Biceps

Most often, when men plan to build muscle, they think about the appearance of their upper body.

A wide back, muscular, strong arms and six-pack abs have always been considered ideal for the stronger sex.

Before starting practical exercises, all professionals recommend familiarizing yourself with the theoretical part of the training in order to achieve good results in the shortest possible time and reduce the risk of injury.

In this article you will learn how to pump up your biceps and shoulders using the most effective exercises.

Anatomical structure

All muscles consist of protein fibers connected in bundles.

At the same time, the structure of the biceps and small muscles of the shoulder is very different. Let's take a closer look at these differences.

Shoulders

The shoulder is made up of a number of muscles:

infraspinatus;
supraspinatus;
small round;
large round;
subscapular;
deltoid.

The last muscle is the largest and reaches 80-90% of the mass of all other muscles surrounding the shoulder joint.

It is the deltoid muscle that gives the shoulder its rounded shape.

It consists of fibers of different textures and lengths, so it is sometimes divided into sections (bundles): posterior, middle and anterior.

Different structures determine different functions of the deltas, which unite into one main muscle of the shoulder.

Deltas perform the following functions:

The front one flexes the shoulder and moves it “inward”, resulting in the raising of the arm.
The middle one is responsible for abduction of the limb.
The posterior one is responsible for the extension of the limb and its simultaneous rotation to the outside, as a result of which the raised humerus lowers.

The arms and shoulders have a complex structure, which is explained by the great involvement and mobility of the upper limbs.

This muscle is also divided into sections - heads. These include long and short parts.

The long one has a small length of muscle, but a significant length of tendon. It is located on the outer part of the limb.

The short one, on the contrary, has small ligaments, but a large volume of muscle tissue; it is located in the inner part, and it is what is popularly called biceps.

Both heads begin in the area of the scapula, only in different parts of it. Connecting at the other end into one tendon, they are attached to the elbow.

The biceps rotates the arm and flexes the forearm, with the inner part adducting the limb and the outer part abducting it.

Below the biceps is a tiny brachii muscle that pushes the biceps muscle outward, thereby flexing the forearm.

Its name is brachialis, and it is responsible for the beautiful rise of the biceps, otherwise known as the peak.

Biceps training rules

Biceps curls involve mindful exercise. The athlete should not just lift the weight by inertia, but strain the arm muscles. Therefore, biceps exercises are not recommended for beginners. It is better for them to do general strengthening exercises and learn to feel their body.

The main principles of safe training:

adequate weight;
full control of range of motion;
conscious tension in the arm muscles.

Pumping must be included in the training program for girls and men. You need to pay attention to the triceps, without which it is impossible to achieve beautiful sculpted arms.

Biceps muscle anatomy

Biceps brachii training is popular because it is the most prominent muscle in the arms. It is involved in flexion of the shoulder at the shoulder joint and flexion of the forearm at the elbow joint.

The biceps itself is “hunchbacked”. This shape is achieved due to its anatomy: the muscle consists of two heads, long and short. With effective training, they increase significantly in size, creating the desired muscle relief.

When working the biceps, the triceps, shoulder and back muscles are also involved. Therefore, before isolated training, you should first train your deltoids and arms comprehensively. We have a separate article about how to work out your triceps, “How to pump up your triceps.” You can also read about working out the lats in a separate article.

Biceps exercises

With a barbell

These exercises are very popular among athletes of any level.

Most often, training for biceps with a barbell involves lifting the apparatus in a standing or sitting position.

Barbell exercises:

Standing. Starting position: standing, back straight, shoulder blades pulled together, shoulders relaxed, arms along the body, elbows pressed to the sides. As you exhale, you need to bend your arms, straining your biceps, and lift the barbell to your shoulders. You can stay in this position for a second or two. As you inhale, you should return to the starting position.
Sitting. The hands perform the same actions, only the projectile is placed on the knees. You need to sit on a bench with your feet hip-width apart. A powerful biceps curl is performed.
Standing with a reverse grip. The back is straight, legs are shoulder-width apart. The hand lies on the bar, palm down. Exhale - bend your arms, inhale - return to the starting position.

Each exercise for pumping up arms with a barbell is performed in 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

On the horizontal bar

The horizontal bar is one of the most popular exercises because it is accessible to everyone, and with its help you can perform many exercises for the muscles of the entire upper body.

This once again confirms the rule: pumping up biceps at home is easy, the main thing is motivation.

The most effective exercises for the biceps muscle of the arm:

Close grip pull-ups. Starting position: hanging on the bar, palms resting on the pipe with a narrow lower grip. As you exhale, bend your elbows and rise so that your head is above the bar. As you inhale, lower yourself down. Perform 3 sets of 14-16 repetitions.
Pull-ups on a low bar. Starting position: hanging on a low bar, heels on the floor. As you exhale, you need to bend your elbows, while inhaling, straighten them. Do at least 2-3 sets of 15 reps.

These exercises are considered the most effective, but any pull-ups on the horizontal bar work well the arm muscles - biceps, triceps, deltoids - and chest.

