If you want bigger biceps, you're going to love this method...it uses two of the best bicep exercises you can do in a strategic fashion to maximize growth.
This one is simple...you're going to alternate between chin-ups (keeping your body straight and face close to the bar to focus on the biceps) and barbell curls (with just an empty bar).
The key is HOW you alternate.
You're going to do a "countdown" style of set where you do this...
- 5 reps chins
- 5 reps curls
- 4 reps chins
- 4 reps curls
- 3 reps chins
- 3 reps curls
- 2 reps chins
- 2 reps curls
- 1 rep chins
- 1 rep curls
That's it!
The beauty of this structure is that it "front loads" the work on your biceps...meaning you're doing more work up front when you're fresher.
Then, as you fatigue, you're doing fewer and fewer reps, which allows you to keep pushing your biceps past the point where you would normally have to stop.
Because you're using a compound and an isolation exercise, your lats are going to assist in pushing your biceps harder.
Exercise #1 - Bicep Chin-Ups
This is a simple chin-up done with an underhand (supinated) grip, keeping your body straight, moving as straight up as you can and keeping your face close to the bar.
It's one of the best compound exercises you can do for your biceps.
As well, it's a "closed chain" exercise, which means your hands are fixed on the bar and your body moves through space...this contrasts with the curl, which is an "open chain" exercise where the weight moves.
In my experience, alternating these two types of exercises yields massive muscle activation.
As I mentioned above, start with 5 reps of this.
Obviously, you'll need to be strong enough to do these...I'd say at least 8-10 reps minimum of chins to perform this.
If you don't have that strength, you can do inverted rows with a bicep focus as well.
You may also notice in the video, that as I progress through the countdown, I actually set my feet down on the floor briefly between reps to reset. This allowed me to get the requisite reps - you may not need to do it, but you can if you do, just so you know up front.
It'll allow you to get those target reps.
Exercise #2 - Empty Barbell Curls
It doesn't matter how much you can curl...use just the empty 45 lb bar. Don't be a hero. The biceps respond to strict form on the curl.
So for the curls, focus on tight form and a hard contraction on the biceps. This one is not about weight, it's about tension. The chins are about moving the load.
Do 5 reps of this.
Now go right back to chins and do 4 reps. Then 4 reps of curls.
And so on, until you countdown to 1 rep of each.
By the time you're done, your biceps will be swollen up like balloons!
Do this method for 1-3 total countdown rounds with at least 2-3 minutes in between. I found two rounds of this to be the sweet spot for me. If I tried a third round, I may not have been able to keep up with the reps.
Overall, it's a killer bicep combo using very limited equipment.
Another excellent bicep-building method is this Non-Stop Mechanical Drop Set.
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