The brachialis muscle is often less talked about by bodybuilders and athletes alike. However, this muscle is just as important as other muscle groups of the body.
In fact, the brachialis muscle ensures that you have greater elbow flexibility which is essential for any weight training regimen.
In this post, you will get to learn more about your brachialis including the importance and benefits of a number of popular brachialis muscle workout routines.
What is the Brachialis muscle?
There are several muscle groups in the body and each one plays a minor or major role in your workouts. However, there is one muscle of the upper arm that cannot be ignored.
This muscle is very important as it helps in promoting elbow flexion which enables your forearm to seamlessly draw close to or away from your body with limitless ease.
The brachialis anticus or Teichmann muscle is that muscle in your upper arm located under your biceps brachii and forms part of your cubital fossa, commonly known as the elbow pit. The brachialis function can be felt in all aspects of your daily routines regardless of the volume or intensity.
From simple, less stressful tasks like picking up light objects, and opening mason jars to more compound movements like those involved in a brachialis muscle workout, the brachialis is an important muscle for achieving both pushing and pulling motions during your resistance training regimen.
By engaging in brachialis exercises, you will not only significantly improve the flexibility of your upper arm, but also increase the size of the brachialis muscle while at the same time making your upper arms and biceps appear considerably thicker and bigger.
How to increase Brachialis muscle size
There are several brachialis exercises that you can perform to strengthen and indeed increase the size of your brachialis muscle.
Here are seven (7) brachialis muscle workout routines that you can try out today.
#1. Cable Rope Hammer Curl
The Cable Rope Hammer Curl is one of the many effective brachialis exercises that you can try out. With this workout, your brachialis muscles are placed under sustained stress and well trained, especially when you run drop sets with high-intensity.
To implement this workout, you have to hold onto both ends of a rope handle after it’s properly attached to a low angle pulley machine or cable machine. Stand about 12 inches away from the cable machine with a stationary torso while the arch of your back is neutral.
As you hold either end of the rope handle with your hands, make sure your hands face inward with a palms-in, neutral grip while your thumbs point upwards.
When pulling the rope towards your chest region with your forearms, your elbows should remain in a relatively stable position by your side all through the workout.
#2. Cross-body Hammer Curl
The Cross-body Hammer Curl is a brachialis muscle workout that greatly activates your brachialis, while at the same time deploying less of your bicep muscles.
You execute this workout by either sitting, or standing, while holding dumbbells in either hand. You then lift the dumbbells, one after the other, up to your opposite shoulder level by turning your hands to the inside, and curling them as you lift the weight.
Make sure that when you implement this brachialis muscle workout, you keep a very secure grip of the dumbbells, while your elbows are bent, as you lift, and bring the dumbbells up to your shoulder height for optimal results. You should also make sure that your thumbs remain raised all through the workout.
#3. Dumbbell Hammer Curl
With the Dumbbell Hammer Curl you will train your forearms and biceps. To execute this workout, you can hold a pair of weights preferably dumbbells in either hand whilst in a standing or sitting position.
As you bring the weights in each hand up, you turn to ensure that the palms of your hand face inward. Make sure that your wrists are not entirely turned inward while raising your thumbs as high as possible in the process.
By doing so, you will protect your thumbs from injury whenever you drop your hands and weight after a successful curl.
#4. Dumbbell Prone Incline Curl
Your brachialis muscle will be activated with this workout. The Dumbbell Prone Incline Curl will train your brachialis as your biceps are less active during the exercise.
Follow these steps in executing this brachialis muscle workout,
- Step 1: Hold a dumbbell in each hand while lying face down on an incline bench with your shoulders close to the peak of the inclination.
- Step 2: Extend your arms out in front of you, letting them hang freely. Note that your hands should stay parallel to the floor.
- Step 3: Align your elbows so that your palms are facing forward and close to your sides. This is where everything begins.
- Step 4: Flex your arms fully after fully contracting your biceps to lift the dumbbells. You should exhale as you do so.