With dumbbells

Dumbbells are rightfully considered the most convenient equipment for high-quality training of arm muscles.

The weight of this apparatus is very easy to adjust, so you can change the load gradually as you increase the volume of muscle mass.

If you want to build bigger biceps, home workouts may not be enough.

Therefore, it is recommended to perform some exercises in the gym, where there is a greater choice of equipment: there are many types of dumbbells available.

The most common techniques:

Lifting with a turn. Starting position: standing, back straight, arms at your sides, knees slightly bent, palms with a neutral grip. As you exhale, you need to grasp the dumbbell and halfway through the movement, turn the back of your hand outward. While inhaling, return to the starting position. Do it alternately or simultaneously with both hands.
"Hammer". Standing or sitting on a bench, take the projectile and, as you exhale, lift it to your shoulder. As you exhale, lower the dumbbell.
One arm lift. Sitting with your body slightly tilted forward, place your elbow on your thigh. Perform concentrated curls when only the biceps are working. You can perform it with both hands at the same time if you find a support point (for example, the back of a chair).

Number of repetitions: 2-3 sets of 14-16 times.

With universal expander

The most common exercise with an expander that does not require additional loads is standing arm curls.

It is done this way:

You need to stand in the middle of the tape, with your feet as the center of support. The elastic bands have good tension, the handles of the expander lie in the palms.
Sit down a little and bend your elbows, raising your hands to the level of your collarbones.
Stay at the highest point for two to three seconds and smoothly return to the starting position.

It is better to wear protective gloves to reduce the risk of injury to your palms.

Perform a minimum of 2-3 sets of 12-16 repetitions.

Without equipment

The most effective way to train biceps without equipment is push-ups. There are nuances to working out the biceps; this must be taken into account in order to train the muscles in a targeted manner.

Little tricks:

While lying down, you need to shift your body weight slightly forward.
Place your palms as close to each other as possible, press your elbows to your body.
As you lower down, you should touch your chest to the floor to increase the load on your biceps.

You can do push-ups an unlimited number of times, but doing 3-4 sets of 15-20 repetitions is considered optimal.

Myth

“In order to become the happy owner of powerful biceps, you need to devote every workout to arm exercises”

Paradoxically, exercises aimed only at developing arm muscles are a waste of time and effort. Training for a beginner, focusing on doing exercises for the biceps and triceps, will not lead to the desired result.

Even if you're trying your hardest and your heart is pounding, you're sweating, and you're breathing like a locomotive, you still won't be able to stimulate your body enough to release the hormones it needs to grow muscle.

The entire muscle mass as a whole must grow, and for this, first of all, you should load your legs and back. This is why experienced coaches and athletes unanimously say that if you decide to “pump up” your biceps, you should do bases and squats.

The reason for this is the hormonal system of the human body. A large amount of testosterone (the hormone involved in the growth of muscle fibers) will only be released when a large portion of the entire muscle is used.

While squats themselves may not directly build arm muscle, they do involve more muscle mass than any other exercise and therefore release the maximum amount of testosterone.

Shoulder workouts

Bars

The most effective exercise for pumping up your shoulders is dips. Also, this workout is aimed at working the triceps, biceps and chest.

The following steps must be followed:

Starting position: support yourself on the uneven bars, straighten your arms, bend your knees.
As you inhale, lower yourself down, bending your arms; the angle between your forearm and shoulder should be at least 90°.
Return to the starting position slowly, while exhaling, holding for a few seconds at the top point.

You need to perform the exercise at least 2-3 sets of 20 times in order to thoroughly pump all the bundles of the deltoid muscle.

Horizontal bar

Pull-ups can help sculpt your shoulders, arms, chest, and even your upper back.

The most common types of exercises:

Pull-ups with a narrow reverse grip.
Pull-ups with a narrow straight grip.
Head pull-ups.
Medium grip with incomplete amplitude.

All these actions are performed according to a similar algorithm: the biceps are fully flexed, the head should be higher than the bar while lifting, the legs are bent so as not to sway.

As you exhale, you should rise, and as you inhale, you should lower. You need to perform at least three sets of 15 pull-ups.

Push ups

Training using your own body weight is no less effective.

The most difficult types of exercises that specifically pump up your shoulders:

Reverse grip push-ups. They differ from the “classic” ones in the arrangement of the palms and elbows. The elbows should be pressed to the sides, and the fingers should be directed inward and “look” at each other.
Handstand push-ups. The exercise is difficult, but incredibly effective. Leaning against the wall and standing on straight arms, you need to slowly lower yourself down.

Do at least 2-3 sets of 15 repetitions. If you cannot perform the exercise with full amplitude, it is better to do shallow push-ups, but do at least 20-30 repetitions.

Elastic tape

Exercises with an elastic band are very simple to perform and consist of the following: you need to stand on the center of the band, hold the handles of the apparatus in your palms.

Raise your arms straight to shoulder level. Do at least 2-3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Variations:

Raising your arms to the sides while standing.
Raising your arms to the sides while bent over.
Raise your arms in front of you.

The back must be straight.

