Last Updated on October 9, 2024 by grubdunkman
While training the biceps it is important to know the anatomy of the arm to make your strength training more productive. In this blog post we will find out that the bicep consists of two heads. Next thing we will explore long head bicep training.
The Anatomy Of The Biceps
The bicep is composed of two head called long head and short head of the bicep. In fact the name bicep comes from Latin words meaning “two” and “head”. The long head is located on the lateral, outer side of the arm. The short head is located on the medial, inner side of the arm closer to the body. Development of the long head of the biceps gives bicep its peak and fuller appearance. Both heads of the bicep are located on top of the brachialis muscle, which is located deeper. The brachialis is the primary flexor of the arm. Two heads of the bicep have different origin. Long head originates above the shoulder joint. while the short head originates lower.
Bicep Long Head Functions
Due to this difference the muscles have slightly different functions, while both help to flex the elbow and bring the arm to the shoulder. The long head of the bicep, often abbreviated to BBLH enhances the dynamic stability of the shoulder joint in the initial 30 degrees of elevation. For example it is a crucial function while carrying the weight while moving. It also stabilizes the shoulder joint during other movements, such as overhead. It also assists other muscles while flexing the elbow and rotating the forearm. While there are some differences, it is important to remember that the two heads of the biceps are similar in their geometry, position and functions.
Long Head Bicep Training
When you try train the long head of the bicep, the short head will always be involved, but you you can shift the focus to the long head. All the same exercises that you know work your biceps will apply for long head training. What key areas should you pay attention to, to target the long head of the bicep more? Let’s find out!
Key Tactics
- 1. The long head is targeted more when the arm is more extended. Some exercises such as the bench biceps curl in incline position help to achieve this.
- 2. Using the narrow grip helps shifting the work towards the long head.
- 3. The optimal amount of reps in the set for the long head development is in the range of 8 to 12.
- 4. Implement progressive overload with gradual increase of the weight to achieve the best results.
Exercises
Below exercises put emphasis on the long head of the biceps. Keep in mind the principles we specifies above.
- Incline Dumbbell Curl (keep the elbows behind your body)
- Narrow Grip Barbell Curl
- Cable Curl with Overhead Extension
- Spider Curl
- Hammer Curl
