We have all the ammunition you’ll ever need to build a massive set of guns while it’s still warm enough to show them off with our superset bicep workout.
Disclaimer: this isn’t for the faint of heart
Training your arms doesn’t have to involve monotonous elbow bending. By adding new variations to old favorites you’re asking for more muscle everywhere and you’ll get it.
For decades, the dumbbell curl has been helping blokes build bigger biceps, but it also seems to have stripped us of our imagination. After all, how often do you try a new variation of this classic arm exercise?
Well, this workout from strength coach Kris Gethin flips the traditional curls in favor of more variety so you spark more growth in every area of your bicep muscles. You’ll soon have fireworks popping in your arms and be the owner of a sleeve-splitting pump to boot.
“This whole workout should take you a total of around 30-45 minutes so there is no excuse for not having time.”
How the superset bicep workout works
Do the exercises below as a superset, so you’ll do an overhead cable curl then directly afterward do a drag curl. Once finished, have a 20-second rest then go again. Biceps are a relatively small muscle group so you shouldn’t need very much recovery between sets.
SUPERSET 1 Overhead Cable Curl Drag Curls
Set 1 50 40
Set 2 40 30
Set 3 30 20
Set 4 20 10
Set 5 10 10
Set 6 10 10
Set 7 20 10
Set 8 30 20
Set 9 40 30
Set 10 50 40
| SUPERSET 2 | Preacher Hammer Curl | Preacher Rope Curl |
|---|---|---|
| Set 1 | 50 | 40 |
| Set 2 | 40 | 30 |
| Set 3 | 30 | 20 |
| Set 4 | 20 | 10 |
| Set 5 | 10 | 10 |
| Set 6 | 10 | 10 |
| Set 7 | 20 | 10 |
| Set 8 | 30 | 20 |
| Set 9 | 40 | 30 |
| Set 10 | 50 | 40 |
Bicep superset 1 explained
Overhead cable curl
Muscles: Biceps
A) To begin, set a weight that is comfortable on each side of the pulley machine.
Set the height of the pulleys on a cable crossover machine to shoulder height.
Stand in the middle of both sides and use an underhand grip (palms facing towards the ceiling) to grab each handle. Your arms should be fully extended and parallel to the floor with your feet shoulder width apart from each other. Your body should be evenly aligned to the handles.
B) Bend your elbows until your forearms and biceps touch. Slowly straighten your arms to return to the start position.
Drag curl
Muscles: Biceps
A) Grab a barbell with an underhand grip and get your elbows close to your torso and back.
B) Curl the bar upward while keeping the elbows to the back of your body as you drag the bar up by keeping it in contact with your torso. Do not keep your elbows pinned to your sides, instead bring them back. Slowly go back to the starting position as you keep the bar in contact with the torso at all times.
Bicep superset 2 explained
Preacher hammer curls
Muscles: Brachialis
A) Place the upper part of both your arms on top of the preacher bench. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other. Lower the dumbbells until your upper arm is extended and your biceps are fully stretched.
B) Use your biceps to curl the weight up until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder height. Squeeze the biceps hard for a second at the top of the move then lower to the start.
Preacher rope curls
Muscles: Brachialis
A) Set up a rope extension attachment to a low pulley cable machine and place a preacher bench in front of the machine. Grab onto the rope with each hand making sure your palms are facing each other. Sit down on the bench with your forearms resting over the padding and feet flat on the floor in front of you.
B) Keep your arms extended out in front of you then slowly curl the bar up towards your chest, isolating your bicep, and then squeeze. Hold for a count of three then return back to the starting position.
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