Biceps Training

Last time we looked at triceps, now let’s look at biceps. These are the two muscles that every guy wants to make big and prominent. Well developed biceps are impressive, no doubt. Thick biceps speak of power, strength, athleticism, and more. We will start with the anatomy and function of this group. This group consists of two muscle heads, the short head and the long head. These muscles are the primary movers when it comes to curling your forearm up and rotating it. By The upper portion of the biceps assist with shoulder movement. A simple muscle with a simple design.

Training this muscle group is by far the most popular exercise based on how many people at my gym focus on them. This claim is also bouyed by the large number of ways to train the biceps in compound movements and isolation techniques. If you look up biceps training on google the return wil have a list of around 50 different exercises. Many of these are isolation techniques hitting just the biceps. There is likely a rack of EZ-Curl bars at your facility. I used this style of bar for years and saw little growth in my arms. The issue with this type of bar is that included in the movement is the forearm muscle known as the brachialis. This muscle does overlap the elbow and insert through the out and lower portion of the biceps. If your intent is to train just biceps then the EZ-Curl bar is not for you. Using a straight bar will isolate and engage your biceps fat more effectively. This is how the giants and greats of yesteryear did it. Arnold Schwarzenegger was immensely proud of his biceps. He built the foundation of those massive arms with a straight bar curl. For me, I have had better results with the straight bar, also. Using a bar or using a cable for curls are both going to attack the target muscle. The difference between the two is that, with a cable curl, you can have more tension against the biceps at the peak contraction whereas with the bar gravity is focusing the weight down towards your elbow. This distinction is necessary to know. If you follow the advice of the Masters, such as Jow Weider, you will contract and hold your biceps at the peak. The cable and the angle of the tension will provide more tension against the biceps at the peak. This makes for a more effective peak contraction. As with triceps, I recommend doing sonpiund movements first, then isolating the biceps. I choose bent row and upright row as the techniques in my current training cycle. Both of these involve the biceps to a degree. After warming up the muscles I isolate with cable curls. Simple yet effective. For more of a challenge in trading this group the positions of flexion technique (POC) may bring you more satisfaction. This technique trains the biceps through a contracted, stretched, and midrange position. To do this you will perform concentration curls with a dumbbell for the sets and reps you need. Usually, three sets of 10 will be more than adequate. Second, os training the muscles in the stretched position. This will be done with incline dumbbell curls. I can assure you that these will hit the biceps in a very noticeable way. You will feel it. Third, will be standard curls. Use a straight bar as discussed above. This series of POF techniques will leave your arms pumped and on fire. Another champion competitor, Mike Mentzer, promoted training biceps through lat pull-downs. Mr. Mentzer held the belief that you can get a fuller range of motion and better results in this exercise. He said that his favorite way to do this was with palms towards you as if you were doing a chin-up and with a close grip on the bar. Scientifically, we know that this grip position uses more biceps than the wide grip with palms away from you. If you follow Mr. Mentzer’s techniques and routines you will perform one set to absolute failure. The tempo will be slow and deeply deliberate. There will be a peak contraction on the movement for several seconds. Time under tension (TUT) is a technique Mr. Mentzer swore by. Performing these exercises, and any other as well, in such a slow and deliberate manner will burn out muscle fibers in a short amount of time. Three sets would be unnecessary if you follow the philosophy and training style here. The main point immediately was how to use this pull-down to target your biceps. As with any other exercise, growth will come as a result of overloading the trained muscles. Each time you do these strive for more repetitions or use a larger weight. The overload principle, one codified and proven by Joe Weider, will see you gaining muscle strength and size in short order.

Training Splits

Lifting weights has a multitude of benefits. Stronger bones, reducing loss of muscle tissue in older demographics, and improved mood are just a few of these benefits. Training schedules come in nearly the same variety as trainees. 

Cycling or changing up your lifting routine is important as the body is highly adaptive. Training is actually breaking down of muscle fibers and, as a result, traumatic to your body at that moment. Recovery, ilwhich is talked about later in here, is vital to growing stronger. During recovery our bodies repair the broken muscle fibers, this is how we grow stronger, faster, or bigger & more powerful. 

We adapt to the stresses of a routine. In this way muscle growth stagnates. Changing how you train every three to four months keeps the body guessing and from becoming stagnant in the routine. 

Why split training? Why not just workout daily? Recovery is when we get stronger and bigger, not during the workout, as stated. Splits allow for us to rebuild and recover after we tear ourselves apart in the gym. I am going to go over three splits with you. The three-day, four-day, and six-day splits. Each day of the split is a road map to your strength and health.

