Albert K. Park

            
With love lingering in the air this month and Valentines day coming and going, the contagious chaos really got me thinking……..

          The other day I got the chance to catch up on the phone with a good buddy of mine. We quickly went over topics that would follow a text book catch-up; school, work, economy, art, international literature, you know the usual. As we approached our usual 15 min cut off mark we came upon the topic of “Valentines Day” dunt dunt dunnnnnnn…

        I will save you the male biased conversation and get straight to the point. Our consensus was “How much do guys really get from this hallmark holiday?” Don’t worry ladies, I’m not a complete idiot. I get it. Valentine day is an opportunity to truly show that not only do we care but we sincerely love one another, since life can get hectic at times and we can forget to verbally share our feelings. Right? Or if you are a new couple or just dating, it is a great opportunity to tell the other person how you really feel about them. Why not take a little of the hallmark holiday momentum to increase your chances. BUT…….


                   What is this fake holiday crap! Yeah it’s fun but the workload/stress ratio is heavily lopsided. Us guys run around for 2 weeks straight, stressed to the max about what to get you, where to take you, what not to say so we don’t screw the night up etc.. etc… the list goes on. Not to mention the financial number crunching that we need to make an excel spreadsheet for. Yes this is all to “woo” the ladies and don’t get me wrong I am all for “wooing” the ladies but I have to draw the line somewhere. Yeah I said it!


$100 dinner (if she only drinks one drink)
$30 flowers (if she likes the basic dozen roses, now you have to wonder about what color to pick in order to send off the right message. What kind of sh*t is that.)
$25 chocolates (minimum, unless she is a hardcore Godiva fan)
$20 haircut (Let’s get real guys, you probably need one)
$40 gas tank (I drive a truck so you can bump that up another 25 bones)
$$$$(insert gift here, no comment on this one)


                  I am going to leave out a lot of anatomical descriptions and in depth science because most of you guys are probably just skimming this to get to the exercises anyways. Don’t tell me I’m wrong. So here they are in easy numbering to help you quickly get what you need and into the gym.



1.) Bent over Row with under hand grip
The Bent over Row is a great exercise to really build some solid strength in your biceps. This is an ideal opportunity to lift some heavy ass weight with those guns of yours. Yes it does work your back but by utilizing an underhand grip (palms facing up) you will be able to target your biceps.

But how much is it going to help me get big arms without curling?

Listen, I know that I can’t curl 275 lbs but I can damn sure bent over row it. This is an opportunity to have your biceps split the load with some back breaking weight. The strength increases in your arms will help you curl more when you do concentrate with isolated curls or other exercises.

How to Perform: To perform this exercise you want to stand about shoulder width apart with your legs slightly bent. With a straight back you want to bend over anywhere between 90 and 45 degrees. To target the biceps stand closer to 45 degrees.

                Next with an underhand grip, grip the bar about shoulder width and let it hang close to your upper shin and knees. Make sure you can keep your spine neutral with the weight your handling. Pull in a controlled motion straight to your navel and lower controlled back to the starting position. Avoid bouncing while performing reps. Stay heavy enough to work hard but not to the point your back loses it’s straight form.

2.) Chin-ups and Weighted Chin-Ups
Chin ups are probably one of the most neglected exercises when it comes to building biceps but when you think about the movement it makes complete sense how it can aid to giant arms. You are pulling up your entire body weight against gravity with your biceps and your back, as it is a common muscle synergy in many exercises.

Even though people at LA fitness and 24 Hour seem allergic to this exercise, don’t avoid it. When bodyweight chin-ups (palms facing you) get easy, put on a dip belt and start adding some weight. There’s nothing more bad ass than a guy doing chin ups for reps with three 45lb plates hanging from his waist.


How to Perform: Go up to a pull-up bar and grab it with a shoulder width or narrower grip. Going narrower I have found puts less focus on your back and more on your biceps. With your palms facing you, pull straight up getting your chest to the bar and then lower yourself to the point where your arms are fully extended. Don’t shorten this motion, you will just look stupid and develop a muscular dysfunction or maybe even a jacked force couple relationship somewhere.

