posted Mon, 01/01/2018 - 01:29
1999
+ 3 Biceps peak advice
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Lately i have been trying to bring up the " peak"or long head of the biceps. Right now my arms are just about 17in with a pump. This was taken without a pump cold..16.5ish. Any advice or tips are appreciated. Im familir with concentration curls, incline dumbell curls ect.....im open to suggestions to help me get to 17 cold no pump....thanks alot!
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letsgettropical+1 You have a pretty decent peak already. Good job. I learned an exercise many years ago that specifically targets building the peak. To this day, I have never seen anyone besides my self perform it. After you have completely exausted your biceps and hit all three heads. You take a flat bench and place it directly in front of the cable pulley machine. So the head of the bench is centered on the pulley cable. You attach either the flat bar or the bar with curves to take pressure off your wrists. Then you grab the bar palms facing up and lay down on the bench so your head is close to the cable. Your will be fully extended as you are laying on the bench. Than you curl the weight to your forehead. It's like a reverse skull crusher only your using your biceps and the pulley machine. You want to use a moderately light amount of weights. Say 50 pounds. You can always up the weight a little. They key is reps and squeezing the bicep head when you reach your forehead. When you curl. Your arms should move like your elbow is a hinge. 20 reps with a good 2 to 3 second pause hold on your forehead. And your arms will be on FIRE and you will experience a bicep pump like never before. Say 4 sets of 20 reps. If you want to get crazy. You can perform 20 reps with the full range of motion. 20 reps going half way to your forehead and 20 reps where you begin at your forehead and only go half way up. Not completing the full range of motion. So you do 60 reps without stopping. If you do this method. Don't worry about holding the squeeze for 2 to 3 seconds. Just pump them out. You will be burning and possibly have trouble wiping your ass the next day. Lol. Any questions shoot me a pm. I added you as a friend. Fist bump
Okay man. Great tip! Ill try it nextbtime i hit biceps...sorry for the late response...appreciate the comment tho!
BFR
Loaded negs - best on cable machine one hand at a time for hB's reasons below
Inner head
Outer head
Periodise workout - strength, hyperT, lactic/pump (BFR) , Deload, take a week off arms and sleep-grow, repeat. Frequency grows arms too so in periodised workout get 2x per week with 2x per day in there in 1 of the weeks too etc. - lotsa variations
Christ there is loads.
Learn how to periodise properly first and use various tools. It all works but if they aint growing now, you aint doing it right, respectfully. Most wont grow as they are working out to numbers.... you know like 8 reps and sure thats it, or whatever
Oh intermittent stretching too. Lovely to mix that with bfr. Fk ur sh1t right up and grow
Pretty much comes down to genetics. You will either have a really high peak or you won't.
I just trained my arms just about everyday. Then at night do feeders before bed.
At one point I got pretty close to 20”. It works
Try some slow negative reps too
I tried Piana’s feeders for over a month, religiously. It really didn’t do anything for me.
It’s worth a try. The main thing is you have to be fanatical. I’d Even wake up in the night because I couldn’t sleep and start clanging dumbbells around. My wife loved that lol
Mostly do anything that gets your mind focused in the direction of gains. And a month might not be long enough, who knows. Just things that worked for me.
And I’d def not overload your negative. Ide do preacher curls at the and of my bench. Preacher bar is connected to the leg etension. I’d do my reps with slow negative then when I was exhausted I’d use my legs to help get the weight back up for extra negatives.
Everyone’s different. Best bet is to try different things and see what works for you
I did it every single night. 15 lbs, 100 lying triceps extensions supersetted with 60 hammer curls, for three total supersets with no rests. Exactly as Rich prescribed. The pumps were phenomenal, but I didn’t get any actual muscle gains out of it. Not measurable gains, anyway.
High frequency huh.....sounds good. Im.gonna give that a try
thumb less dumbbell curls and full barbel curls into your neck n stretch out at bottom
Personally I would utilize low rep heavy cheat barbell curls to help pack on more overall mass. Another one of those old school exercises you don't see to much being executed anymore.
I also find great results using 1 arm preacher curls as well. I use dumb bells for the range of motion and also cable preachers as the stretch and constant tension really helps to shape and mold the muscle.
While doing dumb bells I also incorporate supersets. First I will start with one arm dumbbell hammer preachers, then immediately go into reverse grip one arm preacher curls, then to the final with supinating one arm dumbbell curls. While supinating always be sure that you twist and keep your pinkie high throughout the movement thereby accentuating peak contraction.
This superset has always been a staple of my arm training when I am really looking to harden and shape the biceps.
Cheat curls and preacher curls are both notoriously hard on the distal biceps tendon. Take care with those.
Oh yes , I totally agree. That is a very good point to make. Both exercises it is critical to control the bottom of the movement. It is good to note also that once peak contraction is achieved the slowly lowering during the negative phase of the movement gets the most of the exercise without compromising tendon safety.
