Justin Shier posted a video showing off 5 killer bicep exercises on his Youtube channel. Shier is a top IFBB Pro that we can all learn from in building bigger biceps. Take a look at Shier's biceps workout below!
Justin Shier Biceps Workout
Justin Shier is an IFBB Pro, entrepreneur, and owner of Duo Gym & Forward Inc in Oregon. Justin is also a sponsored athlete of Hostile Supplements. Justin placed first in the heavyweight category at the 2021 NPC National championship securing his card as an IFBB Pro.
One of Shier's best looks is the front double biceps pose. Below he covers his favorite biceps exercises that helped him develop his guns.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
The bench should be set at a slight incline; you want just enough of an angle to be able to put your arms behind you. By doing your curls at an incline, you can better load your biceps at the lengthened position.
Justin recommends facing your palms forward, with a big curl, good supination and squeezing at the top, and a slow and controlled negative. Supination is the rotation of the forearm and hand so that the palm faces forward/upward.
By keeping your palms facing forward, you’re keeping the tension on your biceps the entire time. “Squeeze, control, stretch” are the things you need to keep in mind while executing this movement. Justin says "if you don’t feel an intense burn by the end of your set, then you’re doing them wrong."
Spider Curl
These aren’t your typical spider curls, as they more resemble preacher curls. While performing this movement, keep your triceps and elbow on the bench. You should only be flexing (contracting) the bicep to lift the weight up.
Supinate the weight at the top; you can help with this by holding the dumbbell on the inside portion of the handle. That way, the weight itself is helping to supinate the wrist. Just like the first exercise, focus on the squeeze, control, and stretch during the movement.
D-Handle High Cable Curls
If your cable crossover station isn’t wide enough to be able to get a full stretch in your arms while performing this exercise, then just do one arm at a time. Step far enough away from the cable stack so you can get a full stretch through your arm.
Get the contraction up and almost behind your head. Don’t pull it towards the front of your head. This movement prevents the shoulder from taking over and helps keep the biceps isolated. Distribute your weight away from the stack to try and mitigate the weight stack from pulling you towards it.
Machine Preacher Curls
Justin prefers to do these single-arm instead of both arms at the same time. The reasoning behind this is that he feels that he can align his body better and brace against the pad to really isolate the bicep.
He likes to hold the contraction at the top of the movement and hold the stretch at the bottom. Little things like this make a huge difference when trying to build bigger biceps. He also likes to avoid sitting while performing this movement because he can be over the top of the weight and focus on the muscles better when he is standing.
Dumbbell Hammer Curls
When people talk about working the biceps, almost everyone recommends hammer curls, which is for a good reason. It is a fantastic movement for hitting the outer brachialis and your forearms.
You can do them bilaterally, but what usually happens is your hands come in and puts more torque on the elbows. Whereas if you do them unilaterally, you can focus on “perfect” joint alignment for the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Justin recommends leaning slightly to the side to get out of your own way and curl straight up. He also recommends at the bottom of the movement to consciously flex your triceps.
Bigger Biceps Tip
If you’re short on time, there is nothing wrong with doing these movements bilaterally. However, if you have the time and want to get the most out of each movement, it is better to do them unilaterally. Instead of focusing on the weight, focus more on the contraction and squeeze of each repetition. Justin believes the muscles are more receptive to this type of exercise execution.
Sample Justin Shier Biceps Workout
We based this biceps workout on the one Justin completed in the video above, focusing on the 5 exercises that he uses to blow up his biceps.
- Preacher Curls: 3 sets x 10 reps
- Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Spider Curls: 4 sets x 12 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Curls: 3 sets x 12 reps
- D-Handle High Cable Curls: 3 sets x 12 reps
Note: Keep rests 45-90 seconds between sets.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Justin Shier is known for his biceps, we think you should give his 5 favorite exercises a try to see if your body responds to them as well. If you liked the workout make sure to check out Shier's back workout as well.
If you try this workout, make sure to let us know in the comments what you think of it!
Andrew Lenau
Author