Six million dollar biceps: build them bigger, stronger and faster with our ultimate guide to biceps training

Men's Fitness, April, 2003 by Ian Cohen

When he inhaled those cans of spinach, Popeye wasn't doing it to improve colonic transit time. He chugged that green glop for two less prosaic reasons--to bust out those killer biceps and to kick some ass. It's no wonder you grew up believing that a mighty set of cannons gets a mighty amount of respect and admiration. A well-developed bulge poking out from a shirtsleeve can turn her head faster than a sale sign at a shoe store. And unlike other bulging areas, this one can be exposed in public with impunity.

Aside from their visual appeal, biceps serve another vital function--they enable the arm to bend at the elbow joint. Simple things such as eating a sandwich, throwing a baseball, drinking a Michelob Ultra, or making certain off-color hand gestures would be darn near impossible without these muscles. Without functioning biceps you'd have the arm mobility of a cast member from Dawn of the Dead.

Unfortunately, more than a can of spinach, it takes a well-planned weight-training program partnered with a dedicated effort to supersize your biceps, But fret not; this workout gives you all the how-to you'll need to build a pair of stunning guns.

STEP-BY-STEP

Because there are more ways to do a curl than there are to perform a sex act at a Nevada brothel, Paul Faaland, a National Academy of Sports Medicine-certified personal trainer in Woodland Hills, Calif., has created this Biceps Workbook for MEN'S FITNESS readers. Follow its rules and you'll be able to custom tailor a workout plan that will get you results quick and easy--but prepared to buy some larger in just a few months.

Step 1: Arms Building

First, determine your level of weight-room experience. If you're a relative novice or just getting back into training after a long layoff, go with exercises from the newcomers' section. If you've already put in three months or more in the weight room, you're probably ready to tackle the more advanced exercises.

Once you've determined your level of experience, you're ready to put your arms to work. While there are a whole lot of exercises to choose from, take comfort in knowing that you'll be integrating only three of them into any single routine (the biceps are small muscles and it's easy to overtrain them).

To hit all three aspects of the biceps, Faaland recommends using a blend of barbell, dumbbell and cable exercises that incorporates at least one supinated and one hammer or pronated grip. Choose whichever particular movements you like.

Step 2: Crunching the Numbers

For both newcomers and advanced, the desired number of sets to bring optimal results should be in the six-to-10 range, which will allow you to focus on muscle size. Strive to achieve total muscle failure during each set while maintaining excellent form. As the muscles fatigue, avoid using momentum to get a rep going (momentum is a technique that can be used on occasion when you're a more advanced trainer, but not now). As for reps, anywhere from six to 15 is fine depending on the goal.

More definition: If gaining size and definition are your main objectives, then use a lighter weight along with a higher number of reps--between eight and 15. Lighter weights and higher reps force the working muscle to recruit muscle fibers that may not get recruited when you rely on heavier weights and lower reps. The recruitment and development of these extra fibers not only adds size, but also brings more detail to the muscle.

Mass: If developing brute mass is your top priority, a heavier weight combined with a lower rep count (six to eight) is the way to go. The use of heavy weights and low reps recruits more fast-twitch muscle fibers as well as increases the thickness of the muscle fibers themselves. This results in increases in muscle density and overall size. We recommend, however, that unless you've been training longer than six months, mass building should not be your first concern.

Step 3: Form To get the most out of your biceps workout, you must have impeccable form. For those new to biceps training, your elbows should remain stationary while your hands move upward toward the shoulders. Keep the pace slow during the lifting and the lowering phases to feel the biceps work. For the more advanced guy, it's okay to at times break form during certain exercises (barbell curl, dumbbell curl) by moving the elbows away from the body to get a few extra reps in. Be careful not to throw your pelvis forward as you cheat, though, or you risk pinching your lumbar spine.

Step 4: Rest The amount of time you rest between sets is key. "Because you want to keep your muscles active, it's best to wait no longer than 90 seconds," says Faaland. "Keeping your rest time short also serves as an added benefit to your cardio development." How often should you work your biceps? A minimum of five days between workouts should be ample time to allow for total muscle recovery before starting back up again.

Step 5: Change is good If Tom Cruise could get tired of Nicole Kidman, you can be damn well sure that you're going to get tired of your biceps routine. Fortunately for you, thanks to our workbook, coming up with a new biceps workout is a whole lot easier than coming up with a new Nicole Kidman.