Break through plateaus in your biceps development
BI TIME
For this 12-week training series, you’ll follow your regular workout program, reorganizing it to prioritize development of your biceps. You’ll begin your training week with biceps. The purpose of this 12-week series is to work the inner and outer heads of your biceps, as well as your brachialis for maximal development. Check out my descriptions of each of these muscles and the anatomy chart for a better understanding of how your biceps are constructed.
While you may desire a biceps peak as impressive as the best ones in the gym, that may not be your genetic destiny. My motto is to work toward a five percent improvement in each of your weak body parts. And then you do that over and over until your physique is more complete.
Each week, your biceps workouts will get more challenging. I want you to put all your effort into this muscle group. If you need to adjust your training volume, then do so with other body parts rather than biceps during this 12-week program. Here’s more about your biceps muscles:
Biceps
Your biceps are made up of two heads—the short and the long, and that is way they are called “bi”ceps. The long heads run along the outside of your upper arms on the top, and the short heads run parallel to the long inside and atop your upper arms. The biceps connect your elbow to your shoulder, making their primary purpose to raise objects by bending your elbows. Increasing mass in these muscles improves the peak on top of your upper arms as well as the split and definition between them and the backsides of your upper arms.
Brachialis
This is the less-visible muscle, lying under the biceps. Still, the brachialis is visible on the insides and outsides of your arms when properly developed. In addition, a larger brachialis helps thicken your upper arms for a more impressive biceps peak. It’s crucial to train this muscle, especially if biceps is a weakness in your physique.
FUEL YOUR BICEPS GROWTH
In addition to beginning your week with biceps training, you should increase your calorie consumption by about 200-500 calories on and around the day when you train your biceps. Get in these extra calories in the 24-hour period that begins with the last meal of the day before, continuing through your morning and through your meal after your workout.
Here’s an example of what you should add to your Sunday night late-night meal and your consumption throughout your Monday biceps-training day.
Late-night meal
Add one scoop of Kasein to the one you always take, and a piece of fruit such as plum, apple or peach. Or you can add 1 ounce of nuts such as almonds. This will add a total of about 200 calories.
Breakfast:
Eat 1 slice of whole-grain bread. That adds about 100 calories.
Lunch:
Get in about 2-3 ounces of brown rice. That adds about 100 calories.
Dinner
Go with a very large sweet potato rather than a medium one. That adds another 100 calories.
TRAINING SPLIT
Note that I’m “beginning” your training week with the weekend rather than ending with that. That’s because Mondays will be your “focus” day for your lagging bodypart. Since we’re targeting biceps, for this 12-week training split, you not only want your biceps to be well rested, but you also don’t want to have trained your back for a few days before you work biceps with this level of intensity. Note that I’ve set up cardio and abs on Saturday, and active rest on Sunday so that you’re well recovered to go full out with your biceps training on Monday. Train back afterwards if you have anything left, or else move back training to another day 2-3 days after training biceps.
| DAY
|
BODYPART
|
|
SATURDAY |
Cardio/abs |
|
SUNDAY |
Active rest |
|
MONDAY |
BICEPS/Back * |
|
TUESDAY |
Chest |
|
WEDNESDAY |
Abs/cardio |
|
THURSDAY |
Legs/Back * |
|
FRIDAY |
Shoulders/Arms |
*Because you’re emphasizing biceps during this 12-week Trainer Series, you’ll ease off on back a bit on Mondays. You can add a back exercise to your Thursday legs day. A good choice is deadlifts, which targets both back and legs.
