OUR TRAINERS:


Jay Blahnik

(Tips | Profile)


Jeanette Jenkins

(Tips | Profile)


Gregory Joujon-Roche

(Tips | Profile)


Kathy Kaehler

(Tips | Profile)


Gina Lombardi

(Tips | Profile)


Rob Parr

(Tips | Profile)


Keli Roberts

(Tips | Profile)



Buff up your biceps with the '21'

Posted: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 5:52 PM
Filed Under: ,

By Rob Parr

 

Summer is around the corner and if you want to show off your sexy biceps when the temperature rises, start pumping them up now.

 

One of my favorite arm-enhancing activities is the “21.” Here’s how to do it:

 

Start in a standing position, holding either dumbbells or a barbell with a weight that fatigues your muscles by the 21st repetition. Your elbows should remain against your sides during the entire exercise.

 

*For the first 7 repetitions, begin with your arms fully extended toward your thighs. Then raise the weight up until your forearms are at a 90-degree angle to your legs (parallel to the floor). Squeeze your biceps. Then lower the weight and repeat.

 

*For the next 7 reps, begin at that 90-degree position and lift your hands toward your shoulders, squeeze the biceps and then lower to the starting position and repeat.

 

*For the final 7 reps, you’ll do the full range of motion. So start with your arms fully extended toward your thighs. Then raise the weight up toward your shoulders, and again squeeze the biceps. Lower and repeat.

 

Aim to do two to three sets of the entire sequence a few times a week, and you’ll be on your way to sporting buff biceps for beach season.

MAIN PAGE

Email this EMAIL THIS

Comments

Underhand grip pullups and rows with a full ROM will work better and your biceps wont be the only thing that looks good.

Bryan (Sent Wednesday, April 18, 2007 12:33 PM)

The tried and true old-fashioned Weider method is the absolute best.  Full ROM, 3 sets of 8 reps, increase weight when you successfully complete 3 of 8.  The only way the body ever changes is in response to threat...continually keeping the weights/reps ahead of the body's ability is the threat.  Additionally, must incorporate hammer curls or reverse curls for the full bicept workout.

Brian (Sent Wednesday, April 18, 2007 1:51 PM)

Why is their a picture of the guy from "Lost" with horrible biceps for this page??

charles, cincinnati, ohio (Sent Wednesday, April 18, 2007 1:56 PM)

I think 21's have a place at the end of a biceps day to put a little more peak on them and it will really bring out the vascularity, but I am with the others here. I like to do some straight bar sets with the working sets in the eight or less rep range. After warming up and stretching, my first set might get 5, I will drop down 10 lbs and get a set of 7, drop another 10 and get 8  and then do that same weight for another 6 or 7. Then it is onto the preachers for 3 sets in the 8 to range alternating my grip with an easy curl bar. I might throw in a couple of sets of alternating dumbbell curls on a bench with some decline so I have an angle--that is when I will do hammer curls- maybe a set or two of concentration curls or I will do some reverse curls although I hate them because my hands are not as strong as my biceps- and only then will I do some 21's. Another good ending routine is a drop set on machine curls. I might start out getting 5 at 130lbs and by continuing to drop 20 lbs and going to failure I am barely able to curl 30lbs by the end. Of course you use biceps when you do back and even some when you do chest, but I like to hit the biceps on their own once a week usually with some cardio built in. I don't have huge biceps, but 15+ inch arms aren't bad for 170 lb guy who is 55, a bit under 6 feet tall who works at a desk all day.

Terry, Milwaukee (Sent Wednesday, April 18, 2007 7:11 PM)

I liked 21's but I used get big guns from getbigguns.com and went from wimp to pimp!

LA (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 10:06 AM)

At least he's got great nips.

John Doe, Seattle, Wash (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 1:37 PM)

I like doing my 21's at the end of my upper workout also.  It really seems to help get that final pumped up look on the way out of the gym.

Paul Collin, Calgary, Alberta (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 1:38 PM)

Some guys get big biceps just by walking in the gym while other like myself just do not have a natural propensity for large arms. Try several different exercises and go with the one or two thay give you results. There is no magic bullet.

