# Need bigger biceps



## dAMvN (Jul 1, 2005)

I have this problem, the peak of my biceps are pretty big but i'm very unhappy with the sides of my biceps. There thin and not very cut. I was wondering if you guys could tell me a few exercises I could do in order to make my biceps thicker and wider.


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## Squaggleboggin (Jul 1, 2005)

I would think that muscle shape is purely genetics and that no exercises can change the actual shape of a muscle, just its size.


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## shiznit2169 (Jul 1, 2005)

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/showthread.php?t=35431


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## dAMvN (Jul 1, 2005)

shiznit2169 said:
			
		

> http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/showthread.php?t=35431


I was looking for a few exercises I could do to get mass around my biceps and get that wide look. I was thinking hammers and such, but I wanted expert advice. thanks anyways.


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## Squaggleboggin (Jul 1, 2005)

I currently do hammers but I just started them a couple weeks ago and my goals are different, so I can't really say much about them except that I've been making strength gains with them. I know that doesn't really help, but hey, they're still fun to do.


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## LAM (Jul 1, 2005)

dAMvN said:
			
		

> I have this problem, the peak of my biceps are pretty big but i'm very unhappy with the sides of my biceps. There thin and not very cut. I was wondering if you guys could tell me a few exercises I could do in order to make my biceps thicker and wider.



you can not target a specific area of the bicep as the muscle grows as a whole.  you are light for your height, I would concentrate on heavy compound exercises


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## Peaked_18 (Jul 1, 2005)

dAMvN said:
			
		

> I have this problem, the peak of my biceps are pretty big but i'm very unhappy with the sides of my biceps. There thin and not very cut. I was wondering if you guys could tell me a few exercises I could do in order to make my biceps thicker and wider.



Work on the Width of Biceps.
Do Barbell Curls with a wide-grip and short-grip.  That will work on both side of the Bicep.   Do 3-4 sets of each, 8-12 reps.

Also do Barbell Cheat Curls.  Do about 120-130% of your 1-RM and lean over a bit and force the weight up.  This will add plenty of Mass onto your Biceps.  Do about 3-4 sets of these too, 8-12 reps.


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## ABLQ2 (Jul 1, 2005)

try hammer curls , and my favorite.. start with your palms facing your sides (or even towards the rear) on bicep curls and rotate your wrist as you bring the dumbells up, and at the top of the movement, have your pinky turned in a wee bit really contracting hard.  this added a ton of width to my previously skinny arms, back in the day.


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## imjarhed (Jul 2, 2005)

Wide and narrow grip on a straight bar and concentrate on form.  With form comes strength, with strength comes size.  Try an incline bench at 30 to 45 degrees, start with your palms facing back and turn your han as you curl it up trying to touch your pinky to your shoulder at the top. And don't forget precher curls utilizing negatives.


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## Mudge (Jul 2, 2005)

Get yourself another 100 pounds of bodyweight and they will be thicker.


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## dAMvN (Jul 2, 2005)

I'm happy with the body I got  If not go to the hospital and ask all dem girls with broken necks


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## LAM (Jul 2, 2005)

dAMvN said:
			
		

> I'm happy with the body I got



that is good. but you also have to remember that you can't expect your muscles to continually grow with out gaining mass all over the body.  if you concentrate on compound movements you will never have problems with the size of your biceps.


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## powerrack (Jul 3, 2005)

For your bicep problem I like doing Rope Hammer Curls and Incline Hammer Curls I'd do 3-4 sets each 5-10reps.


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## Mudge (Jul 3, 2005)

dAMvN said:
			
		

> I'm happy with the body I got



Then quit complaining about your biceps   They wont get thick until they get bigger, for someone my height and build I dont think I'd feel that they were thick until I had 22s.


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## Tough Old Man (Jul 3, 2005)

Hey Mudge you seem to have nice peak on the biceps. Do you have the genetics or do you feel it was from hard work 



			
				Mudge said:
			
		

> Then quit complaining about your biceps  They wont get thick until they get bigger, for someone my height and build I dont think I'd feel that they were thick until I had 22s.


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## Mudge (Jul 3, 2005)

I couldn't complain about them, its just genetics. I had peaks when I had tiny little 14 inchers as a freshman in highschool. I also notice the peaks show a lot better when I am leaner rather than heavier and softer.