Dumbbells

You can lift dumbbells with any type of grip. The mass of the equipment should be large enough so that after ten lifts the muscles become noticeably tired.

There are a huge variety of exercises with dumbbells to pump up your shoulders.

Here are the main ones:

Dumbbell shoulder press. While sitting on a bench, you need to hold the apparatus at shoulder level. Straightening your arms, lift the dumbbells up, hold for a couple of seconds and return to the starting position.
Lifting to the sides. Standing straight, shoulder blades retracted, arms along the body. Raise the shells to the sides and slowly lower them.
Bent over climb. Standing, legs bent, body straight. Raise your lowered arms to shoulder level, stay in this position for two to three seconds and return to the starting position.

Perform 2-3 approaches 15-20 times. The correct technique must be followed, otherwise other muscles will receive the load, not the deltoids. how to pump up biceps and shoulders

Barbell

Pumping your shoulders with a barbell is very effective. The main thing is to follow safety precautions: do not make sudden movements, take weights that are acceptable for your physical fitness, and protect your legs from falling equipment.

The most common shoulder exercises:

Raising the barbell to the chin. It is considered the basis of any training. Starting position: standing, palms on the bar with a straight grip, very close - at a distance of 5-10 centimeters from each other. As you exhale, you should lift the barbell to your chin, hold for two seconds and lower the barbell while inhaling.
Standing press. Starting position: standing, back straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the barbell at chest level with an overhand grip, then lift it high above your head, hold for a few seconds, and lower the barbell.

Each exercise must be done at least 10-15 times in two approaches.

Weight

The most common shoulder exercise is the kettlebell snatch.

The execution technique is as follows:

Start. Starting position – standing, feet shoulder-width apart. The weight stands on the floor, the handle is in such a way that it is convenient to quickly grab it. The palm is placed with an overhand grip. Your knees should be bent and your torso should be slightly tilted. The free hand must be pulled back.
Swing. Straightening your legs, you need to lift the weight off the floor with your straight arm and swing it between your legs.
Detonation. You should quickly straighten your torso and legs, as a result the weight is pushed up with force. Thanks to inertia, the hand does not participate in lifting the projectile.
Podsed. During the final straightening of the body, you need to bend your knees and sit under the weight to reduce the load on the arm muscles. The weaker the detonation, the deeper the drop should be. The equipment should go behind the forearm so as not to damage the hand. You need to get up from the placenta smoothly, tensing your core muscles, controlling your arm in the joints.
Fixation. The projectile is at the top point. You can extend your free arm forward or to the side to maintain balance. Then you need to lower the limb along the body.

The whole complex is carried out similarly on the other hand. The execution time should not exceed 30-40 seconds.

Working out biceps in the gym

The most effective workout is one done in the gym. The gym has a large selection of equipment and weights.

Lifting the bar

Technique is extremely important when performing this exercise as it is done with the highest possible weight.

Train according to the following algorithm:

Get back to the starting position. Feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly to the sides. Hands with the barbell are lowered, palms facing up.
As you inhale, slowly bend your elbows so that the weight is at your chest. Hold at the maximum point for a few seconds.
Exhale and straighten your elbows to the starting position.

Bench while sitting on an incline bench

This exercise must be performed slowly, strictly controlling the range of motion. At the lowest point, do not extend your arms completely, thereby maintaining slight tension in the biceps.

Work according to this scheme:

Sit on a bench with an incline of 45 degrees. Lower your arms with the dumbbells down so that your palms face up.
Straighten your right arm and bend it at the elbow. The dumbbells should touch your shoulder.
Lower your arm to the starting position. Repeat the same exercise for the left.

Working with a barbell on a Scott bench

For this exercise you will need a so-called Scott bench. You can find it in any gym. You can train with either a barbell or two dumbbells.

Do the exercise like this:

Place your hands with the barbell, palms up, on a bench. Keep your elbows shoulder-width apart.
Begin to curl your arms, lifting the barbell toward your chin. Pause at the maximum point.
Slowly straighten your elbows while maintaining slight tension in your arms.

The most effective exercises

As a result, we can name the most effective of all the above exercises for each muscle group.

For biceps it is:

close grip pull-up;
hammer curls with dumbbells;
raising the hand with an expander;
push ups.

The ranking of the best shoulder exercises is slightly different.

In this case, the leaders are:

head pull-ups;
handstand push-ups;
bent over dumbbell lift;
lifting the barbell to the chin.

However, it must be remembered that each person is individual.

The athlete must independently select the most effective exercises for himself through trial and error.

How often to exercise

Muscles are destroyed after each workout and built up with reserve. This is the natural principle of increasing muscle volume.

The body is “afraid” that it will not be able to withstand the load next time, so it accumulates protein fibers in reserve.

Therefore, to avoid muscle wasting, you need to exercise no more than three times a week.

The ideal option is to exercise every other day or two, so that the load is evenly distributed over the week.

Alternating intense training for several days in a row and long rest on the weekend is extremely undesirable for the body.

To build sculpted muscles, eight to ten workouts per month for six months is enough.

It is advisable that the entire training complex does not take more than 45-50 minutes.