How To Build Huge Biceps: Optimal Training Explained

Summary

In this Technique Tuesday episode, the focus is on mastering the barbell curl for optimal bicep development. The video explains the muscle groups involved, emphasizing the brachialis and bicep brachii, and the importance of proper form. It covers the benefits of barbell curls, such as easier progressive overload, and offers tips for grip, stance, and mind-muscle connection. The script also addresses common mistakes, like going too heavy and lack of active supination, and suggests alternatives like the standing dumbbell curl to correct asymmetries. The goal is to maximize bicep hypertrophy through technique and form, rather than just lifting heavy weights.

Takeaways

• 💪 The primary focus of the barbell curl is elbow flexion, mainly performed by the brachialis muscle, which enhances the appearance of the biceps when developed.
• 📐 Biceps brachii and brachioradialis muscles assist in the movement, with the biceps also aiding in wrist supination and shoulder flexion.
• 🔄 The barbell curl allows for easier progressive overload compared to dumbbell curls, as smaller increments can be added week by week.
• 🤔 The easy bar might be preferred for comfort, especially if it reduces wrist strain, despite minor differences in wrist positioning compared to a regular barbell.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Training with a light to moderate load and higher rep ranges (8-20 reps) is recommended to maintain form and engage the biceps effectively.
• 🤏 Emphasizing a strong mind-muscle connection and bicep squeeze during the curl can lead to more significant hypertrophy, as supported by research.
• 🤔 A wider grip might target the biceps peak more, but it could reduce the range of motion and may not be as effective as a shoulder-width grip.
• 📉 Avoiding a close grip is suggested as it reduces the range of motion and biceps activation, according to one source.
• 👐 The importance of active supination during the curl is highlighted, as it ensures the biceps bear more of the load rather than the forearm muscles.
• 🧍‍♂️ Maintaining proper form, including a strong stance and braced core, is crucial for effective bicep engagement and preventing injury.
• 🚫 Common mistakes include using too heavy a weight, which can lead to form breakdown and reduced bicep tension, and not actively supinating during the curl.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Technique Tuesday?

Technique Tuesday focuses on breaking down the lost art and science of training technique for one specific movement each week.

What muscle primarily handles elbow flexion during a bicep curl?

The brachialis muscle, which sits underneath the biceps, primarily handles elbow flexion during a bicep curl.

How does building the brachialis muscle affect the appearance of the biceps?

Building the brachialis muscle will push the biceps brachii up and out more, which increases their appearance of size.

Which muscle assists the biceps and brachialis in the bicep curl movement?

The brachioradialis muscle on the back of the forearm assists the biceps and brachialis in the bicep curl movement.

Why is wrist supination important when performing a bicep curl?

Wrist supination is important because it allows the biceps to handle more of the load, as the underlying brachialis muscle cannot contribute to supination.

What is the recommended rep range for loading the bar in a bicep curl exercise?

The recommended rep range for loading the bar in a bicep curl is light to moderate load in a relatively higher rep zone of around 8 to 20 reps.

What is the advantage of using a barbell curl over a dumbbell curl in terms of progressive overload?

The advantage of using a barbell curl is that it allows for easier application of progressive overload with minimal loading increases week to week, such as adding just 2.5 pounds to each side as needed.

What is the recommended grip width for the barbell curl to maximize bicep involvement?

The recommended grip width for the barbell curl is roughly shoulder-width, which allows for a comfortable grip and maximizes bicep involvement.

How does the long head of the biceps relate to shoulder abduction?

The long head of the biceps is a stronger shoulder abductor than the short head, and taking a wider grip may target the biceps peak slightly more.

What is the recommended way to perform the barbell curl to maximize bicep tension?

To maximize bicep tension, curl the bar out in front of you in an arc rather than straight up, and focus on squeezing the biceps throughout the movement.

What common error is often seen when performing bicep curls that can lead to form breakdown?

A common error is going too heavy, which can lead to form breakdown as other muscles come in to help lift the weight, reducing the effectiveness of the bicep curl.

