For the population of people who wish to tone those pads of muscle around their upper arms, choosing the best bicep workouts is most probably high up their list of priorities. After all, getting beefed up biceps is not as easy as wanting them. There are no real shortcuts to this unless you’re talking about anabolic steroids and even then it would require a significant amount of committed work to acquire Schwarzenegger-esque guns.
So let us dig through the common bicep workouts that have proven time and again as the most effective in doing the trick. Doing so will help us get a general idea on what these exercises entail, the amount of effort we would be putting into it, and the length of time expected before real improvements can be seen and felt.
Ask any natural bodybuilder friend of yours who regularly goes to the gym which of the different bicep exercises are the best and he or she would likely say bicep curls. Let’s face it, anyone with half a brain would immediately think bicep curls when talking about turning your upper arms into lethal weapons and with good reason too.
Bicep curls and their numerous variations ala barbell curls, dumbbell curls, concentration curls, and preacher curls to name a few all work around the same anatomical and physiological principle the exertion of force by the bicep muscles via pumping them with weights. This weighted force exposure squeezes and stretches the muscles with every curl so that the fibers are eventually built up to sustain the force.
The bicep curls are the foundation to developing respectable biceps and it is easy to see how this appeals to the beginning bodybuilders. Creating a fine individualized regimen on training intensity is the second logical step to consolidate the workout.
Another and arguably a better form of bicep workouts is the weighted chin-up. In this exercise, you move and work not only your biceps but also your shoulder, trunk, neck, and back muscles. In addition, you use the most weight (your entire body) in curling your biceps.
The weighted chin-up lets you use more weight and more force and allows for a more thorough and integrated bicep muscle exercise. You just simply grab on to an overhead chin-up bar and lift your body up until your chin rests on top of the bar. Try repeating this 10 times before strapping additional weights around your belt and up the ante on your exercise.
Just always remember that you’d need to commit to whichever workout you choose, but for beginning regimens, it is recommended (actually required if you think about it) to start with basic bicep curls using the barbell and the dumbbell as these exercises lay the foundation for your biceps to accommodate greater weights and higher intensities.
However, for maximum efficiency, the weighted chin-ups give the best results. Follow up in the bicep workouts religiously and you’ll see results in as early as a couple of weeks.
