Big biceps – they look good, they show strength, and pretty much every gym bro wants them.
But guess what? Bicep exercises aren’t just for the guys in vests pumping out hundreds of curls. Our biceps help us in any picking, pulling, or throwing motion – we need them every day, so aesthetics aside, putting in time to make them strong is really worth your while.
Biceps curls are the ultimate arm-pumper – but are they enough to build big, sturdy biceps? Maybe. But you’d get bored pretty quickly. And we have a few exercises up our sleeve that will give you much more bang for your buck.
So if you’re wondering how to get bigger biceps, then stay with us, as we uncover the best bicep exercises to add to your arm-day workout.
Looking for more arm-pumping exercises? Here’s Six Best Arm Exercises For Your Next Arm Workout.
What Are The Biceps?
Before jumping straight into the fun stuff, let’s take a moment to understand the anatomy of the biceps:
The biceps brachii (or as most of us know them, the biceps) are a large, thick muscle located on the front of the upper arm [1]. They are made up of two heads: a short head, located on the inside of your arm, and a long head on the outside. When you flex your arm, the ‘peak’ shape you see is actually the work of the long head bicep – the bigger and more prominent bicep head. The short head is situated underneath this ‘peak’ to provide support and width.
Now, it’s worth paying attention here: The key to getting bigger biceps is to work both the long and short bicep heads. This will ensure you get a well-rounded, eye-popping shape.
But how? Unfortunately, you can’t completely isolate the heads, and target one or the other. You can, however, perform different exercises, or change your grip width, to emphasize one or the other:
Long Head Bicep Exercises:
Generally, to target the long head bicep, you would choose bicep exercises that involve one of the following:
A narrow grip (e.g. close grip EZ bar curls)
A neutral grip (e.g. hammer curls)
Curling with your elbows at your side
Short Head Bicep Exercises:
Short head bicep exercises usually include one of the following actions:
A wide grip (e.g. wide grip EZ bar curls
Supinated grip (e.g. concentration curls)
Curling with upper arm held out parallel with the floor (e.g. high cable bicep curls)
Brachialis & Brachioradialis
There’s one more set of muscles we need to know about that do most of the heavy lifting when flexing and extending our arms: the brachialis (elbow flexor) and the brachioradialis (forearm muscles). These work in synergy with the biceps to bend the upper arm. In fact, the brachialis alone is about 50% stronger than the biceps, making it essential to muscle function [2]. While the biceps often take all the credit for looking good, these muscles are also partly responsible for the ‘bicep pump’ and strengthening them will allow you to lift heavier.
In summary: The best bicep workouts include short and long head bicep exercises, as well as targeting the brachialis and brachioradialis.
How To Get Bigger Biceps: The 6 Best Exercises
So now we’re familiar with what the bicep muscles are, and what we need to target, it’s time to discuss how we’re going to go about building bigger biceps.
We’ve put together a list of the very best bicep exercises – that aren’t your standard dumbbell bicep curl:
As mentioned, you cannot isolate a single bicep head, but you can emphasize the long or short head through certain exercises, as listed above.
Keep reading to find out more about each of these exercises and how to perform each one correctly.
1. Concentration Curls
Can you really think your way to bigger biceps? Maybe not, but the focus you’ll put on training your biceps during concentration curls is unmatched.
This increased mind-muscle connection during the concentration curls could be part of the reason why it has been rated as the best bicep exercise in several studies [3, 4]. Well, that and the fact that concentration curls isolate the biceps more than any other movement, making them one of the best short head bicep exercises. Rather than recruiting multiple muscle groups to help out in executing the movement, concentration curls place full emphasis on the biceps, increasing hypertrophy. Because of this, you’ll likely want to go a little lighter on the weight and do this exercise after your compound exercises in your workout.
If you’re looking to target your biceps and only your biceps, then concentration curls are your exercise.
How To Do Concentration Curls:
Sit on the end of a flat bench, legs open in a v shape, dumbbell between your legs.
Pick up the dumbbell in one hand, and rest your elbow on the inside of your thigh. The opposite hand rests on your thigh for support.
Grab the dumbbell, palm facing forward. Tighten your core and keep your chest up.
Curl the dumbbell up to your chest, keeping the wrist in a neutral position throughout.
Squeeze your bicep at the top of the rep, before lowering the dumbbell back to the starting position.
