Sports and a healthy lifestyle are becoming more and more popular every day, and every day there are people who decide to devote their free time to these useful activities. Good habits such as regular exercise and proper nutrition will help not only to improve the functioning of the body and get rid of unwanted diseases, but also to transform the body, making it toned, slim and attractive.
In order to get the desired result, you should follow a number of certain rules and exercise regularly, paying due attention to each muscle group. The first thing that usually attracts attention is the arms, so training the arms, namely the biceps, should be done first. To make classes more productive, you need to familiarize yourself with the most effective exercises for biceps and create an individual training program for yourself, choosing the most suitable for you.
Features of biceps training
The first thing to consider when starting training is the level of your initial training. If you are new to sports and physical activity is not part of your daily routine, it is not recommended to start with intense and hard workouts. You can often come across negative reviews about sports that arise as a result of severe overstrain and pain that occur after the first session, and become a reason to refuse subsequent training. To avoid this, it is necessary to draw up a clear training schedule, which should alternate with rest. At the initial stage, you should not train every day, gradually preparing the muscles for the upcoming loads.
As for the intensity of training, the biceps are the muscles that are enough to train once a week, focusing on this particular muscle group. If you do this more often or give a load on the biceps daily, then the muscles will not have time to recover, namely, recovery helps to increase the volume of the biceps and improve their shape and relief.
The optimal biceps workout consists of 2-3 sets, which include 8-12 repetitions of each exercise. In addition, it is recommended to constantly change the sequence and type of exercises. Thanks to this, you can work out all parts of the biceps without overstraining the muscles. As muscle addiction, you should increase the load, but this should be done gradually, adding one new exercise to the complex. In addition, most biceps exercises are designed so that the triceps, forearms, shoulders, back and chest are also trained along with the main muscle, which makes the exercise more effective.
Biceps Exercises
Biceps Exercises с гантелями
Dumbbells, like any other sports equipment designed to build muscle, come in different weights, which you need to select according to your level of training. If you have chosen training with dumbbells for yourself, then it is recommended to start with basic exercises. One of the most common classic exercises for biceps with dumbbells is to raise them by bending and extending the arms at the elbow. Take a dumbbell of the same weight in each hand, rest your elbows on the body at the waist and alternately bend your arms, lifting the dumbbells to shoulder level. Do not make sudden movements, do the exercise smoothly and carefully so as not to damage the muscles in jerks. In this case, the body should not loosen, as this significantly reduces the load on the biceps muscles. You can perform this exercise in a standing position and sitting on a bench.
If you are doing the exercise in a standing position, then in the process of lifting the dumbbells, you will need to turn the hand, which will involve additional arm muscles. So, stand up straight, lower your arms with dumbbells along the body, turning them with your palms towards you. Now begin to gradually raise the dumbbells, and when they are parallel to the floor, perform a non-sharp turn of the brush outward, so that in the end the dumbbells are turned to your face. Lowering your hands, do the steps in reverse order, also smoothly and gradually, until the dumbbells are in their original position.
When lifting dumbbells is performed in a sitting position, it is recommended to do this with one hand, and after the end of the set, change hands. Sit on a bench, spread your legs wider than shoulder width apart, straighten your back and take a dumbbell of the desired weight in your hand. The second, free hand rests with the palm on the knee, and the elbow of the working hand on the inner side of the thigh of the corresponding leg. Turning your hand palm up, gradually raise it, bending at the elbow. The wrist should be straight, and the body slightly tilted forward. When the dumbbell level with your face, slowly return your hand to its original position. The elbow does not fully extend during this exercise.
Biceps Exercises со штангой
Lifting the bar is no less effective for training the muscles of the biceps than exercises with dumbbells. However, to work with a barbell, you must have a certain base of sports knowledge that will help you avoid unwanted injuries. As a rule, all exercises with a barbell involve not only the arms, but also the muscles of the forearm.
Before lifting the barbell, take the desired position of the body. Stand up straight, spread your legs shoulder-width apart, place your feet parallel to each other, and slightly raise your chin. Take the bar with both hands at an equal distance from its edges, while turning your palms up. As you lift the barbell, gently bend your elbows until it reaches chest level. During the exercise, do not move your elbows, placing them on the body or simply holding them on the sides of the body. Hands in the wrists, as in the previous exercise, should be motionless. Raise the barbell exclusively with your muscles, without loosening the body. If this does not work, then reduce the weight of the bar.
Exercises with a barbell, like exercises with dumbbells, can be performed not only while standing, but also in a sitting position. Sit on a special bench, which in sports circles is called the “prayer bench”. The fact is that it is equipped with special armrests, which allow you to concentrate the load on your arms and relieve tension in your back during the exercise. So, having taken the correct position, take the barbell of the desired weight with a wide grip, turning your hands with your palms up and lowering them down. Raise the bar to face level and slowly lower them back to the starting position. When performing this exercise, the load on the biceps may vary depending on the angle of the bench, the range of motion and the width of the grip.
Biceps Exercises в домашних условиях
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to visit the gym, and not everyone has the necessary equipment in the form of dumbbells and barbells. If you are one of the people who do not have the necessary sports equipment in their home arsenal, do not despair, because the biceps can be pumped up without the help of dumbbells, barbells and a special sports bench. One of the simplest but at the same time, quite effective exercises for the biceps are pull-ups. To do this, you will need a horizontal bar and a desire to improve your body. The maximum load on the biceps is performed when lifting the body on the horizontal bar with a reverse grip. Start with a minimum number of lifts, the number of which should be gradually increased as the muscles get used to the load. The result from such exercises will not be as fast as after training in the gym, but you can hardly think of something more effective to maintain muscle tone.