There are many names for all the muscle groups on our body, but none has more nicknames than the biceps. The “guns.” The “pythons.” “Thunder” and “Lightning”. Every single guy wants a set of bulging, ripped biceps.
When you walk into a gym, you’ll notice that 9 out of the 10 guys are doing bicep curls. Most of them are trying very hard to add even 1/4 inch to their biceps. There are guys that are doing bicep curls just to see a little pump in the mirror. Some guys go in there to get a little pump before hitting the clubs. A few guys even take weights on vacations just so they can do a few curls.
Obviously there is an obsessive addiction with bicep training. Why is it that so many guys are training their biceps just like how the pros tell them and yet they have little to show for their efforts?
Let’s take a look at 5 of the most common problems with training biceps.
Problem # 1 with bicep training – More is not always better
If training your biceps 3 days a week is good, why not get better results by training them 5 days a week? Or instead of 4 sets, why not 10? When it comes to muscle building, less is often more.
What you should be aiming for each time you workout is to simply lift a little more than you did during your last work out. Once you are able to “do do” your previous workout by 1 extra set or a couple more reps you are done with that muscle group and should immediately move on.
Problem # 2 with bicep training – Being obsessed with the “pump”
This problem is directly related to problem # 1. The reality is that if you train your biceps for an extended period of time, even if the weights are not heavy, you will naturally get a decent pump that can look quite good and turn a few heads. The result is that this kind of attention and perception that what you are doing is beneficial is misleading. If you’re not using weights that are challenging enough for you and which overload your muscles and ambition increased strength gain, that little pump will go back down to normal and you will not have any real gains.
Problem # 3 with bicep training – Not focusing on increasing overall strength
Some of the biggest guys I know do not even train their arms. They’re focusing on increasing muscle mass and strength around their chest, back, and shoulders. If you’re looking to really get great gains on your biceps, start focusing on rows, pull ups and chin ups. These are compound exercises that takes multiple muscle groups to perform and will give you more proportionate gains.
Problem # 4 with bicep training – Doing the same exercises every time
Your body adapts to any stress placed upon it. If you’re doing the same bicep exercises week in and week out then pretty soon your body will have adapted to the exercise and stop growing. Change it up a bit, do barbell curls one day, pull ups and chin ups the next, and rows or even use a machine the next time. By cycling your workouts, you will keep your body guessing and it would not have time to adapt to your workouts as every workout targets a slightly different angle of the muscle group.
Problem # 5 with bicep training – Not enough tension on the muscle
Not many people fully grasp the concept of isolating and actually training a muscle. They do not know how to make the muscle work and fatigue. What actually happens instead, is you see a lot of swinging, momentum, and very sloppy lifting to move the weight with every other muscle group BESIDES the one they’re actually trying to target. Biceps respond very well to “constant tension,” which means you should try to not give them a chance to rest. Do not let your biceps relax until you have finished the set.
Conclusion
To really see explosive growth in your biceps, get rid of these problems in your workouts. Before you know it, people will be hiding behind weight racks when you pull out your “guns.”
Read Also: Killer Back and Biceps Workout
Featured Image: ABC
Source by Harry Hawkins