Repeat for 8-12 reps, then switch arms.
We recommend performing 3 sets, resting for 1 minute between sets for recovery.
2. Hammer Curls
The (almost) identical sibling of biceps curls, hammer curls are an effective bicep-building exercise if you nail the form.
Hammer curls can be performed unilaterally, by curling one arm, then the other, alternating reps, or bilaterally. We will focus on the traditional, bilaterally hammer curls, moving both arms simultaneously, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try out the unilateral version too.
Hammer Curls Vs Bicep Curls
Unlike dumbbell bicep curls where your palms face upwards, during hammer curls your palms face each other. This small tweak makes this movement primarily a long head bicep exercise, rather than short head, and has the added benefit of engaging the brachialis, brachioradialis and the triceps, leading to well-balanced arms in terms of strength and appearance.
How To Do Hammer Curls:
Pick an appropriate set of dumbbells and stand with your arms by your side, holding them in a neutral grip (palms facing thighs).
Brace your core, keeping your chest up and shoulders back. Curl the dumbbells up, bending at the elbow, moving only your forearms, and keeping your elbows tucked into your sides.
Bend your elbows are far as possible until thumbs are close to the shoulders, palms still facing in.
Squeeze your biceps, pausing for a second, before lowering back to the starting position.
Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 3 sets.
Form check: Make sure you don’t ‘swing’ your body, using momentum to drive the dumbbells up. Your biceps should be doing all the work here. If you find you struggle to stabilize yourself, come down onto your knees to perform the movement, or take a seat on a bench, resting your back against the backrest for support.
3. EZ Bar Curls
The EZ bar is probably not the first piece of equipment you’d go for if we asked you to do bicep curls. But hear us out.
Studies have proven that bicep curls, performed with the EZ bar, are one of the best exercises for big biceps [3]. Unlike a straight bar, the EZ bar only requires a semi-supinated grip, due to the angle of the bar. Not only is this easier to grip for many than a regular barbell (which requires full rotation of the wrists), but the forearm positioning during the curl maximise the activation of the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis – so choosing the EZ bar for your curls will fire up the biceps more than a regular barbell curl.
Using a narrow grip will make this a long head bicep exercise, whereas a wider grip will target the short head of the bicep.
How To Do The EZ Bar Curl:
In a standing position, take hold of the EZ bar, placing your hands on the inside grips, palms facing up. Keep your elbows close to your torso.
Curl the weight up, keeping a neutral spine and wrists straight. Only your forearms should move.
Stop when the biceps are fully contracted. Pause at the top, squeezing the biceps before lowering back down to full extension.
Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 3 sets.
Another reason why we love these is that they are performed in a standing position, which means they not only activate your biceps, but your core and glutes as stabilizers. If building your biceps isn’t your only goal, then EZ bicep curls could be a great exercise for building overall body strength, which will benefit your form during many other free-weight exercises.
4. Preacher Curl
A lesser-known curl variation, but just as effective for bicep gains, the preacher curl is performed in a seated position on an angled bench. The benefit of this? You physically can’t cheat.
Unlike an EZ bar curl, where you could (incorrectly) use momentum to ‘swing’ the weights up, the preacher curl bench fixes your arm in place, isolating the bicep muscles. To put it simply: it’s a game changer for bicep gains.
The positioning of the elbow out in front of your body makes the Preacher Curl a great short head bicep exercise. It is usually performed using the EZ bar, however, you can also a dumbbell to perform both arms or single arm Preacher Curl. The EZ bar will allow you to lift more weight, in a safe manner, but some prefer the freedom of movement of the dumbbells, which can be easier on the wrists and elbows.
Most gyms have a Preacher Curl Bench – if your gym doesn’t, set up a bench on an incline, and stand behind it, placing one arm resting on top of the bench back, holding the dumbbell. Then perform the same as below.
How To Do A Preacher Curl:
Set up the preacher curl machine, adjusting the height of the seat so the top of the pad sits just below your chest when seated. Make sure the EZ bar is placed in the rack with a suitable weight you can curl for the prescribed rep range.
Sit on the machine, facing it. Press your torso into the pad, and reach over to unrack the EZ bar.
Grip the EZ bar shoulder width apart, palms facing up. Rest your upper arms on the front of the pad, feet in contact with the floor.
