Positive Fitness

Most people want to have big arms. Not all people know how to get them. Today I am going introduce Bicep Curls to beginners.

In general usage, the biceps is the biceps brachii, the prominent muscle on the inside of each upper arm, popularly associated with bodily strength because it can be flexed very visibly.

From Reference.com’s entry for Bicep.

The most common way to exercise your biceps is to do Bicep curls. There are a few different ways you can do Bicep curls, but I prefer standing with a good solid athletic stance (shoulders firm, feet shoulder width apart, and knees slightly bent). Then I will use two dumbbells and alternate the biceps curl movement. If you are unfamiliar with the proper form of Bicep curls I would recommend checking out this guide from BodyBuilding.com. Where they state:

Stand straight up with your shoulders squared and with your feet shoulder-width apart. Let the bar hang down at arm’s length in front of you, with your arms, shoulders and hands in a straight line. WITHOUT leaning back or swinging the weight, curl the bar up toward your chest in an arc. Keep your elbows in the same place and close to your sides. Bring the weight up as high as you can and squeeze the biceps at the top. Lower the weight slowly, resisting all the way down until your arms are nearly straight.

Now that guide is for barbell curls but it is the same concept for dumbbell curls, where you will alternate arms. I normally start the next arm when my other arm is close to being down to resting position (on the way down).

For a decent beginner starting workout I recommend starting out with something like this:

Day 1: 10, 10, 10 (reps, each arm). On your first day I would recommend doing a light weight and getting used to the movements and proper form.

Day 2: 8, 8, 8 (reps, each arm). Up the weight if possible and try to crank out 8 on each arm with proper form.

Day 3: 8, 6, 4 (reps, each arm). On this day push yourself hard to use proper form and raise the weight.

*Note: Those are not consecutive days. The “Day” is representative of your arm workout day. I only work out my arms once a week hard. If you workout while you are still sore you may risk injury and you will not develop how you should.

Now this is just a guide to get you started. I do 4 sets of Bicep curls once a week for my Bicep workout. It depends on your body and what you need to maintain and gain what you want. My arms are the size I want them to be, I do not do low reps on Bicep curls because I am trying to define and tone my arms instead of make them bigger. This is my personal goal, so set your own goals and work to achieve them. Remember before starting any workout routine to consult your doctor and if you are unsure as to what you should do I would recommend hiring a personal trainer.