HOME Workouts: BICEPS TRAINING

We here at Inside Fitness hope you enjoyed our 2020 training blog launch with a home triceps workout tailored just for you. This next workout will focus on training your biceps from home. Biomechanically, performing biceps moves at home is not as feasible without various items of equipment, so we’re going to throw you a mix of moves that will incorporate the likes of resistance bands, light free weights, and if you happen to have the equivalent of a chin-up bar, you can round out your biceps workout nicely. BICEPS TRAINING Let’s take a look at how you can easily train your biceps effectively at home, even without the larger pieces of equipment you see at the gym such as barbells, preacher curl machines and the cable apparatus. Use small items here and leverage different grips to hit all sides of your biceps effectively at home. Resistance Band Standing Curl Grasp the ends of a resistance band with both hands using an underhand grip. Allow the middle portion of the band to rest on the floor. Step onto the band with your feet spread to the width of your shoulders and stand tall with your back straight, head level, and knees bent slightly for stability. Let your arms hang freely at your sides. Using force from your biceps, curl the ends of the band in an upward arc in front of you, pause in the peak position for one second, then lower using control along the same path back to the start. Sets: 3-4 Reps: 10-12 Rest Between Sets: 1:00 min. Concentration Curl Grasp a single dumbbell in one hand using an underhand grip. Sit on the edge of a bench or chair, spread your legs wide open, and lean forward at least 60 degrees from your hips. Place your working arm inside your legs such that the back of its elbow comes to rest against the inside of your thigh. Let your arm hang extended. Place your non-working hand on your same-side quad for stability. Curl the weight in an upward arc, well past the point of parallel to the floor. Hold in the top position for one second, then reverse direction and lower back to the start. Sets: 3-4 Reps: 10-15 Rest Between Sets: 1:00 min. Hammer Curl Pick up a dumbbell in each hand using a neutral (“hammer”) grip. Stand tall with back straight, legs elongated and head level. Let your arms, supporting the weights, hang freely at your sides. Separate your feet to a little less than shoulder width and bend your knees slightly for stability. Using motion only from your forearms, curl the weights in an upward arc, comfortably past the point of parallel to the floor. Hold in the peak position for one second, then reverse the direction and lower using control. Sets: 3-4 Reps: 10-12 Rest Between Sets: 1:00 min. Alternating Reverse Curl This move really fries your forearms, helping to give you that Schwarzenegger-like overall arm development. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand using an overhand grip. Stand tall with your back straight and head level. Let your arms hang freely at your sides. Separate your feet to a little less than shoulder width and bend your knees slightly for stability. Using motion only from one forearm, curl the weight in an upward arc, comfortably past the point of parallel to the floor. Make sure to sustain the overhand grip angle throughout the movement. Hold in the peak position for one second, then reverse the direction and lower using control. Perform the same action with the other arm and continue alternating for reps. Sets: 3-4 Reps: 10-12 each arm Rest Between Sets: 1:00 min. Chin-Up If your home happens to have an overhead horizontal bar that can support your body weight – or you have a portable chin-up bar that you can attach to a doorframe – then you’re in business with the chin-up exercise that works both your lats and biceps significantly. Position yourself underneath the bar and then grasp it using an underhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart. Let your body hang freely and elongated, then cross your ankles. Curl yourself upward until your eyes are about the level of your hands. Pause at the top for one second, then carefully reverse direction and lower to the start. Sets: 3-4 Reps: 8-12 Rest Between Sets: 1:00 min. HOME BICEPS WORKOUT SUMMARY Exercise Sets Reps Rest RESISTANCE BAND STANDING CURL 3-4 10-12 1:00 min. CONCENTRATION CURL 3-4 10-15 1:00 min. HAMMER CURL 3-4 10-12 1:00 min. ALTERNATING REVERSE CURL 3-4 10-12 1:00 min. * CHIN-UP 3 8-12 1:00 min. * If you have chin-up equipment, complete each of the preceding exercises for three sets, then perform three chin-up sets. If you do not have chin-up equipment, perform the first four exercises for four sets each.