How to Build Bigger Biceps - Exercises & Weight Gain Fundamentals

If you want to know how to build bigger biceps then you need to know more than just a few good exercises to do down at the gym. You also need to know the weight gain fundamentals that will aid you in your bodybuilding efforts for all parts of your body not just your arms! The biceps however do have a certain allure to them for many guys. They are the easiest muscle to show off and are often seen as a symbol of masculinity, strength and power. When people ask you to show off your muscles they are not going to be expecting your calves, thighs or even your chest; the first thing they always look for is the bicep flex. So if you biceps need a little work or a LOT of work if you are a skinny hardgainer then you need to first understand a few key points in the muscle gain puzzle. Firstly, a muscle gain diet must be adhered to if you want to put on any lean muscle mass. If you are an Ectomorph this applies doubly so because your metabolism runs in overdrive burning up calories at an extraordinary rate leaving nothing left for the body to fuel muscle fiber repair and growth. You should calculate how many calories you need to just maintain your current resting rate of energy consumption and your workouts. After this add MORE calories to get that excess energy reserve. The second part of the puzzle is post workout recovery. If you have this excess energy ready to go then you need to be resting enough for it to work. Muscles grow when your body is at rest and especially when you are asleep and you start to release growth hormones. Make sure to get enough good solid sleep and if you workout at a high intensity do not do this every day but give the body some rest days in-between to grow. The last basic building block of bodybuilding for skinny guys or for anyone else for that matter is your muscle growth workout. When you workout your aim is not to last as long as possible, that is related to endurance not strength. You want to work out with power and intensity by pushing your muscles to their limits on each exercise. Once you lift your maximum you have already sparked the muscle growth that will happen when you rest. Workout one muscle group with high intensity then move to the next and you will increase your size in a fast and efficient manner. Only if you adhere to these rules should you now start seriously thinking about what exercises to implement in your workout. To build bigger biceps you need to dedicate a few good exercises in your workout routine just to this muscle group. Do not over train them though just consistently add them to your routine and you will see gains. Continually doing curls for hours on end dos not actually do any more than a few good sets! The best exercises to give exclusive time to your biceps to make them bigger are: Standing Barbell Curls If you do just one exercise this should be it! The barbell curl, when done with good technique, is a great muscle growth workout of the biceps that will stress them and force size increase.rnYou must make sure you keep a straight back and do not use any shoulder actions as you do this though so that you just isolate the biceps and make them work for it. Be sure to keep a stable and tight core as you do this and breathe in when you lower the bar and breathe out on the lift. Standing Barbell Curl Animation from exrx.net Incline Bicep Curls The incline curl works the bicep again like the barbell burl but give you a different stretch and targets slightly different muscle fibers in the arms due to the different angle of your curl.rnSit at a bench with about a 60 degree incline with a dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms straighten and hang to the flow which will give a nice stretch to start with. Lift either together or alternative just using the biceps and not using your shoulders or pectorals to aid in this motion. Again make sure to breathe in when lowering and out when lifting. Incline Bicep Curl Animation from exrx.net Hammer Curls The hammer curl is another essential exercise to build bigger biceps. Similar to the barbell curl but with alternating arms lifting this exercise also targets different parts of the bicep and surrounding muscles as you twist your forearms and lift with a different motion.rnStand comfortably with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides making sure your palms are facing your body. Lift each weight to your shoulder in turn using just the arm muscle not the shoulder or chest. Keep good form and tighten your core and keep a straight back doing this for best effect. Hammer curl Animation from exrx.net Another tip on how to build bigger biceps for all of these exercises is the really squeeze your muscles at the peak of each lift for just a second or two while you hold that position. This creates that 'pump' effect as the bicep becomes engorged with blood. IT feels great and your muscles will look bigger but this is a temporary effect to a degree. The long term benefit is that it is forcing the slow twitch muscle fibers to adapt and grow which can really add size to your arms if not strength which are actually two different things. These exercises will give you BOTH however so you can look good and be stronger at the same time.