# FITNESS and NUTRITION FORUM > WORKOUT AND TRAINING >  top five ex. for bigger biceps

## TNTsean

hey guys , for some damn reason my triceps seem to explode yet my biceps lack  :Frown:  ive tried alot of different movement / technique. but yet have found one that works good, alot of you guys on here know alot of good shit so please post yur top 5 bicep exersices.

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## LatissimusaurousRex

1-Pull ups
2-Pull ups
3-Pull ups
4-Pull ups
5-Pull ups

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## TNTsean

> 1-Pull ups
> 2-Pull ups
> 3-Pull ups
> 4-Pull ups
> 5-Pull ups


close grip chin ups
close grip chin ups 
close grip chin ups
close grip chin ups
??????????????
wouldnt they be more benifical then pull ups or did you mean chin ups

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## LatissimusaurousRex

palms facing you obviously

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## LatissimusaurousRex

are they really lacking that much? how big are your arms?

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## TNTsean

my arms arnt lack that much its just a fulller bicep would be nice. last time i messured they were floating in around 18 1/14 - 18 1/2
my triceps are by far way supieroir , idk i would liek to have fulller biceps. instead of alreight size ones and huge triceps lol

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## LatissimusaurousRex

Yeah right your arms aren't lacking at all dude, but for bi's the pullups/chinups is the best compound exercise for your bi's and you're pulling a lot of weight too, especially when you add plates around your waist.

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## TNTsean

hahha maybe its just a self insecurity hah , thanks rex for your imput bro , cheers

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## toothache

chin ups/pull ups are more for the back.  They incorporate the bicep but that's not the major muscle involved. That's like saying bench press is a tricep exercise.

Barbell curls for putting on bicep mass.

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## LatissimusaurousRex

that's an isolation exercise though, you can add more mass with compound exercises

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## jbran23

> that's an isolation exercise though, you can add more mass with compound exercises


More overall mass, yes, but the bicep is being worked SECONDARY to your back in pullups.

For mass strictly to the bicep itself I would say the standard straight barbell curl using principals such as rest/pause and heavy cheat curls would be best IMO. Variety would also be key though but that should be a staple in any program.

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## baseline_9

> More overall mass, yes, but the bicep is being worked SECONDARY to your back in pullups.
> 
> For mass strictly to the bicep itself I would say the standard straight barbell curl using principals such as rest/pause and heavy cheat curls would be best IMO. Variety would also be key though but that should be a staple in any program.


i would agree with all u have said

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## baseline_9

straight barbell curls
dumbell preacher curls
hammer curls

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## LatissimusaurousRex

Close-grip pull ups put the stress on the arms vs the back

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## bigboomer

> straight barbell curls
> dumbell preacher curls
> hammer curls


Those are the three that i love to do when getting my biceps to grow....The best three imo...

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## xlxBigSexyxlx

standing olympic bar curl
reverse preacher curls (stand on opposite side of where you're suppose to sit)
hammer curl
supinated bent over rows
close grip chin ups (palms facing you).....not pullups

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## cherrydrpepper

They're not that popular for some reason but the ez bar preacher curls give me an insane pump and good growth.

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## cybernox

> They're not that popular for some reason but the ez bar preacher curls give me an insane pump and good growth.


same for me as well.

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## xlxBigSexyxlx

> They're not that popular for some reason but the ez bar preacher curls give me an insane pump and good growth.


try them the way I said and stand on the opposite side of where you sit. Talk about sick. Ronnie on here, got me to try them, and they are ridiculous.

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## Matt

> try them the way I said and stand on the opposite side of where you sit. Talk about sick. Ronnie on here, got me to try them, and they are ridiculous.


Doi you have a pic or diagram of this, im finding it difficult to imagine...

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## xlxBigSexyxlx

> Doi you have a pic or diagram of this, im finding it difficult to imagine...


Spider Curls they are called.


http://www.muscleandstrength.com/exe...ider-curl.html

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## jbran23

> Spider Curls they are called.
> 
> 
> http://www.muscleandstrength.com/exe...ider-curl.html


Have to give these a try. They look like basically the same thing as preacher but with a bit more range of motion.

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## Matt

> Spider Curls they are called.
> 
> 
> http://www.muscleandstrength.com/exe...ider-curl.html


Thanks, in shall give them ago...

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## terraj

> More overall mass, yes, but the bicep is being worked SECONDARY to your back in pullups.
> 
> For mass strictly to the bicep itself I would say the standard straight barbell curl using principals such as rest/pause and heavy cheat curls would be best IMO. Variety would also be key though but that should be a staple in any program.


Agreed^^ Heavy straight Barbells are my money for Bis.

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## Skyler

I have the opposite problem. I add mass to my biceps super easy, but my triceps lack. They get strong, just not big. 
My bicep routine consists of barbell drag curls, reverse curls, outward dumbbell curls, and show curls.

