What could you possibly learn that's new in bodybuilding? Maybe nothing new, but innovated, maybe. As a consumer, bodybuilder, and overall muscle building enthusiast, this is how you must consider any workout that's offered to you whether it's in a magazine or on a website. It's not that there are so many things out there you or I haven't heard of at this point, it's more about what you do with what you already know, to come up with something that is non-intuitive and provides a means to an end.



One reason innovation is so paramount as a bodybuilder, is that the physique figures out what you're doing pretty fast, with training, diet, exercise, etc.. So it's crucial to find different ways to engage each body part, or system, on the whole, to continue getting any noticeable results. This is particularly the case with a muscle group that is usually seen as the apex of a bodybuilder's success in the gym. I'm talking about the biceps...

Truth is, if you have minuscule biceps, it's like you've completely failed. While really, having tiny biceps is like having tiny calves - one isn't much different than the other. If something is not there, it ain't going to be, period, no matter what it is. But that's not how some consider the situation. This almost demands having really large arms, whether it's a struggle or not. So how can you guarantee success in training your biceps? Well, give us me month and we'll give you an extra inch to your arms!

One thing about the limbs that distinguishes them from the multitude of other body part workouts is this: Leg training and arm training can go against the grain of common sense and you can still win big. You might see this as infuriating, but it's really a very good thing. Here's why...

You can over train, under train, do higher reps or lower reps, use heavy weights or employ set complexity with 21's, negatives, concentric overload, or anything in between, and get success. And this is really the key: You need to be doing everything. Some call that shotgunning with steroid use, but it's the same for workouts.... throw enough sh** against the wall and some of it is bound to stick. And the truth is, there's really nothing you could possibly lose by choosing to do this.

SHOT GUN BICEPS TRAINING

Week 1 is about heavy, low-rep training, and super-slow movement. You'll be doing just two basic movements: Standing Barbell Curl and Preacher Curl. You'll do two workouts - one Monday and one Friday.

The weight you lift is going to be heavy, but you still have to able to lift it. Try for 85% of max, if not 95%, as long as you can go very slow with it. The secret is using both concentric and eccentric parts of the full range of motion. But, in the last few sets of each of these two exercises, use concentric overload by doing the curling part of the movement and let your gym partner support the weight then hand it back to you to start again from the bottom.

Standing Barbell Curl (Straight one workout/ EZ Curl in another workout) 4 x 8 (remember to perform slowly)

Preacher Curl (EZ Curl - Inner grip and outer grip, alternating) 3 x 6 (no cheating with body - good form - slow)

Finish off with 2 sets to failure of alternate dumbbell curls - 60% of max weight

Rest: 2 minutes in between is correct if you are using heavy enough weight

Week 2 - Standard Workout - Do a workout that is varied and has 3 exercises and a pull up. Use standard rep ranges and don't do more than 9 or 10 total sets

Pull-ups - body weight only as warm up - 10 reps minimum with body, try to use biceps

Barbell Curls - Wide and Narrow grip3 x 8

Seated Alternate Dumbbell Curls3 x 10

Concentration Curls - seated 3 x 8

Rest: Take 1-2 minutes in between sets

Week 3 - 21's, Drop sets, Super sets. This week will vary your set scheme. Because the type of sets you do is extremely important, it's crucial that you get a week of two workouts in where you are utilizing all of these techniques that you may just save for pre-contest workouts. You will need a partner to work with you this week, as well as the first week.

Standing Straight Bar Barbell Curls - Do 2 sets of 21's using moderate to heavy weight

Standing Alternate DB Curls - 2 sets - Drop DB's to lighter within set to go to failure at the lowest weight

Super Set: One armed (low or high pulley) cable curls/ Concentration curls - 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps each exercise.

Rest: 2 minutes between 21's, 3 minutes between drop sets on dumbbells, no rest within superset, but 1 minute in between supersets.

Week 4 - Cables only - all angles - this week. This focuses on both the eccentric and concentric parts of the range, and forces hyper control. Moderate weight and moderate reps are all over this week, but what is most pivotal is the use of low cables and high cable attachments, as well as single arm exercises and double arm exercises. It's important that you use these attachments: EZ Curl, Short straight bar, long straight bar, handle attachments

High Cable One Armed Pulley (alternate arms for rest - successively - 3 x 10 each arm

Low Cable Pulley Straight Bar from lowest attachment. Try to pull elbows high and use within that range, as well as pulling from bottom to mid-range in 3 x 10

EZ Curl High Cable - Top of range 3 x 8

Rest: No rest in alternating high cable one arm exercise, 2 minutes rest in all others in between. Set should take longer because you are focusing the motions of each rep and still using moderate to heavy weight.

Mixing up training is something all bodybuilders really should be doing, but with limbs, like arms and legs, this sort of variety isn't so random or haphazard, it actually creates positive results. Limbs require extreme pumps to maintain growth. But extreme pumps don't just come from heavy training... they come from heavy training, light training that burns into failure, odd attachments, varied sets, eccentric vs. concentric work, or both, and varied rest times in relation to varied work ethic.

It's really not yours to question these items, it's really your goal to just suck it up, give us a month, and we'll stack an extra inch on those stubborn old biceps in no time.