The Secret to Bigger Biceps: Train Them on Leg Day
When it comes to building bigger, stronger biceps, most people immediately think of dedicating an entire training day to arm exercises. The "arm day" approach has its merits, but if you're looking to maximize muscle growth, there's an unconventional yet highly effective strategy that can supercharge your gains:
Training biceps on leg day.
Yes, you heard that right—the secret to bodacious biceps could lie in pairing them with the most grueling training session of the week.
Leg day is infamous for its intensity and the sheer amount of effort it demands. But beneath the fatigue and sweat lies an incredible opportunity for hypertrophy. Not just for your legs, but for smaller muscle groups like your biceps. Here’s a post that’ll explain why this works and how you can harness the power of leg day to fuel your bicep growth.
Why Leg Day is Unique for Muscle Growth
Leg day is often referred to as the cornerstone of any strength training program—and for good reason. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges recruit multiple large muscle groups, including the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and even your core. This level of full-body engagement triggers a massive metabolic response in the body. Here’s what makes leg day so special:
Massive Muscle Recruitment
Leg day involves compound movements that demand high energy expenditure. Squats, for example, not only engage your lower body but also force your upper body and core to stabilize the weight. This full-body effort stimulates the release of growth-promoting hormones.
Hormonal Surge
One of the most significant benefits of leg day is the hormonal spike it induces. Compound lifts have been shown to dramatically increase the levels of testosterone and growth hormone (GH) in the body. These hormones are critical for muscle repair, recovery, and growth. By pairing bicep training with leg day, you can capitalize on this hormonal surge to enhance hypertrophy in your arms.
The Science of Hypertrophy: Growth Hormone and Testosterone
Let’s take a closer look at the science behind this strategy. Hypertrophy—the process of increasing muscle size—is driven by several factors, including mechanical tension, muscle damage, and metabolic stress. Hormones like testosterone and growth hormone play pivotal roles in these processes.
Testosterone’s Role in Muscle Building
Testosterone is the primary anabolic hormone in the body, responsible for increasing protein synthesis and muscle repair. Heavy, compound movements like squats and deadlifts have been shown to elicit significant spikes in testosterone levels. If done correctly, exercises performed in conjunction (and preferably afterwards) can help manipulate where the growth and development occur through the use of squatting and deadlifting.
Growth Hormone and Metabolic Stress
Growth hormone is another key player in hypertrophy. It is particularly responsive to metabolic stress, which occurs during high-rep, high-intensity training sessions like leg day. GH promotes muscle recovery and the utilization of fat as an energy source, creating an optimal environment for growth.
By training biceps during leg day, you’re essentially introducing smaller muscle groups into this hormone-rich environment, giving them a hypertrophic edge. This is why bicep exercises performed on leg day are so pivotal.
How to Program Bicep Training on Leg Day
Integrating biceps into your leg day routine requires careful planning to ensure you’re not compromising the quality of either workout. Here are some practical tips:
Timing Matters
When should you train biceps on leg day? Ideally, save bicep exercises for the end of your leg workout. This ensures you’ve dedicated maximum energy to the compound lifts that define leg day while still having enough left in the tank for your arms.
Exercise Selection
Stick to efficient, high-impact bicep exercises that deliver maximum results in minimal time. Examples include:
Barbell Bicep Curls: A classic that allows you to lift heavy and stimulate growth. It’s a free weight movement that puts a ton of demand on the biceps, and can be done in a couple unique ways. You can use a slight bit of momentum to create “cheat curls” to overload the biceps, or you can even use an EZ bar to help with any issue you might have with gripping a traditional straight bar.
Hammer Curls: These target the brachialis for thicker, more developed arms. This movement also trains the brachioradialis which is the forearm muscle that works with the biceps for powerful elbow flexion. I would recommend using dumbbells or a cable machine to do this movement.
Overhead Cable Curls: A different position that will recruit the biceps at the peak of each contraction. It’s important to consider bicep training from different positions and different angles.
Want to learn MORE about bicep training? Check out this video I made for Powerlifting Technique and the top 3 tips I gave for bicep training:
Top Tips for Successful Bicep Growth
If you want to build those big bad bodacious meat mountains, you really want to work on three tips for development:
Volume
Time Under Tension
Rest Periods
Volume and Intensity
Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions per exercise. This rep range is a sweet spot for hypertrophy, allowing you to build size and strength effectively while avoiding excessive fatigue.
Time Under Tension
Pay attention to how long your muscles are under strain during each set. Slow down your reps, especially during the eccentric (lowering) phase, taking 2-4 seconds to lower the weight. This increases muscle fiber activation and contributes to greater hypertrophy. A controlled, intentional tempo amplifies results far more than simply rushing through reps.
Rest Periods
Keep your rest periods between sets to 60-90 seconds. Short rest times maintain metabolic stress, which complements your bicep growth efforts and keeps your workout efficient.
Sample Workout Plan
Here’s a sample workout to help you get started:
Leg Day Core
Barbell Squats: 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps
Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Walking Lunges: 3-5 sets of 12-20 total steps
Bicep Add-On
Eccentric Barbell Bicep Curls: 3 sets of 6 reps
Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Overhead Cable Curls: 3-5 sets of 12-20 reps (focus on squeezing at the top)
FAQs About Training Biceps on Leg Day
Q: Will training biceps on leg day compromise my leg workout? A: Not if you structure your session properly. Prioritize leg exercises and add bicep movements at the end.
Q: Can I do this every leg day? A: Yes, but monitor your recovery. If you feel overly fatigued, reduce volume or frequency.
Q: What if I already have an arm day? A: You can still train biceps on leg day, but reduce the volume on your dedicated arm day to avoid overtraining.
Conclusion
The secret to bigger biceps might just lie in one of the most unexpected places: leg day. By pairing arm training with the intense hormonal and metabolic environment created by heavy leg exercises, you can unlock new levels of growth for your biceps. Remember, the key is balance—don’t neglect your legs or overdo your arms. Give this strategy a try and see how it transforms your training. Your bodacious meat mountains will thank you.
Are you ready to redefine leg day? Share your results, thoughts, or questions in the comments below, and let’s grow together!