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## cherrydrpepper

When I really want my triceps to jump out I will go heavy on pretty much any exercise that uses both arms, then I follow with a one arm tricep pulldown like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTxDnPkjwPI

But what I do differently than almost everyone else on the gym is I pick I weight I can really only do 10 to 12 clean on, then I take my index finger of my other hand and I put it on the O ring and start spotting myself to at least 20

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## Skyler

I use the same technique for my tricep training, going heavy and to failure on everything. I also finish with the one arm reverse pressdowns. I spot myself the same way too! I am also the only one in my gym who seems to do it. 
I think my triceps just don't pop do to my genetic makeup. Like i notice how Markus Ruhl has huge peaked biceps, but in comparison to his biceps, his triceps look flat. I have the exact same problem.

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## ...aydn...

1. strait bar curls
2. laying incline DB curls
3. Preacher bench wide grip
4. Heavy DB curls
5. X rep, ez bar curls


I disagree that chins would make your bi's grow more then any of these isolative exercises mentioned above. Compound does not always mean best. 
If your some noob that does not get full extension and full 
ROM to stretch and contract the muscle the way the exercise is meant, then yes a compound would be best. 
tips for curls-

*elbows locked at your side.
*make the bar move in a semi circular motion strait infront of you. not in a vertical plain.
*sounds dumb, but talk to your biceps and be telling them to move LITERALLY do it (not out loud)
*make sure your elbows are locking out at the bottom, this means full stretch and full ROM, this will make it alot harder and you wont lift as much weight, but if your not an ego bound gym wannabe then you wont mind dropping the weights back and allowing correct form, for proper muscle stimulation and growth.
*use your bigger movements like strait bar curls as "annihilation" sets this means go hard as you can and as heavy, form is not as important as long as you are going insane and attacking the weights like they have murdered your mother.
*use the finner movements like laying incline DB curls, or preacher as "stimulation" sets. controlled movement and focus on the muscular contraction, form is critical full stretch and only go as far to the top without the muscle resting at the top. the muscle needs to be under tension the whole time.
*no rest at the top or bottom of each exercises, think of it like pistons in an engine. strait up strait back down with controlled tempo, concentric= explosive eccentric= slow and controlled.





just a few tips, take it or leave it.

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## n00bs

If your arms are lacking look at your leg work..

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## ArmedHammerd

> They're not that popular for some reason but the ez bar preacher curls give me an insane pump and good growth.


Same here bro

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## JScondition

I like to get the ez grip bars and go wide for 3 sets, neutral for 3 sets, and close for 3 sets. Wide will hit the inner bicep, close will hit the outside, and neutral will cover a little of both. People tend to lack the outter portions though. I added these into my routine and put some nice growth on the gunz.

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## danimal79

what gives me the best pump, are standard dumbbell curls. i begin and end with my palms up, but the key is all in the suppination. at the top of the curl, make sure to twist your wrists as far as you can COMFORTABLY go, with your palms facing outward, and SQUEEEEZE the life out of your biceps. it's hard to explain, but hopefully you get what i'm saying lol. other than that, 21's are great, mainly because of the partials - they really seem to work well for the peaks. after that, MACHINE CURLS. i don't care what anyone says about "machines", seated machine biceps curls OWN!



> palms facing you obviously


it's not "obvious". a pull-up and a chin-up are 2 different things. what you described is a CHIN-UP...not a pull-up  :Wink:

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## amcon

well i have never seen any big guys in my guy do pull up for bies... 

any ways why 5 excersizes? the reason why i ask is cuz i used to think that i should do like 15 to 18 sets of bies to get bigger bies... what i found was that was not good... now i do my back excersizes - then 6 sets of bies... later in week about 4 days later i do 4 sets more with about 50 % of my max (estimated). then done...

i have my bies right at 20 inches now...

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## stefan-109

In terms of favourite excercise and effective.

1.Incline curls with a dropset weight (great for busting through platuea)
2. Hammer curls without lockout, so tension is always being put on biceps
3. Barbell Curls (heavy weight low reps 6reps ussually)
4. Preacher Curls Higher Volume ussually 
5. Crazy 6's i think there called (3 secondsd up, 3 down= 6seconds per 1 rep)

Compound lifts help alot such as bent over rows, but the tricep is supposed to be bigger than the bicep

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## growing1

> try them the way I said and stand on the opposite side of where you sit. Talk about sick. Ronnie on here, got me to try them, and they are ridiculous.


Is the name for that a spider curl? Where you are completely extended, hanging. All movement at the elbow with no shoulder help?

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## growing1

nm. never received the end of that thread. question answered. I've always used those when I felt like I wasn't growing anymore and they usually kick start more growth. You can make them really burn if you leave your thumbs under the bar and let you wrists lay back with a helluva squeeze at the top.

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## MAC27

> They're not that popular for some reason but the ez bar preacher curls give me an insane pump and good growth.


I agree... I instantly know its working!

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## Stephen73ta

Heavy ass barbell curls, single arm preachers, reverse grip ez bar preachers and incline dumbbell curl are some of my favorites, but your arms are bigger then mine.. I've heard good things about weighted close grip underhand pull ups..

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## scrunnyronnie

The basics with strict form.