Sample Progression:
Body Weight Chin Ups 3 x 10 reps
Weighted Chin Ups 4 x 8-10 reps

3.) Barbell Curls
When you walk into a weight room anywhere in this country you will see the skinny to medium sized guys curling with cables or dumbbells and the Big Ass Freaky Mother Fu*ker with a string for a shirt screaming his lungs out curling with a barbell. It’s strange to me to think that guys want bigger arms but are afraid of the work to get them. Do you want to look like “Thad” in the corner doing cable curls (no offense to that name) or do you want to look like Thor with veins as thick as D sized batteries.



Try this exercise when you really want to see an increase in both size and strength. With strength work stay in low reps like 4-6, with ball busting weight. For a little size, take some off and still hit it hard for 10-12 reps.

Remember guys, this and all the exercises need to be performed with hernia inducing intensity. Without it you got nothing.

How to Perform: Grab a barbell and load it with a desired weight, Place your hands in varied widths as it will add some diversity to your work. With a straight spine and minimal rocking, tuck your elbows tight to your body and curl the bar up to your chest. Remember this isn’t suppose to be an easy curl, so load on some weight and push yourself.

4.) Hammer curls
This is your most traditional curl but should be performed at vein popping weight. Go heavy since you won’t have to deal with the excessive motion of turning your palms up, you will be able to lift more weight.
How to Perform: With weights hanging at your side, curl with your thumb facing up straight into your armpits. Remember the dumbbell shouldn’t be turning horizontally but remain in the neutral position all the way through the movement. You can perform this movement in two different styles. First you can curl with both arms at the same time or alternating one after another. Both are effective but try both arms at the same time to minimize body rocking.

Sample Progression:
Hammer Curls warm-up x 12 reps
Hammer Curls 4 x 6reps

5.) Pumps, Burn Outs, and other insane Bicep Finishers
These series of workouts are simply the kind that once you get done leave you saying “What the Fu*k!!”. They are nothing but movements to completely exhaust your muscles for true anabolic growth. After each workout with one of these insane finishers, your biceps will be starving for some nutrients, so do me and yourself a favor, and feed those fu*kers.

Running the Racks – This method is commonly used with the bicep curls, palms facing up ladies. Start the movement off with both arms curling at the same time to avoid excessive body rocking because even I can rock up a 70lb single arm curl. To start off you are going to pick a weight you can barely do for a solid 8 reps. From here you are going to go down every 5lbs or 10lbs until you are barely curling those baby ass 10 pound weights. Trust me, don’t be ashamed because the guy giggling at you wouldn’t even be able to curl it on his first set. This is all done back to back.

Sample Progression:
60 pounds x 8 reps
50 pounds x 8 reps
40 pounds x 8 reps
30 pounds x 8 reps
20 pounds x 8 reps
15 pounds x 8 reps


Barbell Complex – The main idea here is time under tension. It is a method that is going to keep your arms under complete muscular tension for an extended period of time. This is also a great way to incorporate a bad ass full body workout while people stare at you wondering what in the hell you are doing.
Load a barbell with a desired weight, go light to start off with since you will be doing a series of movements while continually holding the bar. Remember you will not drop the bar until you finish all the exercises.

Sample Progression:

Front Squat x 8 reps
Bent over Row x 8 reps
Overhead Press X 8 reps
Bicep Curl x 8 reps
Back Squat x 8 reps
Finish all movements, rest 1-2 min, repeat for 2-4 sets.

Closing Words
          Well I hope everyone had a lovely Valentines day, whether you had a lavish night on the town or sat at home with a t.v. dinner. But this month, let's give us guys something we can enjoy and that's big ass muscles. If you didn't have a date this year let's help you now to get one next year and show those ladies what there missing out on. After all, a fit girl probably wants a fit guy. Can you really say no to that!