When people know you workout, they often want to ‘sample’ your results. Guess what body part they want to see?
Yes, your bulging biceps.

So you’d better learn to work them correctly if you want maximum bicep growth.

Standing alternate dumbbell bicep curls are one of the best exercises to really stimulate growth in the biceps. You’ll soon have to buy some new t-shirts as your biceps are going to be exploding through your old ones!

A note on form before we start. You should allow a slight ‘swing’ in this movement. Keeping your back straight throughout is unnatural for standing dumbbell curls. This inhibits the amount of weight you can shift and can leave you prone to back injury. So allow your upper body to rock backwards on the upward portion of the rep and slightly forward on the negative part of the rep.

Watch the video then read the instructions below…

(1) Getting Into Position

1. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart providing a sturdy base
2. Take a firm, commanding grip of the dumbbells
3. Hold the dumbbells at your side, with your palms facing outward – away from your body
4. Allow your spine to be tilted forward slightly

(2) Concentric Part of the Repetition

1. Take a deep breath in
2. On exhaling, curl one dumbbell at a time, leaving the other arm stationary
3. Shift your back to an upright position while curling upwards
4. Fully contract the bicep but do not raise the dumbbell past the point where tension leaves the bicep
5. It should take 1-2 seconds to get to the top of the movement

(3) Eccentric Part of the Repetition

1. Start to lower the weight with a slow, smooth motion.
2. Allow your upper body to fall slightly forwards as is natural for this movement
3. It should take 2 seconds to lower the weight back to the starting position
4. Allow this arm to ‘hang’ while you focus on the other arm. Don’t keep tension on this bicep while you work the other one. This prematurely fatigues the biceps, meaning you’ll perform less reps and experience less muscle growth.

Now curl the other arm as in step 2. Alternate back and forth until you reach failure between 8 and 12 reps.

If you can do more than 12 reps, make a note to increase the weight on this set for your next bicep workout.

Note: Some people recommend that at the start of the movement, the dumbbells should be at your side with your palms facing each other. Then you curl one dumbbell at a time rotating your palm forward as you lift the weight. However, I find this twisting motion leaves the wrists more susceptible to injury (it happened to me a long time ago) and takes some of the stress off the bicep at the bottom of the movement.

For full bicep stimulation and to remain injury-free, work your bi’s in the form outlined here.

Stay Motivated!

Mark McManus

If you're new here, please download my free workout and diet book and start transforming your body today!. Thanks for visiting!

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7 Comments » | Posted in Build Muscle

Guys this is a quick post to let you know why there was no new article up yesterday or today.

My internet connection has been cut - quite literally!
Let me explain.
I got the front door of my house replaced early yesterday (Tuesday). The phone line comes in along the side panel of the door.
The guys fitting the door damaged this cable rendering my phone useless and internet connection intermittent at best. For some reason my DSL connection comes on for a few minutes then switches back off by itself for long periods of time.

I only discovered this once they had left and I think I’ll need to have a whole new phone line installed. It’s a complete nightmare but I’ve no choice it seems.

I wanted to post exercise videos every day this week and work some more on the forums, but that will all have to be postponed until I get this sorted.

Sorry everyone. I’ll be as quick as I possibly can.

I’m sure there’s a positive aspect to this somewhere, I just can’t see it yet.

Stay Motivated in the meantime,

Mark McManus

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3 Comments » | Posted in Misc., Uncategorized

Boulders for shoulders, that’s what we want, and I’m here to help you get them.

Shoulders are one of the most immediately noticeable body parts as they add width to your body and greatly determine the outline shape of your torso. Developing them is an absolute must if you want to build an impressive physique.

If you’re not stimulating the deltoids correctly, you’re wasting your time. Let’s do things right - every time.
The following article and video demonstration will put you well on your way to massive shoulders.

Dumbbell Shoulder Presses

Dumbbell shoulder presses are a great alternative to military presses (with a barbell) and these 2 exercises can be used interchangeably – though stick to one or the other for at least 8 weeks at a time. Shoulder presses are the best exercise for developing the whole of the shoulder (not one specific head) and should not be omitted from your shoulder workout.

How To Do The Dumbbell Shoulder Press Correctly

Firstly, as I always say, stop sacrificing form for weight.
Your muscles aren’t impressed by how much you can lift (and neither am I).
They’ll only grow in response to proper stimulation i.e.

1. Increased overload from the same set in the previous workout (more reps or increased weight)
2. A full range of motion
3. Correct timing

Watch this instructional video and then read the exercise guide below…(apologies for the lighting, this was recorded quite a while ago with a crap camera)

For each rep, the timing is:

1. 1-2 seconds up (concentric part of the rep)
2. 2 seconds down (eccentric part of the rep)

(1) Getting Into Position

1. Keep your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart
2. Ensure that your back is kept straight throughout the movement
3. Take a firm, commanding grip of the dumbbells
4. Holding the dumbbells at your side, use momentum to get them into the starting position.
5. Hold the dumbbells so that your palms are facing your ears, not outwards.

(2) Concentric Part of The Repetition

1. Take a deep breath in
2. On exhaling push the weights up with a powerful yet controlled motion.
3. During the upward movement, turn the dumbbells so that your palms are facing out at the top of the movement
4. It should take 1-2 seconds to get to the top of the movement

(3) Top of the Repetition

1. Stop at a point just before your elbows lock out i.e. before your arms are completely straight.
2. Ensure that the dumbbells are straight above your head and your arms are in line with your ears. There is a tendency to push the arms out forward thereby taking some stress off the shoulders. Aim to keep your feet, back, head and arms all in a straight line.

(4) Eccentric Part of the Repetition

1. Start to lower the weight with a slow, smooth motion.
2. Turn both dumbbells as you lower them so that your palms are once again facing inward towards your ears.
3. Lower right back to the starting position but do not rest the dumbbells on your shoulder blades. Some people stop at a point far above their shoulders. This allows them to perform more reps with a heavier weight, but what we really need is a full range of motion. Lower the weight right down to a point just slightly above the shoulders and ensure that each dumbbell is about 3 inches away from the outside of the shoulder blade.

Now repeat as in step 2.

You should hit failure somewhere between the 8th and 12th rep. If you can do more than 12 reps, make a note to increase the weight on this set for your next shoulder workout.

Remember that for us natural bodybuilders, poor form is a disaster. Yes I’ve also seen the videos of pro-bodybuilders (steroid users) perform lightning-fast reps with an incomplete range of motion, but we cannot get away with that.

You must give you’re your body a reason to grow.
You must demand that it grows.

Working out in the way I have outlined here is the way to do it.

More exercise videos are coming this week - stay tuned.

Your Buddy,

Mark McManus

P.S. If anyone knows how to crop a video let me know. I tried vidcrop and visicrop but they won’t install on my PC (vista). Any help would be appreciated

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20 Comments » | Posted in Build Muscle