STOP, You're Training Your Biceps Wrong!

Are you training your biceps wrong? You are about to find out in this video on how to get bigger biceps by implementing a biceps workout strategy that may be completely new to you. We look to the teachings of the late great Mike Mentzer to give us clues as to how we may want to switch up the way we do our biceps exercises, and all of our workouts for that matter, to get bigger arms in the long run.
It starts with a declaration by Mentzer where he says that the best biceps exercise for growth is hands down the close grip underhand pulldown. Now, keep in mind, this is not the same as the underhand pulldown done for the back and lats. If you focus the intention of the pull on the elbow and stop when the elbow joint is at about 90 degrees of flexion, you will keep the tension high on the biceps rather than the lats.
Build Big Biceps Here - athleanx.com/x/...
Subscribe to this channel here - bit.ly/2b0coMW
That said, is he right?
Well, I want to take you back to a time early last year that I tore by distal biceps tendon. I was trying to prevent my son from falling on the ice after he slipped, and the sudden grab to catch him resulted in a 99 percent tear of the distal biceps tendon off the bone. Up to that point, I had done a lot of heavy barbell curls, chinups, waiter’s curls and drag curls to build the biceps that I have today.
What I liked best about the chinup was that it mimicked the same benefits that Mike spoke of when he talked about the underhand pulldown. It shortened the biceps by putting it in a flexed shoulder position along with a flexed elbow. It was actually a very safe biceps exercise for a torn tendon since there was no great eccentric lengthening that took place here. As the elbow was extended the shoulder was flexed more - taking away some of the overstretch that could compromise the biceps muscle.
The only issue was, with the biceps being weakened by the tear I was finding that my medial elbow pain was increasing from trying to manage my bodyweight up on the bar.
This is when I remembered the lecture from Mike Mentzer discussing his favorite biceps exercise. I tried it and it was a game changer. I started using this exercise for biceps training a great deal. Not only was it something I could scale better than a full body chinup but I was also starting to feel the mind muscle connection with the biceps that had gone missing since the time of the tear.
That said, I didn’t stop at just one biceps exercise. I come from a long history and background of doing more than just the one set or exercise that Mike recommends in his Heavy Duty training. So I curled too. That said, I used a method that would dramatically cut down ont he volume of biceps curls I was doing. I used the run the rack technique shown in the video.
After a brief warmup, I started at the heaviest weight I could handle for EZ Bar Curls for about 6-7 reps. As soon as I reached failure, I dropped the weight and grabbed the next lightest bar in the rack. I continued to rep out to failure once again. This kept going until I reached failure with 3 more successively lighter weights for a total of 5 rounds without rest in between.
This torched my biceps and was all I needed, in combination with the underhand pulldowns discussed before. On the pulldowns, I was able to implement some forced reps and negative only reps by either using my bodyweight to pull the bar down into position or having a spot from Jesse to help me.
Finally, I had to consider the final premise of Mentzer training that was largely responsible for the gains that could come from using it - rest and recovery. Given that I couldn’t handle the increased workload at this point anyway, I figured now was the time to attempt ot cut back the frequency of my bicep workouts and see if I lost any gains because of it. Shockingly, I did not. In fact, I gained much more size back on my biceps as a result.
What was once a scenario where I trained my biceps 2x per week I was now doing them about once every 10 days and capitalizing on the indirect work they would get in my back and pull workouts.
I highly encourage you to give these lessons learned a try in your own biceps training and exercises. You may be shocked by the results - injured or not.
For more videos on how to get bigger biceps and workouts for biceps be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube.
For a complete workout for biceps and every other muscle for that matter, be sure to head to athleanx.com and use the program selector quiz to find the best workout program for you.
Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS served as both the head physical therapist and assistant strength coach for the New York Mets. Jeff earned his Masters of Physical Therapy and Bachelor’s of Physioneurobiology from the College of Health Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

[@athleanx]

*VIEWER GIVEAWAY* - I’m giving away my brand new complete 90 Day Beaxst PPL program to 40 lucky clickers within the first hour this video is published! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 40, but those randomly selected within the first hour the video is published. Click the link to see if you’ve won. No strings attached! Clicking twice does nothing. Only one entry per video. Remember to watch to the end for more workouts. giveaway.athleanx.com/ytg/heavy-duty-biceps If you don’t win, no worries, you’re not going away empty handed. Just be sure you have your notifications turned on so you can get to my next video quickly and try again. Good luck and thanks for being a loyal subscriber…

[@Noam9636]

😢

[@englewoodmusic]

😢

[@drmx9477]

Thanks❤

[@joelochoa2770]

I've been clicking that link for over a year. Already finished 3 whole training programs and still unlucky. Maybe next time :(

[@scorchingstarbhaskar7011]

​@@NAVEENCHAURASIYAANo. My roommate had actually won the program last year in August or sometime around it. In front of me while I got better luck next time😆

[@shiranthiepanagoda]

I am 75 years old. I am trying my best for the last 30 years to workout. Last year my young neighbor asked me watch Jeff Cavalier on You Tube. I am so grateful to you by watching your videos now I know what to do. One day my dream is to meet you before I die. You share your knowledge sincerely. I watch at least 4 hours your videos.❤❤❤❤

[@maxx-lw4gv]

you got some nice neighbors man

[@AdiI_9998]

Long Live man

[@bblunder]

You are THE hero. Mad respect

[@ObliqueVisualsNz]

That's awesome to read

[@chilisauceee]

My Cavalier, make his dream come true!