Curl the EZ bar up to your shoulders by bending your elbows. Pause at the top, squeezing your biceps. Note: The only thing that should move in this exercise is your forearms.
Lower back down to start position, arms fully extended.
Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 3 sets.
Form check: Are you reaching your full range of motion? Make sure you are curling all the way to your shoulders, and extending the arms fully at the bottom of the movement, before curling back up to maximise muscle time under tension.
5. High Cable Bicep Curl
You’ve most likely seen the classic cable bicep curl (if you don’t know what we’re talking about, check out our Best Arm Exercises blog), but what is the High Cable Bicep Curl? It actually mimics the famous front-double-biceps pose in bodybuilding, so if you’re looking to chisel your bis before you take to the stage, then you’ll love this exercise.
The bicep exercises we’ve looked at so far, focus on moving the bicep from a lengthened position (arms down by our side), into a shorted position (flexing the elbow and bringing arms to midline). This stretching and shortening of the biceps is great, but sometimes they need an extra challenge.
This is where the High Cable Bicep Curl comes in, putting the arm in an externally rotated position, challenging the biceps in a different way, and engaging the shoulders more than other bicep curl variations to stabilize the movement. The high position of this exercise primarily targets the short head of the bicep, which is recruited to stabilize the shoulder joint.
How To Do The High Cable Bicep Curl:
On a cable crossover station, attach the stirrup handles to both pulleys, which should be set to the highest tower height.
Stand in the middle of the station and take hold of the handles, arms extended so your body forms a ‘T’ shape.
Stand with feet directly under your hips (or, if you prefer, take a staggered stance). Brace your core to stabilize your body.
Curl the cables in, bending both forearms simultaneously, aiming to get your hands to your ears. Make sure your elbows stay back, in line with your body.
Squeeze at the top of the rep, before curling back to the starting position.
Repeat for 8-12 reps, for 3 sets.
Note: This exercise can also be performed unilaterally (one arm at a time). Whilst this is great for targeting any muscular strength imbalances between arms, studies point to bilateral training (both arms together) as being better for overall strength performance [5].
6. Chin Ups
So you can just curl, curl, curl your way to bigger biceps? That might technically be correct, but by only focusing on the curls, you might miss out on serious gains from other exercises.
We said earlier that to get big biceps, you want to be hitting them from all angles. So here’s a final exercise to add to the mix – chin ups: A compound exercise hitting the muscles in your upper back, shoulders, core, and biceps. If that’s not a win-win for upper back gains, then we don’t know what is!
A chin up is similar to a pull up but uses a supinated grip (palms facing toward you). Whereas in a pull up the lats and back do most of the work, the grip position of a chin up means that during the pull phase, the load is put on the biceps to essentially pull you up. As with the EZ bar curl, a narrower grip will make this a long head bicep exercise, whereas a wider grip recruits the short head more.
How To Do Chin Ups:
Place hands on the bar just outside shoulder width, in a supinated grip.
Arms should be straight as you hang in the starting position. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes, either pointing your feet slightly out in front of you or crossing them behind you.
Pull yourself up, driving your elbows back and down, as you do so until your chin is above the bar. Legs should remain still and neck in a neutral position, head facing forward.
Pause for a second, then lower back down to the starting position.
Repeat for the prescribed rep range.
Chin ups are an advanced movement. At first, you may only be able to perform one or two reps, or maybe none at all. If this is the case, there are some scaling options you can use to ensure you still target the biceps.
Chin Up Scaling Options Include:
Banded chin ups: Grab a long resistance band and loop it around the rig. Pull it down, stepping one foot into it. You can now repeat the same steps as above, but with the resistance band taking some of the load, making the exercise easier.
Machine assisted: Select a weight on the weight stack (this machine is different from any other in that the higher the resistance, the easier the movement is!). Climb up the steps and place your knees on the pad, taking hold of the handles above you, in a supinated grip. Repeat the steps above as if you were performing a regular chin up.
Negative chin ups: Research has found that negative training can successfully lead to increased strength and muscle development [6, 7]. In this case, this refers to the downward portion of the chin up. The easier way to perform a negative chin up is to place a box under the rig, just behind the bar. Stand on the box, and take hold of the rig in a supinated grip as you would for a normal chin up. Jump up to the bar, so your chin is above it, then perform the downward phase of the movement, going as slowly as possible until you reach full arm extension. Let go of the rig, step back up onto the box, and repeat.
