If your bicep-building workouts feature you slinging around 75-pound plus dumbbells, certified strength and conditioning coach Paul Sklar’s got a PSA for you: “You don’t always need very heavy weight to grow great biceps.” The bicep burner he put together using just a resistance band and two light-weight dumbbells proves his point.
“It’ll annihilate your biceps and keep your metabolism high,” he says about the two-movement circuit. “My heart rate was through the roof.”
Give his routine a try, focusing on making the most of every rep and emphasizing your mind-muscle connection. That means you’ll move through the exercises in a slow, controlled manner, working to squeeze your muscles rather than rushing to finish your reps.
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For the first movement, you’ll need a resistance band with handles at each end, like this one from SPRI. Stagger your feet, with your front foot splitting the band in half. You’ll grab one handle with each hand, but you’ll only be working one bicep at a time.
Bend your knees slightly and push your butt back to hinge forward, squeezing your glutes and core for stability. Now, with the arm on the same side as the forward leg, squeeze your biceps to curl the band, making sure that you’re only moving at the elbow.
At the top of the rep, do as Sklar does and continue contracting your bicep as hard as you can, really emphasizing the squeeze. Complete 8 reps on this arm before repositioning your feet and doing 8 on the other side.
Next up: Strict hammer curls. Set up an adjustable bench to a vertical position, and grab a pair of dumbbells that are much lighter than you’d typically use for hammer curls. Take a neutral grip on the bells, palms facing towards each other. Sit with your feet planted into the floor and tighten your glutes and core.
Now, lock your elbows into your side and initiate the movement by contracting your biceps and bending your elbows, curling the weight in both hands up until the bell nearly touches your shoulder. Don’t use any momentum to help to raise the weights.
Keeping your core tight, bring the dumbbells back down to complete the first rep. Crank out 7 more before resting 20 seconds and repeating the two exercises for 6 to 8 rounds total.
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