make the most of your workout - biceps
As we continue this series for the purpose of making the most of the effort we put into our strength training routine, we’re focusing on the biceps muscle in the front of the upper arm.
WHY – Biceps are important for lifting, reaching, and pulling, as well as turning things with our hands. Bi means two and this describes this muscle group. Our biceps muscle has two heads: a short head and a long head. The job of the biceps is to bend the elbow and rotate the forearm.
HOW – Proper form during any exercise is very important to target the correct muscles and avoid muscle strain.
To make the most of your biceps workout, keep these tips in mind:
- Keep your elbows and shoulders stable during traditional biceps curl exercises.
- Move through your range of motion using muscle and not momentum (no swinging arms).
- Keep your wrists in neutral alignment (no bending) as you perform your biceps curl.
- Whether you are using weights or holding the ends of elastic, pay attention to how strongly you are gripping your equipment. Grip with just enough pressure to hold the equipment securely.
BICEPS EXERCISE VARIATIONS –
- Palms facing up with elbows by the body.
- Palms facing down with elbows by the body.
- Palms facing in with elbows by the body.
- Supinating Curl with elbows by the body as you rotate the forearm while bending at the elbow.
- The exercises above can be performed while Standing, Seated, or Reclined.
- Biceps Row from a standing hinged position, with palms facing up, extend your arms out and down diagonally, then pull (row) up and back bringing the weights toward your waist.
- Serving Biceps from a standing or seated position, with palms facing forward and arms straight down by the body, bend your elbows to 90°, move both arms front until your arms are straight out, then pull them back and release your arms back to the starting position.
by Amy Stafford
Panama City Beach, FL
Amy Stafford is the President of Body & Soul® Fitness, Certified Personal Trainer, ACE faculty and ACE Group Fitness Instructor. She is a leader in the fitness industry and is a popular speaker for women's events, retreats, fitness conferences. For information on booking Amy for your event or for an interview please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Amy currently resides in the Panama City Beach, FL area and teaches virtually.Body and Soul® Fitness is an international Christian fitness organization that trains and equips instructors to lead a variety of group fitness programs including choreographed aerobics-style Cardio Strength & Flexibility™, cardio dance style Dance Blast™, free-weights-focused Power Strength™, boot camp style FIT360™ and Longevity FIT360™, and GOLD™ - lower impact programming for participants that are pregnant, have weight challenges, injuries, or other medical conditions. These exercise classes meet in church gyms, community centers, gymnasiums, parking lots, schools, etc. across the United States, Europe, and Africa. In-person and virtual fitness classes are available.
Key words: Christian fitness, women's exercise classes, group fitness, dance aerobics classes, Christian group fitness, Christian fitness app, FitTV, Body & Soul, Body and Soul, fitness instuctor training, low impact exercise
