Biceps exercises: how to do them correctly in order to reap additional benefits...

As many of you are aware, although there is a resident gym in my building and I also own free weights and a stair climbing machine inside my home, I have been a member of seven different commercial gyms in the city of San Francisco alone over the past two years. The purpose has been to observe exactly what the public is actually doing while at the gym. Additionally, many of you know that since I travel quite a bit I also "observe" what takes place in hotel gyms. My findings have been, and continue to be, quite disturbing. Most gym-goers, including men, engage in not only bad form and technique, but appear to have a gross misunderstanding of the entire purpose of many anaerobic exercises particularly BICEPS exercises. The ultimate goal is to get the most out of the exercise from a total body perspective and to make specific, smaller movements part of compound multi-joint strength-training exercises. Serious weight-lifters, myself included of course, do not "just sit around" doing isolated biceps curls, but rather the movement is part of what is known in weight-lifting circles as "big lifts" which do so much for optimum fitness levels. 

To begin with, 90% of your exercise routine should be done while standing. Weight-bearing exercise coupled with weight-resistant exercise is crucial in order to maintain and improve bone health and avoid mild to serious pelvic issues. (If you are disabled and cannot stand, then anaerobic exercise can still take place but from a sitting position with appropriate modifications. I spent six weeks in a wheelchair and I know personally very well how much can be accomplished with modifications while under a physician's and physical therapist's care).

When you stand straight with your shoulders back and down and proceed to to engage in biceps curls, you are also engaging your entire core musculature as you do the exercise. If you sit, then you lose the core engagement completely and it is no longer a weight-bearing exercise. You can make the exercise more challenging by doing what are known as "suitcase curls" which involve curling one arm at a time with each dumbbell while keeping your body perfectly straight. This is not so easy. Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions. Then you can engage in what is called the 7-7-7 biceps exercise where you curl using a straight bar or a curl bar by curling holding the bar against your thighs and then raising it to a 90 degree angle for 7 repetitions. Then change your starting position to that 90 degree angle and curl up to just under your chin for 7 repetitions. Then curl the bar from your thighs to just under your chin for the full range of motion for 7 repetitions. Repeat this for at least 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions. This strengthens every "head" of the small biceps muscle.

Finally, when you have have mastered the above at a challenging yet SAFE load, then you can incorporate the movements as part of the "squat to curl to press" exercise using a pair of challenging dumbbells. This not only becomes a total body strengthening exercise, but also a very functional exercise to make you stronger and more flexible. This will also help make every day movements and tasks much easier.


Stay tuned for more helpful hints. Until then,


Climb, lift and eat well...