8 effective biceps exercises

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

We swing muscles with a barbell and dumbbells, on a horizontal bar and with an expander.

The biceps is a muscle made up of two heads: a long head and a short head. All basic biceps exercises involve flexing the elbow under load: with free weights or on a machine. This changes the range of motion, body position and forearm rotation, which provides a different effect on the muscle.

Pick 1-2 exercises and add them to your workouts. But don't always use the same ones: alternating between different options will help load both heads and stimulate muscle growth.

1. Concentrated biceps curls

A study by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) found that the concentrated lift engages the biceps 97% - better than any other exercise.

Sit on a bench, take a dumbbell in your right hand, and rest your left on your left knee. Press the triceps of your right arm against your inner thigh. Bend your arm at the elbow while lifting the dumbbell, then lower it back and repeat.

Try to press the working part of the body closer to the pelvis, and not to the knee. When you move your arm in this way, at the extreme point, it automatically turns outward, which puts even more stress on the biceps.

Choose the right weight for 8-10 reps: at the end of the set, you should be hard. Do 3-5 sets.

2. Crossover biceps curls

Hook the handle to the lower block, grab it with a straight grip. Bend your arm at the elbow and raise your forearm, while simultaneously turning your palm towards you. Return to starting position and repeat.

You can attach a straight handle and do the exercise with both hands at the same time. However, the work of only one of them allows not only to bend the forearm, but also to turn the arm outward, which increases the load on the biceps.

Do 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps for each arm.

3. Pull-ups with a reverse grip

This exercise is not isolated: it loads not only the biceps, but also other muscles of the shoulders and back. Despite this, these pull-ups are very effective: according to ACE, they activate the biceps by 80%.

Grasp the bar with a reverse grip, lower your shoulders, and bring your shoulder blades together - this is the starting position. Perform a pull-up so that your head is behind the level of the horizontal bar, and then lower yourself to the starting position. Do not pull your chin up trying to reach the bar: the neck should remain straight.

Do 3-5 sets of 10 reps without weight. If you cannot finish the last approaches, then do them point-blank. If you manage to do 10 repetitions, then try weighting - a belt with a chain and a 5 kg pancake. Perform 3-5 sets of weights at close range.

4. Lifting the bar for biceps

Take a barbell with a reverse grip, bend your elbows and raise the projectile to shoulder level. Return to starting position and repeat. Perform the exercise smoothly and under control, without jerking or swinging.

Do 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps.

5. Lifting dumbbells on an incline bench

In this exercise, the arms with the dumbbells are behind the body line, so the biceps curls are performed with greater amplitude.

Sit on an incline bench, grab the dumbbells and lower your arms freely to your sides. From this position, bend your elbows and raise the dumbbells to shoulder level. Put them back down and repeat.

Do 3-5 sets of 8-10 times each.

6. Lifting the bar to the belt

This exercise allows you to better load the long head of the biceps.

Grasp the bar with a reverse grip and tilt your body forward slightly to make it more comfortable. Pull the bar up to your upper abdomen, lower it to the starting position, and repeat.

Perform 3-5 sets of 8-12 times.

7. Lifting dumbbells with supination

In this exercise, you combine flexion of the elbow and rotation of the forearm outward to maximize the load on the biceps.

Take dumbbells with a straight grip, bend your arms and raise your forearms, while turning them outward. At the top point, the position of the hands should be the same as at the bottom: palms facing you. Lower your arms and do the movement again.

Do 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps.

8. Lifting dumbbells with an expander

In this exercise, additional load is provided by the resistance of the expander. In this case, the maximum stress is created at its upper point.

Step on the projectile with two feet, take dumbbells and an expander, turn your palms away from you. Bend your elbows and bring the dumbbells to shoulder level, while turning your forearms outward. Lower, then raise the weight again.

Do 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps. Due to the expander, the exercise becomes much more difficult, so first try to perform it with a small weight. If it's too easy, use heavier dumbbells or choose an expander with more resistance.