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The Takeaway
There’s a lot more to growing your biceps than meets the eye – building this small muscle group takes time and dedication. But armed with the best bicep exercises, you’re already one step ahead of the majority. So add the exercises listed above to your next bicep workout – We guarantee you’ll be seeing some noticeable gains pretty soon!
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FAQs
This is going to vary greatly from person to person and depend on your workout split! In general, we would suggest picking 2 to 4 bicep exercises to pair with your back exercises or other upper body movements. That being said, even just one exercise will provide benefits, but more volume has been found to directly correlate with increased muscle hypertrophy [8].
In this article, we’ve suggested sticking to a rep range of 8-12 reps for 3-4 sets. If your goal is build size, this is the optimum rep range for hypertrophy, so pick an appropriate weight that allows you to stay within this rep range, whilst still feeling challenging.
Traditionally, it was popular to train each major muscle group once a week – i.e. chest day on Monday, legs on Tuesday, back and biceps Wednesday, and so on. This was thought to be the best split for muscle growth as it gave each muscle group a full seven days to recovery, before working it again.
However, research now shows that training muscle groups 2 to 3 times a week leads to increased gains – 3.1% more hypertrophy week-on-week, to be exact [9]. Think of that over a year, and that’s some pretty serious gains to be made!
The answer? If you want to build your biceps faster, train them two to three times a week.
As mentioned, more volume = more hypertrophy. So is it then better to train biceps every single day? The short answer is, no.
There’s a misconception that muscle building is done entirely during the training session. But recovery is actually vital to muscle growth.
Every time you work out, you create tiny, microscopic tears in your muscle tissues. Only during rest, can cells called fibroblasts repair and rebuild the muscle tissue. Therefore, it’s vital to allow adequate time to rest to maximize muscle growth. If you were to train biceps every single day, the muscle group would get overworked and you would likely experience muscular fatigue, which could hinder performance during sessions.
How often you train biceps is going to vary greatly from person to person, depending on age, training experience, and exercise volume. Whilst some may be able to train four focused bicep exercises, every other day, others may find two days a week gives better time for recovery to allow for optimal performance. It is vital to balance training and recovery to reduce injury risk and burnout.
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WRITTEN BY: Alex Kirkup-Lee
Alex is an inhouse Content Writer for Gymshark’s Health & Conditioning categories. A qualified Personal Trainer, CrossFit Level 1 and Functional Fitness Coach, Alex is experienced in training clients from a range of sporting backgrounds. With a passion for functional training, her favorite workout is anything that includes deadlifts, rowing, or wallballs.
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References:
Tiwana, M.S., Charlick, M. and Varacallo, M. (2020). Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Biceps Muscle. [online] PubMed. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519538/.
Plantz, M.A. and Bordoni, B. (2020). Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Brachialis Muscle. [online] PubMed. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551630/.
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Moussa, A. (2011). SuppVersity EMG Series - Biceps Brachii: The Very Best Exercises for Sleeve Bursting Biceps - SuppVersity: Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone. [online] SuppVersity EMG Series - Biceps Brachii. Available at: https://suppversity.blogspot.com/2011/07/suppversity-emg-series-biceps-brachii.html.
Liao, K.-F., Nassis, G., Bishop, C., Yang, W., Bian, C. and Li, Y.-M. (2022). Effects of unilateral vs. bilateral resistance training interventions on measures of strength, jump, linear and change of direction speed: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biology of Sport, 39(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2022.107024.
Hedayatpour, N. and Falla, D. (2015). Physiological and Neural Adaptations to Eccentric Exercise: Mechanisms and Considerations for Training. BioMed Research International, [online] 2015, pp.1–7. doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/193741.
C LaStayo, P., A Ewy, G., D Pierotti, D. and K Johns, R. (2003). The Positive Effects of Negative Work: Increased Muscle Strength and Decreased Fall Risk in a Frail Elderly Population. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10775526_The_Positive_Effects_of_Negative_Work_Increased_Muscle_Strength_and_Decreased_Fall_Risk_in_a_Frail_Elderly_Population.
Schoenfeld, B.J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., Grgic, J., Delcastillo, K., Belliard, R. and Alto, A. (2018). Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, [online] 51(1), p.1. doi:https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000001764.
Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, [online] 46(11), pp.1689–1697. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8.