[@samuelwhitehill]

I took your advice and switched to cable pulldowns for biceps--and must tell you that I'm getting results on the whole inner upper arm, not just the front of the biceps as happens with curls. If it works for me, a 77 year-old guy, it'll work for your younger guys too.

[@الحديدوالنار]

Did it work for you ?

[@gonzalezruben8503]

@@الحديدوالنار It's working for me, getting decent results but I did not remove curls entirely from my routine, instead just added close grip pull downs to it.

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

It does work. I've noticed fuller bicep at the top

[@michaeldunn3476]

Don't tell me what to do OLD MAN!

[@samuelwhitehill]

@@michaeldunn3476 why would anyone care enough about you to tell you what to do?

[@mrgregory322]

I’ve been weight training for 35 years. I had shoulder surgery a dozen years ago - result of damaging shoulder doing heavy behind the neck military press (first time I tried behind the neck) then I felt something wrong a week later slowly lowering the curl bar back on the seated preacher bench rack. No bueno. That changed my approach to weight training drastically. Love this video and will implement it this week brother. Thank you - love your videos. I no longer go to failure on any exercise. I follow Pavel Tsatsouline’s approach with long rest between sets and not going to failure. I just slowly increase weight over time and it works for me. My goal at this stage (in my 50’s) is to stay healthy and strong - no damage.

[@StoneAgePHD]

Lifting weights is one thing, mobility exercises and stretching is another. Half and half. Thats my recommendation to you. I am 55 and I love lifting, but what I love more is to be mobile:)

[@brothachromatid]

Bicep tear gang here.. genuinely appreciate the little lesson and sharing your story. Noone talks about the self doubt post injury, but knowing more about how to keep it strong means everything. These vids help! Thanks!

[@guslopez8480]

Bicep tear gang here as well…

[@maroof1]

Haha how you tear a biceps🎉

[@thesquad2253]

@@maroof1 ikr got all that muscle how tf it tear so easily, must be over training with heavy weights

[@davesturchcgi]

Curious how painful it is?

[@maroof1]

@@davesturchcgi any bodybuilding tear is painful. It's excruciating

[@nikospiperpip4788]

After 30 years of working out, i 've spent the last two of them following Mike Mentzer's way. I can now say that these have been the most productive years i had in the gym with the most results, better muscle response, better and most efficient workouts and most time efficient. I work out in a two week cycle (hitting every muscle twice a month) and a 4 day rest period between workouts. Mike had nailed it!

[@karolgi2430]

Could you wrtie your plan here?

[@davidcow4889]

Woah. Can you show me this plan? Sounds good

[@vanhalenplayer]

This is PRICELESS information and has inspired this 57 year old, who used to be super fit but fell off the wagon after a few minor shoulder injuries. Now I'm ready to hit it hard again in the gym with Jeff's advice. I TOTALLY agree, the pull-downs always seemed to be so friendly to my injured shoulders......now I know why. Time to rebuild this body!!

[@OneLeggedTarantula]

same here 60, injured shoulder. This is helping with recovery!

[@diags_1109]

I literally have a Van Halen song stuck in my head even though I wasn't even listening to it, then saw your comment

[@vanhalenplayer]

@@diags_1109 I'm thinking "RIGHT NOW!!"

[@vanhalenplayer]

I see you guys with injured shoulders reaching out. I want you to know that I've been through this more than once. Back in 2007, after injuring a shoulder from simply moving some furniture, I slowly started to rebuild that shoulder by just doing some simple light incline baby push-ups. Then I started to work my way into some normal flat push-ups. After time my shoulder got stronger, and then I was able to do some reverse incline push-ups. Pretty soon I didn't even feel the pain anymore in my shoulder. Now I'm back to another injury again. So I'm going to start over with the same routine and using some of the priceless information from this workout as well. Just remember, your muscles are stronger than you think!! You just have to be patient with them and don't rush them when they are trying to rebuild themselves.

[@abel6298]

Read your bible! (KJV, preferably) ♥‎‎ ‎

[@iamltmoney]

I just started the Mike Mentzer program. At age 59 I was tired of pain during recovery. I didn't realize I was over training. After a month on his program, I'm definitely stronger. I've added minimal cardio, 2 to 3 days a week to keep the weight and fat under control. I'm still getting use to the three to four day recovery. But I love not being in pain and coming back stronger. At this point in my life, an injury from over training could be a major set back. I wish I'd known about his system in my 30's, but now is all that matters.... This was a great review and comparison on how you integrated Mike's system with yours. Your knowledge is well appreciated 👍

[@nathanielalonso9015]

Hey bro how can I see that program ? I want to try it but don’t know where to find it

[@iamltmoney]

@@nathanielalonso9015 youtube.com/@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE?feature=share7

[@bloodeagle2945]

@@nathanielalonso9015 in the KZbin channel called "Heavy Duty College".

[@lazyartist1327]

​@@nathanielalonso9015search Mike mentzer the ideal routine on KZbin

[@CWBush73]

Curious to what that program looks like

[@muhammadAli-kd2zp]

Mike was very knowledgeable and I have implanted his way of training for a number of years . His non frequent training or overtraining is spot on.

[@MrBottlecapBill]

It's funny but in fat loss studies you only need a couple of minutes of really intense hitt training to show amazing gains in fat loss and cardio as well. The body isn't meant to labour endlesssly..........that's why peasants die young. Intensity with rest. That's the key.

