Training biceps is fun, especially for guys. The feeling of curling a weight and the ensuing pump after just one set feels pretty damn good.

But there are downfalls.

Let me explain using my informercial voice:

Tired of standing in line for the preacher curl machine? Or the bicep cable curls machine? I know I am.

Working out at your local fitness centre can be awesome and frustrating in the same workout session. Awesome because you have a ton of fitness resources under one roof but also frustrating when the number of bodies out numbers the equipment.

[A crowded beach always beats a crowded gym... Except maybe the one above! Honey, where are the towels?]

I know the most common suggestion I hear in response to crowds in the gym is to pack up and try a different time of day.

Without dropping a couple of choice explectives, I’ll say “forget that“!

You are at the gym to train for a limited period of time so train you shall. Also, what if this is the only time of day you can make it to the gym?

Should you be forced to change your lifestyle because someone thinks he’s Ronnie Coleman training for the next Mr. Olympia and has decided this is a great day to do 20 sets on the machine you want to use?

End of rant…

While people are lining up like sheep for the usual biceps machines, make your way over to the “cargo loading single arm bicep machine” used in the 1986 hit movie Aliens.

[Really, I don't know the official name for it but I feel like Sigorny Weaver every time I use it]

I found this hunk of metal and cables in the far corner of my gym so don’t despair if it’s not placed right beside the preacher curl machine.

Here’s what you do:

1. Grab a handle in each hand and lean slightly forward on the seat. Your back is about 4 inches off the backrest.

This puts your hands almost behind your body throughout the entire movement.

What this does is simulate the old body drag curl but without the obscene amount of weight. It isolates and streches (more on this shortly) the biceps and takes your anterior deltoids (ie. the front portion of your shoulders) out of the movement.

2. With palms facing forward, raise the weight (technically the handles) to slightly past parallel.

Keep your eyes forward! The temptation to gaze erotically at your biceps is strong but resist and you’ll reduce neck cramps and other unnatural body soreness.

3. Keep your elbows tight in to your body and lower the weight slowly back to the starting position.

4. Keep tension on the biceps during the entire movement, and go for 10-12 slow reps.

Why is this exercise effective?

It’s all in the stretch, and not in the 1970s addidas shorts static-stretch kinda of way.

In a study published in the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise Journal, authors Antonio and Gonyea determined that stretch exercises like the movement above are very effective methods in increasing muscle fibers.

But don’t get macho here!

Common bodybuilding advice will tell you to overload the stretch (ie. use heavy heavy weights) but if your not a Major League Baseball player then your asking for trouble (I’m sorry… still dealing with Big Papi getting busted this month).

Lower reps are not as effective for biceps either unless your training for brute strength. Even then, lower reps usually means much heavier weight which also means increased risk of injury. No thanks, not today!

An alternate to the biceps movement above can be done using dumbbells on an incline bench if the crowds subside and the equipment becomes available.

Follow the same steps above and your biceps should be feeling nice and full in 10 minutes or less.

For more ways to improve your arm training I strongly encourage men and women to check out Vince DelMonte’s program No NonSense Muscle Building. A top selling muscle program that answers all of your questions when it comes to which equipment to use at your local gym. 

The time, or rest between sets, (a series of exercises done consecutively i.e. he did 4 sets of 10 reps on the bench press) is an important factor in your ability to complete a workout.

Very often the question raised on the gym floor is, how long should I wait after completing a set to start another set?

The answer is: It depends on your goals.

[Do you frequently spend your rest periods looking at yourself in the mirror or at the hottie on the treadmill? Stop! Focus on the time between your sets and you'll get more done (fat loss and muscle building) in less time!]

More Rest For More Strength

For example, when I’m training with Vince DelMonte’s No Nonsense Muscle Building program, I’m looking to increase my strength and build muscle so the rest period is a bit longer – up to three minutes for exercises like squats and heavy dumbbell work.

Less Rest for Fast Fat Loss?

But if I’m training for fat loss and trying to burn the most amount of body fat and gain lean muscle with Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program, then resting for very short periods of time (30 seconds on average) is required.

The Iron Guru – Vince Gironda

I remember in my early bodybuilding days reading about Vince Gironda, “The Iron Guru” in Iron Man Magazine. Now as many of you know, I’m not an advocate of classic bodybuilding where you try and get unnaturally huge and wear spandex t-shirts the rest of your life.

But this Vince character had some unorthodox training views on building muscle which attracted my attention and made me question the norm when it comes to building and gaining muscle.

One such view he subscribed to was leaving your hands on the bar between sets and resting for only 15-20 seconds between sets. Can you say burn?

[Here's Vince berating this woman during bicep curls. The unintentional comedy is off the charts but once you stop laughing and actually listen to his instructions I can't help but think back to the lazy personal trainer I saw last week at the gym who did nothing to correct one guy's form on deadlifts. Give me Mr. Gironda everytime!]

Better Results in Less Time!

This is similar to the strategy Tom Venuto uses in his programs – very short rest intervals and very intense training. Smart, short, efficient. The way I like it!

If your new to this strategy, Venuto suggests a good place to start is simply reducing your rest intervals by 10 seconds.

“No matter what workout you’re using, decrease your rest by 10 seconds between sets.”

You may not be as strong on the last few sets (if you are training traditionally with the same number of sets and reps), but Venuto teaches you to reduce weight (your EGO will be just fine, relax) to maintain the prescribed number of sets and reps.

Over time you will work your way back up to the same amount of sets and reps but done in far less time.

This means more work output, which means more muscle (and of course your nutrition is always important).

For the majority of us with busy lives, this is the best way to train: Limited rest, intense sets, and short workouts.

For more information about what exercises work best when reducing your rest periods and shortening your workout, check out our Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle review by Tom Venuto. It’s an invaluable resource for any person looking to reach his or her fitness goals.