need help removing the head

I blew my engine two days back and I'm trying to remove the engine head to determine the extent of the damage. I ran into a problem though, the bolts to remove the head are directly under the cams, so my only options 1) remove the cams then take out the bolts or 2) this is where you guys come in. No mods whatsoever, it's a 5 speed 1995 LS engine. Any help will be appreciated, if this has been answered before then while I'm getting flamed at least point me in the right direction.