Arnold Schwarzenegger
Try these sleeve bursting biceps routines and exercises of the champions.  Designed to bring you maximum size, classic shape, and peak conditions, in the minimum of time.  Proven exercises and techniques to bulk up your upper arms into sleeve busting, contest winning shape.

The formula for success in achieving sleeve bursting upper arms, is to followed those proven routines, systems and principles of the champions.  No longer close kept secrets, but available to all those who seek muscular perfection by using exercise combinations to stimulate to the full the main muscle mass of the flexors of the upper arms, commonly bracketed under the heading The Biceps.

Let’s take a detailed look at the most universally popular muscle the Biceps with suggestions for boosting its power, size and peak cuts.

FUNCTION OF THE BICEPS
The biceps muscle is involved in flexing the elbow joint (you can’t flex muscles..! only joints).  The Biceps secondary action is to assist elbow flexion and thirdly flexion of the shoulder joint.  The muscle the Brachialis Anticus is mainly responsible for elbow joint flexion.  E.g. Reverse curls i.e. with palms facing down, knuckles upward effect the Brachialis Anticus, but you are required to turn the palm upwards to fully flex the Biceps.
 

HOW TO BUILD HIGH BICEPS
The anatomist might tell you that as all muscle are pre-determined in shape via genetic insertions, saying there is no such thing as being able to build ‘high’ or peaked biceps – or for that matter, influence any muscle shape.  This argument taken logically would in theory heavily discourage all forms of pumping iron, bodybuilding or body sculpture.  Other people feel it IS possible to influence arm shape, or any other muscle group, for that matter by selective exercises  I belong to the latter group knowing certain isolated exercises can accentuate separate fibrals shaping or sculpturing muscle groups to a pre-planned design.  That’s what bodybuilding is all about.

Albert Beckles
 

EXERCISES FOR HIGH PEAKED BICEPS
It takes more than basic barbell curls to develop the arms to their limits in muscularity.  The accepted and most practised method is to build up some initial bulk or size with heavy barbell and dumbbell curls and then go on to the shape the muscle group with isolated exercises and moves.  Just to be different, we will look at the peaking exercises first, and later add exercises for those full bodied/long Biceps.

It’s a fact – the Harder you contract the Biceps, the higher it will project.  An old ‘free’ exercise demonstration for high biceps was to first flex the arm in the normal shoulder ‘high arm front biceps pose’ tense hard – then still tensing, raise the elbow on up and over behind the neck and feel the added contraction in this more extreme flexed biceps position. 

To influence or encourage such high tensed peaked biceps, one must as mentioned prior, use specific exercises, plus certain styles and combinations of sets and reps.  Remember, no arm or for that matter other muscle group, will shot cuts, separation or striations, unless bodyfat is lowered by diet, assisted by supplements such as lecithin, inosital and choline.  So for those peaked arms, try experimenting with several of the following, adding them to your standard arm routine.

Remember, for specialization, place the Biceps shaping routine at the beginning, or in a separate routine, while energy and enthusiasm are at their highest.  Variety is the spice of life, change exercises from time to time, when you begin to lose interest in them, or your body gets so accustomed to the move, that it is no longer requires 100% effort and concentration.  Alternate between high and low reps, although in this instance medium i.e. eight and high, i.e. twelve reps appear to work for most.  Mr. Universe and Mr. World Basil Francis built his huge arms by training twice a week on upper arms, using a wide variety of exercises, ranging form low to high sets.  IFBB star Johnny Fuller often used up to 30 reps, others get by, or make better progress on five or six reps using heavy weights and intense contractions.  Haney practices them all – and keeps winning, stressing full extension and flexion – always an important factor in training.

The exercises to flow are For Shape.  Use lighter weights with deliberate mental concentration especially when contracting the Biceps in the full and final flexed position.

Exercise One.  A favourite of Richard Gaspari.

THE SEATED PEAK CONTRACTION CONCENTRATION CURL
Known in short as a ‘concentration curls’.  This exercise has probably produced more mighty peaked biceps than any other and has long been a favourite of the stars because it brings results in shape and also adds size.  Sit on the end of your exercise bench with a medium weighted dumbbell in hand, palm facing upwards, the other hand resting on to your knee.  Curl the dumbbell up slowly to the shoulder, raising the elbow at the topmost position, cramping the muscle hard.  Pause in the contract position, then lower slowly and repeat.  Swap to other arm alternating sets equally  Try 4 x 10 to 12 reps.
 