Joe, St. Paul (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 1:49 PM)

I do 21's when I am in a hurry and only have time for one set.
I also raise the weight and make them 18's or 15's.

Rod Evanston, IL (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:00 PM)

yeah i used to do them and call 'em crazy 8's.  also i'd do overhead tricep extensions (standing skull crushers) for the tri's at the end, or substitute that for reverse curls.  it works out famously, and like Rod from IL says, pyramiding (inc weight-dec reps) is always a good idea when wanting to add bulk.

WORD

VC from FBKS AK (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:05 PM)

Relax guys! This is for the lazzzzy people who think they can get "On Hit" in a month. They don't understand the pain from the Iron.

Jaime, LA Cali (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:09 PM)

I use 21s as a last super set.  At the end of a upper day it is a good final burn before you hit the showers.  Also, if you are crunched for time, but need to pump up the bi's, it works.  That said, in my opinion it is not a bulking exercise by any means

Brian, Dallas, TX (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:19 PM)

One thing I hate about articles like this is that they make it sound easy to get "big" or "ripped" by doing some whacky rep scheme. The fact is this, there is no replacement for consistent training, nutrition, and sleep. There is only one way to get bigger, you have a calorie surplus during your training routine. There is only one way to get cut, you have a calorie deficit during your training routine. That said, there are millions of routines out there and one is not better than the other. However, most of the results will depend on how well you eat and sleep. Instead of trying to read about this magical routine that doesn't exist, get off your butt and crank it out at the gym. Experience is the king of anything we do in life.

Brian, Philadelphia, PA (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:49 PM)

All you iron heads trying to blow up your biceps to impress the ladies...put down the iron and pick up a book, exercise your mind and build that muscle.   natural growth

Mike Brennan (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 3:09 PM)

Hey, where did my comment go???

3W's undergroundfreakzforlife dot com

Too Small (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 3:28 PM)

There is no substitute for exercise
If you want big you have to work big

Pandemonium, Smog Central CA (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 3:33 PM)

Mixing up exercises is the key to growth.  21's are great...but so are barbell curls, cable curls, dumbbell curls, etc.  No one exercise will build the perfect body.  Mix up the exercises...shock the body...and you will grow.

Warren, MN USA (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 3:37 PM)

Mixing up, super set, that set, this set....all garbage, 21's included. The key to growth is overload, plain and simple. Say it with me, OVERLOAD. How do you achieve overload? By adding weight to the bar, ie lifting more than you did last time. Sound too simple huh? Try it, 8 reps max...when you get 8 add weight. And quit focusing so much and those damn biceps, do big core exercise and the rest will take care of itself.

XL, Miami FL (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 3:50 PM)

I agree with Mike, this is the year of the intellect, the ladies want a man with a brain, not some musclehead.  What a bunch of blowhards you all are, get a job instead of wasting your life at the gym.

Ryan Shirley (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 3:51 PM)

Publish or perish is why concepts like 21's, crazy 8's etc always come back around in articles from time to time. The biceps function is to curl the arm (and supinate the wrist). All the way up and all the way down is always best. Use mid range reps with proper form and increase the weight as the muscle adapts. Simple truth won't sell as many magazines but that's all there is to it - at least for the average guy.

Jim Spokane (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 3:58 PM)

Forget 21's. Straight bar curls with heavy weight alternated with dumb bell curls will get big guns over time. It may take 3-5 years to those 22 inch arms but it is attainable. Do regimented tricep/bicep, chest, back, delts, legs over 6 day workouts @ 3 hours per day and get plenty of rest and good nurishment and you will make that little actor wussie turn and run. I'm 50 years old and still get good gains after 32 years of training. Burn em.....

Dave Wilkerson (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 4:00 PM)

21s are stupid - most people jerk the weight around and overtax the tendons for the work the muscles get. done appropriately, they're no better than curls using the full range of motion.

Harper (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 4:10 PM)

I do crazy 8s with a "21" overlay every 12th rep.  Don't forget the benefits of a simple carb-loaded meal to replenish glycemic stores and make sure this is part of an overall fitness routine with emphasis on blasting pecs, abs and, especially, glutes.