Now if I only had genetics for size, ha.


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## 17truage (Jul 4, 2005)

Im 16 wheigh 168/170 fluctautes between the week. My biceps in my opinion are nice .They hay a nice peak but now im trying to get more mass and make them wider. I mean they are nice for my age and i used to be thin to a bone i mean i was able to wrap a hand around it easily now only half a hanf goes around it this was all in 1 years. O yea my question . Should one work out the same mucle group if the burning sensation of the prior work out uis still there?


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## ABLQ2 (Jul 5, 2005)

17truage said:
			
		

> Im 16 wheigh 168/170 fluctautes between the week. My biceps in my opinion are nice .They hay a nice peak but now im trying to get more mass and make them wider. I mean they are nice for my age and i used to be thin to a bone i mean i was able to wrap a hand around it easily now only half a hanf goes around it this was all in 1 years. O yea my question . Should one work out the same mucle group if the burning sensation of the prior work out uis still there?



probably not.


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## MyK (Jul 5, 2005)

www.exrx.net

nuff said.


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## fitnessdriven (Jul 5, 2005)

Peaked_18 said:
			
		

> Work on the Width of Biceps.
> Do Barbell Curls with a wide-grip and short-grip.  That will work on both side of the Bicep.   Do 3-4 sets of each, 8-12 reps.
> 
> Also do Barbell Cheat Curls.  Do about 120-130% of your 1-RM and lean over a bit and force the weight up.  This will add plenty of Mass onto your Biceps.  Do about 3-4 sets of these too, 8-12 reps.



Definitely wide-grip and close grip. Although the bicep is one muscle it is comprised of an inner/medial head (short head) and an outer/lateral head (long head). Performing a narrow grip barbell curl will work the outer head and a wide grip will work the inner head. Try pyramiding. Also, single arm bicep curls performed with precise form can really develop the long head and with very low weight when performed with precision. In the July 2005 issue of Fitness RX Fitness for Men, there is an excellent demonstration of the one arm cable curl. To show growth, evaluate what muscle fibers you are currently working most. Mixing up your routine during the same workout ie: high reps low weight and high weight low reps, can speed up growth. You want to be sure to hit slow and fast twitch fibers. Good luck. I hope this helps.


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## GFR (Jul 5, 2005)

Do some twisting bicep curls too, the biceps brachii flexes the elbow joint and supinates the forearm so you need this movement to fully develop it.


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## Mudge (Jul 5, 2005)

Zottman curls, I used to like those.


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## GFR (Jul 5, 2005)

Mudge said:
			
		

> Zottman curls, I used to like those.


What are they...please explain it to me....use small words.


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## SuperFlex (Jul 5, 2005)

dAMvN said:
			
		

> I have this problem, the peak of my biceps are pretty big but i'm very unhappy with the sides of my biceps. There thin and not very cut. I was wondering if you guys could tell me a few exercises I could do in order to make my biceps thicker and wider.


Make *Straight-bar *Barbell Curls you're main focus!!! 3-4 sets of 10,10,8,6 reps with a dropset on the final set... Flex hard for 30 secs. after each set. and stretch those puppies out when finished.

My guns are illegal in all 50 states so believe me this is the way to go! That's why I can't post any pics you know...


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## Mudge (Jul 5, 2005)

ForemanRules said:
			
		

> What are they...please explain it to me....use small words.



I assume you were describing them, or close to them, but here goes.

Starting from a hammer position, you rotate the wrist into a full supinated curl position, then rotate the wrist into a pronated curl while lowering the weight to the resting position. 

I honestly haven't done these regularly in probably about 10 years, lots of work on the wrist so I did them slowly and with lighter weights.


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## GFR (Jul 5, 2005)

Mudge said:
			
		

> I assume you were describing them, or close to them, but here goes.
> 
> Starting from a hammer position, you rotate the wrist into a full supinated curl position, then rotate the wrist into a pronated curl while lowering the weight to the resting position.
> 
> I honestly haven't done these regularly in probably about 10 years, lots of work on the wrist so I did them slowly and with lighter weights.


