The best bicep exercises are part of the arms training. If the triceps are characterized by giving volume, the biceps are in charge of giving a certain volume as well. However, above all, it is for stylizing the front and lateral aspect of the arm.
It is very important to know the selection of exercises for biceps that will allow you a faster development. That is why today I bring you the exercises for biceps that have given me the best results over the years. They are easy to perform and will allow you to connect with the muscle very easily.
You can do these bicep exercises on a day that is most convenient for you. You can add them in a Pull day, in an arms-only workout, or the typical pectoral-biceps day. On how often to work those, being a relatively small muscle, give them a minimum of 2 days a week. If you find that recovery is quick, consider adding a third day.
Best Bicep Exercises
Here are the best bicep exercises you can do at the gym. Remember, you can also perform them at home if you have the equipment available. Make sure you read the next sections carefully so that you learn about the best bicep exercises. Continue reading!
Drag Curl
The drag curl is not an exercise that is commonly seen in the gym. If you see someone doing it, you might think they are working their back and not their biceps. The truth is that the drag curl is a refreshing way to stimulate the biceps. It is also to give variety to the typical bicep workout.
To do this, load a bar, and with a supine grip and arms positioned at shoulder height. Move the bar from the starting position (arms outstretched) to the final position (upper abs) while moving your elbows to behind.
It is not a matter of just moving the bar up as in a curl, but of moving it slightly in a diagonal direction. The upper part of the abs dictates the end of the movement, and in that position, the biceps are under great tension.
How surely you are not used to this movement, it is best to do it with little weight to learn the technique well. Once you have everything clear, add weight progressively. It is indeed one of the best bicep exercises.
Chin-ups
Chin-ups, also called supine chin-ups, are an exercise originally intended to work the back. However, you can modify them so that most of the stress is directly on the biceps. The key is knowing how to differentiate back from biceps. Do not try to climb generating tension with your back. Instead, think that only the biceps have to be responsible for raising you. It is very important to leave your back out of the equation.
The secret is not to raise your back above the bar. Instead, bring your arms up until you feel that you’ve reached the maximum contraction in your biceps, which is more or less just below the bar. Once at this point, lower yourself to the starting position and repeat the movement. You will quickly notice the work on the biceps.
Something else to keep in mind is that you have to grip the bar at shoulder height. In this way, the elbows will be in a safe and stable position to carry out the movement. Keep in mind that I think this is one of the best bicep exercises.
Hammer Curl
The movement is not much different from a conventional curl. With your arms straight, bend your elbows until your biceps are fully contracted. From there, go back to the beginning and repeat. A different way to do the hammer curl is to cross it across the chest instead of straight. To do this, stick your elbows to your body, and with the dumbbell practically touching your chest, complete the movement as I explained before. Here is the video.
Preacher curl
The preacher curl is a great exercise for working the entire biceps, allowing the user to easily notice the contraction. Also, it enables you to stretch the muscle by keeping their arms close to the bench. Personally, the best bar to perform this exercise is the bar. It allows you to have your wrists in a much more comfortable position than with the traditional bar.
There is not much mystery with the movement to follow. Load the bar, and with your arms close to the bench. Bend your elbows until you have the bar at the height of the biceps, generating the maximum contraction.
The mistake most people make is cheating to raise the bar by forcing your back. If you detect that this is happening to you, unload the bar a little and focus on using your arms exclusively. If not, your muscle gains can be quite affected since the biceps involvement will be quite small.
Another great alternative to doing the preacher curl is to use dumbbells on one side. You get to connect very well with the muscle in this way. So much so, it is one of the best bicep exercises to strengthen them.
Barbell curl
One of the classic bicep exercises. This exercise will develop the muscle very completely, but doing it well and without cheating is key. It is because, with the preacher curl, it is easy to overdo the weight and end up pulling with the back.
Something to keep in mind is that you don’t just have to bend your elbows. However, we have to separate them a bit from the body when we raise the bar, since this way the elbows do not suffer as much.
By this, I mean that the bar, in its final position, if you have done it correctly, has to be more or less at neck level. This type of curl can be done in the same way with dumbbells or on a pulley. There isn’t a better way to do it, so pick the option that you like best.
