups: The
pronator teres, which causes flexion at the elbow and also causes
pronation with the forearm. The brachialis only allows for flexion
at the elbow, and the biceps brachii causes flexion of the elbow
and supination of the forearm.

Most bicep exercises are labeled pulling exercises and involve
curling your hand towards your shoulders. You can perform many
different bicep exercises with almost any type of resistance. The
following list is an example of good exercises you can do with
the equipment listed above it.

Dumbell
Alternate Hammer Curl
Seated Dumbbell Curl
Zottman Curl
Cross Body Hammer Curl
Dumbell Alternate Bicep Curl
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl

Barbell
Barbell Curl
Close Grip Easy Bar Curl
Preacher Curl
Spider Curl
Wide Grip Standing Barbell Curl

Cables
Standing Cable Curl
Overhead Cable Curl
Lying Cable Curl
Cable Preacher Curl
Cable Hammer Curl

Machines
Machine Preacher Curl

Bodyweight
Chin-up

Some people train biceps on the same day as they train back.
However, many contradicts this split by stating, "The first
thing you want to do is make sure you're not training biceps
on back day. Training your back first will fatigue your biceps."
There is no rule stating that you must train biceps with any
other muscle group. As with the training biceps with back
example, there are just to many diffferent opinions to state
that one way is the best. You need to find which split works
best for you.

The biceps are not as an important muscle group as the triceps,
but they should still not be neglected. There is no greater
feeling than flexing your biceps and watching them peak into
what a mountain looks like. You also need to take into account
that the biceps are sometimes targeted on exercises you didn't
even think you would hit. It is very easy to overtrain them,
especially if they are being worked more than twice a week.