bicep-most useless?

[kickureface]

i've thought so for a while. yet it was the first muscle i developed and trained a few years ago
then i started to think biceps were useless. what do you guys think of its functionality?? i'm sitting on the fence now.

 

[Chillisauce]

It is only a small muscle in the arm so you cant really expect it to be the be all and end all of functional strength. Now if you want to discuss the functionality of arm strength v pecs v leg strength you really need to define what you need to do better, its kind of like starting a topic saying 'green is more useful than blue, discuss..'.

 

[Rhoto]

I don't think that there are any "useless" muscles, it just depends what you train for. When was the last time you used your inner thighs?

A crew member probably has much stronger biceps/back than a guy who loads lumber onto a pick up truck. Crappy example, but calling the most exercised muscle useless is odd.

 

[speed dawg]

The biceps is sort of like the hamstring, as it is used mainly in unison with your arm, shoulder and back. The only time you will ever do a curl or leg curl in real life is when, frankly, you're doing those two exercises.

That being said, biceps are great if you're into bodybuilding and looking good.

I don't do curls or leg curls. Instead, try chin-ups and stiff legged dead lifts, which reflect more real life movements and in essence, promotes more growth. IMO, anyway.

 

[shaunuk]

Well, in "real life" when you pick things up, everyday objects are rarely heavy enough to warrant recruiting your back muscles, so your biceps are used as long as the load is sufficiently light.

i.e. imagine picking something up off the floor...it's light a really light dumbbell row

 

[Cry For Love]

when picking stuff up its more of a deadlift movement anyway, not a rowing/curling type. I agree that using bicep strength is very uncommon in real life because most movements dont have any arm curling at all to them or have very little of it. Why curl your arm to do a job when its easier to do the job by moving the shoulder which has way stronger muscles around it.

 

[speed dawg]

I take it back, there is ONE other function where you use your biceps - arm wrestling. Well, if you know what you're doing anyway.

 

[MrS]

Arm wrestling isn't even biceps.

 

[Rampage1]

yeah arm wrestling is mostly shoulders. After a night out I played arm wrestle for like a half hour against my brothers....couldn't feel pain at the time because I was pissed but the next day I couldn't move my shoulder

 

[speed dawg]

Arm wrestling isn't even biceps.

Yeah, OK. Like I said:

Well, if you know what you're doing anyway.

You probably don't fall into that category. Matter of fact, I know you don't.

 

[Cry For Love]

I have heard of guys tearing their biceps during arm wrestling, so its obviously business time for that muscle.

 

[int3l]

while we're talking bout arm wrestling, someone wanna tell me how i can improve? it pisses me off how i bench, deadlift and squat waaay more then my buddies and yet i suck at arm wrestling.

 

[eldafar]

Arm wrestle more, against stronger opponents.

 

[kickureface]

let's not talk about arm wrestling.
i'm just talkin about either real life functionality or powerlifting (ie triceps help greatly in bench, and biceps help greatly in ...?)
i've noticed carrying big boxes, which is much more clumsy than a bar, recruits my biceps isometrically.

 

[cuzza]

ie triceps help greatly in bench, and biceps help greatly in ...?)

... any pulling movements.

 

[Kerpal]

I always thought the biceps was the most useful muscle... that's why it's the only one most people at my gym work

 

[Cry For Love]

... any pulling movements.

Oh come on, traps and lats do way more work in any pulling movement unless you specifically lock your elbow in place (ie curls), biceps are only an assisting muscle

 

[shaunuk]

let's not talk about arm wrestling.
i'm just talkin about either real life functionality or powerlifting (ie triceps help greatly in bench, and biceps help greatly in ...?)
i've noticed carrying big boxes, which is much more clumsy than a bar, recruits my biceps isometrically.

Well there ya go then...Biceps stabilise the elbow joint, so imagine trying to carry something heavy with no biceps. They also assist in pulling movements, even in 'real life'. When lifting something off the ground even just a little bit of the movement is gonna be a 'row' type motion, so your biceps will be used. Also in carrying things like you said, where the bi's are stabilising the elbow joint.

 

[kickureface]

bleh. i was hoping for more
a few weeks ago i was wishing to strip my bicep meat and pack it onto my triceps

 

[cuzza]

Oh come on, traps and lats do way more work in any pulling movement unless you specifically lock your elbow in place (ie curls), biceps are only an assisting muscle

And what?
That's like saying triceps are useless, because in a lot of presses they assist the chest.

Also, you can specifically pull with them if you wish, hence, not useless.