Tery Brown, Chicago, IL (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 4:11 PM)

Who is the girl with the beard and the flabby arms in the picture. Is that supposed to be the "before" where is the "after"

Mikhail Gorbachov (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 4:43 PM)

Kettlebells.  Kettlebells. Kettlebells.  These workouts take too long and focus on too few muscles.  A half an hour with  Russian Kettlebells will get you in better shape than all of these exercises combined.  If you just want great biceps, try underhand chinups.

Shane, Seattle, WA (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 4:56 PM)

The problem with you so called smart guys, why DON'T you work out so you have the total package?  You can be smart and hit the gym 3 days a week!  Or you can JUST read your books and have a cake body.  The ladies like both but I guess you cannot handle both!

memphis, tn (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 5:42 PM)

Gotta admit, I think that everyone is right here.

I always say the best workout guide would be a single piece of paper with the following sentences: "Work your body hard. Do the exercise correctly. Mix 'em up. Listen to your body."  

Also: working out and intellectual stimulation are not mutually exclusive. My workouts improve my mental acuity. Mike should try it. He'd be less bitter if he did.

Rod Evanston, IL (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 5:53 PM)

Wonderful to have people telling us to concentrate on the smaller of the upper-body muscle groups. Why not teach people to do excercises that required a coordinated effort from several groups? Why not teach to build real strength instead of the current vapidity of "fitness" that fills our land?

Thomas Brugger (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 5:56 PM)

You guys are all a bunch of homos.  Get back into the gym and pump each other some more you clowns.

Burke, SLO town, CA (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 5:58 PM)

Ya guys crack open those books, I’ll take the girls to the gym and show them how to squat and firm up their but. LOL! You nerds make me laugh!

Jaime LA, Cali (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 6:08 PM)

Looks like Jaime could afford to hit the books some time.  If girls are going to "firm up their but", instead of their "butt", maybe they are going to do
English exercises?

Gentlegiant15209 (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 6:20 PM)

Gentlegiant, thanks for the correction. Hey is this word spelled correctly “DIC”? Good job! Now check every body else’s.

jaime LA, Cali (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 6:42 PM)

Hey Jamie, why don't you go somewhere where people are impressed by sophmoric wisecracking... a Hello Kitty page or something?

Saucey L, Ventura, Cali (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 7:57 PM)

This stuff's so funny. But seriously, 3 sets of under hand pull-ups to start the workout. 21s are always the final workout, burnout, if you will, before you end your session. Then I always go into the locker room and stare at myself in the mirror while I whip my workout partner in the butt with the towel. OH YEAH PUMPED!

Dan, Redding Ca. (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 9:37 PM)

Or you could go to the gym and *then* open a book. It's not impossible. Heck, it's not even that hard.

Craig, New Haven, CT (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 9:43 PM)

Wow... the self professed brainiacs who spout off about how dumb "muscle heads" are reveal their own secret desires by commenting on an article about fitness, which they took the time to read... for some reason. Don't hate the smart AND fit just because you can only claim the former. If you're uneducated, seek education. If you're physically unfit, do yourself a favor and seek to improve your health through exercise. The human body is one of the few machines that get better with proper use! Ya know, studies suggest that physical fitness is conducive to mental fitness. So read, exercise and stay off the booze, cause "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son." (Dean Wormer - Animal House)

Sean, Chicago IL (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 10:07 PM)

Guys... Guys... Guys. Get a clue. It is always the muscle men that want to impress the ladies with the muscle. But when it come time to do the deed, they don't have the muscle that counts with the women. Some of you guys work out at the gym, and then go home and do a differnet type of 21s that works out your biceps and wrist. You muscle guys know what I mean. GIVE IT A BREAK! Literally, and you will get much more action from the women. Be honest with us, and yourselfs. The main reason you guys work so hard to look big and bulky is to bag the gals, and when you do, they find out that the muscle that really want is not so big as the rest of the package!

J. Cohey (Sent Thursday, April 19, 2007 10:53 PM)

I would have thought research would have been done to write this article not just "gym" science or word of mouth.  Scientific evidence suggests that a hypertrophic(muscle building) workout for any muscle will range between 8-12 repetitions and about 75% intensity(% of 1 rep max.) I am postive that any nationally recognized fitness organization will agree.  21 repitions is better suited for an endurance workout.

