My Biceps Are Small! Help?

[BendtheBar]

I already do barbell curls, hammer curls, concentration curls, cable curls, and 21s;

Is there anything else I can do to help my puny biceps?

[SeventySeven]

Eat more food!

[glwanabe]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

I already do barbell curls, hammer curls, concentration curls, cable curls, and 21s;

Is there anything else I can do to help my puny biceps?

Yes, but you will not like the answer.

Deadlift! Get your deadlift into some serious numbers as a start.

Perform deadhang chins. NO cheating. 5x10@BW

[big_swede]

ROWS! All kinds, all heavy!

[Chillen]

My personal opinion is simple: Improve overall body weight and the arms will follow. The arms are the devices in which activate the larger upper body muscles, and when exercised (appropriately) they must increase in strength as the larger muscle is worked in order to provide adequate support.

[Hazzard]

Bench, rows, chins and dips. Easy.

[bamazav]

A question to build on the answers above.

Is there a time to do specialized work for the biceps? If so, what beside endless curls should one do?

[Chillen]

Originally Posted by bamazav

A question to build on the answers above.

Is there a time to do specialized work for the biceps? If so, what beside endless curls should one do?

I believe yes there is. And there is a variety of person specific---examples.

For example: Lets say hypothetically, there is a BBer that has gained good overall body size, and has good arm size, but the contraction of the bicep appears flat, elongated. One could for a time, include such direct exercises to provide more contraction at the peak of the movement to try to bring in more height (genetics willing).

[BendtheBar]

Let's say that lifter X has:

A) A 1200 pound 3 lift total (300 bench, 400 squat, 500 deadlift).
B) Uses some bicep work, but not a lot.
C) Has decent sized arms, but wants bigger.

First they need to realize that the bicep is a small muscle. Triceps make up 2/3rds of the arm (in general), so big arms are build by working both biceps and triceps. With that said, here are some suggestions.

1) Rest Pause. Focus on not only building strength on curls and bicep exercises, but also on limiting rest between sets. This combination is brutal. Workouts are brief but potent.

I recommend either 5 or 7 sets per bicep exercise. Sounds like a lot but it isn't. These sets function like one big set with minimal rest.

NOTE: Use the same weight for every set. You do not want to be playing with weight when rest is limited.

For the 5 set rest pause I have used 30 seconds of rest in between each set, or 10-15 deep breaths. When you can perform 25-30 TOTAL reps for all 5 sets, add weight the nest time in the gym.

For the 7 set rest pause I generally use the following rest scheme:

30, 30, 60, 60, 90, 120 seconds

When you reach 35 to 40 total reps for the 7 sets, add weight the next time in the gym.

2) Volume week. Once every 3 to 4 weeks hammer the heck out of biceps with 10 rep set after 10 rep set of curls. Just head into the gym and 10 rep set yourself for a complete hour. Plan a few days off after this, as you won't be able to touch your nose. Eat big, big, big, and sleep bigger.

Don't do this too frequently, but every now and then a "nuke" day is good for the soul.

3) Go simple and focus on getting your barbell and dumbbell curls crazy strong. Do 3 sets or each twice a week. Dedicate a year to seeing how much you can improve these lifts.

Just 3 ideas that came to mind. Might work, might not. Try them.

[big_swede]

Originally Posted by bamazav

A question to build on the answers above.

Is there a time to do specialized work for the biceps? If so, what beside endless curls should one do?

I do specialized work on my off days, things like curls and bw stuff. Works good!