Lowering slow and controlled is fine, but intentionally overloading with weight way greater than one is capable of lifting and performing assisted negatives with it—not saying this is what you’re doing—has been shown to cause more microtears in connective tissues than it causes metabolic damage. In other words, the risk far outweighs the reward. I’m all for controlled eccentrics, but I do try to steer guys away from unnecessarily slow negatives with weight they couldn’t even lift strict for the concentric portion once.
You’d think this would be common sense not to place more mechanical tension upon connective tissues than they’re capable of supporting, but some people need to be reminded. Too bad no one reminded Calum Von Moger before his 405 buddy cheat curl. His arm may never be the same after that tear.
Again , I agree with you.
Although in this case, I was not speak of unnecessarily slow or assisted negatives during the set. I was merely stating that the slow controlled descent on the negative with give the most bang for the buck as far as the movement is concerned without risking injury from the bottom/beginning of the movement.
Since the bottom of the cheat is very similar to a clean , I always start with a slight bend in the elbow and allow the cheat to get the rep almost to midway before the hard squeeze at the top and a slow controlled descent. While using maximum weight the "slow" negative will actually be less than a 3 count.
With the preachers , it is imperative, like you mentioned earlier to protect your tendons especially digging out of the hole at the bottom and the beginning of the movement. On the preacher I use an explosive concentric contraction, hold at the top for a real hard squeeze, than a 3 count negative. As you can see, I'm not working negative sets but just maximizing the entire range of motion.
I do like where your head is at and the points you are making. Tendon and connective tissue health is one of the most overlooked aspects of training and bodybuilding . That is , of course , until something happens to you. Far better to be mindful and play it a little on the safe side then walk around with a blown up bicep, tricep, or pec.
https://youtu.be/ooLeMxUI4JU
People will knock him but this has been the trick most have used.
I personally believe in one arm preacher curls. 30-50lbs, slow & steady with the obvious stretch at the bottom
Pianna made a video on building the peak a while back and a piece of advice he gave was using cable, if you adjust to above the shoulders or so and don't curl your wrist towards you it will keep constant tension on the peak. Maybe worth a try
Trying to picture this. So basically a hammer curl motion but arm out to side pulling towards the head
Are you really taking bicep training tips from a man who had plastic implanted in his arms?
That is like taking glute training tips from Kim Kardashian
Piana’s arms were the result of more site enhancement than a Beverly Hills housewife. I’d take his arm training advice with more than a pinch of salt.
Funny I was gonna say inject right into the head of the bicep.Gave me peak when nothing else would work.I guess I was using one of Piana’s training methods and didn’t even know it.Lol
Try doing drop sets. Do dumbbell curls and work down the rack. Gaining weight also increases size.
You’ve got good shape, just need to add more size to it. I like a little bit of heavy barbell curling at the beginning with some high rep dumbbell and machine work at the end, in the 20 rep range. Don’t forget your triceps are two thirds of your arm circumference so they’ll need to come up too. Basic progression with more weight each year and more reps got me to 20 inchers this year
I've just really got into the drop sets on concentration curls and started seeing results really quickly. keeping the wrist straight and avoid engaging the forearm will keep more tension on the bicep. I also end arm workouts with 3-5 sets of 21's. At that point my skin is so tight it feels like if I bend my arms to much my skin will split. All this i picked up from different places within the forums here and employing it is paying dividends.
I’m actually not a fan of 21’s because I didn’t seem to get much out of them. 28’s on quad day are a different story. 7 slow 5 sec eccentric, 1 sec excentric , 7 bottom half, 7 top half, 7 fu speed.
21s are a little fluffy-wuffy for my taste, but perhaps you can employ cube sets to make them more effective. Since the bottom part is the easiest, the top part is harder, and the full curl is hardest, you can effectively “run the rack” as a finisher to compensate for this, resetting the starting weight each cube. i.e.:
35 x 7 bottom
30 x 7 top
25 x 7 full
30 x 7 bottom
25 x 7 top
20 x 7 full
and so on until metabolic failure. Drawback is it requires tying up the dumbbells, much to the dismay of other members if it’s crowded.
Not a problem, bought my own rack and started putting together my own home gym, only go to the gym for cables and other stuff a little too expensive and large for my space.
I had been doing the 21's with ex-curl bar, but I'll try what you posted.
My biggest problem right now is the amount of time I'm spending with incorporating drop sets. I don't mind the extra time at all, but I keep reading 60-90 minutes is best, but I'm going past that each time, 2 hours minimum to really reach hypertrophy. But I'm doing biceps and triceps, so I'm thinking maybe I need to adjust and focus on one or the other?
While an EZ bar may be easier on the wrists, it unfortunately negates the ability of the biceps to reach a full supinated contraction. I’d rather work on my wrist mobility (yes, you can work on wrist mobility) than be stuck using an EZ curl bar. Only thing an EZ curl bar is good for is triceps extensions imo.
