These two exercises target a muscle that few people know about. It is located in the upper part of the arm under the biceps. If you pump up this small muscle, the volume of your arms will increase.
Read also: How to pump up your biceps
When people think of the upper arms, they think of the biceps and triceps. These are the muscles that get all the attention in the gym. But there is another small muscle that needs to be addressed. It's called brachialis.
What is brachialis and where is it located?
How to pump up brachialis if you have no knowledge and experience? We'll talk about this in the article.
The brachialis , or as it is also called the brachialis muscle, is a muscular part of the human body that is located on the arm near the anterior humerus and is attached to the forearm.
If you suddenly do not understand what is written in the paragraph above, then we will explain in simpler words:
The brachialis muscle is the muscular part of the human body that is located under the biceps muscle.
A human muscle such as the brachialis is practically not popular in terms of pumping and can only be seen if you bend your arm and see the middle bundle of muscles between the biceps and triceps.
Let us repeat again that the brachialis muscle is very rarely pumped by athletes or bodybuilders in the same way as most beginners and advanced athletes focus their attention on pumping and building up the biceps muscle in the way that this muscle most clearly expresses the external power and strength of male or female arms.
But, any athlete or bodybuilder should not forget that if you persistently pump up the brachialis muscle, then the total mass of the arm, or rather the biceps, will become much larger and also more aesthetically pleasing.
It is also worth pointing out the fact that with the help of the brachialis muscle, the size and beauty of the hands of men or women increases significantly.
Anatomy of the brachioradialis muscle
The brachioradialis muscle or brachioradialis (from Latin - m. brachioradialis) is located on the anterior surface of the forearm and passes into a long tendon. The origin of the muscle is the lateral edge of the humerus and the lateral intermuscular septum of the shoulder. The place of attachment is the lateral surface of the radius.
Functions of the brachioradialis muscle:
- Flexion of the forearm at the elbow joint.
- Pronation of the forearm position from supination and vice versa.
A feature of the brachioradialis muscle is that in a pronated position, for example, an overhand grip of a barbell or dumbbells, or a hammer, provides greater involvement of the brachioradialis muscle than in a supinated position, in which the biceps are more involved.
How can you pump up your brachialis?
Athletes and bodybuilders in large numbers are very interested and want to know how to pump up brachialis, but these same athletes and beginner athletes still can’t figure out what kind of training for brachialis should be and what exercises should be done?
In almost any gym, people try with all their strength and capabilities to constantly lift barbells and dumbbells, but as a result they end up hammering and somehow pumping up the biceps muscle.
The procedure for gaining muscle mass for brachialis requires a special type of exercise and safe technique that will help you do the exercises more efficiently and effectively.
If treatment does not bring results. Synkinesia and facial contracture
Facial symmetry returns in an average of 3 months. If your treatment has not brought results, facial asymmetry persists, pain or other symptoms appear, you should immediately clarify the cause of the dysfunction of the facial nerve. Perhaps the location and causes of the nerve damage were not recognized, and treatment was prescribed “blindly”. Perhaps little attention was paid to restorative procedures.
Facial synkinesis is a condition when, for example, closing the eye is accompanied by movement of the mouth and cheek, and smiling is accompanied by closing the eye, etc. Synkinesis occurs more often in cases of long-term, chronic disease of the facial nerve. Most often in these cases we find a chronic inflammatory process in the area of the nerve bed.
The most problematic complication of facial paralysis is contracture, i.e. cicatricial degeneration of facial muscles. The result of contracture is loss of elasticity and immobilization of the facial muscles, even after the function of the facial nerve itself has been restored. Contracture appears as a result of prolonged untreated paralysis of the facial muscles and/or as a result of inadequate recovery procedures (insufficient intensity of exercise or, conversely, excessive stimulation of the facial muscles). Facial contracture is partially reversible. We usually use local injections of the anti-scar drug Longidaza: we inject it with a very thin needle directly into the area of scarring of the facial muscles.
Standing reverse grip barbell lift
This classic reverse-grip curl exercise is similar to the familiar spider curl exercise and is one of the most beneficial and effective exercises for growing your brachialis.
To do this type of barbell lift, it is best and easiest to use a bent bar as it makes it easier to grip.
The principle of performing the exercise is the same as the popular biceps curl, in which you also need to press your elbows as close to your body as possible and try to lift the barbell up, preferably without swinging your arms, body and legs.
In this exercise with lifting a barbell, we strongly advise you not to initially pick up a large weight of the barbell in your hands, as you may injure your elbows or forearm.
Try to initially take a grip on the barbell as wide as possible, because if your hand grip is very narrow, you will thoroughly train the forearm muscle.
We recommend that you do lifting the barbell with a wide grip in the range from 7 to 13 repetitions for 4-5 approaches.
You can do the fifth approach if you have enough strength after the fourth approach.
With each new workout, try to progress the loads and increase the weight by 1 kilogram.
