I need to know what can be done to improve the fullness of my biceps.
When I flex it there is an unwanted space between the forearm and
the beginning of the bicep.
Currently the only direct bicep work is standing dumbbell curls.
Would preacher bench work help fill in the muscle?
Can anyone recommend specific exercises to remedy this fault?
thanks, krowbar
Try exercises from Ian King’s GREAT GUNS.
The presence or absence of a gap is going to be largely determined by where your bicep “fits” in your upper arm, like calf muscles. On me, the highest part of my bicep is pretty far up on my upper arm. The gap between the peak and the elbow is pretty much just plain tendon, at least on me.
While it might help it a little bit, you are stuck with your muscle insertion points. No amount of weightlifting will fix this problem. I’ve been blessed with high bicep,tricep,quad,hamstring and calf insertion points. This doesn’t mean that you can’t build a respectable build though.
a quote from charles poliquin:
“The Scott bench is used to isolate the medial (short head) of the brachialis muscle. A lot of bodybuilding jock kinesiologists, however, will say that a 90-degree inclination on the padded surface will work the lower biceps. Too bad there’s no such thing as a “lower” biceps. If you feel soreness after a Scott bench workout, it’s because you’ve worked the short head of the biceps brachii and the brachialis. Since the distal insertions of both of these muscles are in the crook of the elbow, people invented the term “lower” biceps.”
you should do exercises that target the short head of the biceps. keep in mind that you cannot specifically isolate one part of the biceps and that a lot of your problem has to do with genetics. we were all born with varying insertion points. try reading poliquins “variations on a theme” article. hope that helps.
Actually there is nothing you can do about that gap.You can build the muscle up but you cant move it down. Thats just your attachment. nothing you can do. but if you get an 18 inch arm not many people are going to notice.
I think that space is natural, especially if you have a long humerus. For biceps fullness, I’ve had some success focusing on the brachialis, the muscle underneath the biceps brachii. It supposedly pushes up the belly of the biceps when it grows. Working this muscle may also increase your arm thickness closer to the elbow. Try some reverse grip curls - ez bar, preacher, cable, etc. Hammer curls are also good. These grips place more emphasis on the brachialis, especially during the first part of the movement.
You may have to go back in time and pick different genetics
That is going to be tough if you have a short bicep insertion. Try some reverse curls also.
Personnally I’d try doing hammers to build the brahiallis (?) and one arm preachers for fullness. Just make sure you extend the arm all the way on each rep and squeeze for a second at the top of the movement on the preachers.
If you’re doing only standing dumbell curls and you’re worried about the look of your arm? You need to do a lot of work here- read, read and do some more reading. Work the muscle using a variety of exercises, from many angles, using free weights, cables and even machines, if needed. Once you have a few years of direct arm work under your belt, then you can talk about your short comings and try to fix them.