Are you really training 2 hours for your arms? That’s really not necessary. There really isn’t conclusive evidence that isolation work does much of anything. All the data supports the big barbell and calisthenic compound movements being what drives hypertrophy. In essence, the bench press and press builds triceps much more effectively than push downs and extensions, and rows and chin ups builds biceps much more effectively than curls. I still do isolation work, but literally just a couple quick sets for that “icing on the cake” effect. The big, full body barbell movements are what makes the cake.
Soviet researchers have known that multi joint exercises are far better than single joint exercises for building muscle since the Cold War era. That’s why they kicked our asses in the Olympics so much back then. Now we have more rigorous studies proving what’s been known for a long time:
Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2013 Mar;38(3):341-4. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2012-0176. Epub 2013 Mar 18.
Thanks for the detailed info. There are so many opinions out there from so-called experts that contradict each other it's hard to sort out the truth from the BS. I'm open to trying different things and seeing what works, and looks like what you're saying is what I'm looking for. I'd really like to drop from the 5-day split down to 4 days for the bulk I've started (TRT dose and diet/sleep on point only, no cycle) and maximize my gains. I'm going to give this a go and see what it yields. Alot of research and working out a plan involved, still do drop sets of concentrations since I'm gaining off them, or so I thought that's what it was, now I'm wondering if I'm getting more out of the pullups, doing 5 sets, than the concentration drop sets. Since surgery, dropping weight, then getting back in the gym I started hitting both those at the same time so I could be wrong about the source of growth and strength increase.
Mind if I pm you later to get more info?
Why compounds build more muscle than isolations we really can’t explain fully. Stronger anabolic signal, perhaps? That said, guys want to ask, “well what about Phil Heath?” Or whoever. “They train with a lot of isos. How do they get so big?” The answer is always the same.
G - n - t - cs. -nd g - - r. L - ts -nd l - ts -f g - - r.
Would you like to buy a vowel?
For us average genetics, reasonable doses guys, we need that extra edge to milk all we can out of our hard work. Of course, you may contact me whenever.
Since it's the last thing I do and weight is dropped I may not be getting much more than a pump out of it, glad you said something.
Recently I've been starting with chins as a pre-exhaustive, trying each time to increase the total number, only counting full chest to bar as a rep. Then going into either drop sets of concentrations next or incline dumbell (Need to start drop sets on incline DB), then reverse curls, cross-body curls, etc.
Do most of you guys do biceps and triceps together on same day or split up?
Heavy rowing movements and chins are great.
My beef with 21’s for biceps stems from the fact that the full range of motion is so important for bicep growth. Deliberately cutting it down is counterproductive. Especially when straight sets will get the job done. Just need to squeeze the shit out of them and get a full stretch.
When I’m prioritizing arms I give them their own day. But I separate the lagging side first, so maybe 30-40 mins triceps then 30 min biceps since my biceps are more developed. Don’t like supersetting them. I have a harder time mentally connecting to the muscle when I’m winded from supersets.
It looks like you have a decent peak already. My arms are 18.25” and yours look bigger wtf!? Lol.
Not much more you can do, honestly. The two biceps heads work together no matter what. Anything that emphasizes one head more than the other is to a very negligible degree. There’s nothing magical about biceps training. I’ve been learning that the hard way for a long time. It just takes patience.
Two-part drag curls might be a good assistance move to incorporate that emphasizes the long head. It’s done like a barbell curl except you lean forward slightly, pull the bar in drag curl fashion to your waist parallel to your thighs using your biceps, then finish in one motion by curling to maximum contraction. Grip slightly within shoulder width using a standard oly, not an EZ. You won’t be able to go very heavy.
And remember that the biceps insert into the scapulae, so any movement that involves shoulder flexion contracts the biceps. This is why many like to begin their curls with what appears to be the beginning of a front raise.
Thanks bro....bodybuilding can be an illusion at times for sure.....ive dieted down to try and cut up and people tell.me how much bigger ive gotten?! And im actually smaller!. Go figure..... the drag curl ive done a couple times. Its almost like a underhand bent over row except your standing alot more upright....maybe its time i add them back into my routine. My other goal which is more of an aesthetic one is to have my bicep peak taller then my front delt when i hit a biceps pose......or at least as tall..lol thanks again for the advice dude.....
I’m no bodybuilder, but you can create the illusion of having taller peaks than your delts by simply lifting your arm a little higher in the pose
And bear in mind, the two part drag curl ends in a normal, arcing curl in a disadvantageous position. That’s why it’s so difficult.
And as for the compounds, the meat and potatoes of your training, nothing hits the biceps better than dead hang, chest-to-bar chin ups and supinated pendlay rows imo.
Yeah i agree with all you said....did underhand chins today actually.. gonna have to look into pendlay rows tho....not familiar with em......