Gyms make up a nearly $97 billion industry today. They offer people a way to improve their overall health so that they can get a better quality of life, enhanced self-image, and more wellness and longevity. Knowing the right way to train will help you get the results that you’re looking for.
Working on certain muscle groups will teach you more about your body and help make you stronger overall. Training your biceps will help you in more ways than you know.
Here are some bicep training tips that can help you out.
Why Is Bicep Strength So Important?
It can be tough to find the motivation to work out hard and with consistency. Many people enjoy the thrill of doing something new but fall off the wagon as the days and weeks move along. If you’re going to stick to a bicep training regimen, you must have some solid reasons for doing so.
Knowing the advantages of training your biceps can point you in the right direction. Here are some benefits that you will appreciate:
It Provides Functional Strength for Life
As human beings, there are always some muscle groups that we use more than others. The biceps are among the most used muscle groups, which makes them also among the most important. This is the case because your biceps are responsible for helping you anytime you push or pull something.
If you ever need to carry a heavy box, drag something, or lift anything over your head, you’re engaging your biceps and relying on their strength. This guarantees that your biceps will improve your life and never just serve as “pretty” muscles. You’ll be able to go about your regular life and errands without strain and produce more work in the process.
You’ll Love the Way Your Body Looks
With that said, people that work their biceps also get amazing aesthetic results. There’s a reason that the universal sign of strength is a flex of the bicep. Building some nice guns will give you a reason to hit the beach in the summertime or to wear sleeveless shirts whenever it’s warm outside.
You can’t underestimate the mental boost that you can get by loving how your body looks. Giving your body a once over in the mirror will quickly turn into a point of pride rather than a point of dread when you build your arms up the right way.
Bicep Strength Promotes Balance
Having strong, toned arms will also help you maintain balance. This is especially important as people get older and start to lose some coordination. The risk of falling becomes more dangerous as well whenever people get older.
Building these muscles will help you keep your balance rather than fall, catch your fall if you start to slip, and get back up if the fall absolutely can’t be avoided. You will also start to learn more about your body and sense of balance on the road to your fitness journey, as you put time into the gym building your muscles.
These Muscles Will Armor You Against Pain
Chronic pain is an issue that has a more than 20% prevalence today. If you’ve ever dealt with chronic pain, you know that it can be excruciating to the point of keeping you up at night.
When you work to build your upper body, it provides you with the muscles needed to prevent these pain issues. Making your body more muscular is one of the best things that you can do when you’d like to age gracefully and avoid pain. Working your biceps also makes your triceps and pectoral muscles stronger by carrying out these exercises.
The better you can prevent pain, the more quality of life you’ll enjoy. This will carry over into your mental health levels, since you’ll have peace of mind, get better sleep, and won’t have to take as many medications.
It Promotes a Healthy Heart
Bicep health will also allow you to improve heart health. It takes a lot of blood flow to pump up these muscles, so working these groups will make you more vascular and open up your veins, arteries, and capillaries.
You will notice particular heart health benefits when you learn to slowly contract your biceps when carrying out your exercises. It will send more blood to your muscles and train your blood vessels to dilate. When you improve your heart health, you’ll have a longer life expectancy, lower blood pressure, and less of a risk of a heart attack and stroke.
Start Your Bicep Training Regimen
Now that you understand the benefits, it’s time to begin your bicep training regimen in earnest. Start with your mindset – the more work you put in, the better the results you will receive long term.
With that in mind, consider the following points on your journey to bigger, better biceps:
Invest in Some Weights for Your Home
The pandemic reminded us how important it is to have your own fitness equipment. Gym memberships are great to have, but you always need a convenient setup that makes sure you never miss a workout.
It doesn’t have to be a full gym, but you’ll maximize your bicep training when you stock up on things like:
- Dumbbells of different weights and sizes
- Resistance bands
- Kettlebells
- Barbells with free weights
- Medicine balls
Having the ability to roll out of bed and go to your garage, or pumps some dumbells while watching TV gives you the best chance of making fitness a lifestyle.
Train in the Gym Every Week
Whether you have a complete home gym setup or a membership at a gym in your area, make sure that you’re training 4 to 6 days per week. You don’t have to train your biceps every time, but you must train your whole body. Many people make the mistake of wanting to make a change to one muscle group, to the point that they only train that body part.
Not only does total-body training give you more strength, but it supports each group that you’d like to change. For instance, training your triceps helps your biceps and vice versa. This allows you to build muscles evenly and in a sustainable way.
