You’ve seen the photos in the muscle magazines and watch the heavily muscled men pose in videos. If you work out regularly and have been working on your biceps you know how important it is to work your triceps as well for balance.

The process of developing your “guns” as they call them is one that a lot of men fixate on. That’s because they have been given a lot of press. Women rate biceps second to abs as the sexiest part of a man.

Although it is much easier to build up your biceps brachii, than say your calves, you will find that genetics and age will come into play when you reach middle age. There are two heads to the biceps brachii, the short head and the long head are responsible for flexing the elbow and rotating the hand upwards.

Along with the biceps, there are ancillary muscles that work along with them; the brachialis and brachioradialis, muscles that are situated on the side of the arm between biceps and triceps, and connect the main bicep to the forearm. You will need to work these muscles as well to get the overall body builder’s look.

I’m going to tell you from my experience as well as of top trainers, what the best biceps exercises are for men over 40. The reason I point to the middle aged guys is that building muscles at mid life is tough for men because testosterone and other growth hormones are not as plentiful as in their formative years.

As men age, the quality of their muscles change especially if they are sedentary for long periods. The battle is to stay fit and ward off the onset of fat. You can do it if you are diligent about your fitness program. I work my body parts to failure but give them the rest of the week to recover. If you train intensely, you can build more muscle or at least avoid losing mass as you grow older.

The three most effective biceps exercises:

Standing Bar Curls –

Hold bar with a shoulder-width grip, with arms straight towards the floor and elbows locked an inch from your sides.

Curl weight towards the chest, while keeping the elbows and back fixed.

Contact the biceps as the bar reaches the front of the chest.

Resist weight as it slowly lowers to the floor for a full stretch.

Preacher Curls –

Using a regular preacher bench, hold dumbbell with an underhand grip while locking elbow firmly in place in an extended position on the bench.

Slowly curl the dumbbell up, trying to touch the shoulder of the arm being worked.

Incline Dumbbell Curls –

Lying back on an incline bench, hold two dumbbells with arms extended down and back.

Curl the dumbbells up and out with both hands, being sure to turn the wrists as the weights are raised.

Slowly return to starting position.

Hammer Curls –

With elbows fixed at the side of the body, place the palms in a neutral position (palms facing one another).

Curl the dumbbells up, the same way you would for a regular dumbbell curl.

Lower dumbbells slowly and repeat.

Note: Ensure elbows are fixed at sides throughout the movement, as this will eliminate any shoulder movement, thus placing a greater load on the brachialis.

These exercises will get your biceps up to speed in short order. These will isolate your muscle and focus the contraction on the greatest number of cells. Keep working on your form. Isolate your contractions to avoid using your shoulders and back.