Craving to sprout bodybuilder biceps without endless hours in the gym? Want the toned arms that a UCLA study found will make you more attractive to her? Well, you’ve come to the right place. We spoke to expert personal trainers Phil Sims and Ollie Frost to give you the complete lowdown of how to get big biceps. Prepare to fire.
6. Get a grip
Turns out maximizing every rep is easy squeezy. Seriously, squeezing your bis during any move while keeping the tempo slow is the best way to activate your arm’s muscle fast-twitch fibres. It’s why PTs like Frost swear by bicep cable curls, which keep tension on the muscle throughout the exercise.
Cable bicep curl
- Hold a cable bar with an underhand grip, shoulder-width apart.
- Use your biceps to flex your elbows and raise the bar to your shoulders.
- Lower it back down to your thighs and repeat.
Cable machine has taken? You can squeeze the most out of any free-weight rep by flexing throughout, says Sims. Just make you don’t do this in front of a mirror – it’ll be impossible to concentrate on your form with the impressive muscle pump you’ll see.
7. Hit the bar
Barbells and dumbbells: both effective tools at building up incredible bulk. But which is best? There’s only one way to find out: FIGH- erm, ask the MH experts! “It’s a draw in my book,” says Sims. “Sure, barbells allow you to lift bigger weights, which is great for seasoned gym-goers, but dumbbell exercises like the dumbbell uppercut can attack your arms at different angles.”
Dumbbell uppercut
- Stand holding two dumbbells at shoulder height with an underhand grip.
- Adopt a fighting stance and punch upwards with your right arm, pivoting on your right foot as you do so.
- Return to the start position and repeat on the other side.
So what’s the best solution to this bar standoff? Use both. And if you’re already a gym-goer then switch between both variations every two weeks to maximize your muscle gains, says Frost.
8. Keep your form
You know the guy. The one screaming out his ‘bicep curl’ reps as he arches his back and swings the weights like a pendulum on steroids. Well, you guessed right: he’s a douche. And that’s not just because of his woolly hat; if you want to build muscle quickly then focus on lifting your weight without leaning back or forward and working through the full range of movement. Anything else is doing harm to your arm.
Why? Poor form shifts the work away from your biceps and towards your joints and tendons, ruining muscle growth, and increasing your potential of injury. Bottom line: Loading up the bar with the heaviest plates in the gym might look impressive at first, but it’ll look a lot less cool in A&E.
9. Use yourself
No gym? No problem. Building up Arnie's arms can be done with your bodyweight alone. And it’s got a key advantage over free weights: you can use them anywhere. Instead of wasting hours queuing for dumbbells, you could complete an effective arm bodyweight circuit and be back home admiring your growth. It’s no wonder why bodyweight moves will be hanging around (literally) on our list of top health crazes for years to come.
Diamond push up
- Get in a press-up position and place your hands together so your index fingers and thumbs form a diamond.
- Keep your back straight as you lower until your chest almost touches the floor then push back up to the start position.
Pull-ups
This move isn’t strictly equipment free, but it’s easily done with a Men’s Health door bar.
- Grab the handles of the pull-up station with your palms facing away from you and your arms fully extended.
- Your hands should be around shoulder-width apart.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together, exhale, and drive your elbows towards your hips to bring your chin above the bar. Lower under control back to the start position
Decline press-ups
- Place your feet on a bench with your hands planted on the floor in front of you. Lower your body down until your chest almost reaches the floor.
- Press your body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest.
- Pause briefly at the top before repeating.
10. Supply your armory
Put simply: if you want larger arms then you’ve got to fuel them properly. And by fuel, we mean protein. If you’re looking to bulk your bis then you need 1.6-2.0 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day if you want to bulk up. This means if you’re the UK average of 83kg, you need at least 133 grams of protein each day.
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