How can the standing dumbbell curl help in correcting for muscle imbalances?

The standing dumbbell curl is excellent for correcting asymmetries as it hits each arm individually and allows for starting with a neutral wrist position and supinating throughout the concentric.

What is the significance of actively supinating during the bicep curl?

Actively supinating by driving the pinky and ring fingers into the bar is significant as it ensures the biceps perform more of the work rather than the forearms.

What is the recommended way to reset after each rep during the bicep curl?

It is recommended to reset every rep at the bottom, which allows for regaining position and taking a deep breath, helping maintain upper body tightness and stability.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Bicep Curl Technique Fundamentals

This paragraph introduces Technique Tuesday, a series focused on training techniques for specific movements. The focus this week is the bicep curl, emphasizing the complexity and muscle involvement beyond the common understanding. It explains that the brachialis muscle, not the biceps, is the primary mover in elbow flexion, and building this muscle enhances the appearance of the biceps. The paragraph also discusses the role of the biceps brachii and brachioradialis in the movement, as well as the importance of wrist supination in targeting the biceps. It touches on the benefits of the barbell curl versus the dumbbell curl, highlighting the ease of progressive overload with the former.

05:02

🏋️‍♂️ Advanced Bicep Curl Techniques and Common Errors

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of performing the barbell curl, including grip width, the importance of a mind-muscle connection, and the role of the biceps in shoulder flexion. It advises against heavy loads that may lead to form breakdown and instead promotes a focus on squeezing the biceps for hypertrophy. The paragraph also covers proper form, such as maintaining a neutral wrist position and avoiding unnecessary movement in the body. It discusses the importance of the eccentric phase in muscle growth and the use of an arm blaster for maintaining posture. Common errors are highlighted, including going too heavy and not actively supinating, which can lead to the forearms doing more work than the biceps. The standing dumbbell curl is mentioned as an excellent adjunct exercise for addressing asymmetries and ensuring biceps activation. The paragraph concludes with a note on varying routines and a personal appeal for support for the Technique Tuesday series.

Keywords

💡Bicep Curl

The bicep curl is a fundamental weightlifting exercise that targets the biceps brachii, a muscle in the upper arm. In the video, it is discussed as a primary movement for bicep training, with a focus on technique to maximize the effectiveness of the exercise. The script mentions the barbell curl and dumbbell curl variations, emphasizing the importance of proper form and muscle engagement to prevent form breakdown and ensure the bicep muscles are being worked effectively.

💡Elbow Flexion

Elbow flexion refers to the action of bending the elbow, which is the primary movement in performing a bicep curl. The script explains that this action is mainly handled by the brachialis muscle, located beneath the biceps, and that building this muscle can enhance the appearance of the biceps' size. The concept of elbow flexion is central to understanding how the bicep curl exercise works and its impact on the bicep muscles.

💡Brachialis Muscle

The brachialis muscle is a powerful muscle situated beneath the biceps brachii. It plays a significant role in elbow flexion, as mentioned in the script. Building this muscle can push the biceps up and out, thereby increasing their visual prominence. The video emphasizes the importance of engaging the brachialis during bicep curls to enhance the overall development of the arm muscles.

💡Biceps Brachii

The biceps brachii is a prominent muscle on the front of the upper arm that is commonly associated with the bicep curl exercise. The script discusses how the biceps brachii crosses the elbow joint and is heavily involved in the curling motion. It also mentions that the biceps assist in shoulder flexion, which is another movement that occurs during the bicep curl.

💡Brachioradialis Muscle

The brachioradialis muscle is located on the back of the forearm and assists in elbow flexion. The script mentions that this muscle supports the brachialis and biceps brachii during the bicep curl. Understanding the role of the brachioradialis helps to appreciate the full muscular involvement in the exercise.

💡Wrist Supination

Wrist supination is the action of turning the palm upwards, which is an important aspect of the bicep curl exercise. The script explains that supination is primarily handled by the biceps and the supinator muscle of the forearm. It is emphasized that actively supinating during the curl can help to target the biceps more effectively.