Charles Clairmont performs high barbell curls

HIGH BARBELL CURLS
Stand erect in the normal standard barbell curl position, use an E-Zee or ‘curl’ bar if you have one, or slightly narrower than usual grip.  Curl slowly under complete control, using medium to light poundage.  Keep the arms tight to the sides until the top position has been reached, then raise the upper arm forwards so that the elbows are facing forwards and as high as possible.  Again use high reps to encourage capillary plus muscle fibral growth.  Suggest you use 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
 

SEATED HALF CURLS
Sit upon your exercise bench with a medium weighted barbell resting across upper thighs.  From this dead position, curl barbell to shoulders, elbows forward and as high as possible, fully and completely tensing the Biceps.  Lower slowly and repeat for 3 to 6 sets of 8 to 12 reps. You will soon discover this is a tough exercise, without the benefit of the usual momentum achieved in the standard (cheat0 curl. DO NOT Bounce the bar on your thighs.
 

BENT FORWARD BARBELL CURLS
This exercise is similar in action to standard curls, but performed with a close hand grip and, as its name suggests, in a bent forward position.  A superb exercise to try to obtain that split biceps effect a la Al Beckles.  Giving razor sharp appearance forcing out the deep muscle fibres and burning off surface fat.  Concentrate not only on the exercise but also on the actual muscle action.  Take Arnold ‘S' ’s advice and visualize the biceps growing in size and shape.  Try 4 x 8 reps.

BENCH END CURLS
This specific movement has been largely replaced by ‘preacher curls’ but to obtain the result we see, i.e. High Biceps, then if you prefer to use a preacher or SCOTT bench, it must be positioned so that the angle is sufficiently sharp to throw the accent onto the upper biceps and not the lower insertions as per normal preacher curls.  It’s probably best to carry the exercise out as its original method i.e. laying face down, arms extended over the end of the high exercise bench.  Rest your upper arms against the end of the bench, then curl the barbell up to the shoulders slowly, hold for a moment in the fully contracted position, then lower and repeat.  The same exercise can be followed using dumbbells.  Make sure you get the feel of the weights on the lowering movements, doing several half movements or burns on the last reps in the top position

 LAT MACHINE CURLS
Position your flat bench under your lat machines, lying on the bench face upwards.  Grasp the lat bar with slightly narrower than shoulder width.  Keep the upper arms and elbows pointing upwards and as stable as possible at all times during the exercise, and curl the bar downwards towards the upper chest.  Concentrate upon fully contracting the biceps and every stage of the movement, but as in previous exercises, especially in the middle and final part of the curl reaching previously neglected muscle fibres.  Have a trial with 4 sets of 10 repetitions.

continued
 

cont'd...FURTHER IDEAS FOR PEAKED BICEPS

Practise plenty of curls with cables or the spring or rubber type of apparatus called ‘chest expanders’ (superb for pumping muscles prior to a contest and supplied by Bodybuilding Monthly at a bargain price).  Try half chins in the top part of the exercise.  Practise rope climbing, especially without using the legs.  Again I suggest all types of cable/pulley apparatus curls, which maintain full resistance even near completion of the exercise, unlike many barbell exercise, and if you can take advantage of any special Nautilus or similar special machines with their variable resistance.  Finally to add to the cuts and peaks in your upper arms, practice your posing routine with emphasis on tensing and flexing the upper arms in various positions, lifting elbows up high to create the ultimate in contraction.

Let us now discuss the development of the FULL BODIED ‘long’ shoulder to elbow Biceps. 

The preacher curl demonstrated by
Rich Gaspari

FULL BICEPS
Much as with the high biceps theory, the idea of actually being able to develop this full elbow to shoulder biceps is again debatable, no doubt genetically controlled and influenced by body type  Ectomorphs generally have higher biceps than Mesomorphs, the latter given in the main longer and fuller biceps. But the following exercises and ideas will certain influence the eventual sculpturing of your arms. 
 

THE STANDARD BARBELL TWO ARMS CURL
The standard barbell curl used with slightly more than shoulder width hand spacing palms upward, (i.e. supinated) must be responsible for more muscular biceps than any other exercise.  The exercise lends itself to many refinements and styles.  Very strict with elbows held rigidly at the sides (some people use a so called Arm Blaster gadget which prevents sloppy style) looser styles, and out and out cheating, or swing up the bar with momentum – all have a place in your routine.

With 150 lbs/68 kg being considered a very credible poundage to use in the standard two hands barbell curls, it is astounding to learn that those terrible twins, now film stars, the Barbarians or David and Peter Paul are reportedly capable of doing reps with 2 x 150 dumbbells in the alternate dumbbell curl.  I hasten to add the brothers are exceptions.  A respectable poundage for most people is 50 lbs/22kgs below their own bodyweight.  Few men training with weights are able to actually strict curl their bodyweight  Loose versions of curling weights resembling reverse cleans account for many quoted curl poundages, but it is a fact that those bodybuilding finalists and winners possessing the largest arm measurements, also use the highest resistance in their exercise, seldom allowing their muscles to become accustomed to light or medium stimulation, other than for capillary pump and warm up purposes.  An idea still used by some, although not so much in vogue currently is the use of Negatives, which we will explain in brief.