That is what I was talking about...but I never knew the actual name of the exercise.


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## Mudge (Jul 5, 2005)

http://www.weightliftingdiscussion.com/zottman.html


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## bigger biceps (Dec 18, 2011)

Pure genetics but you can influence it a little  I think. There are tons of sites whith information about biceps training. I made a website about the biceps but I don't want to spam this form and create a link. This is my first post. pm me if you want to visit this Biceps website.


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## ExLe (Dec 18, 2011)

Mudge had good advice about the weight...

Bro, best advice as long as you are training them hard and right is that the thickness will come with an increase in overall mass and weight.

You can train and train those bis with all kinds of different movements, but if you arn't in a calorie surplus (except maybe noob gains) and gaining good lean mass they will not thicken up...

Good luck...


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## aminoman74 (Dec 19, 2011)

The best thing to do is train train train.It will take a long time to get where you want them to be.


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## CaptainNapalm (Dec 19, 2011)

You need to drop all isolation lifts for arms and replace them or add more of: pull ups, chin ups, bb rows, dips, rack pulls and deadlifts. Do those lifts alone for arms not neglecting squats, bench press and shoulder work and your arms should explode. The best gains i ever got for arms was when i became diligent to compound lifts and dropped all isolation work.


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## stfuandliftbtch (Dec 19, 2011)

With EXTREMELY simple research, you could of easily figured out the answer to your question..


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## bigc33 (Dec 24, 2011)

For biceps i like to do close grip pull ups with a 35 or 45...


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## stfuandliftbtch (Dec 24, 2011)

CaptainNapalm said:


> You need to drop all isolation lifts for arms and replace them or add more of: pull ups, chin ups, bb rows, dips, rack pulls and deadlifts. Do those lifts alone for arms not neglecting squats, bench press and shoulder work and your arms should explode. The best gains i ever got for arms was when i became diligent to compound lifts and dropped all isolation work.




Drop all isolation lifts for arms??
-^There is exactly what not to do. Captain's arms grew, if i can remember 2 1/2 inches from doing this with none to little isolation work. 2.5 inches is a lot, but this is from someone who trained for 6 years on and off non-consistently. He claims this growth came from the heavy compounds, which i agree it did to an extent, but remember, this is from a non-consistent lifter. Most of those gains on his arms were due to him starting to lift again.

Your question in this post clearly states that you are a beginner lifter, so therefore your arms aren't going to be super thick already. Yes, you might have an impressive peak, but that may just be due to your low bodyfat and lack of food consumption. How often do you see a bulked up bodybuilder with over 15% bdft with a huge peak? usually never. It's not noticeable until they cut down. ME on the other hand, feel like i have thick arms, and not enough peak. (we can trade some thickness for peak if you want..haha) 

So if you are worried about the thickness of your arms/sides of your arms, your grip will have a lot to do with where you are primarily hitting the bicep. Bicep is 2 muscles, inner and outer. Maybe next workout start with a close grip or wide grip and don't worry so much about a neutral grip for hammers of a shoulder width grip until the end of your workout.

On the other hand, i do agree with Captain. A lot, if not most of your arm development will come from compound lifts. But, i do not agree with completely eliminating every isolation movement for your bicep. After your back workout try getting in 2-3 exercises for biceps with around 3 sets for each exercise. Remember, you are 19 and still young(im young too), and bicep thickness/arms thickenss will take some time to develop, especially if training naturally. 

*Focus on training as much as nutrition and calorie intake and you'll start seeing some bicep thickness soon! Good luck!


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## bigbenj (Dec 24, 2011)

It's all about finding what works for you.

I personally like hammer curls and preacher curls.


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## stfuandliftbtch (Dec 24, 2011)

people are cracking me up... 

everyone keeps saying hammer curls! during a hammer curl, the agonist muscle is the brachioradialis, not even the bicep is a primary mover. 

and preacher curl^, that mainly hits the longhead of the bicep.

"thickness" people...c'mon...seriously?

be more specific, hammer curl cross overs "close grip" preacher curls. 
-   1/2 you guys are just naming random ass bicep exercises which don't even mainly target the outer biceps. ok, i should stop here.


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## returnofthdragon (Dec 24, 2011)

^^^ If I could rep you from my phone, I would.


