Master at Arms

If there were a world championship for muscles the biceps would be undisputed king. No action hero is complete without an intimidating set of biceps and well-defined upper arms get more female attention than a half-price shoe sale. From Popeye to Vin Diesel the message is clear - biceps rule.

It's no surprise then that most men want bigger biceps but the idea that fanatically repeating dumb-bell curls will make you the envy of the gym is misplaced. Just as with your brain, muscles subjected to the same old routine adapt to it and stop reacting. They grow more slowly or stop growing altogether.

The best way to avoid this is to take a range of biceps exercises and mix them up into changing, varied workouts. The brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis all need to be worked for the biceps to be consistently built and strengthened. The biceps brachii is targeted when the curling motion is palms up (supinated), or when the hand rotates during the movement. The brachialis is stressed during all curling movements regardless of position and the brachioradialis is best targeted with either a palms-facing (hammer) or palms-down (pronated) grip. A blend of barbell, dumb-bell and cable exercises that includes at least one supinated grip and one hammer, or pronated, grip will cover all the ground and make your workout efficient.

Although this programme contains 23 exercises, you only need one dumb-bell, one barbell and one cable move for each of your workouts. But remember to mix up the routines to give the muscles new challenges. It's vital to identify the results you want to achieve. If gaining definition is your main objective then use a lighter weight with a higher number of reps, 8-15, and target specific areas. If developing brute mass is your top priority, a heavier weight with a lower rep count of six to eight is ideal.

To get results you must have impeccable form. Your elbows should remain still while your hands move up to the shoulders. Keep the pace slow to really feel it work. Leave no more than 90 seconds rest between sets and leave several days between each workout to give your muscles time to recover.