Bicep Development for Rookies

By: Zach Bashore
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:18:39
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The biceps are another one of those overtrained muscle groups that bodybuilders have trouble with. Is it the ease of doing hundreds of curls or the uneducated decisions we make when training them? This article is aimed at the ones who are interested in the basics of bicep training and may also help the experienced bodybuilder bust out of his or her plateau. You are going to learn what the biceps is, best exercises, best day to train, and how your split should look.

Your biceps are involved with many activities you do each day such as carrying and lifting things. According to hateweight.com, the definition of the bicep is the muscle running along the inside of the upper arm which bends your arm at the elbow. The biceps muscle consists of three groups: The pronator teres, which causes flexion at the elbow and also causes pronation with the forearm. The brachialis only allows for flexion at the elbow, and the biceps brachii causes flexion of the elbow and supination of the forearm.

Most bicep exercises are labeled pulling exercises and involve curling your hand towards your shoulders. You can perform many different bicep exercises with almost any type of resistance. The following list is an example of good exercises you can do with the equipment listed above it.

DUMBBELL
Alternate Hammer Curl
Seated Dumbbell Curl
Zottman Curl
Cross Body Hammer Curl
Dumbell Alternate Bicep Curl
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl

BARBELL
Barbell Curl
Close Grip Easy Bar Curl
Preacher Curl
Spider Curl
Wide Grip Standing Barbell Curl

CABLES
Standing Cable Curl
Overhead Cable Curl
Lying Cable Curl
Cable Preacher Curl
Cable Hammer Curl

PLATES
Reverse Plate Curl

MACHINES
Machine Preacher Curl

BODYWEIGHT
Chin-up

Jay Cutler stats on his website that he trains biceps on the same day as he trains his back. However, shapefit.com contradicts this split by stating, "The first thing you want to do is make sure you`re not training biceps on back day. Training your back first will fatigue your biceps." There is no rule stating that you must train biceps with any other muscle group. As with the training biceps with back example, there are just to many diffferent opinions to state that one way is the best. You need to find which split works best for you.

The biceps are not as an important muscle group as the triceps, but they should still not be neglected. There is no greater feeling than flexing your biceps and watching them peak into what a mountain looks like. You also need to take into account that the biceps are sometimes targeted on exercises you didn`t even think you would hit. It is very easy to overtrain them, especially if they are being worked more than twice a week. Until next time, don`t overtrain your biceps.

*http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightlifting/a/bestbiceps.htm
*http://www.getbig.com/articles/biceps2.htm
*http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/biceps.htm
*http://www.shapefit.com/training-biceps.html
*http://www.google.com/searchhl=en&lr=&safe=off&defl=en&q=define:Biceps&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title
*http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.php?Real_New=%3C%3D+7&Name=&MainMuscle=Biceps&Equip=Barbell&Isolation=&order=Name
*http://www.jaycutler.com/sub/training_beginner.html

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Article source: Expert Articles