20 Minute Bicep Workout

This bicep workout continues to be a staple in my weight training arsenal. When ever I'm looking for a boost in the size of my arms, I always go back to the basics...

Heavy bicep exercises performed with decent weight training form.

While certainly not revolutionary, this type of bicep workout has never let me down! The reason why the basic bicep exercises work so well for building massive arms is because they allow you to train with the heaviest weight possible, while forcing you to maintain safe weight lifting form.

It's a fact...In order to build serious arm muscle you must learn how to perform a basic bicep workout routine with good solid weight training form. This type of training has been proven to stimulate muscular strength and explosive growth, so it's a safe bet that even though this bicep workout is designed for beginners, it will also stimulate muscle growth for even the most seasoned weight trainers.

Blast Your Arms With This Killer Bicep Workout

Bicep Workout Warm-Up

Before you attempt to train any body part, it is critical that you complete a full warm-up. Your bicep workout warm-up can be accomplished by performing a few sets of your first exercise (in this case Olympic bar curls), with light weights that both allow you to get the blood pumping through your biceps and prepare your body for the heavier weights used for your training sets.

Listed below is a general template for your bicep workout warm-up. Make sure to follow along and complete the full warm-up prior to moving on to your heavier training sets. If you choose to ignore this advice, be prepared to face the consequences, serious injury or ineffective training sets are both common among weight lifters who don't perform warm-up sets.

Warm-Up Set #1

Exercise: Olympic Bar Curls - 1 set x 12 reps

*Choose a weight that allows you to move the weight quickly through a full range of motion. (I usually begin with just the Olympic bar).

Rest for 1.5 minutes

Warm-Up Set #2

Exercise: Olympic Bar Curls - 1 set x 10 reps

*Again choose a weight that allows you to move the bar fairly quickly through a full range of motion, but make sure that it is heavier than what you started with.

Rest for 1.5 minutes

Warm-Up Set #3

Exercise Bar Curls - 1 set x 6 reps

*Perform this warm-up set with a weight that you can move though the full range of motion easily and under control, but this time begin to up the ante a bit. Your goal is to perform 6 reps with a weight that is getting closer to your training weight, but light enough not to prematurely fatigue your biceps.

Rest for 2 minutes

Warm-Up Set #4

Exercise: Olympic Bar Curls - 1 set x 3 reps

*Grab a weight that is some what challenging for you. You should be quickly approaching the weight that you use for your muscle building training sets.

Rest for 3 minutes

At this point, your muscles should feel full, warm and ready to move on to your heavy training sets. If you do not feel ready to jump into the workout at this point, simply work in a few more war-up sets. Just make sure that you are not prematurely fatiguing your biceps by going overboard with your warm-up routine.

Remember...

"The goal of your bicep workout warm-up is to get the blood flowing through your bicep muscles, activate your brain and get you into the muscle building frame of mind, and prepare your bicep muscles for your heavy training sets...Nothing More...Nothing Less!

Bicep Exercise #1 - Olympic Bar Curls

After completing your bicep workout warm-up...

*Perform 3 sets x 6-8 repetitions

**Make sure to use a weight that you can control for at least 6 quality repetitions, but heavy enough that you can't possibly perform more than 8!

*Rest for 2 - 3 minutes between sets

Starting Position For Olympic Bar Curls - You should begin the Olympic Bar Curl by standing with your feet shoulder width apart with you feet centered directly underneath your hips. Your knees should have a slight bend in them, taking most of the stress of this exercise off of your lower back and placing it where it belongs...On the muscles of your bicep!

Grasp the bar with the palms of your hands facing up.

Beginning Movement - Raise the bar up towards your shoulders until you can move it no further. Hold this position for 1 second and slowly (under control!) lower the weight back down to the starting position.

Olympic Bar Curl Tips - Bending only at your elbow will ensure that you're targeting your biceps and not your back or shoulders.

• Make sure to keep your elbows tight against your sides at all times during the Olympic Bar Curl.

• Don't allow momentum to "swing" the bar up towards your shoulders. Slow, controlled movements are what you are after.

• Do not use your lower back or shoulders to move the bar. Focus on pulling with only your bicep muscles. While you may not be able to train with very heavy weights in the beginning, you will allow more growth in your biceps by training with a weight that allows you to complete the exercise through a full range of motion.

Bicep Exercise #2 - Z-Bar Curl

*Perform 2 sets x 6-8 repetitions

**Make sure to use a weight that you can control for at least 6 quality repetitions, but heavy enough that you can't possibly perform more than 8!

*Rest for 2 - 3 minutes between sets

Beginning Movement - Raise the bar up towards your shoulders until you can't move it any further. Hold this position for 1 second and slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position.

Z-Bar Curl Tips - As with the Olympic Bar Curl, bending only at your elbow will ensure that you're targeting your biceps and not your back or shoulders.

• Make sure to keep your elbows tight against your sides at all times during the Z-Bar Curl.

• Don't allow momentum to "swing" the bar up towards your shoulders. Slow, controlled movements stimulate more muscle growth than heavy out-of-control reps.

• Don't use your lower back or shoulders to move the bar! Focus on pulling with only your bicep muscles. Again, you may not be able to train with very heavy weights in the beginning, but you will allow for more growth in your biceps by training with a weight that allows you to complete the exercise through a full range of motion.

After you complete all 5 of your muscle stimulating training sets, it's time to gently stretch out your biceps. Grab something stationary (a wall or squat rack works fine), and slowly rotate your shoulder and upper body forward, allowing for a slight stretch in your biceps. Perform a couple sets of this stretch until your bicep muscles feel well stretched and full.

The bottom line is it is possible to spend less time in the gym, get better muscle gain results and spend more of your free time pursuing the "more important" things in life!

Whether you're new to the muscle gain game or a seasoned veteran looking to add mass to your biceps, this basic bicep workout may be just what you need to stimulate some serious arm growth!