[@MrOrthodox13]

implemented* sorry not sorry

[@nunninkav]

Doing the minimum to promote growth and the maximum to recover.

[@MrAlfable]

@@MrBottlecapBill I believe it, I've been doing 30-60 minute jogs 2-3 times a week and seeing progress, but the time suck and monotony of it was killing me. I just recently switched to doing some 10-15 minute HIIT workouts after weight training, and the fat is absolutely torching off my body I'm blown away.

[@dentonliving5299]

@@MrBottlecapBillhave you ever seen a fat marathoner. Take a look at Goggins

[@tianyuan7046]

This is THE GUY to follow...did arm workout today. One of the best workouts since i started going to the gym.

[@moondewan]

So you did lat pull down but like a chin up like shown in the video?

[@kayneaugust]

Honestly I incorporated bicep bar pull downs and over 3 weeks I can flex my bicep so much harder than before. The bicep contracts more uniformly from the shoulder to elbow is so true. My left bicep was the weakest one and it’s caught up to the strength of my right shoulder

[@s_l0th]

It's amazing to know that you could balance the weak side

[@Bigbroplays]

I have slight imbalance to in my left bicep compared to my right

[@chuckleezodiac24]

awesome. i need to do this.

[@highrollerrr]

How many sets? Are you incorporating more bicep workouts as well?

[@jackh9560]

How many times a week... 2,3 times?

[@jimsmith2229]

It makes a lot of sense we are always rushing to get better at everything, we need to just relax and do a regular workout and get the rest we need. This will help our mind and body function better.

[@lesrylett636]

As a 78 year young man, I am trying to get a toned look. I am into my 14th month at the gym and the owner of the gym keeps an eye on me and gives me different routines. This method to help my biceps form sounds very interesting. Going to the gym (3 days x 2 hours per week, 6 hours) is the best thing that I could have done for myself. 16 kilos lost, blood pressure normal without the usual tablets. Thanks for your tutorials on youtube.

[@kingdingring9719]

You're awesome!

[@davidwalton2553]

Nice work bud!

[@banknotez7163]

Awesome! This made my day

[@cerealnotfound]

Daamn!! 🔥🔥

[@micahgoingback1771]

Awesome to hear

[@ironmaiden1236541]

I've been following Mikes program for 48 years. I do one rep every 7 months with a 2 year year between workouts.

[@Lonewolf__666]

Sounds like you could be overtraining

[@fforfreedom8893]

Maybe do half a rep?

[@mountainhopper9573]

😂

[@m00mai]

😂😂😂

[@petercoakley5497]

😂

[@jimb4547]

This is the Best video that I’ve ever seen you do! Mentzer was a Genius in my book. He explained every concept that he touted. Great video. Thanks.

[@lostdckid2288]

Been Shouting Less is More for 20 yrs!! So Thankful more are starting to hear it .

[@Broonzied]

Its great Jeff to see you give exposure to some of Mike's ideas. As a sixty something I have lately been bingeing on Mike videos and have incorporated his ideas on intensity, frequency and recovery into my training with great success. Your knack of uploading topics that are at the front of my mind is uncanny, spooky even.

[@ultralightultrabright9210]

Look into Calisthenics Department

[@PumpkinHalloweed88]

Thank you so much for this video. I had a brain injury 3 years ago, and this is the exact thing I’ve been looking for, for the brain body connection with the biceps. 🤘🏻🖤🤛🏻

[@heyitsterry]

Watched this video and immediately went to the gym for my session. Added the pull down workout to my routine and I could tell a HUGE DIFFERENCE in how my arms felt in comparison to a normal curl. I’ll definitely be keeping these in my workouts! For some reason I just never thought about doing them. Doing curls has been burned in my brain for decades haha

[@ritchiep.4300]

Couldn't be more right on point.. I'll be taking this mindset to the 24-hour gym in just about 1 hr from now.

[@stevenhagting4349]

I did the exact same and my experience was identical

[@shahee6579]

​@@ritchiep.4300how was it?

[@ritchiep.4300]

Anytime I go to the gym is absolutely intense. The self gratification is amazing. As for this particular workout,I already do this with a wide grip pull-down. This method was different.. more " lats," I suppose ..

[@xtmshadow]

Nice man! So from what I understand we only do one set of the pulldown until failure, however what weight do we do, like 60% of your max weight ?

[@paddymcgrath605]

Thanks for these videos, I picked up a bicep injury during a martial arts sparing session, took a kick just below the bicep and have struggled lifting on the right ever since.. am going to give this a try.

[@enigma-8u]

Mike, after listening to 2 of your videos I am excited to change up my workout now that I have a badly injured elbow. Being 68 I thought maybe my lifting days were over since this injury plus a shoulder injury have made my options slim. But I am really encouraged by your testimony as well as many others in the comments. - Thanks, Len

[@albertusvanlubeeck9161]

Upon returning to the gym after a prolonged absence, I implemented the dropset method. I began at 90% of my one-rep maximum (1RM), performing repetitions until failure, then reduced the weight by 10% and repeated the process. I continued this pattern until reaching a weight where I was able to complete more repetitions than the previous set. This efficient method allowed me to not only return to my original fitness level but also increase strength and endurance by about 20%. Additionally, I enhanced my aesthetics over the course of 12 to 14 months. This approach allowed for a shorter time spent in the gym without sacrificing results.

[@alexveloz7494]

I agree 👍. Did the same approach and was amazed at the results, but of course nothing close to your experience. THANKS MIKE FOR THIS KNOWLEDGE.

