Arm Yourself: Loaded Guns Start With Bangin’ Biceps

By Joe Pietaro
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Updated: October 23, 2015

The mirror doesn’t lie. And the tape measure is also a perennial truth-teller. So stop looking for excuses and buying shirts one size too small to make up for good, hard work. It’s time to get your ass moving in the right direction and maybe you’ll even shop from the right rack next time.

A positive point about seeing your sleeve-filling goals met is the variety of exercises that are available at your disposal when it comes to biceps training. Take your pick from a list that’ll get the job done – if done right.

Each bicep workout could and should include completely different exercises from the previous one. Especially when working a smaller muscle like this and one trained frequently, it will go a long way to mix things up.

BARBELLS/DUMBBELLS

Weights may be weights but you can hit the same muscle from different angles by switching it up often. Curls are the staple exercises in every bicep routine but you have a few options to choose from.

Barbell curls are the quintessential bulk builder and you can really max out with heavy weight here. You’ll also get the fringe benefit of enhancing your strength when piling on the plates.

The biggest difference when using dumbbells is alternating your left and right arms. You can also curl both simultaneously, but it’s an advantage to isolate the arms and make each rep a long, deep one by alternating.

STANDING/SEATED

Both work, but the old style of thinking still rings true. The standing variety is used more as a heavier movement for bulk and strength while taking a seat will usually result in better form lifting a moderate amount of weight.

A bench with or without back support is another way to keep it different. Go a step further and use an incline to get the longest stretch possible in a bicep curl.

Besides a barbell or dumbbells, you can also mix in the EZ-Bar or cables. Switch grips and even more variations are possible.