Given the fascination everyone has with the biceps, when your biceps are not getting bigger it can seem like it’s all for nothing – after all, as I’ve often felt myself, if my biceps don’t look good, why even go to the trouble of training the rest of my body? If your biceps have stopped getting bigger there is a reason for it within your training – and unless you have huge biceps already and may be closing in on your genetic potential, you can bank on being able to spur further biceps growth by following the 5 points laid out in this article and adjusting your program as needs be.
1: Check to see if your other body parts are growing:
Before making you read the rest of this article and jump through hoops to fix your biceps growth problem, this simple issue may fix it right off the bat.
This is so simple but it’s a huge mistake people make. I’ve made this mistake countless times. I’ve gotten so wrapped up with trying to make my biceps grow that I’ve measured them over and over and cursed the fact they weren’t growing, but didn’t even think to measure my other body parts to see if they weren’t growing, either, so didn’t know if the problem was confined to my biceps only or a more systemic issue with my training/diet.
It may be a mistake you are making. After all, if your diet is up to par and you’re training hard, there should at least be some part of your body which is growing – your chest, legs, shoulders, etc. If you find nothing seems to be growing then there’s obviously a systemic issue with your training or diet which needs addressing.
If your other body parts are growing but your biceps are not getting bigger still, the rest of the solutions in this article will help you address it.
2: Analyze your volume:
If your biceps are not getting bigger, are they getting stronger?
If you’re lifting the same weight week in week out, you at least need to be lifting more volume or there’s no reason for your biceps to grow. More volume means more ‘lifts’ per session, and it takes the form of more repetitions or sets, or a combination of both.
Strength gains tend to be more immediately noticeable than size gains because through the central nervous system it’s possible to get stronger without getting bigger. But, to get stronger you must be lifting heavier weights in some way or another. The question is, are you incorporating enough volume to affect significant muscle fiber breakdown of the type 2 (particularly type 2b) muscle fibers?
Muscle growth is about exactly that – so it’s a balance between choosing a weight which is heavy enough to cause the type 2 fast twitch fibers to be used, but not so heavy that your central nervous system is only capable of performing low volume; but capable of allowing you to lift for enough repetitions/sets to cause significant muscle fiber breakdown.
It may be you’re lifting too heavy and consequently doing too few reps per set and too few sets to cause significant fiber breakdown.
Most people find their biceps respond best to repetitions of 6, 8 or 10 per set, using a weight which is heavy enough to be challenging to complete the last rep on each set whilst retaining good form.
But, volume isn’t just intra-session, it’s also inter-session. The overall volume you do for your biceps throughout the course of the week is an important factor. It depends entirely upon you, how you train and what your genetic capabilities are. You can’t work against your genetics so you have to work with them.
Some people get better results from training their biceps more often, some less often; some from training their biceps with more volume, some with less volume. People can share what worked best for them, but there’s absolutely no way anyone can tell you what will work best for you – this is something determined by your muscle make up and genetic potential and is something only you can discover from periods of trial
Just remember: If you’ve been doing the same thing for a long while because it once worked but it no longer works, then you need to change – maybe only slightly, or maybe even radically. People sometimes make the best progress they’ve ever known by doing something completely different to anything they’ve ever done before for a short time. Nothing lasts forever.
3: Understand and manipulate your motor units:
Most people have never heard of motor units and yet they are the biggest reason why most people find their biceps are not growing in size. Therefore, it’s critical you understand the basics of how they work and learn to manipulate them to continue growing your biceps (and other muscles).
Your muscle fibers are ‘pulled’ in bunches, which are controlled by motor units. Certain ranges of motion and lifting positions cause different motor units – and my extension, different bunches of fibers – to be emphasized over others. If you constantly work the same biceps exercises you work same motor unit recruitment pattern each time, which will engage certain motor units more than others. The result is only parts of the muscles grow because the rest of the motor units aren’t getting worked to the point that significant protein breakdown occurs in the fibers they control.
There are a number of ways in which you can alter recruitment patterns and shift emphasis between different motor units to make your biceps grow. You can try:
· Changing your grip width/position
· Changing your upper body position (i.e. standing, different incline positions – even laying down flat on the floor.)
· Performing partial reps in specific ranges
Different threshold motor units are also in control of different twitch speeds of muscle fibers. Growth occurs mostly from hitting the fast twitch type 2b and type 2a, so you need to lift heavy enough, as already has been discussed, or you won’t engage the ‘growth prone’ muscle fibers.
4: Work both heads:
You probably already know that your biceps have 2 heads, hence the name ‘bi’. It’s completely impossible to isolate 100% a single biceps head, but it’s certainly possible to shift emphasis by changing grip width or, if using dumbbells, using a grip which supinates as you lift. To hit the outer head of the biceps more use a narrow grip, and to hit the inside head of the biceps more use a wider grip.
5: Work your brachialis:
Your brachialis is situated underneath the biceps, and a well-developed brachialis pushes out the lower area of your biceps when relaxed. Targeting the brachialis for hypertrophy work will have the effect of creating a larger overall biceps appearance when flexed and relaxed. You can work the brachialis by performing concentration curls, preacher curls or dumbbell curling with a hammer grip or using a barbell or dumbbell with a reverse grip.
Conclusion:
Most of these tips can be used on their own but the name of the game in building bigger biceps (and any muscle for that matter) is variety, so don’t be afraid of mixing and matching any technique or variable to achieve your goals – just figure out what you’re trying to achieve and learn enough to know whether your intended method will aid in your goal or not.