[@seanwickham8905]

This seems to apply to Jeff's "Effective Reps" workouts where you train to failure with about a 12 RM weight, rest only 15 seconds, and then repeat as many sets as it takes to get 20 more reps after failure.

[@MrBottlecapBill]

It's still multiple sets........just without rest so he's kind of double speaking on this topic.

[@luisislas2162]

​@@MrBottlecapBilllet see... 12 reps plus 20 reps equals 32 reps... or 4 sets times 12 reps equals 48 reps... that's definitely less... not including rest periods

[@player6769]

So do you just do the one drop set??

[@TioManfredo]

If I miss a day, I always choose arm day, knowing I've worked them out throughout the week. I Finally got one right!

[@NelsonH007]

Wow! Great video Jeff! You’re the definition of a good coach and leader, because even after having your set beliefs on bicep training and workout, you’re still humble enough to learn and admit there may be better ways. I’ve been watching your videos since the very beginning and I gotta say I owe my lack of joint discomfort and body pain to you and your videos! I’m Extremely grateful Jeff. Thank you!

[@RogerJarrett-gj8iz]

Excellent! Timely. Will use this starting today!

[@RogerJarrett-gj8iz]

Great stuff!

[@angeld6994]

Thank you, I am starting over and after 5 year of being out of the gym for the exact same injury not knowing where to start in get back in the gym. I couldn't help to notice in watching again how your bicept are bigger. Now knowing this I have hope.

[@02autogt]

I tore my bicep a few years ago and it literally killed my drive to go to the gym. I'll definitely be giving this a try now that I've convinced myself that i felt better when i was in the gym and have finally got back in there...

[@vernonbrite6707]

Jeff you are awesome 👏.. I actually was attempting to hit upper back when I did lat pull down palms up.. I stopped because I felt more pump in my biceps 💪🏾… now I will use this exercise for biceps 😊.. thanks Jeff

[@rickyroaster]

I'm turning 50 in 8 months and never set foot in a gym until a year ago I've been looking more into staying strong and your videos have good guidance without all the nonsense, thank you very much for taking the time to do all the editing top notch

[@AZbyNite]

Im 50 in 252 months.

[@AJ-on-youtube]

Weight lifting is a good way of preventing age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) and maintaining strength and a healthy body composition as you get older.

[@MalibuGlassMI]

I am 50 and going to Gym Once a week and Love the simple ideas and I like intensity...This is fascinating info here.

[@unohoncho7727]

I hit 50 in 5 days' time... never felt stronger

[@coffeetree2068]

WE are the 50 yr+ club..... Always stretching between sets, using mostly 10- 30lb weights, don't want any more surgeries....this is sufficient conditioning for shoveling snow,etc.

[@bblunder]

This is golden. Literally the best video I've ever watched about fitness and lifting

[@ConsensusX]

3:26 Yup! I bought a door frame pull-up bar and I noticed I was getting elbow pain too. But after training my forearms and biceps independently for weeks, I noticed the pain got less and less. Now I can do 15 reps with ZERO issues.

[@toneeclark399]

This is special in that I’m a certified overtrainer. The palms up pull down is a sneaky replacement lift I never would have come up with. Thanks for expounding around the topic. 🙏🏾

[@mmbaseball2875]

Jeff this video might just be the exact thing I needed to hear because I’ve been experiencing some medial elbow pain and have had to switch to hammer curls for the past 2 weeks Thank you for posting this video!

[@waitingforthemoon9886]

You have golfers elbow which I had but it’s getting better from doing forearm exercises.I couldn’t lift any heavy weight on my left arm and I only was doing hammer curls which I didn’t feel any pain

[@Brihutchie1]

@@waitingforthemoon9886 Ive had golfers and tennis elbow for 5/6 years..... It just wont go!

[@stein1919]

yeah, i may have overtrained on the curls recently and have some outside elbow and forearm pain. im gonna rest it for a few weeks and when i come back, i'll try some of these tips.

[@waitingforthemoon9886]

@@stein1919 it took me about 6 months for me to start curling heavy again but I still get a little discomfort but I use a elbow sleeve when I only bench

[@AnubisDark]

I have this for some years (in and out) but now i get it on the right side too. Dont know what to do. Just taking and walking the baby seat around is painful as fuck

[@michaelcollins1890]

I love doing chin ups and did so many that I’ve developed elbow pain as well. Thanks Jeff for providing an alternative exercise. Adding it to my rotation starting with my workout today!

[@boxout90]

But what's the difference between a chin up and a palm up pull down

[@Urmak85]

God I hate how that happens...smh

[@treydurio6288]

@@boxout90you go lighter. That way your biceps can do all the work and don’t need to recruit the forearms

[@boxout90]

@@treydurio6288damn. that makes sense

[@switchunboxing]

That means you need to work on your form! Keep your elbows in and your wrists straight.

[@InfernalPasquale]

I've always used a chin-up style pull as my main bicep working exercise (with the major focus being my back), and done lighter curls as an option only if I have time/energy. It has meant that my bicep is strong and large from shoulder to elbow rather than the bubble shape many of my peers have.

[@chrisweidner4768]

I’m 65, lifetime natural. What I am finding as I continue to make gains, is that variety is the spice of life.