💡Shoulder Flexion

Shoulder flexion is the movement of lifting the arm forward and upward. The script describes how some degree of shoulder flexion occurs during the bicep curl, which is facilitated by the long head of the biceps. This movement is important for the overall mechanics of the exercise and for engaging the bicep muscles.

💡Isometric Wrist Flexion

Isometric wrist flexion refers to the contraction of the muscles in the anterior forearm to maintain a neutral wrist position during an exercise. The script mentions this concept in the context of the bicep curl, explaining that it prevents the wrist from bending backward and helps to maintain proper form throughout the exercise.

💡Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is a training principle that involves gradually increasing the stress placed upon the body during exercise to promote muscle growth and strength gains. The script discusses how the barbell curl allows for easier application of progressive overload by allowing for incremental weight increases, which is crucial for continuous muscle development.

💡Mind Muscle Connection

Mind muscle connection is the concept of mentally focusing on the muscle being worked during an exercise to enhance its activation and growth. The script emphasizes the importance of this concept in bicep curl exercises, suggesting that focusing on squeezing the biceps during the curl can lead to greater hypertrophy, as supported by research mentioned in the video.

💡Eccentric Contraction

An eccentric contraction is the lengthening of a muscle while it is generating force, such as when lowering the weight during a bicep curl. The script highlights the importance of the eccentric phase in muscle growth, advising viewers to actively control the weight on the way down, treating it as a 'failed positive' to maximize the benefits of the exercise.

Highlights

The barbell curl and its technique are discussed to maximize biceps engagement.

Elbow flexion in bicep curls is primarily handled by the brachialis muscle, not the biceps.

Building the brachialis muscle can enhance the appearance of biceps size.

Biceps brachii and brachioradialis muscles assist in the curl with wrist supination.

Supination is crucial for targeting the biceps as the brachialis does not contribute to it.

Shoulder flexion occurs during the curl, assisted by the biceps long head.

Isometric wrist flexion contraction is important for maintaining a neutral wrist position.

Barbell curls allow for easier progressive overload compared to dumbbell curls.

Light to moderate loads are recommended for bicep curls to maintain form.

Focusing on squeezing the biceps results in more hypertrophy than just moving the weight.

A comfortable grip, roughly shoulder-width, is suggested for the barbell curl.

Wider grip may target the biceps peak but reduces range of motion.

Incline dumbbell curl or basin cable curl can target the long head of the biceps.

Proper form includes a strong stance, braced core, and tucked elbows.

Curling the bar in an arc generates more torque and tension on the biceps.

Maintaining a neutral wrist position and avoiding form breakdown are crucial.

The eccentric phase of the curl is as important as the concentric for muscle growth.

Common errors include going too heavy and lack of active supination.

Standing dumbbell curl can correct asymmetries and allows for individual arm focus.

Using an arm blaster can enforce better lifting posture but should not be relied upon.

The video concludes with a discount offer on an arm hypertrophy program.

Transcripts

[Music]

