For Well Developed Arms – Peak Those Biceps and Sweep Those Triceps
By Leroy Colbert

Many of the names referred to in this article most of you have never heard of. That bodybuilder became champion before the steroid era. As an addition to this section I will post some of the pictures of the greats of yesterday.

Large arms do not necessarily mean well-developed arms.

All of us have probably seen arms that were not impressive because they lacked height of biceps and sweep of triceps. The correct way of training the biceps is as important as curling itself if you want well-developed arms.

Let’s take the biceps first. Heavy barbell cheating curls are great for building muscle mass, but lousy for building muscle shape. Why? Because heavy cheating curls do not allow for complete contraction and extension of the muscle. Complete range of motion is a must for all around bicep development. Just by doing the barbell curl in a deliberate manner, you change it from a muscle mass builder to a muscle-molding builder. Both must be used for maximum size and shape.

Some bodybuilders may find that they naturally have a long type of bicep, which doesn’t look impressive in the flexed position. These fellows have a little tougher problem than the boys with a shorter bicep structure. For the longer the biceps the more difficult it is to develop that sharp cleavage between biceps and inner elbow so necessary for that baseball affect.

The bodybuilder with the elongated bicep structure must practice static and peak contraction movements. He must develop his maximum in bicep contraction power. He must limit curling to high-tension work. Bent over concentration curls with a swooping motion, forcing the biceps to contract tightly. Seated half barbell curls bringing the bar high up to the chin. Alternate dumbbell curls forcing the dumbbells over the back tensing the biceps as you curl the weight. Partial motion pulley curls curling the arms up tighter and tighter.

I used to have quite a problem with a flat type of bicep that refused to raise a trifle, no matter what I did. Just the simple act of pausing in each curl and tensing the biceps, I discovered that they seemed to develop somewhat of a peak. I then realized that I failed to contract my biceps sufficiently for maximum peak. From then on, I made it a point to contract harder and harder in each set. The difference in appearance was fantastic. My friends marveled at the overnight change in my arm development. I added more peak contraction work to my routine. I finally began to achieve that champion look to the arms. I also found that a few minutes spent practicing tensing the biceps also helped immensely in peaking them. Each time I tensed the muscle they seemed to ball up more, into higher peaked majesty. The point to remember is that every curling motion will help you to have peaked biceps it you will make it a point to completely contract the biceps in each curl.

Our biceps are now peaky developed, but what about those triceps, which look lousy when they are squared and flat? Just like a flat biceps fails to impress, likewise a flat triceps. Marvin Eder, Arthur Harris, Reg Park, George Eiferman and the great Melvin Wells have triceps formation that re truly magnificent. I will never forget the time I saw Melvin Wells’ 19-inch arms tensed. I was awe struck by the sweep of this triceps, they looked like inverted biceps. The most unusual thing about his development was that he used primarily only two exercises for his arms, the strict, slow barbell curl and the standing press in front and behind the neck. He was the first man I ever saw with a huge high peaked bicep with both heads split down the middle and each head standing out in bold relief. The sweep of his triceps filled out his arms so that it complimented his biceps and you could appreciate them both to the fullest. A flat triceps would have ruined the appearance of the bicep just as a flat bicep would destroy the beauty of the triceps.

You develop sweeping triceps by exercising the inner head of the muscles. As all bodybuilders should know, the triceps have three heads and the biceps two. The meatiest section of the triceps is the outer head, in back of the arm and the inner head located on the front side. The full development of this inner head, gives you that sweeping affect. The exercises that develop the sweep muscles are all pressing movements, such as close grip bench press, parallel bar dips, pressing in front and behind the neck and pushups with resistance. Do not neglect triceps curls, lat machine press down and other fine triceps motions. They help to round out the triceps by building the back of the arm developing that horseshoe affect, building extra muscularity. There are a few cardinal points that all bodybuilders who desire larger peaked-developed arms must bear in mind.

1. First develop muscle mass before attempting to develop peak biceps. You must have bulk of muscles to benefit from contracting work.

2. Never exclude complete curling motions from your routine for they are the movements that build size.

3. Do not strive for a pump affect when working for peak biceps. A blood-gorged arm will not contract to its maximum.

4. Always do more work for the triceps than the biceps because they are a three-headed muscle and account for more muscle area than the biceps.

5. Don’t neglect the belly of the bicep, which helps to give the arms that full look when relaxed.

So there you have it fellows, lets add a few inches to our arms this year.