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## jbuck27 (Dec 24, 2011)

Returnofthdragon,  

Can you please pm me?   Need to ask a question about one of your old post.


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## bigbenj (Dec 24, 2011)

I didn't give 2 shits about what the OP asked, I simply stated movements that have helped me. I saw your t-rex arms, stfu, so I don't think you should be giving advice.

As I previously said, find what works best for you. So many times I see guys giving advice straight out of the textbook, or shit they google searched. Then I see what results they've obtain, and I can't help but chuckle. Get in the gym, sling some heavy weight, try different exercises, and see where it gets you.

If I went by the textbook, I would be short changing myself. I never go below 12 reps for arms in almost all of my workouts, and have seen good results. Most guys would say "you have to do barbell curls 8-10 reps" or "you have to do dips". Find what works best. I know guys who have better legs than a lot of dudes, and they don't even squat. It's not about what you read in a book or an online article, it's about what gets the job done for each individual.


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## stfuandliftbtch (Dec 24, 2011)

bigbenj said:


> I didn't give 2 shits about what the OP asked, I simply stated movements that have helped me. I saw your t-rex arms, stfu, so I don't think you should be giving advice.
> 
> As I previously said, find what works best for you. So many times I see guys giving advice straight out of the textbook, or shit they google searched. Then I see what results they've obtain, and I can't help but chuckle. Get in the gym, sling some heavy weight, try different exercises, and see where it gets you.
> 
> If I went by the textbook, I would be short changing myself. I never go below 12 reps for arms in almost all of my workouts, and have seen good results. Most guys would say "you have to do barbell curls 8-10 reps" or "you have to do dips". Find what works best. I know guys who have better legs than a lot of dudes, and they don't even squat. It's not about what you read in a book or an online article, it's about what gets the job done for each individual.





if you don't give a shit about what he asked why are you posting? 

My arms get about 18" pumped at 5'8"/20yrs old   How big were your arms at age 20? im sure huge!!

p.s. haha t-rex arms was really funny! im actually still laughing, which is why i am about to give you some pos. rep!


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## bigbenj (Dec 24, 2011)

At twenty years old I wasn't into my second or third cycle, using 800mg of test and 400mg of tren, as you stated you're using in another thread. At twenty I was smart enough to know I wasn't ready.. Just sayin'.

To each their own. Have fun.


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## KILLEROFSAINTS (Dec 24, 2011)

dAMvN said:


> I have this problem, the peak of my biceps are pretty big but i'm very unhappy with the sides of my biceps. There thin and not very cut. I was wondering if you guys could tell me a few exercises I could do in order to make my biceps thicker and wider.



get leaner and ask santa for better arm genetics


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## bigger biceps (Dec 25, 2011)

stfuandliftbtch said:


> Drop all isolation lifts for arms??
> -^There is exactly what not to do. Captain's arms grew, if i can remember 2 1/2 inches from doing this with none to little isolation work. 2.5 inches is a lot, but this is from someone who trained for 6 years on and off non-consistently. He claims this growth came from the heavy compounds, which i agree it did to an extent, but remember, this is from a non-consistent lifter. Most of those gains on his arms were due to him starting to lift again.



I totally agree. Isolation is very important but is very hard to do. There is one trick though. With to much weight it will not work, try to lower the weight and hit your biceps by doing a very slow exercise. This will help.


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## jbuck27 (Dec 25, 2011)

jbuck27 said:


> Returnofthdragon,
> 
> Can you please pm me?   Need to ask a question about one of your old post.





Sorry to jacked this again...but I need some important info from returnthdragon and I can't pm yet.


Return,

Search your thread about your 3 weeks on letro. Ive asked you a few questions.


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## jbuck27 (Dec 25, 2011)

Two things... 1. Do you guys prefer working biceps with tri's or chest  2.  How many exercisers and sets/reps do you aim for.


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## bigger biceps (Dec 25, 2011)

jbuck27 said:


> Two things... 1. Do you guys prefer working biceps with tri's or chest  2.  How many exercisers and sets/reps do you aim for.