[@stevenmanning2436]

What do you consider continuing to make gains? I’m 45, lifetime natural and I have my own opinions…it’s not like I am getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

[@chrisweidner4768]

@@stevenmanning2436 True. I’m not getting bigger. Just learning how to train wiser. Heavy days and light days. Military press/deadlifts/front squats on different days with rest built in between. Less is more.

[@stevenmanning2436]

@@chrisweidner4768 to me making gains after being a natural for as long as we have, especially you, is being smarter, mixing it up, having fun, and going for gold. Big respect my friend.

[@chrisweidner4768]

@@stevenmanning2436 I also have days where I do all kinds of other exercises, shrugs, curls bat/forearm/hammer etc. anon. anon. Indeed. Have fun. Enjoy the process.

[@stefanandermann7864]

Turning 48 next month...been trying to emphasize rest/recovery time in equal parts to my training. For me it is key to always be experimenting...especially when weighing advice from guys like Mike who used PED's. As a natural, I don't ever expect the kind of growth they claim (i.e. the colorado experiment). Thanks. Glad to see you getting your strength back after taking one for the team.

[@PistolP33]

I'm 48, too. It's amazing how muscle memory and future adaptation is still very much relevant for our age

[@Justafreesheep]

Mike did a lot of warmup sets, like 2-3 for each exercise. The 1 set he’s referring to was the top set or working set, with the working weight. That adds up to a lot more volume than it seems. It’s misleading to just say 1 set. It was 1 top set, for multiple exercises per muscle group.

[@GigachadMann]

So basically go until failure and then stop. I mean that's what I'm doing anyways, but maybe I should investigate this after I build some more muscle

[@georgev56]

Not enough people understand this. Guys out here doing literally 1 set 😂

[@stevegaspar]

1 set at 50% at 6 reps and 1 set at 70% at 6-10 reps...that's his protocol and it is not that difficult and not adding lots of volume

[@MikeM-uy6qp]

You can find Mentzer saying contradictory things about warm-ups over the course of his career. I've only seen him recommend three warm up sets in his later appearances. So it's no surprise that a lot of people don't do this.

[@Dirty_bubs]

Thanks for the clarification

[@matthewchavez7668]

Just got back from the gym after doing both the Mike Mentzer set and the bicep pull-down. It was such an intense pump and workout and I was out of the gym sooner. I’m going to stick with this for and see where it takes me in 4-6 weeks.

[@kartikeyanshankar3123]

please keep us updated! Good Luck!

[@OfficialEDirty]

Yes keep us updated.

[@PhonkEcho]

Me too. But don't you think bodybuilders attribute really weird things to their success once they are ALREADY FIT. Its like a millionaire saying that the reason for their success is everyday they got coffee from one place. His rationalization for 1 set seems odd especially because hundreds of millions work out differently and have the same development...majority without injury

[@kartikeyanshankar3123]

thats what im also wondering. i think that Jeff said that this method isnt great especially for beginners so im sticking with the normal method that most people do @@PhonkEcho

[@matthewchavez7668]

@@PhonkEcho I definitely agree. I’m 50 and started working out 2 years ago. Mistake I made was going by what people were doing when they have been working out 10-15 years or more. I was overtraining and not giving my muscles proper recovery. I know train muscle groups just once a week with no more than 9 sets. That with 3 days off I’ve seen good gains. Except for my biceps which O was not seeing the same gains which why I was going to give this a shot.

[@Synchrimedia]

i've recently gone to just one set of everything to failure after hearing Mike Mentzer talk about it. It does make sense, especially for us older guys that don't have the same quick recovery rate we once had. i was surprised i still got a good pump doing only one set of everything.

[@robb7439]

I discovered Athlean X during lockdown, and once gyms reopened I incorporated pull ups into my back workout. The first thing I noticed was the effect on my biceps. Made a huge difference.

[@andywhyte8170]

Hey from Scotland Jeff , added the reverse grip pull down to my routine today , I've a similar injury to you although on my left arm and I've got to say that excorsise is awesome never felt such a good connection with the upper bi- cep then I noticed after this during my set I was getting a better connection in the subsequent excorsises with no pain , thankyou

[@englewoodmusic]

NO I'M NOT.

[@theforce5191]

Well...... bicep curls are killing your gains!!!

[@jjlax7]

😆👍

[@hieuthepunk]

Its killing your gain

[@yipperdeyip]

I'm a simple man, if Mike Mentzer says "jump", I will.

[@englewoodmusic]

​@M4TRIXed I'm saying this because I've been following Mike for about a year now and he has made me a lot stronger faster with less injuries

[@stevegonalien]

Thanks for covering a great topic. I'm a big fan of Mentzers work. The pulldown is an awesome bicep exercise. He was ahead of the times

[@Bigbroplays]

he still is, as this bicep excercise still isnt well known

[@glenholmgren1218]

LOVE The Honesty. Used to follow Mike M when in my teens / 20’s and experienced best gains with WAY LESS Volume & WAY MORE REST - ectomorph, so gains were always hard.

[@user-so6so5pr2p]

Which exercises of him are you doing? Could you share your tips?

[@nealpage5732]

1. I'm an ATHLEAN-X Member. Just starting(Finally)but I am a member. 2. Your perspective is still one of the most unique if not most unique perspectives in this space. I love this video and your programs. Thanks for all you do.

[@hugovanmanen]

I recently broke my elbow and, though I’m back to training now, the residual pain has made bicep and tricep workouts really difficult. This video has helped me make progress (finally) on the bicep side of things. Thank you!

[@user-so6so5pr2p]

What about triceps?

