Let’s be honest, everyone’s favourite part about upper body workouts is all about chasing that pump, particularly the biceps. Even though they're a smaller muscle than the triceps, blowing up this forward-facing muscle makes us feel good and look hella strong – it's an incomparable feeling. This three-move biceps workout from Jeff Cavaliere is an excellent finisher, or can be used as a standalone session on those days you simply want to fill out your tee sleeves a little more.
To help leave you with bulging biceps, this finisher uses a 'mechanical drop set'. You may have heard of traditional 'drop sets', where you perform the same exercises back to back while reducing the weight. A mechanical drop set, on the other hand, is where you drop down to a slightly easier version of the exercise you've just completed, whilst using the same load. This means you can still squeeze more out of your muscles whilst using heavier loads, meaning more gains. You're going to need to head on over to a rack of dumbbells for this particular finisher.
For this workout, Cavalerie suggests grabbing a pair of dumbbells that’s equivalent to your 10 rep max for an incline dumbbell curl and set yourself up on an adjustable weight bench. Here’s how Cavalerie’s mechanical drop set works: you’re going to perform all three exercises below for five reps each, lowering the dumbbells for three seconds and lifting up for one second. No rest in between. As soon as you finish that, drop to a lighter pair of dumbbells and repeat these exercises again. You want to aim for four to five rounds using a lighter pair of dumbbells each time. Ready for the pump? Here's your exercises:
- Incline dumbbell curl
- Dumbbell curl
- Preacher curl
Looking for more workouts to beef up the biceps? Give this five-move workout a go from Chris Hemsworth's trainer, Luke Zocchi, that'll only take you five minutes. If, however, you've been struggling to grow your guns for a while now and just aren't seeing results, the 5/20 method could be the answer to your bicep prayers.
-
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s quick hit dumbbell workout delivers serious strength gainsStart your week the right way – with this simple 30-minute, four-move strength workout
-
No plank needed – build a stable core with this 8-minute upright ab workoutYou can build a strong core without getting on the ground
-
Boost lower body muscle and burn fat with this speedy 20 minute dumbbell workoutLeg day doesn’t have to be skipped, especially with quick, effective sessions like this
-
Sculpt full-body strength and muscle with two dumbbells and these seven exercisesNo gym required
-
Time crunched? This five-move dumbbell circuit builds muscle and burns fatNo need to skip your workout, this 30-minute circuit has your entire body covered
-
Loosen stiff hips in five minutes with these three bodyweight exercisesBetter hip mobility equals better movement quality
-
This calisthenics beginner workout builds full-body functional strengthLooking to build strength with minimal to no equipment? This workout has got you covered
-
Two dumbbells and this four-move wrist-friendly workout for upper body muscleSay bye-bye to wrist pain and hello gains with these smart exercise swaps
