Interesting Question: Getting Big Biceps, Without Doing Weights, Can It Be Done?

[Perfect Plex]

I found this a really interesting question. Could you get decent sized biceps without actually lifting NO weights what so ever?

???

[F l i c k e r]

If your old, no.

If your young. Puberty young. Yes.


Also. I include lifting anything outside of your own body as "weights". Meaning if you were lifting logs, rocks, sand, piles of hay etc etc. This is all "weights" in my book.

edit: Also, by big. I am thinking big not relative to size. So, being small and having biceps relative to your size. I am not thinking this. I am thinking, as in go look at a Jonathan Horton picture. You'll see what I mean.

[Sugarj]

It depends what you mean by big!

Your biceps will get bigger to a degree by doing body weight exercises such as chin ups on a bar, closed and wide grips. Rowing machines and rope climbing machines will help too. Pressups and dips will stimulate some bicep growth despite being more of a tricep exercise. Arm wrestling with your mates will help build biceps too!

Hitting the heavy bag will stimulate a degree of bicep growth simply from having the muscles act as shock absorbers when landing hooks.

You can also do isometric training (static training against an immovable object). There are plenty of web pages dedicated to isometric training with dedicated bicep exercises, a simple one is to push your right hand in a bicep curl position against your left and hold the contraction for say 30 seconds and change hands. Bruce Lee was a fan of this type of training, he used a chain attached to the ground, in turn attached to a barbell for his biceps.

If you do plenty of sparring too, with alot of clinching (especially with heavier guys) will help your strength levels, with some bicep benefit.

To be honest though, the most effective way to build biceps is through a progressive weights plan with a protein rich diet.

[copelahama]

i dont know if its just me but i got really high peaked biceps through boxing, kind of like tennis balls as opposed to guys who lift and just get really 'big' arms.

[EdMon917]

i dont know if its just me but i got really high peaked biceps through boxing, kind of like tennis balls as opposed to guys who lift and just get really 'big' arms.

I have as well. Outside of the gym I stayed in shape by doing regular workouts like sit-ups and push-ups every day and I noticed my triceps got pretty huge.

I'm not sure exactly how big you're looking to go but just google "bicep exercises" and I'm sure you will find effective ones.

[Equilibrium]

Yes it can be done.

Not if you are 5'5 126 pounds.

:P

If you are on a boxing forum you should atleast know what effects simple pull ups can have on biceps.

If you actually do anything else than just lift weights to wear tight shirts you should not really care about your biceps.

And i say that because i know a lot of guys who just lift weights and i like to school them on the nuances between fighting sports and being physically strong. Because in all honesty i will never bench press 500 pounds.

[Canelo Phresh]

do at least 200 push ups a day and maybe but it also is a genetic thing if your not gonna lift weight.

[IronBoxer]

What exactly are your reasons for wanting bigger biceps? In boxing aesthetics don't mean anything in terms of helping you perform better. However if your biceps are a weak area then I can see the point of developing them in terms of size and strength. Chin ups with palms facing you will help your biceps grow and become stronger. Also inverted rows, traditional pull ups, and push ups with elbows close to the lats will also help.

Don't go to failure on any of the exercises I listed above as it will setback your gains and lead to overtraining. Say you can max out at 30 pull ups, instead to 20 or 25 while utilizing correct technique and maximum tension.

[barfly12]

It is possible

but it is much easier with weights. Do close grip chip ups, palms facing your face. But curls work much better.

[as646]

If you don't want to use weights, you have to put a similar load on your muscles using leverage. Look at gymnasts; most of them will never touch a set of weights, use only plyometric exercises, and don't train for hypertrophy (quite the opposite, in fact), yet they are massive. Look at Uri Van Gelder! Gymnasts probably have the highest strength to weight ratio of any athlete.

Buy a set of gymnastics rings and parallettes. Work towards being able to do levers, planches and muscle ups, among others. I find pseudo-planche push-ups (essentially push-ups with your hands level with your hips) are much more effective than normal push-ups.

Look up "Building the Gymnastic Body", it has a wealth of body weight exercises utilising leverage.