Kinesiologist, fitness trainer, and founder of Built with Science Jeremy Ethier knows that for most guys, time is of the essence when they hit the gym. Not everyone has two hours a day to spend pumping weights. That’s why he shared a 10-minute biceps workout that he promises can help to cut your training time by a third—by training smarter, instead of just cutting down on sets and reps or rushing your movements.
He does this by breaking your training down into three distinct methods. You’ll take a minute of rest between each method, so you’ll be done in just 10 minutes.
Method 1: Rest-Pause Set
1 set of 20 reps total; 2 minutes
“This is just one long set,” says Ethier.
For this part of the workout, you will simply be doing dumbbell curls.
“Start by finding a weight that you could typically do 6 to 8 reps with. You’re going to perform as many reps as you can while maintaining good form,” says Ethier.
The key is to be mindful of keeping your elbow locked by your side, and avoid curling your wrist excessively at the top. That way, you’ll be able to isolate the biceps.
“Once you finish your first rest pause set and can’t do anymore reps, put the weights down, rest for just 20 seconds, and then immediately perform another set using the same weight again for as many repetitions as you can,” says Ethier. “Keep repeating this process until you have completed a total of 20 reps.”
Method 2: Compound Set
3 sets of 8 to 12 reps; 5 minutes
“This takes two types of biceps exercises that can be performed back to back without rest, which is possible because the biceps is composed of two heads that have slightly different functions,” says Ethier.
For this one, you will be doing incline dumbbell curls and spider curls. To perform this compound set, start by setting an adjustable bench up to 30 degrees (generally the third or fourth notch on the bench.)
“Pick a weight that you could typically do 10 to 12 reps with in a normal biceps curl, and with the dumbbells in hand, lay with your stomach on the bench and your arms hanging down in front of you,” says Ethier.
Try to do 8 to 12 reps. The focus is on good form, which means you should lock your elbows into that position and then curl the weight up without using your shoulders or back. Then immediately after, flip over on the bench for spider curls using the same weights.
“Position the arms behind the body. Lock your elbows in place, and then curl the weight up,” says Ethier. “Once again, you are going to empty the tank on this one by performing as many reps as you can while keeping good form.”
Repeat for 2 more sets, with a minute rest between sets.
Method 3: Drop Set
5 drop-sets total; 1 minute
“This is where you do a bunch of sets without rest, but drop the weight after each set,” says Ethier.
For this one, you will be doing hammer curls, which will target an arm muscle called the brachialis.
“When grown, it can help to push up your biceps, creating an illusion of a bigger bicep,” says Ethier. “It can be targeted by using curls where the hand is in a neutral position, such as in a hammer curl.”
To implement this, start by finding a weight with which you can initially do between 15 and 20 reps. Using that weight, perform one set of hammer curls to failure with good form.
“Good form is keeping the elbow locked in place with minimal swinging,” says Ethier. “After you can’t do any more reps, immediately move to the next lowest set of dumbbells and perform another set to failure.”
Repeat this for a total of 5 sets.
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