Bigger Biceps
- Marcus White
- Mar 1, 2017
- 2 min read
Building Bigger and Stronger Biceps
If you are looking for a great way to build some awesome biceps, try doing the old playground favorite, pull-ups. If your gym is like most those pull up bars can be the loneliest place on the planet, so there’s no waiting in line and nothing to stop you from adding them to your training regimen. Doing pull ups will enable you to see and feel results faster than lifting those 25lb dumbbells in front of the mirror all day…especially if you consider you are bicep curling your body weight. In addition, it’s good for your mental wellness and self-image to be able to lift your body weight.
To start, try the overhand grip pull ups (palms facing anyway from you) to really emphasis on your lats (latissimus dorsi – the V-shape outline of your back). Use the underhand grip (palms facing you); also known as the chin-up, to place more emphasis on the biceps. Make sure to pull your chin past the plane of the hands and squeeze your triceps against your body at the top of the movement.
If you’re already a playground legend at pull ups, try a couple of variations to turn up the volume on your workout.
Wrap a towel around the bar to increase the diameter of the bar to improve grip and forearm strength.
Through a towel or rope over the pull up bar and pull on the towel instead of the bar to perform the exercise.
Hold a dumbbell between legs/knees/feet, providing a great opportunity to help those hip adductors to get in some work. You can also tie an anchored resistance band to your waist or a foot to add more resistance to your pull up.
Use a neutral grip on a straight bar (palms facing each other) and perform an old school monkey-bar-style, hand-over-hand movement, between pull up repetitions.
Perform partial range of motion movements to focus on a specific range of motion. i.e. Start your pull ups from the hanging position and pull yourself to the halfway point to complete one repetition and then try a set starting at the top range of the pull up to the mid-range point for each repetition.
Perform isometric holds at various points of the pull up to harden those muscles and strengthen the bicep at various eccentric and contracted phases as well as increase endurance.
Perform your pull ups on a rock climbing wall to simulate real life and to develop a monster grip.
If you are just getting into pull ups, have someone hold your feet to help you pull up to the bar for your reps and most of all be patient, as this classic exercise is difficult for many but well worth the effort.
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