Negative exercise is the lengthening of a muscle against resistance.  Using the normal barbell curl as an example it is estimated that a bodybuilder of trained neuromuscular efficiency can lower in the curl 40% more than he can lift.  So if he can curl 100lbs as a maximum lift, he can LOWER 140 lbs.  Negative strength is far greater than positive strength and subjects under controlled test have made rapid gains in both strength and development using this type of training.  A disadvantage of this type of training, is that it is often impractical, requiring for safety reasons several training partners to assist in the positive phase of the exercise.  Many people have also quoted the dangers of muscle tears, and other injuries

PREACHER CURLS
Classic exercise for obtaining full biceps is the ‘Preacher Bench’ or SCOTT CURLS, an exercise so called because of first Mr. Olympia Larry Scott’s preference for this sleeve bursting exercise.  Usually practiced with a barbell using a close handgrip.  An important point to consider, to avoid injuries and muscle tears is to never, ever, allow the bar to bounce from the arms extended position.  The exercise is equally result producing using dumbbells, either double or single arm.  Try 4 sets of 10 reps.

The use of dumbbells for curling enlarge your alternatives a hundred fold! 
Canadian Calvin Nyali demonstrates...
 

USING DUMBBELLS
The use of dumbbells for curling enlarge your alternatives a hundred fold.  Alternate dumbbell curls using a steady controlled rhythm is a very satisfying and result producing exercise.  Most of the pre-mentioned barbell curls can be copied with dumbbells. Especially popular with top stars is seated dumbbell curls on the incline bench.  Curling either together or alternately.  The use of one dumbbell at a time requires you make both arms get equal treatment.  Want a good arm pump? A common practice is to do (say) ten curls with the right arm, then switch to the lift arm and do ten reps, going immediately without rest, back to the right arm, doing perhaps a few less reps, and so on, alternating from arm to arm, until it becomes almost impossible to curl the dumbbell with either arm – a real killer.  For Full Arm development, ensure you commence the curls from Fully Extended/Straight arms.  Another idea, some people term the idea as Railroads, or Decreasing Sets, often practiced using two dumbbells at a time, is to work your way down the dumbbell rack.  Do ten curls with your usual poundage, then swap the dumbbells for the next lower poundage, curl them for ten reps, and continue – without rest – working your way down the racks until the lighter bells feel heavy and your biceps are bursting.  More variations are one and a half curls, i.e. Do one full movement then one half lowered movement, returning to top (or bottom) position.  If it is “burns” you require, than that’s the one to try.  Last suggestion to really pump arms (biceps ) is to practice ‘21’s, with this idea, you first do 7 lower half curls, then  7 reps of the top half curls, and finally 7 reps of the complete curl.  Realizing that if your goals is big ARMS, you should concentrate equally if not more so on TRICEPS, however, as this article is concerned with biceps, the following routines mention only exercises for the arm flexors.
 

SOME SUGGESTED ROUTINES FOR BICEPS

 For HIGH Biceps

1. Seated bench curls from thigh 4 x 10

2. Concentration curls – 5 x 8

3. Curls with cables – 3 x 10
    

For FULL Biceps

1. Incline bench curls 5 x 8

2. Scott bench or preacher curls – 5 x 10
    

For GIANT Sets

1. Barbell curls – 1 x10

followed immediately by

2. Alternate dumbbell curls – 1 x 10

Followed immediately by

3.  Concentration curls – 1 x 10

The above is one Giant Set, rest and repeat for from 4 to 6 sets.

For MUSCULARITY

1. Concentration curls 5 x8

2. Barbell curls 4 x 10

3. Incline Bench Dumbbell curls – 3 x 10

For BULK/MASS

1. Alternate dumbbell curls – 5 x8

2. E-Zee bar curls – 4 x 10

3. Swingbell curls – 4 x 10

And finally…..

For STRENGTH/POWER

1. Barbell curls 1 x 8 light warm up poundage

2. Barbell curls – add poundage and do 1 x 7 reps

3. Add more poundage and go for 2 sets of 6 reps Barbell curls

4. Try a heavier set, by adding more weight and do 3 sets of 4 reps

Finally load up the barbell and finish off with

5. Barbell curls 2 sets of 2 reps.

From time to time (approximately monthly) try out for your maximum poundage AFTER A GOOD THOROUGH WARM UP.

Sleeve Busters
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