THREE-DAY SPLIT

The first and most common split is to work the full body three times a week. This allows for varied intensity at each session. For instance, one can lift with moderate intensity on Monday, do a light effort on Wednesday, and then go for broke and do heavy intensity on Friday. This allows for two days of recovery. The moderate intensity keeps your training schedule and growth going. The light day allows you to train and keep things moving, too. The high intensity day gives you two days to recover before you train again.

This split has you training benchpress, squat, and rowing as well as the accessory or support muscles. This includes, but is not limited to:

Squat or Deadlift (I’ve been coached to not do these on the same day)

Benchpress 

Bent or Seated rowing

Dumbbell press

Pectoral flies

Triceps extensions

Tricep push down 

Standing curls

Decline dumbbell curls 

Abdominals 

This split can be worked with a wide range of sets and repetitions. You can set it up as 3x10, 5x5, or tailored to your needs and desires. It works the major compound movements as well as isolating the supporting muscles. By integrating dumbbells, like the dumbbell press, you can increase the range of motion for a worked group. The dumbbell press pairs well after benchpress. By working deeper in your natural range you will find it easier to benchpress out of the bottom of the range of motion.

FOUR-DAY SPLIT

Another common split is a four-day routine. It breaks training into push and pull days. This, as I have done, schedules two push days and two pull days each week. It could also be a lower body one day and upper body the next. Get creative and see what you can arrange with this split as there are many routines you can write or find to fill this need.

The exercises may vary, but they generally focus on big compound movements first, then the smaller support exercises. Monday and Thursday would be push days. These would start with squats and benchpress. I’ve also kept shoulder press on these days. Then, the routine brings in the support muscles. This way you also get to hit deltoids, chest, and triceps as individually targeted muscles.

Pull day is set up similarly to push day, but for pulling exercises. Start off with deadlift. Then, do bent and upright rows. Add shrugs and movements to isolate lats and biceps and you have a full routine. 

When I did this split, it looked like

MON/THURS

Squat

Leg curls

Leg extension

Calf raise

Benchpress 

Shoulder press

Dumbbell flies for pecs

Lateral raises

Skull crushers 

TUES/FRI

Deadlift

Bent row with underhand grip (focus on lats)

Bent row overhand wide grip (focus on rhomboids and mid traps)

Upright row (deltoids and traps)

Lateral raises (also deltoids and traps)

Shrugs

Curls

Decline dumbbell curls

This provides for a solid level of effort and enables you to have adequate rest time between sessions. 

SIX-DAY SPLIT

Then, there is a six-day split. Like the four-day routine the body is fully worked out twice each week. This schedule allows for a greater focus on core lifts and the supporting muscles than the other two splits. One of the benefits of this schedule is that you do not need to spend two or three hours, or more, in the gym at each session. For instance, my workouts are 45 minutes to an hour. Overall, with six days in the gym, I am spending less time in the gym each week than with the other two splits. 

This split is designed to work each body part twice each week. It can be done with varying techniques and/or intensity levels. Each day is easily tailored to fit your schedule. The primary format for this is squat and legs, back, and then chest each on different days. 

MONDAY, THURSDAY — squat and legs or deadlift and legs

TUESDAY, FRIDAY — rowing, upper back, shoulders, and biceps.

WEDNESDAY, SATURDAY — benchpress, chest, shoulders, and triceps

Abdominals are not specifically listed, though I do work abs four days out of the six. This split allows two to three days recovery for each body section worked. Pick your preferred ab routine. 

For each specific day put in support or isolation exercises. These will specifically target the muscles that you worked in the compound movement. For clarification, let’s look at Monday and Thursday since those will be leg day. 

Squat or Deadlift (alternating these in the week enables you to have experience with the deadlift and allows a high intensity leg day on Monday with a moderate intensity on Thursday, or reverse that as you like)

Stiff legged deadlift

Bulgarian split squats

Leg curl

Leg extension

Calf press/raise

RECOVERY

Alternating muscle groups is by design. This workout begins with one or two compound exercises. Then, it progresses by isolating the muscles already worked for targeted training. This works by over exerting the targeted muscle group through thorough training. It hits from the larger compound movements and specifically focuses on the other muscles within said compound movement. Simply put, it works the whole and the parts synergistically. The two to three days off between body parts allows for a full recovery. 