okay welcome everyone to a new episode

of technique tuesday where every week

we're going to be breaking down the lost

art and science of training technique

for one specific movement this week

we're going to be looking at the bicep

curl and in particular how to get the

most biceps bang for your buck out of

the barbell curl and while the curl

appears to be a pretty straightforward

exercise on the surface as we'll see

there's actually quite a bit more

complexity and muscular involvement than

many people realize okay so with this

movement we're going to be performing

mainly elbow flexion so basically just

bending your elbow which contrary to

popular belief is in fact handled mainly

by the brachialis muscle that very

powerful muscle that sits underneath the

biceps and even though you can't see it

superficially when you flex your arms

building this muscle will push the

biceps brachii up and out more which

will increase their appearance of size

as well now of course since the biceps

brachii do cross the elbow joint they

will be doing a lot of work here as well

and these two prime movers will get

assistance from the brachioradialis

muscle on the back of the forearm now

we're also performing wrist supination

here so twisting your palm up which will

be handled mainly by the biceps and also

the supinator muscle of the forearm and

supination is actually really important

for targeting the biceps because that

more powerful underlying brachialis

muscle can't contribute to supination

meaning the biceps will have to handle

the brunt of the load here also when

viewing the curl from the side you can

see that some degree of shoulder flexion

is happening which is fine the biceps in

particular the long head that forms the

biceps peak assists the front delt with

shoulder flexion since the biceps also

crosses the shoulder joint and can help

bring the arm up like in a front raise

finally throughout the curl there will

be an isometric wrist flexion

contraction where the muscles of the

anterior forearm prevent the wrist from

bending backwards maintaining that

neutral wrist position throughout the

curl now i put the barbell curl easy bar

curl and dumbbell curl on pretty much

even footing here the main advantage of

the barbell curl is that you can more

easily apply progressive overload with

minimal loading creases week to week

adding just 2.5 pounds to each side as

needed whereas with dumbbells you may

have to make bigger jumps of 5 pounds

per side which could compromise form or

delay load progression and while the

barbell does allow for a slightly more

supinated wrist position than the easy

bar i don't think this difference is

practically relevant especially if you

queue for supination as we'll discuss in

a minute and if the easy bar feels

better for you or more comfortable on

your wrists then i think you should just

go with that and we'll return to the

dumbbell curl in a little bit okay so

generally speaking you want to load the

bar with light to moderate load in a

relatively higher rep zone around 8 to

20 reps because loading the biceps too

heavily will just result in form

breakdown as other muscles come in and

help heave the weight up and throughout

the curl rather than having the amount

of weight at the forefront i think you

really want to focus on improving your

mind muscle connection with the biceps

and squeezing the biceps as you curl one

eight-week training study from

schoenfelding colleagues found that

focusing on squeezing the biceps

resulted in significantly more

hypertrophy than just focusing on moving

the weight so you want to grab the bar

with a comfortable grip with which for

most people will be at just about

shoulder width now because the long head

of the biceps is a stronger shoulder

abductor than the short head taking a

wider grip may target the biceps peak

slightly more however at this point

that's just kind of my own speculation

and it might not actually be worth the

reduced range of motion you get from

going wider and i'm personally not a fan

of the very close grip as it also

reduces range of motion and according to

one source reduces biceps emg amplitude

by 13

relative to a shoulder width grip as a

quick aside when it comes to targeting

the long head or that outer peak dr brad

schoenfeld has recommended performing

exercises where the upper arm is held

behind the body where the long head will

be placed under greater stretch so if

your goal is to maximize the peak in

addition to the basic variable curl you

may want to also include an incline

dumbbell curl or a basin cable curl

where the arm is held back behind the

torso okay back to the barbell curl so

with a comfortable roughly shoulder

width supinated or underhand grip stand

upright with the barbell keeping a

strong shoulder width stance with a

braced core and slightly bent knees now

unlike with the bench press here you

want to purposefully take a more loose

grip with your hands and fingers which

will increase biceps involvement by

minimizing activation of the elbow

flexors of the forearm you want to make

sure that before initiating the curl

your elbows are tucked in comfortably

close to your sides and just before

initiating the curl you want to slightly

flex the shoulder or in other words

bring your arms forward by about 10

degrees and at the same time try tilting

your scapulae posteriorly since the

short head of the biceps attaches on the

front end of the scapula tilting them

posteriorly will pull tension into the

biceps as you begin the curl think about

putting the majority of the pressure on

your pinky and ring fingers rather than

your pointer and middle fingers which

