I really really want a big, bulging, biceps! I know I will never have a six pack, so the least my genetic material could do is give me big arms! If you’ve ever thought this, then like me you may need to be working smarter, not harder, in the gym.
Here’s how to get a big ole pair of biceps that’ll have you busting your sleeves and making the boys weak at the knees.
1. Train supporting muscles
Bicep curls alone will not get you the growth you’re looking for. Think about the size and function of your biceps. They’re tiny little muscles that make your arms bend, an action that doesn’t often require a huge amount of strength. But they also support other muscles when doing more demanding movements.
The chin-up should be your go-to bicep exercise, even though it’s challenging. Lifting your entire body weight is difficult and requires a lot of strength. This strength can take time and patience to build, so start incorporating chin-ups into your weekly workouts now.
Chin-ups will focus more effort on your biceps than regular pull-ups (that is, having your palms facing towards you when you grip the pull-up bar), but will also train your back and core and all the muscles in your arms.
Bigger movements = bigger gains.
2. Curls get the girl’s (boyfriends)
You gotta get used to doing biceps curls. I feel like a twat repping out a load of bicep curls, but there’s a reason all the jocks do them. However, it’s vital that you’re doing good biceps curls. This means no swinging your hips and fully extending your arms all the way at the bottom of your rep.
You may have to use light weights when you start but swallow your pride in order to maintain better form. Otherwise, you’ll be working the wrong muscles or an even smaller part of an already small muscle group.
Progress on to incline dumbbell curls and concentration curls when you’re confident you have good form.
3. Rest and repeat
The temptation can be to chuck in a load of curls at the end of every workout, but don’t be one of those guys. Muscles grow during recovery and attacking the same muscles day after day will just keep breaking them down without giving them time to build back up. So leave at least a day between training the same muscle.
That being said, if your focus is your arms then it’s a good idea to train them more than once a week. Many guys like to have a specific “arms day” in addition to their chest day and their back day. I see no harm in this, provided you’ve given yourself adequate time to rest between training days.
I LOVE having an arms day. I feel super manly (a statement that I now realise I’ve ruined by saying “super” manly), and I like to save my arms day for the day of the week when I have the least motivation. Friday is great because you’ll have the added bonus of a pre-pump before you go out!
4. Patience
I mentioned the P word earlier but it bears repeating. Growing muscle takes time, so you’ll need patience and persistence to make those gains. Regular training, good nutrition and plenty of rest will result in the biceps of your dreams in due time.
After your first few sessions, you will see a little growth and tightened muscles, but as soon as you put the dumbbells down they’ll go back to normal. Don’t give up! We’re here to help you if you need some more motivation. We have gay personal trainers, weekly workouts, and regular shout outs on social media (tag us @gayfitnessuk or use the #gayfitness and we’ll find you).
The more you stick to it, the more guys there will be with big, bulging biceps in the world. Everyone’s a winner!