The intensity levels used can vary based on your personal recovery capacity. This capacity is impacted by many factors. Some of these factors include your age, diet, other stress factors in your life, and sleep. When you go into the gym these factors will impact how much you can give in training. What I do is the first three days of the cycle are worked with maximum intensity. I try to achieve all sets and proscribed reps so that I can increase the weight. The second three days are done with moderate intensity. This is to work through the soreness and keep the body moving. This aids recovery. When I do not achieve the next weight increase, I log how many more repetitions I completed as opposed to the last session. 

Tracking reps in my log and showing also how many more I completed each session motivates and encourages me. I can see when, where, and how I’m growing stronger. Tracking progress is vital to success.

Keep cycling and keep your body growing. Train hard and train smart.

The Benefits and Importance of Stretching Are No Stretch

     Better flexibility brings better performance in your chosen field of athletics. It decreases your risk of injury through moving your joints about its full range of motion. Stretching also enables your muscles to work at higher levels of efficiency. Stretching also increases blood flow to your muscles. In this it helps with recovery from exercise by speeding nutrients into your muscles and lactic acid out. Stretching should be done at a minimum of three times per week.

      Improves range of motion in joints and muscles – how far a muscle/joint can move without injury; We get this by applying constant pressure to a muscle group in order to lengthen it. This lengthening improves the range of motion and reduces the stiffness and soreness. You should not, however, stretch after your workout, just before.

Warm up then stretch

      First, warm up. Get your blood pumping a bit and your muscles loosened up some in order to elevate your core temperature. This has neuromuscular benefits as it improves the brain-body connection and function. This can also psychologically get you pumped up for your routine. Warm ups also help to increase metabolism (prime the pump to burn more calories). Studies have proven that warming up and doing passive stretches, that it is not bouncing but holding the static stretch, improve muscular performance during your workout. The result is that your muscles work at higher levels of efficiency.

Improves muscular coordination

      Nerve-muscle impulse, or the time it takes for messages to get from your brain to your muscles, is a factor in how our body moves. Say that you are having a hard time walking due to stumbling or tripping over your feet. This may be due to brain messages not being transmitted effectively to the muscles in your legs.

Here are some Do Nots to keep in mind

• Stretch the muscle groups that you will be using
• Do NOT bounce, hold the stretch for 30 seconds
• Do not try to balance and stretch. Yes, it is fun and a great way to show off. It is also a great way to fall on your kiester, get hurt, and sideline yourself early on in your fitness routine.

      Do stretch for tension, not pain. If you are experiencing pain, as in. “Oh, now that is NOT right.” Stop. See your doctor. Stretching will, as in must be and will be, done daily. At least, I am going to be doing the stretches herein daily. It's part of my challenge to me and to you.

Warm up

Fast Walking 10 minutes Or Jump Rope 3 minutes

Jumping Jacks 25

Seal Jacks 25

– This requires some explanation. It will also require some getting used to and a good bit of laughing at yourself as you get accustomed to this. The only difference between these and jumping jacks is what you do with your arms. You start out with your feet together and your arms out straight in front of you, hands together. When you jump and spread your feet apart you spread your arms out your sides so that you would look something like a starfish. You jump up and pull your feet together and you swing your arms together out in front of you just as you did when you started. Please, keep your arms as straight as possible throughout the exercise.

Standing Side Bend

     This stretch will work on your Abdominal Obliques which are located between your floating ribs and the tops of your hip bones.

          Stand with your feet together and reach up over you head with both

hands, put your hands palm together. Interlace your fingers and point your index fingers if you have to in order to keep your hands together. Inhale as you point and stretch upwards, exhale as you bend to your right side. Take 5 slow breaths then return to the middle. Repeat on the left.

Forward Hang

     This stretch will work your frontal deltoids and your rotator cuff. The deltoids are your shoulder muscles and are in three parts or heads. The rotator cuff is the thin and vitally important layer of connective tissue that provides smooth and painless movement for this ball and socket joint. Believe me, you do NOT want to go through ANY kind of joint pain here.

    

     Reach behind you and put your hands together with your fingers interlaced. If you can't mange this, you can use a small towel. It's all good, you're working on it! Feet should be shoulders width apart. Now, bending at the hips, lean forward, exhale, and raise your hands towards your head. This movement is done at the shoulder and is where you will feel some stretching.

      

     The below picture shows the beginning portion for illustrative purposes. Start here and then bend forward at the hips and try to allow gravity to bring your hands toward your head while keeping your arms straight.

