Everybody wants bigger guns. They’re called vanity muscles, and for a reason: girls notice them. If you’ve got strong arms, if you’re triceps and biceps complement each other and form a powerful whole, then you’ll get second looks. Think about it: broad chest, broad shoulders, skinny arms? It just doesn’t work. So while the bigger muscles rightly deserve more of your time and attention, neglecting your biceps can unbalance the whole. Here are three subtle tips to help you get the most out of your next arm workouts—and will help the people at your gym who know what they’re doing from laughing at you.

Let’s kick things off with the number one mistake you’ll see people making at the gym. Unless you’re aware of the temptation of this mistake, you’ll find yourself making it alongside everybody else. From beginners to pro’s, you’ll see them curling dumbbells in the same, mistaken manner. It involves leaning to the side you’re curling, and making a constipated face. The reason people do this is because it allows them to curl more, plain and simple. Instead of standing with a locked back, head facing forward, they curl and try to get their core in on the action, crunching their shoulders forward and to the side. And yes, while it does allow you to curl more, this also heightens your chances of back injury, and distributes the extra weight you’re doing to your core. So what’s the point?

The second biggest mistake people make is to take form too far, and stand there like robots. They lose track of their proper form, and get lost in the robotic stance, such that their elbows creep forward, and they end up curling more and more on a horizontal plane. In this case, it’s not sufficient to keep your back straight if you’re almost punching yourself in the face. The problem with this is that you’re once more taking the weight off your biceps, and placing them more on your shoulders. So don’t do it!

And here’s a tip to help you cheat correctly. Sometimes breaking form in the correct way can give you good benefits—like leaning forward slightly at the bottom of the curl, and then leaning back when you curl the iron back up. This momentum can help you lift heavier, and can be of real assistance if you have shoulder problems or feel pain when doing bicep curls. Remember, don’t overdo it—don’t become one of those guys bucking their hips back and forth and roaring while swinging weights around like they’re about to collapse under them. Rather, add a little momentum just to help get the movement started, and then jack right into the biceps so that they continue and carry the weights up to the top.

If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to spot the people doing it wrong—or right, the next time you go to the gym. And if you see a guy with huge biceps making these mistakes? Then imagine how much bigger his arms would be if he were doing it right.