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eLearning Series:
Your Most Popular Exercise & Fitness Questions
Learn the right way to get into
shape...
( 50 articles
in this series )
The
Best Biceps Exercises To Do
Having strong arms is important to make your
day easier, but many people seem to expect their arms to pick
up anything and everything without ever making an effort to
develop and strengthen the muscles. While you can go through
life without building arm muscle, think about how much easier
it is when you do: you’ll be able to pick up your child and
not worry about being strong enough. Don’t forget about
the nice side benefit of having lean, shapely arms! Building the
strength is your arms is an investment in your future health
and something that will repay you over and over as you call
on your muscles to help you through your day.
When it comes to the subject of weight training, many
women are frightened off by mental images of bulky female
bodybuilders
with protruding veins and think that that’s what weight lifting
will do for the body. That’s just not so! For one thing, female
bodies are not built to develop large, hulking muscles – that’s
more for males. When you see a female bodybuilder with muscles
similar to her male counterparts, you should know that that’s
not natural and requires hours of devotion to exercise and
weights. Some individuals choose to use steroids despite the
banned status of the drug within the bodybuilding community,
and that further defines and enhances the muscles so they appear
larger. That is not what the purpose of strength training;
rather, lifting weights challenges and strengthens muscles
in order to make them stronger. The stronger your muscles
are the better support you will have for your body. Support your
body and you cut down on aches and pains, injuries and even
possible fractures.
Now that you’re no longer concerned about your body bulking
up out of proportion, it’s time to think weights. If you already
strength-train you probably have a good set of weights to use,
but if you’re just beginning, consider purchasing a basic set
of hand weights ranging from 3-10 lbs. These are typically
not very expensive and most will come with a rack to use for
storage. A major advantage of a set of weights is that you
can begin with the lowest weight you need and then work your
way up slowly. Buying weights individually means that you’ll
have to go back to the store to purchase another set when it’s
time for you to increase the weight.
Now
it’s time to think about working the muscles in the arms. Most people are familiar with biceps and triceps muscles, but
there are actually two other muscles that allow the arm to
follow a full range of movement. These are the brachialis,
covering the front of the elbow and allowing you to curl the
arm up; and the brachio-radialis, situated on the outside of
the forearm and performing twisting motions. These four muscles
work together to allow you make even the simplest of motions
with your arms. In terms of strength training, it’s primarily
the biceps and triceps that you will focus on but the remaining
muscles can also benefit from exercises not targeted at them.
One
of the best movements to strengthen the biceps muscle is
the bicep curl. It’s a classic because of the way it builds
the muscle without a complicated movement. Begin by holding
the weights comfortably in your hands with arms extended by
your sides. Keep your elbows tucked firmly against the body
and slowly raise the weights up and then lower. Repeat this
for 3 sets of 20 repetitions. To maximize the movement, slow
it down. This requires the muscle to work harder and will develop
it faster. A variation of the bicep curl is to begin the same
way but angle your arms at a wider angle to work more of the
muscle.
A
more unusual method of building the bicep is performing
the Plank pose from hatha yoga. It’s very easy and doesn’t
even require a mat. Simply lie facedown on the floor with your
hands at about shoulder height. Take a deep breath and, using
your core muscles as well as arms and legs, push your body
off the floor until your back is straight and you are balanced
on arms and feet. Maintain this position for a count of 20;
lower and rest for a minute, then repeat for 2 sets of 10 repetitions.
This movement not only works the biceps but it also toughens
up the core muscles.
Plan
to work your arm muscles about three times a week to begin
with. Investing as little as 15 minutes in challenging
the arms and you’ll begin to see results in little as three
weeks. Keep it up and you’ll see benefits that last throughout
your life.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2005
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