Seated Back Twist

      This is mainly for the Erector Spine. These are the muscles that are along each side of your spinal column. Their purpose it to keep your spine erect and flexible. There are a multitude of things going on back there, as this picture plainly shows. As anyone who has had back problems can attest to, as well. Which is why it is vitally important to maintain a healthy and strong back. If you have ANY problems with this one before trying it, see your doctor. I do NOT want you to aggravate an already existing issue.

      Honestly, this is one of my favorites! It has helped me out of SO much back pain over the years. Sit down and extend your left leg. Cross your right leg over your left so that your right foot is as close to your left hip as possible. Place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee. Press back with your left elbow lightly. This should be forcing you to twist tightly to the right. It should be tight and make breathing a little difficult due to that tightness. Hold this for 5 slow breaths and then repeat on the other side.

Quad Stretch

     The Quadriceps are the four muscles that make up your thigh.

      Standing near something for support, reach behind you with your right hand and grab your left foot. Gently pull up on your left foot and hold it steady. You should feel and look somewhat like a bow without an arrow. Hold this for 30 seconds. Do it 2 or 3 times and then repeat on the other leg.

Hamstring

     What we call the Hamstring is the Bicep Femoris, Semitendinosis, and the Semimebranosus. These muscles are located on the back of the leg opposite the thigh muscles.

      Stand with your feet together. Do not lock your knees in this, but keep them just slightly bent. Bend at the hips and let your upper body hang down. Reach a little bit further. Hold this for 30 seconds. Repeat this two more times.

Calf Stretch

     The calf is the meaty portion of your lower leg. It's also the spot where many of us get the dreaded and hated Charlie Horse … I know that is where I get them when I do get them …

      Stand one or two steps from a wall or telephone pole or something stable. Step in with one foot and keep the heel of the back foot down. Also, keep that back leg straight and in line with your hips and shoulders. Lean in towards the wall, or whatever you're using. You can have your hands up on that vertical surface. If you don't feel a gentle, tight pull in your calf you need to move your back foot further back and try it again. Hold this for 30 seconds and repeat 2 more times.

Chest Stretch

     Pectoralis Major and Minor are your chest muscles.

      Lift one arm up so that your upper arm is straight out to the side and your forearm is straight up in the air. Place the upright portion of your arm against the wall, pole or whatever you used for the calf stretch. Now, turn so that you feel the stretch across the muscle of your chest. That is the pectoral muscle. Hold this for 5 slow breaths then repeat on the other side.

Lat Stretching

     Latisimus Dorsi are the large muscles that go from the back of your shoulders down to the base of your spine. They also wrap inwards from around your rib cage.

      Stand with your feet a little more than shoulders width. Raise your right arm over your head and grab your right wrist with your left hand. Bend to your left side and pull on your right arm with your left hand. Hold for 5 slow breaths then repeat on the other side.

      This stretching routine is to be done as part of a daily workout routine, as I alluded to above. One that I will be doing as part of a video fitness blog and posting soon. I really hope to see you there. Please, join me on what will be a 2 month trek to better flexibility, strength, and stamina.

      At any rate, please consider the importance of stretching and how you could integrate it into your daily routine. Apply these simple stretches so that you may find and enjoy more flexibility and less pain in your daily life and mobility.

      Happy living!

Fast Full Body Workout

For a fast and effective full body workout challenge, I look no further than my old time favorite, Change of a Dollar.

A lifetime ago I was at Great Lakes Naval Recruit Training Center. We often got mashed (had extra physical fitness stunts that HAD to be done) for a variety of reasons. Sadly, none of them included pull-ups or rowing.
That every muscle group but the back was worked bothered me. Not too long after leaving Great Lakes I modified one of my favored exercises to include pull-ups. Before I get ahead of myself, let me describe the exercises for all readers.

The exercise was called Change of a Dollar. It was four exercises done for 25 repetitions each. 25 push-ups, 25 sir-ups, 25, jumping jacks, and 25 body builders. To do the body builder you start standing up. Squat down and place your hands on the ground. Kick your feet back so that you are in a plank position and hold that for a moment. Snap your feet back to where they were and jump. As mentioned earlier, this does not hit the entire body. It ignores the pulling muscles of the upper body, the largest of that group being the muscles of your upper back.

To remedy this, add a pull up after the jump. This one little modification is a real game changer.

Do this with the High Intensity Interval Training methodology. Complete one cycle through, or one dollar. Take one minute to recover then do another. Stay with this until you have finished eight cycles. Set "prices" for certain treats, say you pay yourself one dollar for a snickers bar.