When it comes to fitness people automatically think more time spent at the gym equals more results. While this is somewhat true, the concept is not so simple.
If your goal is to put on more muscle mass and to look as defined as possible, you want to make sure your workouts are as efficient and effective as possible. This means that you can get the results you want with less time spent doing so.
The key is to not let your body get used to the workout, if you aren’t regularly trying different exercises and variations of those exercises, your routine gets stale and your results stagnate.
For this routine we are going to use exercises that can be heavily modified so that we continue to see great results as we progress over time.
The first thing we want to do before we start doing anything is to stretch thoroughly and to do some light cardio to give us a jump start and get us going.
Lower Bicep Work and Joint Stabilization
Most people completely forget about preacher curls when it comes to biceps workout because they are more focused on the traditional bicep curls and hamm
er curls. Preacher curls can help develop the lower part of your biceps which is important in maintaining the strength of the elbow joint.
The bigger your biceps and triceps get, the more strain you put on your elbow if you don’t properly develop those stabilizing muscles around the joint.
If you don’t know what preacher curls are, they are preformed sitting down with your elbows on a pad with the starting position similar to praying, hence the name.
You do this exercise just like you would a normal curl, except with the starting position being with the weights upwards and not down. Do this exercise for 4 sets, 8-10 repetitions in each.
Do Hammer Curls to Target Flexors and Brachioradialis
Hammer curls are a great example of how you can simply turn a common exercise like bicep curls in to another exercise like hammer curls by simply twisting your wrist.
Hammer curls are performed like regular bicep curls except that the weights are perpendicular to the floor instead of parallel. This allows the user to target the flexors and brachioradialis, or the forearm muscles instead of the biceps.
The best way to perform the hammer curls is in a very slow deliberate manner to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible, which will result in more muscle growth in the long run. Do this both in the concentric or upward movement as well as the eccentric, or downward movement.
This is also commonly referred to as doing negatives, where you don’t simply just drop the weight after you do the initial curl. This puts more of a strain on the bicep over a longer period of time during the repetition, which will also greatly help when it comes to muscle growth and development.
Remember, if this exercise gets too easy for you, you can always throw in some slight modification to give yourself an extra challenge. Adjust your grip and your plane of movement to get more results out of your routine.
Pullups Are Essential
Most people are aware of how great pull-ups are when it comes to the lats, upper back and rear deltoids as well. Pull ups are also great when it comes to working your biceps as well.
If you don’t regularly do pull-ups you will more than likely find doing them the traditional way challenging enough.
If you are a veteran when it comes to pull-ups there are a few things you can do to make the exercise more challenging. You can either add weights, or use resistance bands which basically do the same thing. You can also alter your grip either more widely or narrow to hit different muscle fibers within these groups to give you better size and definition.
Another thing you can do is to alter how far you come up on your pull up which will hit different muscles as well. Most people bring their chin to the bar which engages the biceps more. If you want to focus more you your back, stop short of bringing your chin to the bar.
Do 5 sets of pull-ups with 6-8 reps in each set.
