Biceps - Not Hitting Them?

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Cathlete
Hey all, happy Friday!!

Just looking for some advice from those in the know about biceps. I've really improved on the strength in them, and can curl #20 to #22, depending on the day. I do 8-10 and the last couple are tough. The problem is, I don't see any change in size, nor do I feel any DOMS. So I'm thinking maybe even though I can curl #20 at this point, maybe I shouldn't be? Maybe my forearms and shoulders are kicking in and helping out? I'm wondering if I should drop back to #17.

Anyone else have this experience?

TIA! Sparrow


My garden is filled with papayas and mangos
My life is a mixture of reggaes and tangos
Taste for the good life, I can live it no other way
- Jimmy Buffett
 
Really good question, Sparrow. I also have good strength in my biceps but not much size or bulk. Bumping to see if others have thoughts here. (But I don't want to get bulk...) Still, very curious to see if it's simply our genes or what.
 
I haven't seen much change in my biceps size either even though curling 35# db's. I do however get DOMS because I work my biceps in a negative fashion. This ALWAYS brings about DOMS, at least for me.

I would like to hear what others say about this too.

Charlotte~~
 
Great question, I'm curious as well. I thought for sure I'd have DOMS after actually completing the biceps portion of LIC - my arms were just fried after that set. I could not do another rep. No DOMS today, though. Go figure.
 
If you are feeling it more in your shoulder and forearm it may be more a function of form. Oftentimes people go way heavier than they should and compromise form. I see this WAY too often in the gym. There is a possibility you might need to drop down in weight a slight bit to correct for this.

Make sure when you are lifting for biceps that you pay careful attention you are not arching or throwing your back to help you lift. Also remember to keep your wrist straight and strong. The more you curl your wrist, the more it is bringing your forearm into play and taking away from the muscle in the bicep you are trying to isolate. You might want to try concentration curls as a starter so you have a good solid base when you are seated and can really focus attention to the individual arm lifting.


Debbie


Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'
Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.
--Family Guy
 
Hi:

I agree w/ Debbie on her post.. Definitely try a lighter weight and really focus on keeping your shoulders and forearms out of it.

Getting a nice peak on my bi's has always been a challenge for me too. What I found works is not necessarily doing alot of standard curls but for doing a variety of exercises.. ie hammer curls, concentration curls, etc.

Also, experiment w/ different angles on your standard curl as well. For example, with your elbows in the fixed position, pivot your forearms out to more of the sides of your body and do the curl. That slight change will hit the bis in a whole new way.
( Hopefully that description made sense.)

Lastly, P90X is a GREAT series for bis...this has a ton of variety for hitting them and really help you get some good looking development.

Take care, Lynn M.
 
I don't think dropping the weight will help you develop size.

I have just the opposite issue. I can't lift as heavy as Cathe and crew for biceps, yet my biceps are tremendously developed, to the point where I may even back off the lighter weight I'm using. I think genetics may play a role--perhaps we each just have a predisposition to developing in a certain way.

You said you were doing 8-10 reps. How many sets? I always tend to go back to the 3 sets of 10 method when trying to develop size. Keep the weight as high as you can within those parameters. Concentrate on the positive as well as the negative.

Also, make sure to isolate the muscle. Do you have access to a preacher bench? If not, you can use the stability ball in much the same manner to make sure the biceps are doing the work.

Lastly, I think a crucial element to any biceps routing is a supinating movement. This is where you start the curl in a hammer position and rotate it as you bring it us into the standard position. I just don't think you get the maximum development without incorporating this movement.

Just my two cents.

lynda
 
Nobody will like this answer, but here goes:

From Women's Health Magazine

"The best exercise for biceps is...Chinup

The chinup gets a bad rap as a simple exercise that simpleminded guys use to prove their super-manliness. But those meatheads are actually on to something. "You can load your biceps with a lot more weight on a chinup than you can on a curl," says Mike Mejia, a New Yorkbased strength and conditioning specialist.

How To Do It Using a wide, underhand grip (palms facing you), hang from a bar with elbows straight, knees bent back, and ankles crossed (A). Pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar (B) and slowly lower yourself back to start. Do as many as you can.

Also Works Shoulders, triceps, lower arms, upper back, lower back

Add a Twist We won't lie — chinups are tough. If you can't manage one yet, have a workout partner help you raise yourself by placing her hands beneath your ankles."

My own note - this is not a good "show-off" exercise because you don't have weights with numbers on them to show how much you are lifting, and I know that is why a lot of people shy away from body-weight exercises. So, take it or leave it.
 
