Arms are one of the most functional muscles of the human body
involved in all kinds of pushing / pulling movements. They are also very
aesthetically appealing. Because of their high aesthetic appeal
(especially for men) they have become one of the most favourite body
parts to be trained. Due to this over enthusiasm of training arms,
fitness enthusiasts most of the time end up over doing arm workouts.
The arm group of muscles apart from being small is also immensely
involved in all torso movements. All chest and shoulder pressing
movements, subject triceps to a huge overload. Similarly all Lattissimus
dorsi movements, which constitute all pulling action, subject the
biceps brachii, brachioradiallis and the brachialis to a huge overload.
Also the flexors and extensors of the forearm get really punished as
your grip is challenged to the maximum in trying to hold on to weights
good enough to challenge the strong muscles of the Lattissimus dorsi,
Trapezius & Erector Spinae.
Thus we can see any kind of overdoing arm work could result in
serious overtraining of arms which in turn would adversely affect their
growth. As maximization of hypertrophy could only be possible in the
absence of any kind of over training. Hence especially when it comes to
arm training deprioritizing arm work by giving it less direct sets would
work in its favor and actually lead to better development.
Exercises For The Elbow Flexors:
On the anterior of the arm lay the muscles responsible for elbow flexion
The Biceps Brachii – As the name suggests has 2
heads namely inner short head and outer long head. It is a Bi-articulate
muscle in that it crosses the shoulder joint originating from the
scapulae & inserts into the radius bone of the forearm by crossing
the elbow joint.
Function: At the shoulder joint it assists the deltoid mildly in
shoulder flexion. Lifting the arm forward like in a frontal raise. At
the elbow joint it is the prime flexor & also is responsible for
supination (Getting the palm to face up) of the forearm. It is capable
of this supination because it inserts into the Radius & thus can
twist the radius around the ulna at the radio-ulnar joint.
Brachialis – lies underneath the Biceps Brachii
originating from the middle of the humerus (Upper arm bone) &
inserting on the ulna bone of the forearm.
Function: Since it inserts into the Ulna bone across
the elbow joint it cannot supinate & is only responsible for
flexion along with the Biceps Brachii. Every time that the biceps
brachii works on flexion, the brachiallis is sure to work with it .
Brachioradialis – It is the muscle that is visible
on the elbow as the highest prominence of the forearm on the top frontal
aspect of the elbow. It actually originates on the humerus very close
to the elbow & traverses all the way down the forearm & inserts
at the wrist on the radius bone of the forearm.
Function: Since its insertion is on the radius. It like the Biceps
Brachii can flex the elbow as well as contribute to supination.
All the above 3 muscles form the elbow flexors. These muscles
are extremely functional as without them, pulling in upper
body movements would not be possible. Selection of exercise
for elbow flexors should be based on the following
1. Exercise schedule must be kinesiologically comprehensive i.e.
include movements for both the functions mentioned above (Flexion &
supination).
2. Since curling movements are circular in nature machines should be
preferred over free weights for continuous tension. If free weights are
used then try using angles to give maximum effective range in the line
of gravity.
3. Exercises should give iso-lateral advantage, which is got by
usage of dumbbells over barbells. Ignoring this may lead
to asymmetrical development.
4. Shoulder flexion during Biceps movements should be avoided as the
Biceps brahii will get slightly involved at the shoulder & be
partially insufficient at the elbow. (If you did not understand this,
then please refer to my blogon the Active insufficiency theory of
Bi-Articulate muscles.) This is the reason why you will not find the
Preacher curl as
a preferred exercise in K11 programming. The preacher bench forces the
shoulder to be in flexion & thus causing a small degree of active
insufficiency at the elbow joint while curling.
Considering the above points K11 recommends the following Biceps Brachii exercises.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Type – isolation, isolateral
Joint action – elbow flexion, supination
Muscles involved – Biceps Brachii, Brachialis and Brachioradialis
This, is the best exercise for the Biceps Brachii & no other
movement is needed considering the small volume of sets that are
appropriate for a muscle the size of the biceps. 2 sets to failure of
this one exercise in a 6-8 rep max range is enough to toast this tiny
muscle.The reasons for it being the best option are:
It offers resistance to both the functions of the Biceps Brachii
namely flexion and supination. Being a dumbbell movement, it offers the
isolateral advantage. When done on an incline bench at a 45 degree angle
the line of movement stays in the line of gravity through most of the
range of motion, thus providing maximum continuous tension out of all
the free weight curling exercises. The incline also ensures
complete absence of flexion at the shoulder, thus eliminating any
possibility of the slightest of active insufficiency at the elbow.
