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| Training Guide for Maximum Biceps Development |
Train the brachialis, this elbow flexor is often overlooked in arm training workouts. Without training the brachialis regularly and with the proper amount of stress, you can't maximize your biceps peak.
This is due to its position below the biceps, the brachialis has the ability to push the biceps up as it gains size. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't train your biceps directly, just make sure that each of the muscles in the arm is getting the amount of work required to grow.
What is the brachialis?
The biceps brachii has two separate heads, the long head and the short head. The long head attaches just above the shoulder and forearm, the short head attaches to the shoulder and inside the forearm. The two heads combine to form a common tendon at the elbow, but form two different tendon attachments at the shoulder. Each head is responsible for some of the same movement patterns but also many different movement patterns.
The long head is known as the outer biceps and the short head is known as the inner biceps. With the right exercises, it is possible to focus on either head during the curls. The narrow grip on the dumbbell curls can help you emphasize the long head work. The wide grip curls will target the short head more. Since the long head of the biceps crosses the shoulder joint, train it as carefully as possible, pre-stretch the long head to force it to work harder.
Bring your elbows forward a bit as you approach the top position of the movements, causing a stronger contraction of your long head and a fuller contraction at the top. You don't need to use a variety of hand positions and angles to get optimal brachialis stimulation. However, this does not mean that you should stop using a variety of reps ranges to maximize hypertrophy.
1. Hammer curls
Hammer curls allow you to build the brachialis and brachioradialis in a way that no other curl variation can. They get their name from the hammer grip you hold on the dumbbell while performing them. The name also refers to their ability to hammer your muscles for optimal gain. The hammer grip shifts the stress from the biceps brachii to the brachialis and, to a lesser extent, the brachioradialis.
How to perform hammer curls:
#Grip a pair of dumbbells with a neutral grip (palms facing each other) and hold the weights at your sides.
#Keep your torso still, bend at the elbow to lift the dumbbells toward your shoulders.
#Stop just before the dumbbell touches your shoulder and hold the top position for a second, squeeze your arm muscles as hard as you can.
#Return the dumbbells to the starting position in a controlled manner.
You can also perform neutral grip dumbbell curls and rope hammer curls with the goal of creating additional arm size and width. For the former, you'll need access to a barbell with vertical handles and for the latter, you'll need to attach a rope to a low pulley. Finish your routine with a few inverted curls, which are best for emphasizing the work of the brachioradialis.
2. Go Slow
A slower rep speed works much better to maximize brachialis recruitment than the fast tempo, you also want to emphasize the eccentric part of the rep. Focusing on the negative part of the repetition and slowing down the movement increases brachialis activity while decreasing biceps brachii involvement.
The brachialis muscle has slower twitch fibers than the biceps, therefore, has a more stabilizing role compared to the biceps brachii which is intended for faster, more explosive work. To get optimal stimulation of your brachialis, you only need one or two brachialis hammering exercises in your biceps routine. Focus on your form and execution and you'll notice the difference in your overall arm development.
Biceps Burnout
Your biceps, which are a relatively large muscle group, are also one of those muscles that can quickly become bored with the same workout. They will become increasingly resistant to growth as they learn to be more efficient in the absence of new challenges.
Using a straight bar loop, which is the best mass-building movement for this body part, means that the smaller arm muscles tend to be overly fatigued too early in the workout, making them difficult to respond to later.
This can interfere with your long-term mass gains, as working your smaller muscles late in training decreases the depletion of all elbow flexors and limits total muscle recruitment, thus limiting your gains. You need continuous stress to cause continuous recruitment and therefore continuous progress.
Working the smaller muscles first in the workout, then hitting the larger muscles with high intensity will force them to work even harder and achieve maximum muscle fiber recruitment.
Maximizing Long Head Engagement
In maximizing the biceps peak, the overall shape of your biceps, including their peak, is already determined by your genetics. There are a few things you can do to accentuate the peak and develop this part of your arms even more. You need movements that specifically target the long head and allow you to work it to exhaustion. The best exercises for this are:
• Narrow grip curls with an EZ bar
• Incline dumbbell curls
• Barbell curls (to nose)
Effectuer des boucles avec un tempo plus lent vous aidera à placer plus de stress sur le brachialis, tandis que les boucles plus rapides ciblent le biceps brachii. Dans la partie construction du biceps de votre routine, effectuez des boucles avec un tempo plus rapide que d’habitude. Gardez la partie excentrique de la boucle d’une durée d’au moins une seconde pour maximiser la tension et le recrutement des fibres musculaires.
Tenez compte de l’intensité des séries et de votre fréquence d’entraînement. Frappez vos biceps une fois tous les 5 jours, prenez la plupart de vos ensembles de travail très près de la défaillance concentrique, effectuez 9 à 12 séries pour des gains optimaux. Divisez les séries entre 3 à 5 exercices différents pour fournir suffisamment de stimuli d’entraînement.
Incluez des techniques d’augmentation de l’intensité dans votre routine, telles que des répétitions forcées, des séries de gouttes et des négatifs. Pour éviter le surentraînement, abstenez-vous de les faire à chaque entraînement, lorsque vous décidez de les utiliser, diminuez le nombre de séries afin de permettre à votre corps de récupérer complètement après l’entraînement.
Reps and Leads by Example
This specific plan requires you to train your biceps a little more often than the general recommendation. Perform brief workouts 3 non-consecutive days per week for a total of six weeks. Initially, do 3 sets of two exercises during each workout, you will stop a repetition or two before a total failure.
Each set of reps comes with its own unique set of benefits, you need all of these to ensure complete muscle development. For optimal results, your number of reps and amount of rest between sets should be inversely proportional.
Here are some examples of rep ranges you should incorporate into your program:
#5 sets of 5 reps with 120 seconds of rest (train this way to maximize the mechanical tension placed on the biceps).
#4 sets of 12-15 reps with 30 seconds rest (this range is best for maximizing metabolic fatigue and therefore hypertrophy).
#3 sets of 8-12 reps with 75 seconds rest (this one is right in the middle between the last two, so it gives you good gains from both aspects).
To get the best size gains possible, it's important to use all three to stress your muscles in every way possible and build strong arms of equal proportions.
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