Just A Guy Thing

This is a guest post from Ken Hunt, Owner of Steel Gym and AFI-certified Fitness Expert. Steel Gym has been named “#1 Gym in New York” two years in a row by the American Fitness Institute

It?s a call to arms?sorry I couldn?t resist the pun. Well, aside from looking great in a muscle t-shirt, your biceps are involved in many upper body activities that you do everyday. Although the bicep muscles are small, in comparison to other muscles in your body, when they are pumped, hard and solid, they look terrific.

I recently asked Steel Gym independent trainer (and expert chef, by the way) Alejandro Quirogo, for his suggestions on a how to build big beautiful biceps. Here?s what he had to say.

You should only work your biceps once or twice a week depending on your goals. The good news is that there are varieties of exercises that you can choose to grow those arms. Most bicep movements incorporate pulling and generally involve curling your hands towards your shoulders. You can also include wrist curls to work your forearms. You can choose any type of resistance?dumbbells, barbells, resistance bands, cables or machines.

For high peaking biceps — Dumbbell Preacher Curls- 3 sets 8-10 reps per set and superset them with High Cable Curls 3 sets 10 ? 12 reps.

For strength and size – Barbell Curls?Warm up then 4 sets 6-10 reps; Dumbbell Curls 5 sets 6-10 reps (do not alternate reps); Machine Preacher curls 5 sets 6-10 reps.

Targeting the head/front of the biceps — EZ Bar Curls ?warm up with 1 set of 15 (light weight). Then do 4 sets of 6-10 reps . Hammer Curls – 5 sets 6-10 reps.

And some general tips: use a straight bar for building strength and bicep growth. Do them second in your routine to make sure they have warmed up. And try reverse Straight Bar Curls at the end of your routine to build the top of your forearms.