A pullup bar may offer the best biceps workout. Electromyography data published in a March 2010 article by strength and conditioning specialist Bret Contreras indicates that pullups produce more biceps activation than isolation biceps movements, such as curls. Optimizing your pullup bar workout for your biceps involves adopting a particular form and technique. You can also customize your pullup workout to meet your specific training goals.
Grip
Gripping the pullup bar with an underhand grip emphasizes your biceps. The palms of your hands face toward you during the exercise when using an underhand grip. The underhand grip is also known as a reverse grip. The distance between your hands also affects the degree of biceps activation. Wider grips emphasize back muscle support, while narrower grips increasingly stimulate your biceps. Neurophysiologist Chad Waterbury recommends gripping the pullup bar with your hands less than shoulder-width apart and approximately 6 to 8 inches apart.
General Strength
General strength-building bicep workouts with a pullup bar help increase muscle stamina. According to the National Federation of Personal Trainers, exhausting your muscles within 12 to 15 repetitions produces optimal stamina gains. Your biceps adapt to stamina training by increasing muscle energy and contractile strength during your post-workout recovery. Get help from a spotter or weight-assisted machine, if you cannot complete 12 repetitions with your own body weight.
Mass Building
Increasing the size of your biceps requires short and intense muscle contraction. Exhausting your muscles within four to six repetitions produces optimal mass gains, according to the National Federation of Personal Trainers. Your muscles adapt to this workout by increasing the number of contractile proteins in your muscles and making your muscle fibers grow larger. You may need to increase the resistance to exhaust your biceps within the target repetition range. Clasp a dumbbell between your ankles or use ankle weights, if your body weight is too light. Alternatively, attach weight plates to a dip belt, which you can wear around your waist.
Eccentric
Eccentric biceps workouts with a pullup bar lengthen the time devoted to lowering your body as your elbow extends during each repetition. Eccentric training can help you stay within a target repetition range by increasing the time your biceps remain tense. As you lower your body to the starting position, fewer motor units support your weight. Therefore, the remaining motor units experience greater stress, which your biceps must adapt to by becoming stronger. Eccentric biceps workouts with a pullup bar can also help you perform more repetitions, or lift against greater resistance, during subsequent workouts.