Execution
1. Sit on an incline bench set at a 45 degree angle with dumbbells in
each hand held in hammer position. Shoulders slightly hyper extended.
2. Without moving at shoulders curl the weight up flexing and supinating simultaneously.
3. Lower in a similar fashion under control.
4. Exhale on the way up and inhale on the way down.
Brachialis (Elbow flexion)
When flexion is achieved at the elbow using a prone grip or semi
prone grip (hammer) biceps brachii is deactivated to a large extent and
Brachialis and Brachioradialis will get activated more.
Exercise for Brachialis
Prone grip cable curls / Reverse cable curls
Type – isolation, bilateral
Joint action – elbow flexion
Muscles involved – Brachialis and Brachioradialis
Execution
1. Set pulley at bottom most position.
2. Attach a bar handle.
3. Grip the handle using a prone shoulder width grip and execute a strict curl.
Exhale on the way up and inhale on the way down.
Note
Exercise for Brachialis will also work Brachioradialis. But the
Brachioradialis will work more towards flexion if a hammer grip is used
in a curl.
So Hammer curls with dumbbells will be a Brachioradialis movement & the reverse pronated curl will be a Brachialis movement.
Brachialis lies beneath biceps brachii. Significant hypertrophy of
brachialis could result in increase in overall height of biceps brachii
known as the bicep peak. Hence if ever a movement could be called as the
best peaking exercise for biceps it would be the Reverse curl.
If ever one uses a bar to curl for biceps brachii, always preferably
use the straight bar to an EZ bar. The EZ curl bar grip puts the hand
in-between supinated and hammer position thus reducing involvement of
bicep brachii.
Exercises For The Triceps Brachii
The triceps are extensors at the elbow joints. They are responsible
for straightening of the arm and assist in all pushing movements. As the
word suggests triceps are a group of 3 heads namely; Inner long head,
Middle head and lateral head. When fully developed the triceps take a
horse shoe appearance.
Anatomy: The inner long head is a Bi-articulate
muscle that originates from the scapulae & thus crosses the shoulder
joint as well as the elbow joint. The middle & lateral heads
originate on the shaft of the humerus on the posterior side & all
three insert on the ulna bone of the forearm just below the elbow.
Function: Extension at the elbow joint. Exactly opposite of the Biceps Brachii.
Again a lot of women are interested in training the triceps solely
from the desire to get rid off fat from the backof their upper arms. As
we know that fat is not localized and belongs to the entire body, no
matter where on the body it is situated.
We also know that the ability of an exercise to burn fat will depend
on the surface area of damage. Hence no triceps movement will ever be an
efficient fat burner. Hence the reason to train the triceps will be due
to the fact that the triceps contribute a lot to pushing strength &
not as a solution to flabby arms.
Men on the other hand tend to not stress the Triceps as much as the
Biceps, despite the fact that it comprises 2/3rds of the arm size. This
relative neglect is a big mistake in relation to aesthetics.
There are specific compound as well as isolation exercises for
triceps. As in other body parts you must always emphasize more of
compound than isolation, due to more work load and functionality. The
best exercises for triceps as recommended by K11 are as follows.
Decline Close Grip Bench Press
Type – compound, bilateral
Joint action – elbow extension, shoulder flexion
Muscles involved – Triceps Brachii and Anterior Deltoid
Execution
1. Lie on -15* decline bench.
2. Hold bar with shoulder width prone grip. Straight up 90 degrees to the floor at arms length.
3. Lower bar under control in line of gravity to your chest, forearms staying perpendicular to the floor.
4. Push the weight back up to full extension at elbow by moving simultaneously at elbow and shoulder.
5. Exhale on the way up and inhale on the way down.
Note
The decline angle is preferred to the flat as in the flat angle the
movement is forced into a tangent. The -15* decline angle makes the bar
come down in a line of action that is perpendicular to the floor.
