Question:

I am a 26-year-old male and I am trying to build my arms. I have been using heavier weights but they still look the same. Is there a good exercise that I should be doing?

Answer:

My favorite exercise for building the biceps is incline dumbbell curls. This exercise is extremely effective because it doesn’t allow you to swing during the exercise. To perform this exercise grasp two moderately weighted dumbbells and lie back on a 30-45 degree incline bench. Allow the arms to hang downward from your shoulders with the wrists facing inward at the beginning of the movement. Hold the upper arms motionless throughout the set. Use biceps strength to curl the dumbbells directly forward and upward to shoulder level. Hold this peak contracted-position for a moment while intensely squeezing your biceps and then slowly return to the starting position. It is effective to twist the dumbbells on the way up so that the thumbs rotate away from the body and then rotate towards the body on the way down. Perform three sets of 10-12 repetitions two to three times each week and your arms will start to grow.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.