Alexander Salmon NASM-CPT (Sent Friday, April 20, 2007 3:13 AM)

I think you guys are under a bit of a misconception.  Generally when you see somebody huge muscle-wise with a layer of fat over, you don't call him "buff."  "Buff" translates much better to the guy whose muscles you can see, even if they're not quite so big.  It's much closer to ripped.  Along those lines, this workout isn't intended to get you muscle mass, but it will tone and refine the muscle you already have, instead of the large but shapeless arms most lifters have.  The girls only like the muscle they can see!  But keep benching 400lbs, really.

Tyler, Cambridge (Sent Friday, April 20, 2007 10:24 AM)

Every body knows if you go to the gym to impress the girls, “you are not going to last a month in the gym”. Girls don’t just drop to the knees when they see our muscles. Although! It does help. And if the guy or girl at the gym doesn’t have a good personality or the smarts to carry a conversation, then he never had one to begin with.

jaime LA, Cali (Sent Friday, April 20, 2007 11:09 AM)

Saucey, You just had to put in your two cents. Hmmm...

Jaime LA, Cali (Sent Friday, April 20, 2007 11:19 AM)

Most scientific research on exercise has to do with strength training. There isnt a whole lot in comparison in terms of hypertrophy research.

Here is a website about one man's interpretation of hypertrophy (muscle growth) research: www.hypertrophy-specific.com

Even if you dont wish to follow the methodologies (It is a way of training... there is no strict routine required), the website is a good source of information on diet and recovery.

Bryan (Sent Friday, April 20, 2007 1:16 PM)

A lot of insults here, but I want to get back to the topic of this article: for my part, I use 21s when I want a major-league pump after a stepped set of concentration curls with a Weider/EZ curl, y'all.  Right after I finish, I have a low-carb but high-glycemic carb-loaded drink with glutamine endorphins.  Then I hit the stack to blast my glutes.  Anyone have any comments on this?

Jeff Pemberton (Sent Friday, April 20, 2007 1:37 PM)

"The pump" is baloney.  Doing 21s will give you huge biceps for maybe 30 mins.  If you want permanently big guns, first you have to build big legs, then a big back, then a big chest and then big shoulders through heavy training and proper nutrition.  

Just like you can't spot-reduce, you can't spot build.  Bring up your overall lean mass and your arms will grow.

Matt E, MO (Sent Monday, April 23, 2007 4:08 PM)

Really wanna see those guns grow big and sweet...jump on some steroids and they'll get real nice and big. Guys luv seeing guys with awesome biceps...especially those @ the gym and on the juice. Totally erotic and a nice turn on. Yum!

JC, Durham NC (Sent Monday, April 23, 2007 5:32 PM)

Hey, JC, you're kidding, right?  'Roids--let's see--side effects include major acne, mood swings, shrunken gonads, and--best of all--liver damage!  yeah, so sexy.  NOT.  I like brains, I like buff, but I'm not so much on the kind of dope who dopes...

Julia Boynton, McLean, VA (Sent Wednesday, April 25, 2007 8:16 PM)

You want to get in to shape?: pushups, situps, squats, pullups, and cardio mixed with sprints, any kind of sprints.  You got to move to groove!!

billy bob (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 12:45 AM)

I'm with Brian from Philadelphia.

Stpehanie Royal Oak, MI (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 6:56 AM)

Pythagoras the famous mathematician says “If you wanna test men test them by women and if you wanna test women test them by money”. So fellas, big muscles won’t work if aren’t rich. Plain and simple truth!

Theosa, Pittsburgh, PA (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 3:01 PM)

We call these "sevens" and they are an EXCELLENT bicep builder.  Those of you bashing it are silly.  Its only part of an overall weight lifting program...

John Doe, Louisville, kentucky (Sent Monday, April 30, 2007 3:39 AM)



SEND A COMMENT

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

Your name, city and state (John Doe, Seattle, Wash.): 

 Your e-mail address (jdoe@msnbc.com):

Your website (it's okay if you don't have one):

Remember me? (We'll keep it private)

TRACKBACKS

Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://fitlist.msnbc.msn.com/trackback.aspx?PostID=155125