[@legalsparrow]

I’ve been doing mikes HIT training for two weeks and can tell a difference. Importantly my exhaustion has gone due to the longer recovery.

[@patrickhallermann3844]

I usually have 2 days between training a muscle directly. Recently had 7 days between workouts and my strength and how hard I could go in sets was actually noticeably better thanks to the increased rest period. Thank you for the video, Jeff.

[@Propane_Acccessories]

What I got from listening to some of the Mentzer talks was that you are probably fine continuing with just a couple days rest, but whenever you plateau you should take that longer rest period. You'll break that plateau shortly after, like you have already experienced.

[@TUTENSKENGS]

​@blaiserascoe3144 bro I never watch gym videos but started last week, I swear it's 100% true, whenever I get ill or injured and come back I break my pr

[@abel6298]

Read your bible! (KJV, preferably) ♥‎‎ ‎

[@wowandrss]

Crazy how it varies. For me, If i stay away for a week, I feel so much weaker. It's like I forget how to perform the exercise and cannot exert enough. Talking about strength and not hypertrophy here.

[@MikeJw-je4xk]

@@abel6298 I read the Bible line by line from page 1 KJV. What did i learn? That the men who conceived it and wrote it had the scientific knowledge of a preschooler. Everything they said that is science related was horribly wrong. The OT is written like a second grader, if that. The creation days are in the wrong order, the earth is flat, the earth is immovable. The sun, stars and moon are just lights above the clouds. Heaven is just up in the sky. Above heaven/the sky/the stars etc/the firmament is an Ocean of Water Above where rain comes from. The Bible is not about creation of the universe, only the Earth. Jesus literally said as a sign of coming judgment day that stars would fall from heaven( the sky). Jesus, the supposed trinity god since the beginning of time, had no idea what a star is! Jesus also said, and this shows that Christians are clueless about what the bible says, is that judgment day, the second coming of Jesus, would happen while his disciples were still alive, while the Pharisee priests he talked to were still alive, all events, the sun darkening, the moon not giving light, the stars falling from heaven, the son of man (jesus) would come through the clouds in the power and glory of god with his angels to reward every man for his works, the good given eternal life on Earth, the damned will perish. All events will happen that generation, while his disciples were still alive. Of course, Jesus was wrong, never happened, he was just a Jewish man named Yeshua. Of note, Jesus never said that your disembodied soul would go to heaven or hell when you die. He said the dead would rise from their graves; nobody went to heaven. Jesus never said sinners would be punished for eternity in hell, he said sinners would perish. Christianity was made up by later Christians. This is the tip of the iceberg. Sorry, but you brought this up. Now go read the gospel of Matthew line by line and think for yourself. The text is clear.

[@Mr.McWatson]

Love Mentzer, though I can't follow his 1-set plan, adopting his mindset has really helped. I do 2-3 sets, but go to about 14 with good form and maximum effort. It works well.

[@udoheinz7845]

Been starting to workout againt after a 5 year long break. did a lot of reasearch and came to a similar conclusion. view sets, focus on form, isometric hold and negatives, intesity and fatigue. I work out way smarter these days and it seems to work pretty well

[@ghostofmanitou6864]

your videos on injury recovery and prevention are my favorite. As an older exerciser I'm always trying to stay fit and not get hurt. You did one a while back on low incline bench that I incorporated and it helped my shoulders a lot.

[@miltonbates6425]

The close-grip, palm-up chin-up is great if you have a chin-up bar with swivel grips or angled stationary grips at about a 45 degree angle. That's how you avoid developing elbow pain.

[@waitingforthemoon9886]

You could use some d-Handles

[@Fatelvis2]

Could you use rings

[@miltonbates6425]

@@Fatelvis2 Yeah. Rings would work great too.

[@shubotube]

I was getting Elbow pains when i first started the 21 days pull up challenge. When i first started doing the pull ups i could only do 3 pull ups in a row. But after following your 21 days challenge consistently for 7 months i can do 12 weighted pull ups in a row with 15kg plate. I think the reason for my elbow pain was to performing weighted pull ups everyday more than 40 reps. I wasn't habituated with it.

[@CorvusHyperion]

Excellent video. As a doctor I’ve seen a few guys who have torn their biceps during workouts and I’m terrified of doing the same. I’m keen to try the pull downs.

[@stevemarso2132]

I did the exact same thing as you, except shoveling snow. This has been the staple of my bicep work for over 6 months now.

[@InfoVURO]

I used to follow Mike's training philosophy decades ago. Thanks for the reminder!

[@BooDamnHoo]

I just tried the underhand pulldown this morning. Burned the crap out of my biceps unlike any other bicep exercises I've done.

[@HBsurfista]

I’ve got a bicep tear so always looking for better exercises to target growth without pain. Will utilize this into my weekly program. Great info as always Jeff!

[@thesquad2253]

How?

[@Doc_Roz]

Thank you. I ruptured my distal bicep tendon as well. Mine was complete, required surgery. I’ve been finally ready to start building some some strength again, this workout allowed me to work equally, I’m hoping to see some more uniform growth and structure and feeling better today already.

[@Seaniesean111]

Great video. I'm 51 and I have some elbow issues so I plan on trying this exercise. I use to do this one 30 years ago but for some reason I stopped

[@dansingking]

Great video. As a long-time lifter who now has chronic elbow issues, I've found that everything you said is spot on. I would also add that, for me, rope climbs offer the best bicep stimulus/pain-free option by far....highly recommend!

