"Look at
the unflexed arm. Notice how the long head and lower bicep just draw
your eyes to it?"
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We’ll be talking about Lower Biceps, Long
head of Tricep, Forearms, Vastus Internus, Thigh Biceps and Calves. By the
way... we’re not just talking about making these muscles larger but
unique ways to make them more beautiful. I’ll admit, writing about arms
is almost anti-climactic. I’ve written so much about them in the past
but... there’s no question, its impossible to pull your eyes away from a
great set of arms that’s why they’re included in the Nine Pivot
Points.
Arms don’t have to be huge to be crowd stoppers. They do have to be
beautiful however and... when it comes to biceps lower bicep is the
stunner.
When I first started training at Vince’s Gym I felt intimidated by
almost everyone because so many guys were bigger than me but... there was
one in particular by the name of Hossein Soukoff who wasn’t that huge
but... man he had good muscle shape. Especially his lower bicep. It was
uncanny. His best photo was a shot where he would flex one arm and stick
the other one straight up overhead in a position where the bicep was at a
disadvantage but... his weren’t because, right where his bicep
started... it jumped out like a shelf.
It made you keep turning back to the picture. You couldn’t get enough of
it. You’d stick yours up in the same position just to compare and it
made you marvel all the more.
I don’t know whether Hossein had some secret way of training or it was
just his genetics because he’d never say. One day I asked him,
“Hossein, what’s your secret for biceps”.
“Oh, I just do a few curls now and then.” Then he would look over at
Vince and smile. I never knew whether he was putting me on but... I sure
was crazy about his bicep development. Matter of fact, I’ve long been
fascinated with biceps and having Hossein around just added fuel to the
fire. Consequently, I tried every conceivable thing to build lower biceps
and after 25 years here’s...
The Best Lower Bicep Routine I’ve Ever Found
"A Great
Preacher Bench! "
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First you’ve got to have a pretty good
Preacher Bench.
Over the years I’ve welded, padded and refined the design of this little
bench to where it is as close to perfection as anything I’ve seen.
I’ve learned, when it’s designed right it’s great. If not, it’s
lousy. In fact, many exercises do a better job than one of those hard,
flat faced, preacher benches.
But... let’s assume you have a bench with at least a convex face. If
you’ve got this much you can have some fun. The key to this exercise
working its magic requires doing the exercise while standing so you can
throw your hips under you when the weight gets heavy.
The most effective system is a tri-set series as follows:
First, select a set of dumbbells you can handle for about 6 reps... a
barbell about 70% of the weight of the dumbbells and an EZ curl bar loaded
to 80% of the weight of the dumbbells. For example I use 70 lb dumbbells,
a 100 lb barbell and 120lb on the EZ curl bar.
"The DB
Curls are done with the elbows about half way down the bench."
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Once you get this setup, you’re ready for
some serious work. It’s best if you have a training partner because it
gives you a better pace.
First, place a towel on the bench to keep your skin from catching. Start
off with the DB curls in a fairly loose style. Don’t get the armpits
right down on the bench. Place the elbows just a little lower than the
crown of the bench. For this to work, the face of the bench needs to be
not only curved but short enough to keep the dumbbells from hitting the
bottom of the face. It doesn’t matter if you cheat to get the dumbbells
up. You do however, need to let the dumbbells all the way down and
completely uncurl the wrists at the bottom of the exercise. It’s okay to
pull back with the shoulders to assist in getting the weight back to the
top of the exercise. The 6th rep should really be tough, it should be just
about the last rep possible even on the first series. Once at the top of
the 6th rep, do at least (4) 1\2 rep “burns”.
A “burn” is done as follows... Let the weight down to the point that
it’s just going to fall and bring it back up again. By the way, if your
bench has a flat face, this movement is terrible. It hurts your forearms
and elbows. You need to have the rounded face for this to feel good.
Next, set the DB’s down and immediately, with no rest, pick up the
barbell with a grip approximately 4 inches wider than your shoulders.
Chalk the palms heavily to keep from slipping. Nestle the armpits clear
down on the bench, (the bench needs to be well padded on the crown to
eliminate any armpit pain). Let the feet go
"BB curls
are done super strict, with the armpits all the way down the
bench."
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forward so you are resting on the bench with
the body. Slowly lower the BB with the wrists curled until you come to the
complete bottom of the exercise. Uncurl the wrists totally. Then with no
movement of the upper body whatsoever, slowly curl the wrists and force
the arms to come up. Don’t cheat even a smidgen. Keep the shoulders and
the head forward. Look for ways to make this exercise strict. The bar will
come up very slowly, but it will come up if you... have faith and endure
the pain...
It is excruciating. But it’s the heart of the series. Don’t cheat at
all. Do 6 reps with 4 burns on the top as you did with the DB’s.
Set the barbell down and immediately pick up the EZ curl bar with a
reverse grip. The weight should be so heavy you can just barely make 6
reps. This form is very similar to the one you used for the DB curls. Use
a heavy weight just as you did on the DB curls. Do 6 reps and 4 burns with
the EZ curl bar. |
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