EstimatedEst. Read Time: 3 minutes
Heavy Weights VS. Light Weights for Big Biceps (WHICH IS BEST?)

If you are trying to build big biceps, you need to figure out what role lifting heavy weights and light weights plays in your growth.  I will tell you right now, you need to find a way to lift both heavy and light if you want to build your biggest biceps possible.  Here’s why.

 

To start, it is important to define what we are talking about when we refer to lifting heavy or light.  In general, the heavier lifts are the compound movements that incorporate multiple muscle groups into the performance of the exercise.  In the case of the biceps this would be a weighted chin up as a perfect example, or even a heavy barbell cheat curl.  In both, the biceps are certainly not the only muscles working to execute that lift.  Your back, lower back, abs, and traps are contributing heavily to getting this done.

 

On the other side, doing exercises like spider curls and strict dumbbell curls with lighter weights are more isolated movements and involve a more focused attack on developing the mind muscle connection with the muscle you are working.

 

Now, it’s important to point out that research has strongly shown that even in a compound movement, it is possible for you to activate a component muscle of a lift by focusing more heavily on it when doing the exercise.  For example, even though the weighted chin up is a compound movement for many muscles as just shown you can more heavily target the biceps if you focus hard on their contraction during the movement.

 

So where does this leave you specifically?

 

Well, you first want to determine if you are someone who does or does not have a good mind muscle connection with your biceps and then act accordingly.  The two ways to quickly determine this is to assess how your biceps feel when you train them.  If you never feel curls, chinups, or any other biceps exercise in your biceps but rather feel them in your forearms, shoulders and lower back then you likely do not have a good connection with that muscle.

 

Secondly, if you contract your biceps in their most shortened position (which is elbow flexion, shoulder flexion and a supinated forearm) and cannot do so with enough force to cause discomfort when you squeeze as hard as you can, then you very likely do not have a good mind muscle connection with your biceps.

 

So here, you would want to dial back the use of heavier biceps work in favor of the lighter more focused exercises.  Of course, you wouldn’t want to abandon the weighted chin up all together since it has many other benefits for you as one of the best pulling exercises you can do.  You simply wouldn’t rely on it as the biceps building exercise in your arsenal given how it is being undermined by your lack of biceps recruitment capabilities.

 

Build up your connection with the lighter weights and leave your ego at the door.  As you improve this, your performance in the big lifts will not only improve but your ability to feel the muscle on these lifts will be greatly enhanced.  If you already have this in place, then a reliance on the lighter exercises should diminish but not be abandoned completely since the reinforcement is important for maximizing both the athleticism and aesthetics of your arms.

 

If you are looking for a complete program that shows you how to master this step by step without any missed exercises, be sure to click on the link below and visit the ATHLEAN-X website for workouts that will guide you day by day.

 

For more videos on how to build bigger biceps and the best athleanx biceps workout videos, be sure to subscribe to our channel below and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.

 

Build big arms here – http://athleanx.com/x/my-workouts

Subscribe to this channel here – http://youtube.com/user/jdcav24

Jeff Cavaliere Headshot

Jeff Cavaliere M.S.P.T, CSCS

Jeff Cavaliere is a Physical Therapist, Strength Coach and creator of the ATHLEAN-X Training Programs and ATHLEAN-Rx Supplements. He has a Masters in Physical Therapy (MSPT) and has worked as Head Physical Therapist for the New York Mets, as well as training many elite professional athletes in Major League Baseball, NFL, MMA and professional wrestling. His programs produce “next level” achievements in muscle size, strength and performance for professional athletes and anyone looking to build a muscular athletic physique.

Read more about Jeff Cavaliere by clicking here

Popular & Trending
stop doing face pulls like this facepull mistake
1
How To Do Face Pulls
By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS
September 9th, 2019
Face pulls are one of the best corrective exercises to help offset poor posture and shoulder dysfunction.  They help strengthen the chronically weak...
Body Fat Percentage Men
2
Body Fat Percentage Men
By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS
July 11th, 2023
There are many ways to measure body fat percentage; some wildly expensive and most inaccurate. It's time to give you an alternative method that...
2 reasons your biceps aren't growing and 3 ways to fix it
3
Why Your Biceps Aren’t Growing
By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS
August 22nd, 2019
Have you ever felt that no matter how much you trained your biceps you’re left saying… “My Biceps STILL Aren’t Growing?” I believe I know...
The Perfect Abs Workout
4
The Perfect Abs Workout
By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS
July 31st, 2019
We’ll be following my ‘Six Pack Progression’ sequence as we choose each of the beginner and advanced ab exercises for each abdominal movement...
incline bench press avoid mistakes for upper chest
5
How To Incline Bench Press Correctly
By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS
January 16th, 2024
The Incline Bench Press is one of the best upper chest exercises there is, but there's one major problem preventing us from getting the maximum...
best dumbbell exercises for chest
6
The Best Dumbbell Exercises for Chest
By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS
November 6th, 2023
Today I’m going to share my favorite chest exercises… but there’s a catch. We can only use dumbbells! I’ll show you what to do whether you...
long head triceps exercises
7
Long Head Tricep Exercises
By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS
December 19th, 2023
The triceps make up two-thirds of the size of your arm so the bigger your triceps, the bigger your arm muscles. But not all muscle heads of the...
cable chest workout
8
Cable Chest Workout
By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS
November 2nd, 2023
Today, we're diving deep into the most underrated piece of equipment in your workout arsenal for chest workouts – the cable machine. The constant...
Cable Back Workouts
9
Cable Back Workouts
By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS
December 12th, 2023
If you want a versatile back workout that hits every angle, challenges muscle recruitment patterns, and provides consistent tension, then you can’t...
cable shoulder exerciees
10
Cable Shoulder Exercises
By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS
November 30th, 2023
Unlike barbell or dumbbell shoulder workouts, cables offer consistent tension throughout the exercise, a key factor that can lead to better...
Watch the YouTube version of this article