Weight Gainer Series: Biceps

Hopefully you have all had a great summer thus far, even though it has been a bit cool for my taste. I trust that you all have not let your busy schedule overcome your training program and you have been making great progress this summer!

This month I'm going to address the biceps. These muscles can either be one's glory or one's bane; they're either full or flat. Following are some tips and ideas to help increase the potential of your muscles to add some pleasing symmetry to your arms and upper body.

Many people who have trouble developing their arms make the mistake of not doing enough. Lifters think that since the biceps are small muscles there is only so much work they should do, otherwise people risk overtraining. If you have little luck growing your biceps on your current program, then perhaps it is time to mix things up.

Don't be afraid to do a few more sets, or doing biceps more than once a week. What do you have to lose if your current strategy is not getting you the results you want? Think about adding a little more volume to your program.

Another common mistake is that people sabotage their arm workout by doing arms with other body parts. I realize that people are busy, but if you break your workouts into smaller groups, you can still achieve good results, without sacrificing the smaller muscle groups. How do you expect to work your biceps hard if you have already pooped them out on chin-ups, rows, etc? Yes, there is a benefit for multi-muscle exercises, but we are in this discussion because your biceps may not be where you want them to be. Therefore, dedicate a workout just for that muscle group.

Along the same route of mixing muscle groups when you workout, many people still lift with improper form. Maybe you can throw a lot of weight around, but if you're using your low back to get the weight up, all the lifter does is risk injury to the low back and take the concentration off of the bicep. When doing curls, make sure the motion is controlled in both directions, especially when resisting gravity. Why cheat yourself of half the workout, when you can work the bicep in both directions? Slow to the top, slow to the bottom. Also, make sure to lift through a complete range of motion.

Anyone can lift heavier if he or she cuts the movement path in half; however, you recruit fewer muscles fibers by limiting that range of motion. Further, with years of such lifting, you can risk shorting the muscle length, resulting in the "bodybuilder" form; tight form, constantly bent arms, etc. Again, don't cheat yourself by lifting with weight that's heavier than you can truly control.

For the program itself, try for 16-20 sets for the biceps, which works out to four or five exercises for three to four sets each. The rep range is a little lower due to the greater number of exercises and sets; keep it around 8 ­ 10. Again, this sounds like a lot, but if your program is stale, it's time to freshen it up a bit.

By giving your weight program an overhaul; adding new exercises, more weight and additional reps, hopefully you can break out of a potential plateau and add a little bulk to those guns! Happy lifting!

For training ideas to break-up your routine, read David's full fitness column on www.ChicagoPride.com.

David Bohn is Fitness Editor for ChicagoPride.com. David is a Senior Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Director for one of Chicago's top health clubs and provides in-home personal training for fitness-conscious clients. He holds a BSS in Fitness and Psychology from Cornell and is ACSM, AAAI and ISCA certified. Read David's column monthly on www.ChicagoPride.com.