Building Beautiful Bulging Biceps Quiz

Answer: Both Triceps and Deltoids

The triceps muscle works opposite your biceps and actually is a much larger muscle. It contributes more to the circumference of your upper arm than your biceps. The deltoid is your shoulder muscle, which adds to the bulk of your upper arm when properly developed. All three have to be trained to get those monster upper arms!

Answer: 5 minutes of cardio on the treadmill

In any workout, you need to get a good general warm-up - 5 minutes on a treadmill or cross trainer (elliptical machine) works nicely. Only after that, do one or two sets of light reps to warm up your biceps. Warming up triceps won't hurt either. Starting off your workout with ultra heavy weights is a common source of injuries. Remember with any workout - Warm up your body first, and then warm up the body part you are planning to exercise.

Answer: Don't worry about going "heavy". Women just don't get big like that.

Normally, women can train in much the same way as a man. A man's body manufactures testosterone, which is a significant factor in building muscle mass. Women naturally manufacture estrogen, which builds other things. Women, no matter how hard they train, will not get as big and muscular as men - at least without artificial, and often illegal, means. Muscle may atrophy, but cannot turn into fat any more than lead can be turned into gold. Women need strength just like men, and like men, women lose muscle mass every year that they age unless they combat it by exercising. Should a woman gain a little more muscle mass than she desires, she can always cut back at that time.

Answer: True

When training multiple muscle groups, the general rule is that you start with the largest groups and work toward the smallest. If you train your biceps first, you may not have the arm strength afterward to train your back properly. Biceps are also trained with triceps in a single workout, and others train biceps with legs, since legs and biceps are independent.

The back/biceps combination is a frequently recommended combination, however.

Answer: Pyramid Sets

Using pyramid sets has the advantage of building up to 2 or so very heavy sets. The first set is not ordinarily taken to exhaustion, or to the point you cannot do one more rep. The subsequent sets should take you to exhaustion by the time you reach the recommended number of reps.

This is one reason to keep a notebook when working out - so you can keep track of the correct weights to use.

Answer: Slow reps with squeeze at the top

Each repetition should be fairly slow and deliberate going up, with a strong squeeze of the biceps at the top of the movement, and a slightly slower return to the starting position, without letting the pressure off your biceps during your sets. Do not rush through your sets - it should take about 10 minutes to do about 4 sets, with a one-minute break between each set.

The squeeze at the top is vital to proper form.

Answer: Stop

Stop and put the heavy weight down, gently, and re-rack it. Make a note in your daily log to use a lighter weight next time. Switching to a lighter weight at this point is not that effective because your form and concentration has been broken. You may wish to do a proper 4th set with the lighter weight, but after the normal 60-second rest. Screaming, grunting, and groaning will make you look like, well, never mind. Do not cheat on your form whatsoever. Form is everything, because without it you lose the focus on the muscle group you are attacking. Leave the concept of "cheat sets" to the pros - you will probably just strain your back, or worse.

Answer: Arm almost fully extended to fully contracted (Squeeze)

To achieve the full range of motion, the arm should be extended almost all the way, but not so much that tension is relaxed from the biceps. The weight should be raised to the top slowly and deliberately until you can squeeze the muscle. Fully extending the arm 1) defeats the need to keep tension on the muscle at all times, and 2) can put undue strain on the connective tissues, which can lead to injury. Half or 3/4 extensions will not properly develop the lower part of the biceps (nearest the elbow). Failure to squeeze at the top allows the muscle to relax at the top, again minimizing results.

Answer: Concentration curls

Concentration curls are dumbbell exercises often performed seated with the elbow resting against the knee and add to the peak, or height, of your biceps muscle. Preacher curls make use of a special bench that allows virtually no cheating on the exercise. Properly used, it helps fill out the biceps - especially the lower biceps. Straight barbell curls are similar to cambered bar curls, but with the advantage that you can concentrate on inner or outer biceps by varying the width of your grip. Alternate dumbbell curls can be done seated or standing, involve supination (a turning motion) and are good for general mass building.

Answer: all of these are possible

For most people, a maximum of 12 total sets of biceps exercises in one session is about right and any more than two sessions a week is probably excessive. The biceps is a relatively small muscle, and overtraining is quite common! One of the symptoms of overtraining is, sometimes, slight atrophy of the muscle. You should have noticed that your strength was not improving much over the six months, and that is a clue you are overtraining. Also, bad form is extant in gyms. Good form is everything! Without it, your results won't be what you want. Bad form also leads to injury. Proper intake of nutrition and proper rest are both needed. Bodybuilders often try for nine hours of sleep every night, because that is when the muscles rebuild after the day's workout. PLEASE NOTE: I hope that you have enjoyed this overview of training the biceps muscle, but there is no substitute for doing your own research along with working out with a knowledgeable friend or professional.