Many weight lifters focus upon improving two muscle groups beyond all others, with the abs and biceps becoming the primary goal of many weight lifting workout routines, often to the detriment of total body development. The biceps are an especially sought after muscle group due to becoming the accepted sign of power and strength, symbolizing bodybuilding superiority, with a large number of bodybuilders obsessing over producing the largest, most aesthetically striking biceps pose. Far too often, weight lifters will even neglect direct triceps exercise, a vital upper arm component, in sole favor of biceps emphasis, rejecting the importance of enhancing complimentary muscle groups.

In the pursuit of a specific biceps contour, bodybuilders experiment with numerous programs, and do so with the hopes of carving a particular biceps shape, usually patterning their goal after another's success, and wanting to produce similar type of progress themselves. They, of course, will adopt an identical routine, with the feeling that by doing so, arm shape will replicate the bodybuilder they aspire to emulate, but after months of training, will find that the biceps do not respond quite as expected. They may gain size, but the shape, which is what many bodybuilders wish to transform, remains identical, so they begin to develop a larger version of what they noticed before starting to train regularly with weights.

The reason this occurs is that unlike far too many are led to believe, biceps shape is not determined by weight lifting workout routines or due to a potent bodybuilding program, but rather is a function of genetics, which is why certain bodybuilders, even those who rely on illegal and dangerous steroids, have a biceps shape that is very flat, while others show an elevated peak with a very appealing, rounded appearance. Two bodybuilders could quite easily follow identical weight lifting plans, and find themselves achieving different progress, all because genetics will determine how a biceps ultimately develops.

Of course, this does not mean that the biceps muscle will not improve through consistent weight lifting effort, as adding size to any muscle will enhance its aesthetic impressiveness, but many seek to reshape their biceps, transforming a flat, pancake-like biceps muscle into a rounded peak, and there is no weight lifting or bodybuilding diet regimen that can help produce such progress. Those with a large, shapely biceps peak were born with the biceps muscle destined to appear in such a way, and if body fat level was low prior to beginning a weight lifting expedition, the soon to be bodybuilder could easily tell that his or her biceps had such a natural contour just by flexing, even though no new muscle had yet to be gained. The possibility of changing biceps shape is one of the most widely accepted misconceptions, and often places bodybuilders in an endless loop as they search for the perfect weight training program that will mold their biceps into the rounded appearance they are striving for.

Realistically, all that any bodybuilder can focus upon is increasing muscle size and reducing body fat to low levels so that the muscle becomes more visible. For bodybuilders who have a high level of fat prior to beginning their weight lifting journey, biceps shape can be a challenge to determine, as fat obscures muscle definition, so body fat must reach reasonably low levels before determining such a characteristic.

But do not be discouraged, as regardless where your biceps currently find themselves in terms of peak, following an effective bodybuilding diet and weight lifting program will allow you to build significant size, which maximizes the genetic potential that you've been granted. In many cases, a bodybuilder who lacks biceps peak may have a well formed chest, legs or back, where others with more pleasing arms are deficient in these areas, so instead of attempting to produce what you have personally defined as the perfect bodybuilder's physique, aim to grow muscle mass to your genetic potential, and reduce body fat as low as your metabolism will allow to bring about the best physique you personally are capable of. In short, seeking a particular biceps shape is wasteful when this is a characteristic beyond any bodybuilder's ability to dictate.