Basic Bicep exercise

Ivan

Hey,

I've recently decided to lose weight and ultimately, build some muscle. I must admit I don't know a lot about fitness despite having spent years in the past training heavily for GAA as a teenager.

Now, I'm overweight and about as strong as a pre-pubescent teenage girl.

In the last few weeks however, I have started doing regular routines but I don't have a huge amount of time and I'm worried that disruption to my normal routine will just limit my ability to continue with this. At the moment I've been doing alot of push-ups and sit-ups and I've definitely noticed results. However, I've noticed that my biceps are still quite flimsy by comparison to my triceps.

So, I was hoping that there was a fairly quick exercise I could do to work my biceps that is simple i.e. not using any equipment. Is that realistic or will I need to purchase some weights? I'd love to do pull-ups but I just don't have anywhere I can do that. I've heard of devices that you can set-up in doorways etc. that let you do pull-ups without much difficulty. Anyone know anything about this?

Any assistance would be phenomenal as even just finding the names of exercises to google them can be very difficult if you don't have any starting point.

corkcomp

curls

Ivan

So that would be a "No" on the no equipment front then?

Parsley

Ivan wrote: »

So, I was hoping that there was a fairly quick exercise I could do to work my biceps that is simple i.e. not using any equipment.

corkcomp wrote: »

curls

nice one einstein :pac:

http://www.irish-lifting.com/doorway-gym-pe-270.html

That's what you want there. I have one. it's great!

addictedtoshoes

Pull-ups - it's a compound movement so doesn't just isolate your bicep - it will do your shoulders, back and biceps. It's quite a tough move though! You should check out Craig Ballntyne's videos on YouTube, he does loads of bodyweight exerices so you don't need any equipment. You need a bar for pull-ups....cant think of any bicep moves using nothing! http://www.youtube.com/user/cbathletics

addictedtoshoes

addictedtoshoes wrote: »

Pull-ups - it's a compound movement so doesn't just isolate your bicep - it will do your shoulders, back and biceps. It's quite a tough move though! You should check out Craig Ballntyne's videos on YouTube, he does loads of bodyweight exerices so you don't need any equipment. You need a bar for pull-ups....cant think of any bicep moves using nothing! http://www.youtube.com/user/cbathletics

Check out this post!! http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055879788

Just noticed you said you had no bar in your original post, oooops! My first suggestion is not much help then.

dromdrom

http://cgi.ebay.ie/IRON-GYM-WORKOUT-BAR-DOOR-PULL-UP-SIT-UP-EXERCISE_W0QQitemZ190370515083QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Strength_Training?hash=item2c52f7888b

You could try something like that , cheap and would be good for biceps , triceps and varying you push up routine. pretty handy if you ain't lifting.

Dazd_N_Confusd

Yeah get a pull-up bar. I weigh 14 stone 7 and mine hasn't came loose yet!

squod

Ross training dot com.
http://www.rosstraining.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=157
Also keep a look out on the freebies sections of teh web for weights........
http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/freebies_1058_1.html

Dunno what your condition is, I started off doing log presses with a heavy coffee table in my young years. Imagination. That's what works.

chuck101

my 2 cents.. find a gaa pitch.. do pull ups/chin ups on the support stanchions, find hip height rails which you can do inverted rows on,

if you have a shed maybe make one of these http://rosstraining.com/blog/2010/01/13/homemade-suspension-trainer/.... i personally tie loops either end of a length of rope and hook it around something like a shed rafter or again a goalpost if possible. hope that helps.

Ivan

So I got the bar that Parsley recommended, but it does actually require tools which I don't have. Will check around with my friends to see if anyone has anything but I may just end up buying some for the occasion. Seems pretty sturdy, but I'm still fairly heavy. Haven't actually weighed myself in a long time but I still have the belly so I figure I should start running before entrusting my weight to the bar and my doorframe.

Looking forward to it though, even if I can only managed 1 or 2 at a time, if it's anything like the push-ups that should change fairly quick. Thanks again Parsley.

jeff lebowski

I have the Iron Gym one - http://cgi.ebay.ie/IRON-GYM-WORKOUT-...item2c52f7888b

I find it great, you don't need any tools to put it together except a small spanner which I think comes with it.

Canis Lupus

Ivan wrote: »

Looking forward to it though, even if I can only managed 1 or 2 at a time, if it's anything like the push-ups that should change fairly quick. Thanks again Parsley.

Remember to go through the full range of motion ie from hanging to chin over the bar to hanging.

THey'll be tough at first but use negatives to get you going. ie Jump up so chin is over bar and lower yourself slowly whilst, say, counting to six. Do as many as you can whilst aiming for say 3 sets of 10.

ALso, obviously altnernate between pullups and chin ups.

Pappy o' daniel

I tried this for a month and it noticably increased my bicep size.

Do a pullup with palms facing you, when your eye line is level with the bar stop and hold that position for as long. as. you. can.
Keep your hands close together and your shoulders close to the bar.
Do that twice a day 3 or 4 times a week.

dromdrom

If you are finding it hard to complete a full set of pull ups you can also try negative reps to help you, basically get a chair to get you up to the level of the bar and slowly perform the negative rep of the exercise repeatedly, very good for people starting out to give a help.

Zamboni

Just a tip. I have the same bar.
Use some bubble wrap where it makes contact with the door as it does mark the wood.

FTA69

I found one of those "Iron Gym" (pull-up device) yokes on the side of the road last week, someone was giving that and a sit-up bench away for free, (mad hoors). I think they're the job anyway.

Parsley

Ivan wrote: »

So I got the bar that Parsley recommended, but it does actually require tools which I don't have. Will check around with my friends to see if anyone has anything but I may just end up buying some for the occasion. Seems pretty sturdy, but I'm still fairly heavy. Haven't actually weighed myself in a long time but I still have the belly so I figure I should start running before entrusting my weight to the bar and my doorframe.

Looking forward to it though, even if I can only managed 1 or 2 at a time, if it's anything like the push-ups that should change fairly quick. Thanks again Parsley.

come on man, who doesn't have a screwdriver? you don't need to put up the bracket yokes at all, just throw the thing over a doorframe and work away. I've had some fat bastards hang off mine and it did no harm at all!

Red Cortina

I assembled the pull up bar that I bought from Irish Lifting without any tools???