Inverted bicep curl
The barbell curl requires a supine grip to function. The inverted bicep curl is with a prone grip, involving the brachialis and part of the forearm. When using this grip, we will have to unload the bar a lot. We will not have the same strength as with the other exercises for biceps.
Dumbbell Concentrated Bicep Curl
The dumbbell concentrated bicep curl is a very hard exercise. However, if done well, it has the disadvantage that it is very easy to cheat due to the posture in which we have to perform it. So, it can involve the back without one realizing it, and it must be avoided at all costs.
The key to this movement is to place your elbow on the inside of your leg (abductor) and keep your back straight. Choose a weight that allows you to perform this exercise without moving your elbow or back. If you find that you are not able to maintain the posture, reduce the weight.
It is very important to perform a full range of motion. Contract well in the concentric phase and the low eccentric phase until you notice how the muscle is stretched well. If you stay halfway, you will reduce the benefits of exercise, so push yourself to complete the course.
Barbell Curl 21
The 21 barbell curl is still the classic barbell bicep curl. However, this time you do 21 reps, 7 on the top of the biceps, 7 on the bottom, and 7 normal reps.
Due to the high number of repetitions performed, you will surely have to unload the bar a bit. You usually do it if you want to reach the end of the exercise. With this exercise, you will notice a good burn and it ensures a complete work of all the muscle. Above all, think about not swinging your back!
Spider curl
The spider curl is a challenge. You can perform it with the torso supported on an inclined bench. It also requires you that your arms stay in the air without any surface to lean on, they will suffer a lot.
To raise the dumbbells, you must try to concentrate all the tension on the biceps. You have to avoid rocking that may involve the back or even the shoulders. But, you have to worry about leaving your legs parked on the ground.
However, without tensing those, since we want them stabilizing but not generating force for the movement. So, find a comfortable position and strengthen those biceps. If you want to take the spider curls to the next level, do negatives for 5 seconds. Hold in the concentric phase for 2 seconds. I assure you that you are going to cry from the stiffness that it will generate. I believe this is one of the best bicep exercises you can do at the gym.
Incline dumbbell curl
The incline dumbbell curl is a demanding exercise, so save it for the beginning of your bicep workout. This curl requires a bench inclined at approximately 45 degrees. It is not advisable to do it with the torso completely straight. The elbows should work more than necessary, and below 45 degrees, the tension of the exercise is lost.
You can work both biceps at the same time or unilaterally, choose the method you prefer. If you want to increase the intensity of the incline curl, while with one arm you perform a repetition. Instead of having it stretched, keep it in the concentric phase by performing an isometric repetition. Repeat the same changing arms each time you complete a repetition. Try it hard right?
Lateral high pulley curl
This curl requires the use of pulleys and is a great way to pound the muscle with little weight at high reps. Place two pulleys at the height of your head. With your arms straight, contract the muscle with your elbows parked while trying to touch your ears with your knuckles.
I advise playing with the positioning of the arms until you find a comfortable position. In my case, for example, I need to have them a little in front of the body. Otherwise, my shoulders remain in a slightly uncomfortable position. It is one of the best bicep exercises.
How to Fully Develop Your Biceps
It’s no secret that the vast majority of people want to fully develop their biceps. The problem is that many spend several years in the gym without achieving significant development of their biceps. That’s why we took a look at what science says about bicep optimal training and found a way to make your biceps explode.
The bicep is a muscle made up of two muscle strands that connect your shoulder to your elbow. The main function of this muscle is the flexion and supination of the forearm. Due to the biomechanics of this muscle, the potential for extreme muscle development increases. This is when you use supine grip workouts, that is when the hands and palms point towards you.
The distance between our hands when we grasp a bar can also affect the activation of this muscle. According to a study, separating the hands 20 cm more than the shoulders stimulates the muscle slightly more than if we use a grip at shoulder height. In contrast, bringing our hands together at just 10 cm produces a significantly lower activation, although the short strand is stimulated a bit more.
It is important to emphasize that separating the hands of 20 cm puts great stress on our wrists and the level of activation is only slightly higher. So we recommend using a grip generally at shoulder height.
There are hundreds of different exercises to work your biceps. We analyzed the exercises that cause the most muscle activation in the biceps and found that some exercises cause different activations depending on the range of the exercise. I have given you a list of the best bicep exercises that you can do at home or at the gym. Good Luck!
