Split Bicep Workout

Introduction

In this article, we are going to give you a well assembled set of exercises, that will help you develop a full, thick and peaky biceps. The workout revolves around intense exercises, under different angles, which allows you to target all zones of the working musculature.

The more the biceps are developed as a whole, the more details you will see- Fibers, veins and that specific bicep cut between both heads of the muscle.

Workout Priorities

This workout prioritizes overall development and moderate intensity. Failure is not reached, making this workout good for beginner and intermediate trainees. The priority here is time under tension, controlled contraction and controlled stretch on the negative part of each movement.

While the workout is not exactly suited for advanced trainees, it can still be used with other intense methods like training until failure and forced repetitions.

Exercises

Exercise Map

Standing barbell curl

Execution

• Grab the barbell at shoulder width
• Stand with your feet at shoulder width and keep your back straight
• Curl the barbell up explosively, without letting the upper portion of the arm move forward
• Hold the contraction briefly and let the bar return to its original position

Dumbbell Zottman bench preacher curl

Execution

• Set up a bench to an incline, 45-degree angle
• Pick a dumbbell and place your arm on the backrest of the bench with your armpit tucked to the edge
• Let the dumbbell go down slowly
• Curl up explosively until full biceps contraction is achieved
• Let the dumbbell go down again and repeat

Cable bicep curls

Execution

• Stand by one of the sides of the cable machine
• Grab the upper pulley and raise your arm so that it is parallel to the ground, like if you would flex your biceps
• Place your other arm on your hips for balance
• Curl the cable, contracting the biceps fully
• Let the weight down to its initial position slowly, stretching the biceps
• Repeat

Dumbbell hammer curl

Execution

• Grab two dumbbells and stand up straight with your feet at shoulder width
• Keep the dumbbells by your sides, so that your palms are facing your body
• Keep your back straight and hammer the dumbbells up, contracting the forearms and biceps
• Hold the contraction briefly and return to the initial position

Workout Tips

Time Under Tension

Throughout each exercise, set and repetition, try and maintain a steady pace, which will allow you to keep constant tension upon the working musculature. Maintaining constant tension will help you develop a tremendously prominent mind-muscle connection and the feeling of contraction during every repetition will therefore be optimal.

Peak Flexion

Throughout each exercise, you can apply the peak flexion method, which is essentially a brief hold of the muscle contraction at the top of each repetition. Such approach to the exercises will help you develop the biceps in details and soon enough, the fibers, veins and separations will be way more visible and drastically improved.

Iso-Tension

To further develop your biceps in detail, you can do iso-tension, flexing workouts during the workout- In between sets and even after workout. Simply, flex the biceps and hold the contraction, release slowly and contract a couple more times, until you really feel the biceps blowing up.

Integration

The workout will only be effective if it is well combined with the rest of your fitness routine. Keep in mind that doing this workout before your back day, may significantly decrease the strength and endurance of the back workout that follows on the other day.

Preferably, this workout is done on the day when you train your triceps. So, the workout would be suited for a routine like the one below:

Day 1- Chest and back

Day 2- Arms and shoulders

Day 3- Legs

Day 4- Rest

Make sure to experiment and find the golden balance within your workout, as structuring the workouts is very individual and its optimality depends strongly on certain individual factors.

Conclusion

This biceps workout, designed for beginner and intermediate athletes, offers a wide variety of exercises that will help you develop the biceps in details. Mass and strength gains will follow if the workout is well integrated within the rest of your routine.

It is important to keep in mind that if you are a more adapted, advanced trainee, you can use this workout and apply powerful, intense training methods throughout the exercises. This will ultimately allow you to take the workout to the next level and achieve results, as a more advanced trainee.

Of course, the workout should be backed up by solid energy (carbohydrates) before starting, as well as moderate carbohydrates and high protein after each workout.

Recovery here is a crucial factor, as only the correct nutrition habits will help you recover from each workout and get stronger.