Elite Physique The New Science of Building a Better Body

Biceps Iso-Hold
Guys love to show off their biceps, which is why they’ll try countless arm workouts
to make them bigger. Furthermore, you would be hard-pressed to find many weekend
warriors who are 100 percent satisfied with the size of their guns. You would be just
as unlikely to find guys who have put much effort into training their biceps isometrically.
But you need only look at gymnasts who perform the rings event to see some
powerful empirical evidence that isometric contractions can lead to substantial biceps
development. Another benefit of isometrics is their high level of motor unit recruitment.
ISOLATION
HOW TO DO IT
1. Grab a kettlebell by the horns and hold it against your chest, elbows bent and
tucked to your sides (see figure a). Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes, and then lower the kettlebell halfway down;
hold it in this midposition, with your elbows against the side of your torso (see
figure b).
3. Once you reach momentary muscular failure, slowly straighten your arms to end
the set.
a
b
ADVANTAGE
Isometric muscle actions provide a novel stimulus to the biceps through maximum
motor unit recruitment.
COACHING CUE
Maintain a chin tuck during the hold to reduce neck strain.
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