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Saturday, April 19, 2008

4 Biceps Exercises For Women

By Serena Daniels



Well-toned arms gives women the confidence to wear sleeveless tops and show them off; and by performing the right biceps exercises regularly, you will continue wearing slinky tops well into winter.

The biceps are the major muscles that allow for forearm and elbow flexibility. The biceps are broken down into two parts: biceps brachii and brachialis. The former is the muscle located in the upper arm (when you flex, this is the muscle you see). The latter muscle is much smaller and helps with elbow flexion.

If you want to develop your biceps and that bump that makes them look sleek and sexy, here are the biceps exercises you should be performing.

Keep in mind that in order to see a significant change in your muscles, you should perform the following exercises at least once a week. Once you get the hang of them (about 6 weeks in), you should switch up the exercises, tempo, or increase weight in order to keep making gains.


Biceps exercises #1
Concentration curls

Sit on a bench and pick up a dumbbell. Open your legs and place the back of your upper left arm against your inner left thigh, with your elbow up against your inner knee. Lean into your leg, keep your back straight and raise the dumbbell slowly until your palm is facing your shoulder.

Slowly lower the dumbbell until your arm is fully extended, but do not stiffen your elbow. Repeat and complete the set before switching arms.

Sets: 3
Repetitions: 8 to 10


Biceps exercises #2
Preacher curls
Perform this exercise with one hand at a time. Hold the dumbbell, palm facing up. Sit on a preacher bench and place your arm over it so that your armpit rests near the top of pad (adjust the seat if you need to).

At no point should you stiffen your elbow. Starting with your arm straight, lift the dumbbell until your forearm is vertical to the floor, making sure to keep your upper arm and elbow firmly against the pad the entire time. Slowly lower the dumbbell to the starting position and repeat. Complete the set with one arm before moving onto the other.

Sets: 3
Repetitions: 8 to 10


Biceps exercises #3
Dumbbell curls

Keeping your elbows tucked firmly by your sides, curl the dumbbells upwards, toward your chest until your forearms are straight up and the palms of your hands are facing your shoulders. Slowly lower yourself to the starting position and repeat.

Sets: 3
Repetitions: 6 to 8


Biceps exercises #4
Cable curls

At the cable station in the gym, place a straight bar on the low pulley, adjust the weight to what you’re comfortable (but not too comfortable) doing, and bring the pulley up to your thighs, holding it with your palms facing out. This is your starting position.

Keeping your back straight and your knees bent slightly, elbows against your sides at all times, bring the straight bar up to your chest without touching and slowly lower it back to the starting position. Repeat.

Sets: 3
Repetitions: 10 to 12

Perfect biceps exercises

Any time you work your biceps, it’s important to ensure proper stance, otherwise you’ll be calling too many synergist muscles into play and won’t be blasting your biceps into shape. As a result, it will take longer to see any changes.

But done correctly, you should begin to see some toning within 3 to 6 weeks of training. Add to that some rigorous cardio 3 days a week, as well as a healthy diet filled with protein, complex carbs and essential fats, and you’ll be showing off your awesome arms in no time.

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