Getting stuck on a biceps growth plateau is one of the most common problems guys struggle with. Biceps can be very stubborn muscles and at some point, your workouts simply aren’t enough to grow them anymore.
To make matters worse, the most obvious ways that most guys think will help them, like increasing weights, workout frequency, and doing more concentration curls don’t work either. So what do you actually do when your biceps refuse to grow anymore, no matter how heavy and how often you lift? Here are the 8 best techniques to break the plateau.
#1 Negatives
Bicep curls like most exercises consist of the positive part (lifting the barbell up) and the negative part (lowering it down). Focusing more on the negative part of the curl will increase the time under tension the muscles get, and it will break them down more. So adjust your tempo so the negative part takes at least 3 seconds, while the positive contraction movement is explosive and takes about 1 second.
#2 Cheat Curls
Yes, I’m actually serious about cheating the bicep curls to get more weight in. You see, your muscles are stronger during eccentric movement and they can handle heavier weights in the negative part of the exercise than they can in the positive. So you can use a weight about 20% higher than you’d be able to do in the perfect form, lean in just a little bit in the starting position, and gain some momentum to get that weight up. Then lower it down in a slow and controlled movement. This will load your muscles even more in the negative movement and give you the much-needed extra stimulus.
#3 Wrist Angle
Your wrist angle during the bicep curls is more important than you think. Most guys tend to curl their wrists in at the top of the exercise, unfortunately, that releases tension from the biceps and even puts your wrists at a disadvantage. That’s the number one reason you lose bicep peek training. The wrists are most comfortable at a slight extension of about 15 to 20 degrees. So keep them in this position throughout the entire exercise and you’ll not only be able to lift heavier but increase muscle tension too.
#4 One and a Half Reps
The one and a half rep technique works well to increase performance in any exercise, bicep curl included. By doing that an extra half rep at the end of a curl, you’re increasing muscle time under tension and that will stimulate growth. So curl the bar just halfway after you complete a rep for a much higher intensity.
#5 The Importance of Shoulders
This may come as a surprise to you but biceps and shoulder muscles are related in that both of these groups flex the shoulder joint. The fact that the long head of the biceps crosses the shoulder joint means you need some shoulder movement to fully activate all the muscle fibers. Adding chin-ups to your workout routine will do that. Also, you can modify the bicep curl by lifting the barbell just a little towards the ceiling at the top. This will activate muscle fibers that you’ve probably not activated in your bicep workouts before.
#6 Varying Rep Schemes
Keeping the same rep scheme in all of your workouts is not an effective technique for muscle growth. First of all, your muscles adjust to the same load over time, and more importantly, you do not recruit all muscle fibers with a single rep range. You need both heavier low reps and lighter high reps to fully work the muscles. So add some variety there.
#7 Don’t Train Your Back and Biceps on Subsequent Days
You can train your back and biceps at the same time, but don’t do it on subsequent days. Because both of these muscle groups work in pulling movements, you can’t train one without indirectly affecting the other. That means your biceps need recovery time after the back workout too. So either train them on the same day or a day later (better yet two).
#8 Shorter Time Between Sets
Increased workout intensity is the number one recipe for muscle growth, so spend less time resting between sets and more time lifting. Rest just enough so you can lift the weight again, 60-90 seconds at most.
These are the 8 bicep workout techniques you can try to employ to break your plateau. Use some or all of them and you will see an increase in your results. One last thing to keep in mind with all these techniques is to give enough rest to your muscles. Don’t train your biceps more than 2 times a week. Remember, the muscles grow only during the recovery and you’re only breaking them during workouts.
