3 Bicep Exercises That Command Growth
1. The Cheat Curl
The Cheat Curl concept became popular from the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger in the early ’70s. It is based on the overload principle, which requires you to go heavier than you typically would. Technique breakdown to an extent is fine while doing cheat curls (it’s the whole point to overload the bicep) but please do them within reason. At the bottom of the curl give yourself a slight bump off of your quads to begin momentum with the bar, squeezing your biceps all the way through the rep to the top. Once at the top, continue to squeeze your biceps, then control the bar all the way back down to the starting position. And repeat. You can use a straight bar or ez curl bar (the choice is yours, I like to alternate between the two).
2. Elbows Tucked Preacher Curls
This principle was acquired through studying the late great Larry Scott who always had extremely impressive biceps in his prime. When performing the movement make sure your elbows are tucked in. Go down about three-quarters of the way, back up, and squeeze. If you keep your elbows properly tucked inward to your side during the entire rep, it creates a softball like a squeeze in your biceps. It’s one of the best bicep exercises I see people doing wrong all the time because their elbows are too flared outward.
3. Incline Dumbbell Curls
The Incline Dumbbell Curl creates one of the best stretches for the bicep while hitting a unique angle you would otherwise not be able to replicate. You can really twist it up with these and do rep progressions with a lighter weight(see my article Rep Progression Method Explained) or hit them heavy for 8-12 reps each arm.
These are my 3 favorite exercises for bicep growth whether you are a beginner or advanced lifter. Include these in your arsenal of arm workouts and reap those gains!