Half the battle with training in the gym is developing a habit. You’ll stick to your biceps regimen when your fitness training is a lifestyle. Here are some of the biceps exercises that you’ll want to pay attention to:
- Bicep curls
- Bench press, dumbell bench press, and elevated bench press
- Rows
- Pull-ups and weighted pull-ups
- Chin-ups
There are many variations of these exercises that you can try out as well. They train different parts of your biceps and other muscle groups, and you can mix and match them on different days of the week.
Work on Proper Form and Technique
Learning the correct way to do an exercise is more important than trying to rush to lift heavy weights. You’ll get an optimal return on your efforts when you slow things down and learn the correct way to lift and which mistakes to avoid.
For instance, you don’t want to overextend your arm when doing a bicep curl to the point of locking it out. This can create injuries to your elbow, triceps, or other parts of your arm. Take the time to breathe in through your nostrils and out through your mouth with each rep so that you can get the performance that you’d like. Oxygenating your muscles will help you maintain strength throughout every part of the exercise so that you can get the best output.
Avoid Overtraining Your Muscles
You should leave every workout feeling like you pushed yourself just to the edge of your limits but not too far beyond them. Put a few biceps exercises on your workout day, but don’t overfill it with them, and push your body to the point of exhaustion.
Overtraining is a surefire way to injure yourself, which will cause you plenty of time rehabbing and bouncing back as opposed to building muscles. Move up in weight slow and steady, rather than trying to max out or beat personal bests every time.
Engage in Alternative Forms of Strength Training
Step outside of the gym and build your biceps through regular activity as well. This builds honest total-body strength more than you can imagine.
Practicing jiu-jitsu is also an excellent way to improve your grip strength, which is an indicator of heart health and total overall wellness. Things like swimming, hiking, and lifting heavy things with proper form will build your biceps and the rest of your body with health and physical soundness.
Get the Help of a Personal Trainer
Hiring personal trainers can help you limit mistakes, learn proper form, and get the best results out of each workout. Talk to your local gym to find out which professionals they have available to take you through your regimen.
Shop around for a trainer that is skilled at what they do and an excellent motivator. They’ll add accountability to your fitness regimen and help you fall in love with the lifestyle.
Put Some Quality Fitness Tips to Use
It’s the intangibles that make a difference when you’re trying to build muscle and get fit. Developing the right mindset and the best habits will carry you far. Here are some points to consider:
Don’t Cheat on Your Nutrition
A poor diet will always get in the way of your health and fitness. Since you’re working hard in the gym, double down on these efforts by feeding your body the fuel it needs pre-workout, post-workout, and with every meal that you eat during the day.
Look for quality protein sources and take in omega-3 fatty acids. Add some hemp seeds to your diet and intake so that you can build muscle, get plenty of fiber, and provide your body with antioxidants. You can mix these in with any smoothie, along with peanut butter for added protein and healthy fats.
Make sure that you’re eating more calories so that you can build muscle and put on some healthy weight. You’ll increase blood flow and vascularity by taking in plenty of fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
Invest in Some Quality Muscle Supplements
Take the time to supplement your body as often as possible. Learn where to buy SARMs that can help you out with your strength training and muscle building. Figure out which herbal supplements are ideal, and figure out which will help energize your workouts and build your body to your liking.
Here are some quality supplements that people often use in conjunction with a weight training program:
- Magnesium
- Ashwagandha
- Zinc
- Turmeric
- Cannabidiol (CBD)
Build the fitness stack that works for you and always do research about what you’re putting into your body.
Get Plenty of Rest
Rest is every bit as important as quality nutrition and doing your workouts. Sleep is the time that your body breaks down muscle, builds new muscle, and restores itself.
Strive to get 7 to 10 hours of sleep per night to make certain you’re getting results.
Stay Hydrated Every Day
You’re also robbing yourself of gains if you don’t drink enough water. The human body is mostly made up of water, and you lose a lot of it by sweating in the gym.
Consider buying packs of alkaline water to keep your body’s inflammation low while also staying hydrated.
Manage Your Pain and Soreness
Finally, it’s hard to fight through serious pain when you’re training hard. Treat yourself like a professional athlete with the way that you take care of your body. Ice your muscles down after workouts or spend 5 to 10 minutes in the cold tub. Throw on some heating pads when necessary, and invest in balms and creams that you can put directly on your muscles.
Consider taking supplements that beat inflammation and help to ease the pain that is a natural part of building muscles.
Take Your Bicep Training to the Next Level
Bicep training is an area of health and fitness that you’ll want to try your best to master. These are vital muscle groups that you can build with hard work, nutrition, consistency, and the right information.
We’re happy to be your resource in the meantime. Use these points and rely on us for more information on getting the best from your physique and total body wellness.