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## marcus300

Some good answers in here for the OP but what is your routine your doing?

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## maxwkw

1. chin-ups
2. EZ bar curls
3. db hammer curls
4. db incline curls (sitting on an inclined bench and let your arm stretch all the way to the bottom)
5. climbing ropes

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## jcp2

> Agreed^^ Heavy straight Barbells are my money for Bis.


i don't think thier is going to be much other than these and chins that are going to put any real size on your bis. If you do heavy compound work your arms usually get pretty big as it is. And whoever said benching is not good for the tris, my arms were at their biggest when my bench was in the mid 400's and i did no direct arm work whatsover. That being said, if you put 100 lbs on your bench dead and squat i bet your arms get bigger.

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## protrac231

Another one i picked up was, laying cable curls, and standing cable curls were the cable is through your legs while curling. Ive had great success with these, when my routine gets stale. The pumps are amazing.

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## drdeath613

have you tried negative concentration curls take your max curling weight with a dumbbell add 20lbs to that and see if that dont get your bis pumped i know its worked for me and a few of my friends

just a pre warning after your second set youll be asking your friend to lift your jug of water and youll fell a whole new kinda sore i know i did lol

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## BigBuck6

> They're not that popular for some reason but the ez bar preacher curls give me an insane pump and good growth.


It must be geographical, now that I live in Florida this is all I ever see people doing!

I also have noticed that _MOST_ men seem to overtrain biceps and as a result never get the size they want. As far as compound movements, I do believe they can help shape a serious set of arms. Granted, biceps are secondary on back movements but an experienced lifter can emphasize the muscle to a greater extent than a novice. When you take into account large weights sometimes those secondary muscles are being overloaded with more resistance than isolation moves can ever obtain. I personally feel that throwing a couple hundred pounds on a T-bar is a lot harder on my biceps (secondary) muscles than any hammer curl could ever be and I am not the only one. The great Ron Coleman also rarely trained biceps _in part_ because he felt they got worked so well on back day.

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## CMB

> It must be geographical, now that I live in Florida this is all I ever see people doing!
> 
> I also have noticed that _MOST_ men seem to overtrain biceps and as a result never get the size they want. As far as compound movements, I do believe they can help shape a serious set of arms. Granted, biceps are secondary on back movements but an experienced lifter can emphasize the muscle to a greater extent than a novice. When you take into account large weights sometimes those secondary muscles are being overloaded with more resistance than isolation moves can ever obtain. I personally feel that throwing a couple hundred pounds on a T-bar is a lot harder on my biceps (secondary) muscles than any hammer curl could ever be and I am not the only one. The great Ron Coleman also rarely trained biceps _in part_ because he felt they got worked so well on back day.


Biceps should be trained separately IMO. The secret to bigger biceps is to hit the inner head and the outer head of the muscle. Try close grip preacher curl thats a good example.

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## dec11

> Biceps should be trained separately IMO. The secret to bigger biceps is to *hit the inner head and the outer head of the muscle*. Try close grip preacher curl thats a good example.


no shit batman  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## BUTTERYGOODNESS

> Spider Curls they are called.
> 
> 
> http://www.muscleandstrength.com/exe...ider-curl.html


Oh! ive always heard them called scott curls for some reason, or am i thinking of something else?

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## Hack da Squat

Close grip chin ups with added weight bro apply reverse slingshot method with it and i bet yourl grow

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## The Rock!

Hammer/preacher. 5 sets, finish with a superset. 

After that, my bi's are shot to hell.

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## JimmySidewalk

Larry Scott was a big fan of Spider curls. He said those are for getting a peak on the biceps like arnold and incline curls are for getting it thick like sergio for example. I saw in a video of his photos from when he was younger and his arms looked like sergio's, then a picture with him older and he had a very nice peak like arnold.

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## gingerjock

good input

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## terraj

> Agreed^^ Heavy straight Barbells are my money for Bis.


Look at that, I posted this^ right before my elbow shat it's self from doing Heavy straight Barbells ....

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## Bullseye Forever

My favorites and the ones that have helped me the most are

SBCurls
Incline DB curls
Crossbody hammers no lockout
Incline ezbar curls
preacher curls
I dont know how to explain this one,but i use an ez bar,i lean up against a flat pole in the gym i extend my legs outward,sorta a little squat,where you cant cheat with your back and burn out,its amazing how it works
Also i alternate crossbody hammers,regular hammers and supra bar hammers

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## brad1986

> 1. chin-ups
> 2. EZ bar curls
> 3. db hammer curls
> 4. db incline curls (sitting on an inclined bench and let your arm stretch all the way to the bottom)
> 5. climbing ropes


surprisingly chin ups have a 90% bicep engagment. Chin ups are awesomwe for the guns! We dont think of that traditionally tho

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## apacheman75

> Agreed^^ Heavy straight Barbells are my money for Bis.


completely agree

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## Benton

I am beginner want big biceps and this thread is very help full for me that posting all the 
exercise that can prove helpful for getting big biceps. I am going to add these exercise in my routine.

Chino physical therapy

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