[stryker]

Hey guys. I just joined up and this looks like a great place.

I hope this is the right forum to ask this. I have a question on biceps.

Why does it always feel like the lower (elbow end) of my biceps recieves more pump and strain than the upper peak (shoulder end) does?

I have the more elongated bicep, and no matter how I work things It always feels like I get a harder pump and more muscle exhaustion on the bottom of my bicep (wierd huh?)

But you know how it is the next day when that muscle is sensitive and a shade tender after a hard hitting lift?? Well it seems only the lower end of mine is.

I seem to be getting some small gains, but it's hard enough to try and develop a peak on it without the mental thoughts of "dang am I doing something wrong?"

Could I be not squeezing hard enough at the top of the movement? Or is there a chance I'm feeling ligaments tighten up from not stretching enough during my workout or what?

[onebigeric]

Welcome stryker; Flex might move this to the training section, but I'll sound off right quick anyway.

I'm also a victim of the elongated biceps case, mine via tall man's syndrome(6'4")
I was having a similar hitch myself, so I coupled stretching between sets with partials that encompassed the upper half of the movement. After sticking with that for a couple of months, I moved to keeping a full range of motion coupled with repeated stretching in between sets. It seemed to fix said tick for me, but please don't take that as professional advice, as it's far from it. I found I just had to train my entire bicep to learn to even out the strain for me to obtain a satisfying pump throughout the entire area.

[stryker]

Thanks onebigeric,

That makes a bit of sense.

I get a good feel of pump and fatigue in the lower part but it always seems I can't get a decent burn in the top. I do feel some tension in the ligament that runs through the elbow on occasion which makes me think I'm either allowing too low an extension or just not stretching it out enough during the lifts.

Mines not from tall mans syndrome. Heck I'm only 5'8" Seems I can (well WAS) getting a little decent size to my arm.. I just can't get that goose egg ball of a bicep. And according to what the magazines call a long bicep, mine fits the discription.

Sometimes I think the swell from a good pump isn;t allowing me to curl it up tight enough and get the hand close enough to the shoulder at the top of an exercise and wondered if that just may be all there is to it.

Any recommended stretches other than just walking througha doorway grabbing the sides and leaning forward to extend the arms backwards and out?

[tim290280]

From what you describe this is a case of the elbow instertion getting more loading (such as from preacher curls). This doesn't mean the rest of the muscle isn't getting load, just rather that the bundle sheaths and tendon insertions are being taxed. Ideally you wouldn't be putting more strain on this part of the arm relative to the entire body of the arm, as you are effectively pulling the muscle away from either the bone or from the tendon attachments to the muscle. While you are unlikely to actually tear the bicep or the tendon, you probably need to change up what you are doing to strengthen the insertions and sheaths before hammering away at biceps.

[onebigeric]

You're most definitely welcome, stryker

As far as my main stretch goes, I've taken a modified pec-stretch technique and molded it to my needs. Namely I'll grab a strut of a tall machine with one arm, and twist and lean away as if I'm stretching that side's pec. I just twist my arm forward a tick to put more of a strain on the bicep itself. Again, not pro advice; search carefully for what works for you.

As far as a strong peak, it doesn't tend to happen to those of us with elongated biceps as much. Levrone is a classic example of excellent biceps with a lot of body, but very little peak at all. Concentration curls can give a genuine rise, or at least the illusion of one for guys like us, but don't worry too much about it. Hit 'em hard and see where your genetics take you; therein lies true satisfaction, I feel. Kind of the 'wanting what you have' angle, if you will.

[stryker]

Thanks guys.

Tim that makes alot of sense as well as I do tend to do quite a bit of preacher curls. Think I'll ease off the EZ bar for a bit and get back serious with the dumbells again.

Genetics?? Aw man ya mean I hafta let genetics take me somewhere?? Great I'll be bald and short!