Bicep workout question

[whatupdog]

In trying to keep my biceps growing, I change up the various exercises I do as much as possible. I do my bicep workout on the same day as my back, with the biceps coming after back.

Whenever I start my bicep workout with anything other than preacher curls (i.e. concentration curls, seated curls, hammer curls, cable curls, etc.), I don't get as good a pump going and really don't feel like I'm hitting the biceps. I have good form on these other exercises and lift weights that give me a 6-12 rep max. On the other hand, if I start with the preacher curl, I get an early pump and the remained of the exercises feel like they are hitting the biceps hard.

So here's the question part. What exactly is going on in the seated preacher curl that totally turns my biceps workout around? Are there any comparable exercises that I could work in (other than those listed above) to get my bicep workout going. I'm okay doing preacher curls now but wonder what will happen to my bicep workouts once my arms grow accustomed to the same workout all the time.

Thanks for any input.

[Shibby]

Your body will get the best pump of whatever it's used to usually. You have conditioned it to work a certain way.

6-12 rep is a high range in. What are you trying to do with your biceps? There a huge difference in a set of 6 and a set of 12.

[psyko1]

on the preacher you're in a very concentrated position. very difficult to get any movement going other than biceps. especially if you hold and squeeze at the top as hard as you can you will get great pumps. try str8 bar curls and superset them with concentration curls. then hit your preacher curls. see what kind of pumps you feel then. remember squeeze the hell out of them at the top. go for 6-8 reps with the exercizes and see what you think. change is good.

[meat12]

Yeah and you can do different types of preacher curls, if thats what you like to do. Try them one handed with a dumbbell, or you can do them in a nuetral grip like hammer curls.

[Danny_v]

Remeber biceps is a small muscular group killing with lots of exercices will slow down the muscular build. Give your muscle time to recover. 3 isolated exercices per week is enough.

[hlcn8]

use the cables, stand b/w them, arms out in a cross, and curl them in, make sure your shoulders are low and relaxed, and it'll keep your deltoids from kicking in. you can vary the height of the pulley and yourself by kneeling/sitting to emphasize different areas of your arms. its a oldie but goodie move that i started doing after seeing lee priest do 'em. i did these last night and the pump was so intense i wanted to scream, good stuff.

[hlcn8]

oh yeah, you might also think outside the box, and instead of just switching up your forms of biceps exercise, switch up your exercise split, perhaps incorporate a pushing and pulling move into the same day, such as shoulders and biceps, so pre-fatigued muscles don't take away from other body parts. or do bi's and tri's together and keep the blood in the same general area during the pump. on the opposite spectrum of that, i've read of people doing legs on the same day they do a lagging body part, so as to take advantage of the release of human growth hormone that's created from stressing a major muscle group such as legs. this last one i've yet to try, but have heard good things about it.

[Chris]

You guys give good advice.

Chris

[6p6]

good advice, I'm a personal trainer and you said what I'd say!

[RobertEAustin]

i'm the same way as you, bro. preacher curls give me the quickest and best pump. i always feel like my arms are bigger after doing preacher. but i've discovered that for the long-term benefit, switching up the order of exercises and sticking to it for a while really helps overall strength. when i hit the preachers again, i'm adding major weight. i do biceps on the same day as back either once or twice a week (depends if i make it to the gym on saturday). if i know i'm going to miss day two, i'll go a little heavy on day one. for what it's worth, here's my biceps routine . . . (after back)

Day One
Seated DB hammer curls
Machine preacher curls
Z-bar standing curls
DB isolation curls

Day Two
Standing BB curls
Seated DB preacher curls
Standing cable curls (upper cable curls)
Incline DB curls

[whatupdog]

Gotta love this board, post a question, give it a week and you'll have all kinds of feedback. Thanks everyone for all advice.

Shibby - as for the 6-12 rep range, I normally go for 8-10, but if I move up in weight, I may not get to 8 but always make sure to hit at least 6. No big concerns here.

Psyko1 & Meat12 - suggestions sound interesting, Ill try to work in these supersets in the coming weeks.

Hlcn - Good point on the cable curls. I ususally close with these and feel decent pumps, though I always figured it was because I did preachers first. I usually start in the free weight room and in doing my cable exercises in another room, but maybe that needs to change. As for switching up the muscle groupings I work, I am doing well with what I have, though some of your points will come in handy at my next plateau. I am slightly concerned that you used the term "out of the box", please never explain the 7 habits of highly effective weightlifters or I'll have flashbacks to grad school. :rofl:

Austin - Good to hear that switching it up can work in the long run even if I don't feel it immediately. Thanks for the workout, I'll let you know going forward as I try different things.

Again, thanx everybody.