Bicep Exercises and Workouts For Mass

by JEFF on MAY 23, 2011

Ever notice that some guys don’t have bicep definition on the outside of their arm? You might even be able to relate to this, your biceps look alright from the inside view, but you can’t really see anything from the outside view.

Other guys have great definition from both sides of view, with the side view looking like this:

If you can’t see the biceps from the side view, it is because they were training their biceps with a limited range of motion that didn’t allow the bicep muscles to activate for the entire range of motion.

Another distinction is bicep ‘width’ and bicep ‘peak’. Concentration curls helps build more of a peak while barbell curls helps build more mass and width. I will talk about this later in the exercises section.

In this post, I will talk about bicep workouts for mass, complete with bicep exercises, workout routines and video demonstrations.

But first I’m going to talk about the importance of form and how you can use correct form and a full range of motion to build more bicep mass that is visible from BOTH sides of view. You will not experience optimal growth if these points are omitted during your training.

The Importance Of Form

Form is critical, don’t sacrifice your form to lift heavier weights because it will not help you grow. You can only get proper muscle activation and a full range of movement if you have great form.

The bicep is made up of two parts, the brachii and the brachialis. The brachii is the inside of the bicep and the brachialis is the outside of your bicep. Here is what it looks like:

The reason that guys don’t have bicep definition from the side view is because their brachialis are not properly developed.

With the right exercises and the right form, you will be able to develop both sides of the bicep. You will be surprised at the growth once both parts of your bicep muscle are growing together. The exercises that I talk about later in this article will help you get this growth.

Number of Reps and Rest Time Between Sets

To build more bicep mass, your workouts need to be able to create more muscle fatigue. To create this muscle fatigue, you need to do higher reps using lower weights, with shorter rest periods. Lastly, shorten your rest period in between sets, it should not exceed 30 seconds.

Do not rest for 30 seconds and then get ready to do your next set. You need to start your next set at the end of the break time. Experiment with shorter rest periods. Start with 30 seconds and then try out 20 seconds.

Starting Bicep Exercises

These are exercises that are good for starting your bicep workout.

Drag Curls

This exercise is excellent for putting more mass. You can choose this exercise this at the beginning of your bicep workout.

Barbell/Ez-Bar Curls

The barbell curls is a basic and versatile exercise. With a close grip, you work the outside of your bicep. With a far apart grip, you work the inside of the bicep. The ez-bar takes a lot of the stress of your wrist, but it works your biceps at a slightly different angle.

Finishing Bicep Exercises

Concentration Curls

This is one of the best finishing exercises. It helps you build more of a bicep ‘peak’. The peak creates a small size difference, but it creates a very significant visual difference. Because of the motion, you will be using a lower weight. As a finishing exercise, your biceps will already be fatigued at this point anyways.

Preacher Curls

Preacher Curls works both heads of the biceps, focusing on the lower biceps, this creates more definition in that area. A little increase in definition and size in the right place can create a noticeable increase in ‘perceived size’.

This demonstration below is just for entertainment purposes:

Sample Bicep Workout

Now that you know the principles of bicep workouts for mass, you can create your own. Just remember the points:

• Work out both heads of your bicep
• Full range of motion with great form
• Work towards muscle fatigue (higher reps)

Here is a sample workout that you can try out:

1. Start off with barbell curls at 3 sets of 8 reps. 20-30 second rest in between sets.
2. Followed by Preacher Curls at 4×12
3. Concentration Curls 4×12

Something You Might Be Interested in…

Biceps are ‘show muscles’ or ‘visible muscles’ as I like to call them. It turns out that visible muscles only makes up 20% of your entire muscle mass. However, this subset of muscles make up 80% of your perceived muscle size. This small subset of muscles are what makes you look ripped when they are developed properly.

This is how Hollywood actors transform their bodies in such a short time. They focus on developing 20% of the muscles that create 80% of the results. To learn more about developing these muscles fast to get ripped, check out my post on The Best Workout Routine To Get Ripped Fast.

These exercises were very helpful to me after my recent surgery (rotator cuff repair-labral-bicep repair) I lost a lot of size in my right arm, especially the peak/height of my bicep. If your new to weight lifting or struggling to gain size in your bicep, I highly recommend a few of these exercises. Thanks again to Instructional Fitness.com.