How many of us have fallen prey to the hope of mystical results from a magical biceps exercise.

Common biceps myths:

“The barbell curl is the number one mass exercise for the biceps.”
The truth is that the biceps haven’t a clue whether you have a barbell, dumbbells, or really heavy Snickers’ candy bars in your hands. Although the barbell curl is a great exercise for most individuals, it offers no more, or no less, opportunity for mass muscle building than any other biceps exercise. Most people assume this because, typically, more total weight can be used on the standing barbell curl than most other curl variations.

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Think back…way back. Back before the words fitness or strength training were even part of your vocabulary. Can you recall the first muscle you ever learned? Chances are it was the biceps…long considered by the general public to be the hallmark of weight lifting, strength, and, should I dare say… even masculinity. The exercise traditionally regarded as the key to biceps size was the barbell curl. This will be the focus of our biomechanical analysis this month.

The biceps is situated on the front of the upper arm and actually has two muscle bellies lying side by side, thus the name. Although the muscle bellies attach at two different points on the shoulder blade, they are joined at the distal ends by a common tendon of insertion. This tendon weaves between the two bones of the forearm and attaches on the back of the radius (outer of the two).

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When people train to get bigger muscularly, they must train to get stronger. No matter what you read or are told, legitimate researchers will tell you that they have all kinds of bits and pieces as to what goes on when muscle tissue is stimulated. They know what has to be done to get the muscle bigger and stronger, but they’re not sure exactly how it happens. The end result is obvious, but not so the process.

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This is a question I received from a blog reader which I have answered on the site for the benefit of all.

Question: I have often seen it recommended that bodybuilders should drink a lot of water. Is it really necessary to drink several liters of water a day in addition to other fluids, even when you are not thirsty? How much would you recommend?

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Do you keep asking yourself, “Am I eating enough?” when it should be apparent, from the fact that your scale isn’t giving you higher readings, that the answer is “No.” If you were eating enough, you would at least be gaining some fat. And the question is almost irrelevant, for the more muscle mass you have, the more food you’ll need. If you think gaining 10 pounds from your current weight takes a lot of eating, wait until you try to gain 10 pounds after you’ve put on 30 pounds of muscle. You have to eat progressively.

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Whilst on the subject of talking about the benefits of drinking milk post workouts, it makes for a good opportunity to discuss other things you should consider post workout to make for a more efficient training routine and to encourage fast muscle gains.

Not many people think about it, but sleep is simply your best workout partner. Lack of sleep not only reduces your coordination and mental focus but also severely inhibits your muscle growth. This is because during sleep your body releases most of its growth hormones. Optimally, you should aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

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Part of an ongoing study into the impact of drinking milk after heavy weightlifting has found that milk helps exercisers burn more fat. The study by researchers at McMaster University and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted by the Department of Kinesiology’s Exercise Metabolism Research Group, lead by Stuart Phillips.

The study by researchers at McMaster University and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted by the Department of Kinesiology’s Exercise Metabolism Research Group, lead by Stuart Phillips.

The researchers took three groups of young men 18 to 30 years of age — 56 in total — and put them through a rigorous, five-day-per-week weightlifting program over a 12-week period. Following their workouts, study participants drank either two cups of skim milk, a soy beverage with equivalent amounts of protein and energy, or a carbohydrate beverage with an equivalent amount of energy, which was roughly the same as drinking 600 to 700 milliliters of a typical sports drink. Read the full article »

The point raised in the article is nothing new and highlights the importance of including milk in your weight gaining diet post workout. Drinking protein milk shakes is a great way to include protein and milk in your diet, which is not only beneficial for muscle gain but offers many other positive health benefits. For guidance on how often to drink protein milkshakes, read the sample weight gain diet which helped me gain 48lbs whilst maintaining a body fat percentage of about 10% which I am very happy with.

Have you ever seen a study that says such and such supplements work because control groups have been selected and control group A gained X amount of muscle and control group B gained Y amount of muscle? Ill bet you have. The truth is that individuals do almost all of these studies or research groups whose job is to make slanted studies look like unbiased scientific data. All studies are subject to bias when there is money involved especially big money and the supplement industry has become big money. Its no secret that Creatine works, the method that it works through is not that complicated.

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Barbell Shrugs

The most basic of trap movements. All you have to do, is shrug your shoulders as close to your ears as you can. Try and not bend your arms.

Dumbell Shrugs

Similar to barbell, but you can have the dumbells slightly to the side as you lift.