Today we are discussing muscle definition, particularly our biceps. We all want that pop on top of our biceps. It’s the ultimate goal of anyone who works their biceps on a regular basis. The good news is, biceps are not that hard to develop and they pop pretty quickly after being consistenly worked for a few months. I do want to make a couple of points, however, to maximize your results.
One, symmetry is very important when it comes to the overall look of your muscles and since you have two biceps, making them look the same is optimal. The best way to achieve that is to use free weights. Chances are you have one arm that is more dominant than the other. For most people it’s your right arm (unless you are like me then it would be your left!). If you mainly use machines to work your biceps, you risk overcompensating by your dominant arm, leaving your weaker arm looking not as developed. Make sure that most of your bicep workouts consist of free weights. Perform the same exact number of repetitions and the same number of sets on each side with the same exact weight even if it feels easier on one side versus the other. You need to let your weaker arm catch up to your stronger arm.
Two, use variety of angles when working your biceps. Try hammer curls, side curls, curls with a twist at the top, etc. Play with full and slow extension as well as quick middle curl pulses. Use free dumbbells and bars for most of your bicep workouts and then supplement with cables, machines, and other contraptions. There’s really no need to work your biceps more than once or maybe twice a week. It all depends on a few factors. If you are working till failure, then it would be counter-productive to hit that muscle again too soon. So, if you are still super sore, skip the biceps that day. If you let the muscle tears properly heal, you will feel stronger next time you work out. If you didn’t work out till failure, you might be okay after a couple of days to perform the same routine. Don’t overdo it. The last thing you want is to injure yourself. Then all the gains you’ve achieved will be lost as you will have to wait until your injury heals and you will have to start all over.
And last but not least, just like with all the other muscles, keep your fat percentage at lean or athletic. Watch your food intake and keep in mind that working out hard is not an excuse to overeat. Eat quality carbs, fats and proteins. No processed foods! Don’t “diet”, just eat enough to feed your muscles and give you the energy to workout hard to achieve your goals.