70 degree highs and 30 degree lows.
That’s the midwest for ya.
And right now, we are experiencing everything from summer like temps to chilly mornings perfectly suited for a hot cup of coffee.
Since we do have some nice weather during the day, it got my thinking.
Before we tuck away our arms for the winter, we still have time for short sleeves and what my kids say, “suns out, guns out!”
(And no, I’m not referencing weapons, here.)
What I am referencing are toned and fit biceps.
So how do you get strong upper arms?
The first thing we always have to talk about when we are discussing toning anything is
cardio, cardio, cardio.
I know you are thinking, “But LORS! What does cardio have to do with sculpted arms??”
Any time you are trying to see lean muscle, in addition to toning the muscle underneath, you must also burn calories and lose the weight on top of the muscle. So in addition to monitoring your food choices and doing cardio, here are three exercises you can do to have strong and lean biceps.
To download and print out this workout to do on your own time, click here to download this workout for FREE!
1. Bicep curls.
One of the most classic exercises for toning and strengthening your biceps are bicep curls. This move is characterized by taking resistance either by barbell, weights, or even resistance tubes like you will see in the video, and moving them against gravity to train the biceps. Holding on to the resistance, separate your elbows slightly away from your torso. While keeping your elbows slightly forward, bend your elbow joint and bring your hands towards your shoulders. Then bring your hands all the way down to your thighs, extending the elbow joint to almost completely straight. If you are using a tube like in the video, you can work with three different levels of intensity.
Level I: place one foot in the tube. Bring one handle towards your shoulder, and release. Repeat on the other side.
Level 2: place both feet in the tube, and perform the bicep curl with one arm at a time alternating arms.
Level 3: Keep both feet in the tube, and perform the bicep curl with both arms at a time.
Perform 8-12 reps with 2-3 sets.
2. Bicep pulse.
This exercise looks almost identical to the bicep curl. Instead of performing the full range of motion by bringing hands all the way to your shoulders, you will bend your elbows and keep them at a 90 degree angle. Then bring them an inch above your belly button, then an inch below your belly button. Repeat this motion quickly, and this is the bicep pulse.
If you are using a tube like in the video, you can work with three different levels of intensity:
Level I: place one foot in the tube. Perform bicep pulse with one arm at a time. Repeat on the other side.
Level 2: place both feet in the tube, and perform the bicep pulse with one arm at a time alternating arms.
Level 3: Keep both feet in the tube, and perform the bicep pulse with both arms at a time.
Perform 8-12 reps with 2-3 sets.
3. Hammer curl.
This exercise is also similar to the bicep curl. To differentiate from the bicep curl, in the hammer curl, your palms will face each other. While holding on to the resistance, separate your elbows slightly away from your torso, keep your elbows slightly forwards, and bend your elbow joint and bring your hands towards your shoulders. Then bring your hands all the way down to your thighs, extending the elbow joint to almost completely straight.
If you are using a tube like in the video, you can work with three different levels of intensity.
Level I: place one foot in the tube. Bring one handle towards your shoulder, and release. Repeat on the other side.
Level 2: place both feet in the tube, and perform the bicep curl with one arm at a time alternating arms.
Level 3: Keep both feet in the tube, and perform the bicep curl with both arms at a time.
Perform 8-12 reps with 2-3 sets.
So there you have it! Those are 3 exercises you can do to tone and strengthen your biceps.
Was this helpful? Leave us a comment and let us know another topic you’d like to see on BCC TV. If you found this to be helpful, we would love it if you would share it with your friends. And lastly, make sure to opt in to our emails so you can get awesome fitness tips like this every week!
Now get out there, and keep going for your goals one step at a time. Invest in yourself!
Hoo-Aah!
The BCC Team