[@mikefiem1126]

Love your stuff. I been following and subscribe to your program for two years. Your knowledge and the way you convey the details is the best on the internet. Keep doing what you're doing.

[@hawkeyedroneworks6672]

I train 1 body part a day with incredible intensity, and rest on the weekends. I also make sure that I do not do back and biceps back to back. I'll do back on Tuesday and Biceps on Friday, which leaves plenty of time to recover. My gains are amazing. Excellent Video!

[@sarthakchoudhary9417]

You need full body recovery rest as advocated by mentzer if you're going full intensity

[@CharleyFelino]

So glad I watched this. I started to have that elbow pain and now I know why, thank you for sharing.

[@Greggoggry]

This is great I've been stressing my biceps too much, I've noticed alot of pain in my elbows This helps alot!

[@XirlioTLLXHR]

I knew I was doing something right doing my trainings like this a while back, unfortunately I had medical issues that stopped me from continuing to work out for a while. But thank you for basically confirming that this is indeed the right way to train! Not just the biceps, but overall, I highly recommend it.

[@jiamonx2]

wow Jeff, what great timing. I've been doing weighted pull-ups a lot for the last 2 months and developed golfer's elbow. Great video!

[@SuperOrangeSauce]

Im in the process of a bicep tear recovery and this video is perfect! Thank you.

[@blob2092]

As someone with a grade 2 pec strain, how do you know when you can start to workout again?

[@SuperOrangeSauce]

@@blob2092 I went through PT and many Doctor follow ups and just waited for him to say its safe. But I had it surgically repaired.

[@asyl_um]

​@@blob2092If you feel pain when doing a body weight exercise on the respective muscle, in your case a pushup variation, you'll know whether to resume weight training or not

[@rfdc]

I've been following Mentzer's approach for a few months. I think it works. The difficulty lies in training with enough intensity and not half-assing that single set.

[@marhenezmt]

Highly knowledgeable and respected Mr. Mike Mentzer. One of my favorite bodybuilders.

[@ChaplainSweeney]

Thank you so much for this video! I recently started developing that elbow pain you talked about and couldn’t figure out why. This makes perfect sense now why I have that pain.

[@TheBigKing0]

I’d like to hear Jeffs thoughts on heavy duty training in general. Oh he does at 6:00

[@Ai_s_a01]

Do you know how coincidentally I was thinking my biceps are not getting big as I want , they weirdly stopped and I don't feel any pain when I stretch it as usually was feeling as if I reached my limits but maybe the problem is how I work them Soo thank you I needed this so much

[@musclerod1965]

I have done exactly his program with some variations the same way that Mike explains growth and the different exercises to grow your biceps and other muscles also how much sleep to get with my own program I developed. And how Jeff has agreed with Mike with his speech. My results at 58yrs old are amazing with no injuries and I am all natural✝️🇺🇲💪🏻

[@SectorUpTrend]

It is the middle of the night here in Australia watching this video. I said to the Mrs I need to go in to our home gym in Garage and try this.Boom 💪! It works for great tension on biceps.

[@mpnc6245]

Jeff, love the applied science to training. I follow your push pull workout along with using bands for supersets. It has been a game changer. I have been concerned about not getting enough recovery time. I add a dedicated shoulder day and arms day to change it up. I also have a dedicated legs day and sprint day. Knowing rest/recovery is important in order to 'grow', how in the world do I incorporate a rest period in order to produce muscular growth? I need for days in the week! I get 8 hours of sleep but skipping the gym even for one day, which I do, is mentally tough and I feel guilty the entire day off. Btw, I use all the products and they too are game changers for me. Thanks in advance for any guidance. Poised for growth... - MJ

[@jetrep]

Thanks for the video, Jeff. I've been having a hard time growing/strengthening my biceps. I tried this exercise last night and I'm already feeling like it stressed my biceps in a way that hasn't been achieved in a while.

[@WmAHaynes]

Really like this cuz ive gotten into Mike's stuff lately and I'm more focused on building my biceps

[@stevenwelp7165]

Superb multi-perspective overview with game-changing details.

[@radalict]

I tried this tonight as my 3rd biceps exercise during my leg day. First two were cross body curls and hammer curls. This was great, but I think I might drop the weight back a bit next time and go for more control. The one issue I found was my forearms were absolutely burning, but maybe because I did shoulders yesterday they were still fatigued.

[@rrurban]

Following MM's 1 set per muscle every 7-10 days caused me to get very strong very quickly, while at the same time watching my muscles shrink very quickly. It may not be this way for everyone. Obviously the place to start is 1 set, track your results, and go from there. For me, I need 3+ sets to failure every 3-6 days. Any less sets and I lose muscle mass, any more rest than 6 days and I lose strength and mass. Be scientific, log every rep.

[@scorchingstarbhaskar7011]

Man, you have great recovery genetics

[@hypercubemaster2729]

If you only did one set per exercise, you weren't really following Mike's advice, though. Mike advocated for 3 warm up sets progressively getting heavier until your final set that actually goes to failure. If you do it that way, your biceps shouldn't shrink.

[@rrurban]

@@hypercubemaster2729 yes warmups plus 1 set just add he laid out

[@luismiguel69able]

​@@hypercubemaster2729 ah. see that makes more sense!!