Try to breathe correctly, inhale as you lift and exhale as you lower the bar.
Power value
The growth of muscle mass by 50-60% depends on properly organized nutrition. This condition also applies to the biceps.
The diet is based on natural protein products of animal origin - meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk and dairy products.
The daily intake of this nutrient is 2 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight.
The second most important macronutrient is complex (slow) carbohydrates - cereals, brown bread, vegetables, durum wheat pasta. Of simple, fast carbohydrates, preference is given to fruits and dried fruits
The daily intake of carbohydrates for muscle growth is 5-6 grams per 1 kg of body weight.
The total calorie content of food fluctuates in the range of 40-50 kilocalories per 1 kg.
Hammer exercise for biceps with dumbbells
Many athletes and novice bodybuilders want to know how to pump up the brachialis using dumbbells?
We present to you one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's favorite exercises - the hammer.
This classic exercise called “Hammer” must be performed with dumbbells, which must be held parallel to each other.
Technique for performing the “Hammer” exercise:
- Take dumbbells in your hands with a regular grip.
- At the bottom point of your arms, extend the dumbbells to the very end and at the top point, try to raise your arms with dumbbells to your shoulders.
- Be sure to lean your elbows as close to your body as possible and try to lower your shoulders, then lift both dumbbells one by one.
Try to do the Hammer exercise slowly and without rocking your body and elbows in a way that is dangerous for your muscles and joints.
Try to do hammers from 9 to 13 repetitions in 4 sets.
With each new workout, try to lift the dumbbells heavier and try to reduce your rest time after each set.
Workout Features
The brachialis is a short muscle, for this reason exercises for it are recommended to be performed at the end of the session. So to speak, as an additive
When training these muscles, it is important not to “kill” them at the very beginning. To avoid this, you need to thoroughly warm up the upper part of the forearm.
Otherwise, at your next workout, be prepared to feel an unpleasant feeling of stretched muscles in the shoulder area. And, probably, the most important thing for healthy pumping of the arms, including the brachialis, is that all muscles should be developed proportionally and harmoniously. Even one untreated or underused area will certainly create discomfort and, very likely, pain.
The brachialis is a very responsive and at the same time demanding muscle. The result of the work can be noticed after just a few sessions, but it requires regular support and work with increasing weights, since without training it can disappear as quickly as it appeared.
How to pump up the brachialis by doing spider curls?
Spider curls are a fairly well-known exercise that can be done in the gym and on the street if you have a special machine.
In order to perform spider curls, you will need a barbell and a special bench for lifting the barbell for biceps.
You need to rest your stomach on the bench and grab the barbell with a reverse grip.
In this position, lift the barbell up and down and in this way you contract your brachialis muscles and do the so-called spider curls.
Do four sets of ten to twelve times.
Before each approach, stretch your arms, as this will speed up the recovery of your muscles.
Recommendations
- You need to inhale while lowering the barbell. This is a little unusual, but corresponds to the concept of exhaling with effort. You should breathe slowly through your nose; when performing movements resting on your stomach, you should not inhale and exhale through your mouth;
- Beginners are advised to learn this movement only with a curved bar. The straight may be a good choice for those who want to engage the brachialis more and perform the exercise with a reverse grip, but not for beginners. The curved bar removes some of the load from the ligaments and makes the exercise less traumatic;
- An option with dumbbells is also possible, when the exercise is performed with a hammer grip; it is suitable for those beginners who feel shoulder pain during the exercise;
- The movement should be smooth, you can count to yourself in three counts, lowering the projectile, and just as slowly return it back;
- This movement is for isolating the biceps, and not for demonstrating remarkable strength potential. Beginners should start with the minimum weight that they can lift; intermediates can increase the weight, but within reasonable limits, choosing a barbell so that its weight does not interfere with performing the exercise technically;
- If there is no Scott bench, or it is not possible to perform it on it due to the anthropometric characteristics (height) of the athlete, it is worth doing the exercise on a regular inclined bench, sitting on it a little higher than for performing rows to the belt with support on the bench;
- Your legs should rest firmly on the floor, but you can bend them slightly at the knees;
- Spider curls are a zero-amplitude movement. You should not fully extend your arms, and perform it in such a way that you get a swing of the body or arms;
- The body must be fixed and it must not move from right to left along the bench;
- Hands should be held steadily, without changing the position of the elbows during movement. If your elbows move, this is a sign that the weight chosen is too heavy.
Results
Biceps training for many athletes is the main target task in the gym before the summer season. But to make the muscle really big, don’t forget about basic exercises for your back and legs. Despite the presence of specialization, up to a certain point the muscles will grow along with the total mass, which is developed precisely by the classical base: deadlifts, barbell presses, pull-ups, heavy squats, etc.
Author Ivan Tungusov
Project expert. Training experience - 12 years. A good theoretical basis on the training process and proper nutrition, which I am happy to put into practice. Need a recommendation? This is for me
