Hi I’m Lee Labrada your Lean Body® coach. In this episode of the home gym series we’re going to cover biceps training. Ask most men and they will tell you that their arms are the muscle group that they most want to develop. Muscular arms may arguably be the most visible sign of that you’re strong and fit. It tells the world that you work out. And since you can’t go out and buy a great set of arms, it also tells people that you have worked hard to get those arms. And there’s a lot of personal satisfaction in that.

Arms are not that difficult to build, yet many frustrated trainees can’t seem to get it right. It seems that no matter what they try, they can’t get those arms to budge the tape measure. And if this is you, don’t fret. Once you understand the concepts behind building a great pair of arms, and you have the right tools, it’s only a matter of time before wearing a tight polo-shirt puts a smile on your face.

Your arms can be broken down primarily into two muscle groups: the biceps, and the triceps. I will cover the triceps in another home training video. But right now, let’s get to the biceps routine. This workout is designed for those who are trying to workout at home with minimal equipment. You will need a simple 110 pound barbell and dumbbell set that you can purchase at any sporting goods store, or online. For more advanced programs utilizing equipment you can find at your local gym, please check out my Mass with Class training DVD on Labrada.com.

Because the biceps are a small muscle group (relative to the muscles of your torso) I prefer to train them immediately following my back exercises. The back training not only warms the biceps up, but it actually tires them out (or pre-fatigues them) some. This makes it easier for you to drive them to the growth threshold you want in your biceps workout. The three-minutes biceps workout is going to consist of a giant set of three bicep exercises performed one right after the other, with as little rest as possible.

CONCENTRATION CURLS
We’ll start with concentration curls. I’ve found that starting my biceps routine with one arm at a time isolation exercises is really effective. The strict movement forces the biceps to work with little assistance from any other muscle group.

Just pick up the dumbbell and curl the weight up slowly towards your shoulder in arcing motion. Make sure to squeeze at the top of the movement. Try to keep your elbow pointing down. In other words, don’t let your arm cheat up towards your shoulder.

Turn your wrist (clockwise in your right hand, counter-clockwise in your left) as you raise the dumbbell to get a fuller contraction. And then lower the dumbbell all the way down before you start the next repetition. Do 8 – 12 repetitions with as much weight as you can, so that the last couple of reps are really difficult to finish. Rest about 30 seconds, and then move on to the next exercise: barbell curls.

BARBELL CURLS
Take a shoulder-wide grip and roll the bar up in arcing motion.

Keep your elbows fixed to your sides, as this is going to help keep the tension on your biceps. Raise and lower slowly for 8 – 10 repetitions.

Avoid resting at the top or the bottom of the exercise. Keep the motion steady, without any jerking.

Now, rest for 30 seconds, and move to the last exercise, which is hammer curls.

HAMMER CURLS
Hammer curls really helped to build the thickness of the biceps muscles at the top of the forearm, by working the brachialis and radial brachialis muscles. Lift the dumbbells in alternate fashion while keeping the face of the dumbbells up at all times. Raise and lower the dumbbells slowly for 8 – 12 reps. Do not sway or rock excessively during this exercise.

THAT’S IT!
It should take you about three minutes to perform this giant set of three biceps exercises in consecutive fashion. You can rest about 1 – 2 minutes and then repeat the giant sets if you have more time. However, Don’t do more than three giant sets because it could over-train your biceps. And that is counterproductive.

This arm workout is guaranteed to pump you up and make your arms explode with growth. And if it doesn’t sound like much, it’s because it truly isn’t! The reason why it works is because the rapid pace results in a lot of intensity, which is what causes muscles to grow. Hard work performed in a very short amount of time; keeping the workout short also keeps you from over-training. Try my three minute bigger arms routines and watch her arms really begin to grow.

CONCLUSION
If you feel that this workout was helpful please be sure to visit my website, Labrada.com. There, you can sign up to get my free Lean Body Coaching Club Newsletter.

And when you sign up to my newsletter, you also get a free 12 week body transformation e-book. It shows you the exact diet and training program that you can use in order to achieve the best body of your life. Finally, at Labrada.com you will find more training routines including my mass with class DVD, my blog, forum, videos, and lots of other free resources that you could use to build your stronger leaner and more muscular body. That website again as Labrada.com. I hope to see you there! I’m Lee Labrada your Lee body coach.