[@rrurban]

@@scorchingstarbhaskar7011 fwiw, I’m not doing the insane no rest between sets 20 min version or 5 sec cadence, just normal sets to failure or some forced reps/rest pause that’s it

[@kellymchenry4572]

I’m definitely going to give this a try. I’m a 32 year old male getting back into it. I was doing “curls for girls” as my old coach used to say. But the curls and the standing two handed pull ups were not giving me what I wanted no matter how many reps I did. I felt I was maintaining possibly a very very slow progression. I’m definitely going to try this. Thanks man. I don’t do everything you say but I take what you say and apply it and find what’s best for me. Thanks for the content and the advice.

[@iijj]

So how's the progress?

[@KenXy-kf4cq]

Thanks, Jeff. Great video. Regarding the number of sets what does this mean for your programs and others that call for the traditional 3 sets?

[@nd2pray]

I really appreciate this info. I prefer this method because I'm a beginner, just starting out. I'm in it for the long haul, eventually I'll get to the gains, healthy & strong in the meantime!😊 Thanks

[@bendodd2405]

Makes total sense what Mentzer explains. You body can't start to grow muscle and improve itself before it's had time to recoup and recover what is needs to function at all first. How can it grow bigger before it's repair itself back to baseline first Train harder and shorter then Rest longer than you think

[@Spirit-FilledMindset]

Thank you for this video. I never thought about doing the underhand close grip pulldown. I will have to incorporate that into my routine.

[@skyluke9476]

I’m trying this tomorrow and am so excited. I screwed up my elbow a few months ago doing bad form dumbbell presses and so bicep curls have been really hard on me, even hammer curls have been causing a lot of pain

[@englishma]

Another great video. I'd be interested in hearing your take on symmetry especially doing one\two sets. My left side is definitely smaller\weaker than my right. Obviously dumbbells instead of barbells but that may be tricky with a pull down.

[@Rob_A13]

I have the same issue myself

[@emilianodelrio9884]

The same

[@pride210993]

You can use grip handles to work unilaterally. If you don't have any you can just pull the bar alternatively with a little rotation at the trunk

[@jotaro6390]

Is there a band version of this

[@Fit_By_Gods_Grace_Alone]

I had the same bicep injury. I got the surgery and scar tissue is cutting off my blood circulation at the elbow. Curls cause great discomfort although my injury and surgery was 5 yrs ago. Can’t wait to start this routine you mention

[@aaronarmstrong406]

The progress Jesse has made since I first watched your channel is absolutely remarkable. Tell him that whatever he is doing is working 🙂

[@LordBranniganThe]

Actually his progress is incredibly underwhelming. Not hating on Jesse, he’s at a better place than where he was but considering how long he has trained with Jeff he’s progress is very little. Again, this isn’t a shot at Jesse but rather Jeff.

[@Chuckolson5]

Thanks so much for this post. Yeah Mike was really something else and you can't argue with his results. There's a lot of lessons there. More is not better guys

[@germanrud9904]

I've tried resting for 3 days.. 4 days.. 5 days.. a week.. All I got was detraining and less growth. Best results I've had was 4-5 days a week with just a weekend off. And don't question my intensity, I'm the crazy guy in the gym. Static holds with weight in the chin up position at the top are the absolute best thing I've done for my arms.

[@stormkrow777]

Dude that warning was not enough 🤣🤣🤣

[@macleod1592]

I've based my entire workout philosophy off of Mike Mentzer's "teachings" and 35 years later it's still working for me.

[@fredinandethebull2266]

I got shot through the lower leg last year and it destroyed everything but I am walking & exercising now(limp here & there) but i needed to find something that was exact & shorter for All my exercises. I did implement this and I cut time & had growth. Thanks

[@rickyneeter69]

Again? Doesn't this mean that all your last videos explaining bicep exercises are wrong?

[@nomnomyourmom]

Yeah wrong about commenting before watching the video

[@JarethGarza]

Nobody claims Mike is the golden standard. Working out is as much a science as it is an art form.

[@lewismedeiroscustodio8630]

​@JarethGarza Work out IS science, but we are still reaearching and experimenting. This video shows how open to learning (which is fundamental for any science) he is and share that with us -and that is why I always follow this channel.

[@benwarner468]

Please shut up. Jeff is never wrong.

[@ThaStonedGardner]

You can kick a poodle down the road, or you can throw it. It still got to the end of the road.

[@justinriley8651]

damn I don't ever win? do you really hand out any free programs?

[@LatimusChadimus]

The world may never know

[@nomnomyourmom]

damn I don't ever win lottery? is there even any winner? The world may never know.

[@justinriley8651]

@@nomnomyourmom not the same thing man. hey I got a joke for you what's long black and full of semen?

[@ExplorerBen7]

I've won a free program, it was the anabolix 30 day program.

[@nomnomyourmom]

@@justinriley8651 Let me ask your mother again, she just told me last night when I was servicing her.

[@marcz239]

My absolute favorite bicep workout is " 21s " (Standing ) 21s I got from Jeff way back, I do 28-- 7 curls of the lower 1/3 portion instantly into 7 curls in the middle portion very strict gotta stay in the 3rds, into 7 reps of the top portion instantly into 7 full strict reps. Not even 1 second of rest between the reps no leaning forward or backward at all I DARE U

[@lanvx]

That’s actually 28s….

[@nomnomyourmom]

That's a good modification, I'd do 5 reps each and get 20 total for a nice number

[@marcz239]

@@nomnomyourmom now that u say that, I realize I haven't done low rep high weight version of this, imma try it on Monday fs

[@marcatkinson5187]

Just tried this last night. Absolutely felt the difference immediately.