You’ve seen the pictures in muscle magazines and you’ve seen very muscular men pose in videos. If you exercise regularly and have been working on your biceps, you know how important it is to also work your triceps for balance.

The process of developing their “weapons”, as they call them, is something that many men fixate on. That’s because they’ve been given a lot of press. Women rate biceps second only to abs as the sexiest part of a man.

Although it is much easier to develop biceps brachii than, say, calves, you will find that genetics and age will come into play when you reach middle age. There are two heads for 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 auxiliary muscles that work with them; the brachialis and brachioradialis, muscles that are located on the side of the arm between the biceps and triceps, and connect the main biceps with the forearm. You will need to work these muscles as well to get the overall bodybuilder look.

I am going to tell you from my experience and that of the best trainers, what are the best biceps exercises for men over 40. The reason I single out middle-aged men is that building muscle in middle age is difficult for men because testosterone and other growth hormones aren’t as abundant as they were in their formative years.

As men age, the quality of their muscles changes, especially if they are sedentary for long periods. The battle is to stay in shape and avoid the appearance of fat. You can if you are diligent with your fitness program. I work my body parts to exhaustion, 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 age.

The three most effective biceps exercises:
Standing Barbell Curl –
Hold the bar with a shoulder-width grip, arms straight toward the floor, and elbows locked an inch from your sides.
Curl the weight toward your chest, keeping your elbows and back locked.
Contact your biceps as the bar reaches the front of your chest.
Resist the weight as you slowly lower yourself to the ground to fully stretch.

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

Slowly raise the dumbbell, trying to touch the shoulder of the arm you are working on.

Dumbbell Incline Curl –
Lying on an incline bench, hold two dumbbells with your arms extended down and behind you.
Curl the dumbbells up and out with both hands, making sure to rotate your wrists as the weights are raised.
Slowly return to starting position.

Hammer Curls-
With your elbows pinned to your sides, place your palms in a neutral position (palms facing each other).
Raise the dumbbells the same way you would for a normal dumbbell curl.
Lower the dumbbells slowly and repeat.

Note: Make sure your elbows are locked to your sides throughout the movement as this will eliminate any movement of the shoulder, placing a greater load on the brachialis.

These exercises will get your biceps up to speed quickly. These will isolate your muscle and focus the contraction on as many cells as possible. Keep working on your form. Isolate your contractions to avoid using your shoulders and back.