And to complicate it even further, there's more than just biceps flexing the elbow joint - there's a strong supportive muscle called brachialis lying pretty much right underneath the bicep. So what? Well, a breast implant can do wonders to women by "pushing out" what's already there, and it's a no-brainer that if you have a big muscle "pushing out" the biceps, it creates the image of a very massive arm! Difference is, the implant requires surgery. The arm "only" requires focus and blood'n'guts training.
All right, by now I think we've concluded that biceps are more of the tip of the iceberg, so how would we go about creating those overall impressive guns that look good from every angle? For one thing, we have to train all the different parts of the arm. Most of them should be treated as separate muscles, so try to come up with at least one specific exercise for each part. Oh! And don't forget: Balance above all. 8 sets for one part and 2 for the next won't do. A weaker part will not benefit from tons of extra sets, and before you know it you've overtrained it without really noticing.
My suggestion for a complete arm-blaster:
Hammer curls, 2 sets
Grab two pretty heavy dumbbells and let them hang by your sides with the palms facing your hips. Stand balanced, knees slightly bent, abs tense and shoulders down and back. Exercise by curling your arms up simultaneously with your palms facing each other. Avoid moving your elbows. If you like, you might give it an extra squeeze at the top for a sec or two. Also avoid alternating your arms, as you WILL start cheating as you grow tired! To get an extra burn in the forearms, you can try angling the palms slightly down towards the floor as you slowly descend.
Standing Cable Curls, 2 sets
Attach a straight bar to the lower pulley, stand balanced as described during the hammer curls and simply curl. Think "biceps" and focus on the peak-burn. While the Hammer Curl is more of a power-movement, this is fine-tuning. Try to be as strict as possible and make sure to grind out every last ounce of energy before you put the bar down.
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