Are you on some kind of diet? I don’t know what your diet is like. However, I was told that you must EAT more x( and/or up your protein intake. I am no expert by nooooooooo means this is just me .02cents ;-)

Teddygirl~
 
I'm convinced it has a LOT to do with genetics.

I lift heavy on biceps. I can hang with Cathe on weight always, yet my biceps are not defined at rest. When I flex, you can see some good definition, but when my arm is relaxed... not much is there.

I have a long, lean body type. My sister is the opposite body type, shorter and muscular. She has bigger biceps than I do and she doesn't even lift weights! :eek:
 
If size is what you're looking for, the rep range recommended for that is 10-12, with failure on almost every set.

Try doing 17# for higher reps for two weeks and see if there is any change.
 
AS far as DOMS go, I always get more when doing multiple reps of the same exercise, as opposed to working the muscle in lots of different ways. For example, doing 5 sets of hammercurls (as in PUB) vs. doing a medly of concentration curls, and varying the count with regular curls, etc. (as in GS). That's interesting about the chin ups. I've asked for one of those door gyms for Xmas, as I feel a void in my upper body workouts without this, so I'll be curious to see how the chin ups affect my biceps.
 
Thanks for the advice ladies. I will try some of the suggestions. As it stands right now I am doing a mix of P90x and Cathe, so my biceps are getting a variety and a serious workout. Don't know what it is. My situation is like Jeanne-Marie's, when I flex my bicep pops right up and is fairly big, but when my arms are straight down, nothing. My shoulders and triceps have the nice bump, however.

Sparrow

My garden is filled with papayas and mangos
My life is a mixture of reggaes and tangos
Taste for the good life, I can live it no other way
- Jimmy Buffett
 
S&H biceps are the only ones that will absolutely give me DOMS. I think it's because they are so slow and controlled that I can really concentrate on using only my bicep.
 
I don't know how much advice I can give a home exerciser, but I think it could be partially due to form, in which case a lighter weight would be better.

Exercises like concentration curls & preacher's curls are really the best to build mass b/c they totally prevent cheating. Any exercise in which your body starts adding momentum will kind of defeat the purpose.

Unfortunately, if you don't go to a gym I probably can't give much advice. If you do go to a gym I can share a few exercises that might help.
 
>Thanks for the advice ladies. I will try some of the
>suggestions. As it stands right now I am doing a mix of P90x
>and Cathe, so my biceps are getting a variety and a serious
>workout. Don't know what it is. My situation is like
>Jeanne-Marie's, when I flex my bicep pops right up and is
>fairly big, but when my arms are straight down, nothing. My
>shoulders and triceps have the nice bump, however.
>

Are you an ectomorph at all? I have a lot of ecto in me, and I find that even when I'm pretty strong, I never look it. And it's hard for me to get any muscle to pop (except my back...it shows results pretty quickly) and when I'm not flexing, there's not much to be seen. P90X did help me, though. I got as muscular as I've ever been with it.
 
Cakebaker, I actually like and agree with your answer. Chinups and pullups are some of the best upper body compound moves out there. I also agree with the person who said you MUST be eating correctly. To hypertrophy muscles you almost always have to eat above maintence on your calories.


Catherine

http://bestsmileys.com/exercising/1.gif
 
>>Thanks for the advice ladies. I will try some of the
>>suggestions. As it stands right now I am doing a mix of
>P90x
>>and Cathe, so my biceps are getting a variety and a serious
>>workout. Don't know what it is. My situation is like
>>Jeanne-Marie's, when I flex my bicep pops right up and is
>>fairly big, but when my arms are straight down, nothing. My
>>shoulders and triceps have the nice bump, however.
>>
>
>Are you an ectomorph at all? I have a lot of ecto in me, and
>I find that even when I'm pretty strong, I never look it. And
>it's hard for me to get any muscle to pop (except my back...it
>shows results pretty quickly) and when I'm not flexing,
>there's not much to be seen. P90X did help me, though. I got
>as muscular as I've ever been with it.

Kathryn, I checked wikipedia for ectomorph and I don't think so. I am short, not stocky but not "waif-ish" either, large breasts, curvy figure, that type of body. Since doing P90x I have put on alot of muscle, same as you. My legs, triceps, rear end and shoulders are solid and defined. Just not the biceps. I'm taking your suggestion and dropping back to #17 for higher reps. We'll see how that goes!

Sparrow

My garden is filled with papayas and mangos
My life is a mixture of reggaes and tangos
Taste for the good life, I can live it no other way
- Jimmy Buffett
 
Just remember that you can lift bulldozers, but if your form is off it won't do squat ;) Get the form down, then go for broke (as long as your form can take it).


Debbie


Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'
Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.
--Family Guy
 
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