- Step 5: Lower the dumbbells by completely extending your arms.
- Step 6: Carry out the required number of repetitions.
#5. Neutral Grip Chin-up
Neutral Grip Chin-up exercises are both a back and arm activation workout. As you execute this exercise with a neutral grip, you will significantly activate your brachialis muscle.
To carry out this exercise, you need to first take hold of the parallel pull-up bar and begin by hanging loosely with your arms out in front of you. This will be where you start.
Keep your elbows flexed and from flailing outward while keeping your head up, your core engaged, and exhaling in the process.
Ensure that your chin is at least as high as the bar, pause for a moment, take a deep breath, and then lower yourself back to the starting position.
To develop strength and muscle in your lats, biceps, forearms, and traps, perform as many repetitions as you can while keeping proper form, aiming for at least two to three sets per session.
#6. Reverse Grip Barbell Curl
Also known as Reverse Barbell Curl, this brachialis muscle workout will target your brachialis by training the muscle with a full range of motion.
You can start this brachialis exercise today by maintaining a firm, shoulder-wide pronated grip of a barbell, that is with the palms of your hands facing the ground.
Keep a straight posture with a neutral spine as you stand while your chest and shoulders are lifted, not slouched. Rest the barbell on your thighs before lifting the barbells once more to your shoulder height at a steady pace.
Control your breathing with each repetition inhaling as you lift the barbell and exhaling as you return the weight.
#7. Zottman Curl
With the Zottman Curl workout, you will quickly activate several muscle groups all at once particularly the muscles of your biceps and forearms.
In executing this brachialis muscle workout, you need to maintain a neutral position and in order to do that you should make sure the weight of the curl is balanced.
You will need to turn the palms of your hands to face each other, as you curl up while keeping your elbows bent.
Maintain proper form throughout this brachialis muscle workout and be wary of gaining too much momentum as you swing back down to e elite another repetition.
In carrying out any of these brachialis exercises, you should note that fast curls tend to train your biceps while you stimulate your brachialis with slow curls.
You should try between 9 and 12 sets for your preferred brachialis muscle workout during a training session and you should run between 3 to 4 sessions in a week for optimal muscle mass gains.
What does the Brachialis muscle do?
Your brachialis muscle is mainly responsible for elbow flexion. As a matter of fact, your brachialis muscle is known to be one of the most vital flexors in your elbow as this muscle will enable the seamless flexion of your elbows at a number of different angles.
Benefits Of Building the Brachialis Muscle
The growth and development of your brachialis muscle through the various brachialis exercises mentioned will provide you with the following benefits;
#1. A Better Grip
The strength of your grip will be massively improved when you spend time training and activating your brachialis muscle.
#2. Enhanced Performance
Your overall athletic performance will be enhanced when your brachialis muscles are properly activated. You will experience improved flexibility, stamina, and strength in your arms with less muscle fatigue.
#3. Greater Arm Strength
Your arm strength will be given a boost when you train to stimulate your brachialis muscle, as this arm muscle helps in giving your arm strength as it enables good elbow flexion.
#4. Lower Risk of Muscle Injury
You will be exposed to a much greater risk of muscle and bone injuries when your brachialis muscles are poorly defined and weak.
However, by engaging in brachialis muscle workout, you will improve your brachialis muscle definition and strength which ultimately will provide you with better joint stability while greatly lowering your risk of training related injuries.
#5. Improved Upper Arm Muscle Definition
By training your brachialis muscle, you will also improve your upper arm muscle definition. Your arm will appear well-toned and more defined than ever before.
Summary
Without a doubt, brachialis muscle exercises will help to build your brachialis muscles which ultimately improves the overall muscle definition, strength, and power of your arms.
Activating your brachialis will help to reduce muscle fatigue during your resistance and high-interval intensity training (HIIT).
However, before you try out any of these workouts, you need to get a mentor to help guide you through your workout by ensuring proper form throughout and reducing your risk of training-related injuries. You can get free coaching from an IFBB PRO bodybuilder here.
