Ok so here’s a quick run down of checkpoints to meet for anyone who wants to figure out how to get huge biceps. This is what’s helped me add a few inches to my arms over the years.

-Train with the right exercises – that largely means close grip chinups, and free weight curls –barbell and dumbbell. For most people, just switching to close grip chinups is more than enough to explode their bicep growth. Endless sets of cable and machine curls do not cut it. Studies have proven that bodyweight and free weight exercises are massively superior, so get on it

-Train your WHOLE body for growth. This is THE most important point to consider, and it’s really hashed out in the top muscle and strength gain program from Vince Delmonte Although there is some leeway, the body does not like growing one muscle out of all proportion. Have you ever seen someone with massive 17” biceps, but no shoulders, chest back or legs to speak of? Very very unlikely, and yet, there are thousands of people who train their biceps hard 4-5 times a week and nothing else. The fact is, the body does not like growing out of proportion – and for good reason, too.

Your body only grows muscle when it receives signals that tell it it’s absolutely necessary - and simply training only your biceps isn’t enough. If you’re hitting heavy compound exercises and working every bodypart at least once a week, and you’re eating a caloric surplus with lots of protein, then your body realises it’s time to build muscle – and it does it all over. So train your entire body with compound, free weight exercises – that’s how to get huge biceps. Again, the principle of whole body growth is seriously important, and if you havent checked it out yet, No Nonsense Muscle Building is by far my favourite resource for spot on information.

Train your triceps hard – when most people say they want big biceps, what they really mean is they want big arms. The triceps make up two thirds of the muscle on your upper arm, and you should train them accordingly – i.e. you should be doing more work for your triceps, than you do for your biceps. Close grip bench press, overhead extensions, dips skullcrushers – these bodyweight and freeweight movements are all good. Change your focus from “huge biceps” to “huge arms”, and you’ll reach your physique goals a lot sooner.

Here’s an excellent biceps workout for building size and some decent strength while you’re at it. It’s a good idea to include it as part of a split – it goes well with back or chest, or as the bicep portion of an “arms” day. I don’t recommend performing this workout more than twice per week, as biceps are a small muscle and only need moderate training to grow.

Close grip Chin Ups – 3 sets of 6-10
Barbell Bicep Curls – 3 sets of 8-10
Cable Bicep Curls – 2 sets of 8-10
Reverse or Hammer Curls – 3 sets of 8-10

Close grip Chinups - these are, in my experience, the best mass builder for the biceps bar none. I know many, many people would argue with this, and yes, the curl is good too. But if you look at the evidence and your own results were you to include these in your weekly biceps workout, you’d have to agree. Perform them for at least six reps for size gains. If you can’t do six, then have someone “spot” you and support your legs with their hands, until you can hit six on your own. When you can do more than ten, add weight via a dip belt or dumbbell between your legs.

Barbell Bicep Curls – The second best mass builder! Your focus here should be on form. Keep everything stiff and still, with flexion only at your elbows. Check your form in the mirror, and visualise the bicep doing all the work as you perform these.

Cable curls are nice to finish off the biceps and get a good pump. They aren’t essential, and most of your efforts should be focussed on the previous two exercises. Again, keep your form strict with cable curls and focus on the squeeze.

Hammer/Reverse curls – these are good for training the brachialis (the muscle underneath/below your bicep, close to your elbow) and the top of your forearms. Reverse curls are easier on the wrists when you use an E-Z bar. Again, form is the key. That should finish off your biceps workout – now get that protein shake in ya and watch those guns grow!

The whole workout is based on a variation of a workout in Vince Delmonte’s No Nonsense Muscle Building, which is in my opinion the absolute bible on building lean muscle and physique transformation. Worth checking out if you haven’t seen it before.