 Depends on all kinds of things like:


  - Experience (are you a beginner)
  - History (what did I do yesterday)
  - Vary (surprise your body and your muscles will grow)

So I don't prefer anything


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## jbuck27 (Dec 25, 2011)

I would say I'm a beginner on arms both tri and bi.   Back and Chest come easier for me. I struggle with arm growth.


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## CaptainNapalm (Dec 27, 2011)

stfuandliftbtch said:


> Drop all isolation lifts for arms??
> -^There is exactly what not to do. Captain's arms grew, if i can remember 2 1/2 inches from doing this with none to little isolation work. 2.5 inches is a lot, but this is from someone who trained for 6 years on and off non-consistently. He claims this growth came from the heavy compounds, which i agree it did to an extent, but remember, this is from a non-consistent lifter. Most of those gains on his arms were due to him starting to lift again.
> 
> Your question in this post clearly states that you are a beginner lifter, so therefore your arms aren't going to be super thick already. Yes, you might have an impressive peak, but that may just be due to your low bodyfat and lack of food consumption. How often do you see a bulked up bodybuilder with over 15% bdft with a huge peak? usually never. It's not noticeable until they cut down. ME on the other hand, feel like i have thick arms, and not enough peak. (we can trade some thickness for peak if you want..haha)
> ...



I respectfully disagree. I think for a beginner especially to get good arm growth it is especially recommended they focus on compound lifts along with the right diet. Primary reason for this is they are aiming for overall body growth aka the bulk. If you're a beginner and you think you can just focus on arms to make them grow forget about it. Your arm growth will be proportionate directly to your overall body development therefore most if not all of your initial energy devoted in the gym should be to compound lifts.  As a direct example, take the 20 rep squat program for example. This program is notorious and well proven to, if followed correctly, give some of the best size gains which includes arm growth. Interestingly enough it solely uses squats with the exception of extremely minor other work to achieve this.


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## stfuandliftbtch (Dec 28, 2011)

CaptainNapalm said:


> I respectfully disagree. I think for a beginner especially to get good arm growth it is especially recommended they focus on compound lifts along with the right diet. Primary reason for this is they are aiming for overall body growth aka the bulk. If you're a beginner and you think you can just focus on arms to make them grow forget about it. Your arm growth will be proportionate directly to your overall body development therefore most if not all of your initial energy devoted in the gym should be to compound lifts.  As a direct example, take the 20 rep squat program for example. This program is notorious and well proven to, if followed correctly, give some of the best size gains which includes arm growth. Interestingly enough it solely uses squats with the exception of extremely minor other work to achieve this.



you didn't say especially focus earlier..you said "completely eliminate all iso."


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## Cork (Dec 28, 2011)

I'm just jumping in on the end here, did anyone recommend squats yet?


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## bigger biceps (Dec 29, 2011)

Cork said:


> I'm just jumping in on the end here, did anyone recommend squats yet?



 Did you mean squats for a bigger biceps, that's odd? Or the fact that squats increase testosteron levels to stimulate muscle growth?


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## Cork (Dec 29, 2011)

Woops double post.


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## Cork (Dec 29, 2011)

bigger biceps said:


> Did you mean squats for a bigger biceps, that's odd? Or the fact that squats increase testosteron levels to stimulate muscle growth?



I'm mostly being a smartass.  My comment has many meanings though and is not limited to the huge number of benefits squats have.  When most people post on forums about how to make their arms bigger, it is usually the only focus of the individual's physique, thereby letting everything else fall by the wayside, namely legs.  Most upper body warriors only care about arms and will plateau very fast.  That is why when most people ask how to make the arms bigger, I say squat.  It will give the arms more time to recover in between bouts of 40 sets of bicep curls, and it will create a large anabolic response throughout the whole body.

This just reminds me of this one guy in my gym who only works out arms.  He is a small guy but he probably has 20" arms.  The rest of his body is so far behind his arm development, I can't help but laugh every time I see him curling in the squat rack.


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## menace (Dec 29, 2011)

Cork said:


> I'm just jumping in on the end here, did anyone recommend squats yet?



im with you on this one. when i really starting focusing on heavy squats, deads. and bench is when my body really started to respond size wise. arms included.


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## davidjohnston (Dec 30, 2011)

Hammer curls, and possibly Zottman curls?


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