will force the wrist into a more

supinated position further shifting

tension onto the biceps you want to

think about curling the bar out in front

of you in an arc rather than straight up

and let's just look at the difference

here so on the left we're just pulling

the bar straight up and on the right

we're swinging the bar out in an arc

just notice the difference in distance

between the axis of rotation at the

elbow and the center of mass at the

barbell between these two variations

even though the weight is exactly the

same you're going to generate much more

torque and as a result much more tension

on the biceps by curling the bar out

rather than just pulling it straight up

generally as you reach the top end of

the curl you want to maintain a neutral

wrist position not allowing the wrists

to curl in at any point throughout the

range of motion in fact as an advanced

technique you can slightly extend the

wrists at the top which will help take

the forearm muscles out of the movement

even more just be careful when doing

this and if you feel any wrist pain and

then don't do it now as you curl when

viewed from the side there shouldn't be

much movement at the knees hips or lower

back and other than the arms everything

should be pretty much motionless and

locked into position and even though i

don't like to pause at the top of the

curl myself since there will be minimal

tension there you do want to think about

squeezing your biceps to move the weight

including at the top of each rep on the

eccentric again you want to lower the

bar out in an arc while maintaining a

loose grip and forcefully contracting

your biceps the eccentric is just as or

more important than the concentric when

it comes to muscle growth so don't treat

the negative it's just a time to relax

and just let the weight fall i

personally like to think of the negative

as a sort of failed positive where

you're actively resisting the weight on

the way down i personally prefer to

reset every rep at the bottom because it

allows me to regain position and get a

deep breath in which helps maintain

upper body tightness and stability on

the next rep which allows me to better

control the weight and move more load

overall so i would say the most common

error that i see here is the same as

with the row just going too heavy now

i'm not against cheap curls on principle

i think they can have a place in a

program especially if you're really

controlling the eccentric however they

can set you up on a bit of a slippery

slope or you may not be actually

applying progressive overload you may be

in fact applying progressive cheating

where you just progressively get more

and more assistance from the other

muscles down the chain while tension on

the biceps actually goes down or at best

stays the same so i think that a bit of

shoulder flexion up to 10 to 15 degrees

is actually a good thing to get the curl

started but as the hips knees and ankles

start to get involved it starts to

become a totally different exercise now

an arm blaster can actually be really

helpful here as it helps to keep the

shoulders back and enforces a better

lifting posture however you don't want

to use it as a crutch and as with most

exercises you should learn proper form

without the aid of supplemental lifting

gear first another common error that i

see all the time is lack of active

supination

many people will correctly curl with an

underhand grip but then forget to

actively supinate by driving their pinky

and ring fingers into the bar which can

result in a curl where the forearms

perform much more of the work than the

biceps now i want to quickly mention the

standing dumbbell curl here is an

excellent adjunct exercise since it has

the advantage of hitting each arm

individually which can correct for

asymmetries and unlike the barbell you

can start with a neutral wrist position

and then supinate throughout the

concentric now to maximize on this you

want to curl with your pinky finger in

the center of the dumbbell which is

going to force your biceps to fire

harder when performing supination of

course combining exercises is usually

the best way to work around slight

pitfalls in each individual movement so

don't be scared to periodically vary

your routine while using the basic

barbell or easy bar curl as the bread

and butter movement of your arm building

program okay so that's it for this one

guys i've decided that i'm going to

leave the entire technique tuesday

series totally unsponsored so that way i

can just focus on delivering the

information to you guys in its purest

form now these videos will usually take

rashawn and i 30 upwards of 30 hours to

edit

research write film etc so if you've

been benefiting from the series so far

purchasing a program on my website is

the best way that you can support the

work that i'm doing over here on this

channel while at the same time

getting a complete and very applicable

version of some of the stuff i talk

about in my videos so for the release of

this video i've decided i'm going to

knock my arm hypertrophy program down by

30 for the next week which is going to

put it at just 13.99 and there's more

info on that arm hypertrophy program on

my website if you'd like to check it out

um thanks again guys so much for tuning

in and thank you so much for the amazing

feedback on the series so far i really

do appreciate that and it's been really

motivating for me in terms of wanting to

just crank these episodes out every week

and make each one better and better um

so please don't forget to leave me a

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all here next tuesday