Your Workout Routine: Day One (Part Two)

Continued from Part One


Most childhood stereotypes of muscled men evoke images of characters with large biceps. Further, sociological studies have shown that when evaluating a man's physique, the two body parts women most frequently check out are the chest and the arms.*


Thus it isn't a wonder why many gym-going men devote a disproportionate amount of time to the development of musculature in their arms.


Nevertheless,




Lat Pulldown

The Lat Pulldown is not a bicep-building exercise per se, but it's a great way to inject a small dose of some compound building goodness into your otherwise concentrated shoulders and biceps routine whilst also bulking up on your arms. 


The Lat Pulldown works the arms, back and shoulders. I personally advocate at least one compound move on every workout day regardless of what body parts you're working out on that specific day. More on compound exercises later. 


Keep your back straight and your knees locked under the knee bar. Pull the bar down in a slow and controlled motion (as with any other move), pinching your shoulder blades backwards, and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat 3 sets of 12, 10 and 8 repetitions. 




A whole lot of gym-goers make the mistake of using overly heavy weights and subsequently leaning back as they pull on the bar. What this does is makes the move easier to execute because you're using your body weight to assist the maneuver. The consequence of that is you end up not targeting your target muscle groups. Concentrate on using reasonably heavy weights, keeping in mind at all times that your body's form is more important than how heavy you're lifting. 








Standing Bicep Curl









Possibly the most commonly executed thing in gyms across the world. I advise keeping your knees slightly bent so that your back doesn't get nosy and try to help your arms perform this exercise. In any other case, back straight, slow and controlled motion, watch your breathing. 








Another variation of the standing bicep curl is the inverted arm curl, which pays its due respect to the oft-neglected forearms. Instead of holding the weights in a palm facing up position, hold the weights in a palm facing down position in order to place more stress on the forearm musculature.  











If you're looking to get boulder-sized arms, concentrate on lifting heavier weights coupled with less repetitions. If you're going for a more cut, lean look, utilize lighter weights, but amp up your number of repetitions. Personally, I advocate a sweet spot of 3 sets of 16, 12 and 10 repetitions for a balance of size and definition. 








Preacher Curl











Complete your biceps routine with 3 sets of the Preacher Curl. Can anyone tell me how this looks anything remotely related to preaching? 


The preacher curl is designed as a "cutting" exercise, meaning that it specifically targets and refines a particular muscle group, in this case, your biceps. Aim to use lighter weights with higher repetitions (I suggest 3 sets of 20, 16 and 12 reps).











If you don't have a foldable bench at your disposal, recourse can be made to your thigh, as shown above. Lean your elbow not on, but against your thigh and perform the curl. 






Btw,


26 out of 52 love ice cream? 


I feel like the poster boy of antagonization.  








*Not what you were thinking aye? Anyway, source unknown.