Top 12 biceps exercises with dumbbells and barbells for the gym and at home

April 16, 2021 Admin Home page » Tips and tricks

Are your hands lagging behind in volume?! Chances are you're training them wrong, look to the best exercises and blow up your arms.

If in the physical development of the body the biceps begins to lag behind powerful legs, strong pectoral muscles and broad back muscles, then it is time to correct this imbalance, introduce the best biceps exercises and reduce body imbalances to a minimum to create a truly athletic figure.

The list of exercises proposed below is aimed at achieving various sports results - increasing strength, strengthening your grip, speeding up your strike or making a more powerful throw.

ARM CURL WITH DUMBELLS ON SCOTT BENCH

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE – take a dumbbell in your hand, no matter your left or right, whichever is more convenient, start with it, then rest your working hand on the bench cushion so that it is strictly fixed and does not move to the sides, fully extend your arm at the elbow joint.

Before lifting, tense your abdominal muscles, your feet are firmly on the floor, your non-working hand lies on a pillow to fix the position or on your thigh, then bend your arm and lift the dumbbell up, just make sure that the tension is in the biceps, do not throw it too high on your shoulders, then lower it down.

TIPS – start with light warm-up weights, gradually moving up to heavy ones. To get the most out of your biceps, perform negative reps on the last set, take a decent-sized dumbbell and, using your other hand, lift the dumbbell, but lower it only with your working hand and slowly.

Standing barbell curl

• Walk up to the barbell and grab it with your palms facing up. Keep your hands at shoulder level.
• The look is direct. As you inhale, bend your elbow joints, bringing them to the level of the top point of your chest.
• Elbows should remain motionless while working.
• When lifting, do not lift the barbell too high; keep it parallel to the floor.
• Having reached the peak, you need to very smoothly lower the unit. Elbows should not be fully extended; keep the muscles tense.
• When lifting, you should not engage your body.

Tips: You can change your grip on a straight line. It is better to include the exercise first in a set of classes. Raise the unit only by bending the elbow joints. You should not lift too much weight to avoid harming yourself. You can also watch a video that shows the correct technique for performing a hand base.

BICEPS CURL WITH RUBBER

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE – step on the rubber with both feet, feet shoulder-width apart, back straight, abdominal muscles tense, then holding both ends of the rubber in your hands, perform arm curls up to your chin, straightening your arms, do not let your biceps rest, keep it in constant tension. This is usually used at the end of a pumping exercise.

TIPS – To make your arms as engorged as possible and visually enlarge them for a short period of time, perform the maximum amount of flexion at speed for 30 seconds.

Training program

Both basic and isolating exercises for biceps in the gym must be present. Almost all tasks are simple in appearance, but complex in execution.

Barbell Curl

A classic task that requires an underhand grip, but the hands can be positioned at a comfortable width. For this exercise, it is better to take a barbell with a curved bar, which allows you to better position your hands.

The body must be kept straight, feet shoulder-width apart, and it is not recommended to fully extend the elbows.

Mandatory technical details:

• elbows pressed to the body;
• you can press your back against the support;
• downward movement is slower than upward;
• It is not recommended to relax the flexors in the lower phase.

Pull-ups

When using a horizontal bar in biceps exercises, use a narrow or wide grip. In other cases, the emphasis shifts to the back muscles.

The exercise can be difficult for beginners due to weak arms.

Professionals know how to pump up biceps in the gym on the bar without experience; you need to pay attention to the following exercise:

• You need to take additional weight and grab the horizontal bar with a narrow reverse grip, stretch with the strength of your biceps, bending and extending your arms as much as possible. The predominant force here will still be on the flexors.
• If you get regular pull-ups, then you need to perform them smoothly, which helps work the entire muscle. In this type of exercise, it is recommended to increase the load by increasing the number of repetitions. Over time, your arms can be straightened completely, improving your range of motion.

Alexander Shestov

TRX Certified Trainer

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In the simulator, for training purposes, you can use a crossover with an installed upper or lower block. In any case, the pull is carried out with a narrow grip, while the body and head are moved slightly back. When performing overhead movements, it is recommended to use a hip brace. For this task, lifting your entire body is incorrect, because the load from the biceps muscle will move to the back.

Scott bench exercise

The simulator allows even a girl to perform arm curls to the full amplitude. Thanks to the curved bar, the exercise is quite difficult to perform incorrectly. Technically, the mass of inventory moves easily, but only in the first stages. In the last upper phase, the execution is more difficult, but in order to complete the required number of bends, you need to focus on medium or light weight. To upgrade, it is recommended:

• do not take your hands off the roller;
• adjust the height of the equipment to suit your own back;
• take your time and do not make sudden movements.

Using dumbbells

Biceps exercises with dumbbells are easy to perform and accessible to beginners. You can sit standing, sitting, or tilt up to 45 degrees. For the biceps muscle, the following is recommended:

• flexion;
• hammers;
• concentrated lift.

You can lift dumbbells with each hand separately, while holding the equipment correctly perpendicular to the floor.

For example, hammers are performed with dumbbells lowered down, the hands need to be turned inward, and the triceps are pressed to the body. The forearm should remain motionless during flexion. The arm is bent until the muscles contract completely, the projectile moves to the same level as the shoulder. A short pause and return of the hand to its original position is recommended. The hammer can be done on a bench with support, and the movement with the arms is done at the same time.

Concentrated lifting of dumbbells is performed while holding your breath while rotating the wrist as much as possible. The bundles contract due to rotation, so the wrists must be rotated in the opposite direction when extending the arm.

Standing barbell lift	8–10 times, 3–4 sets
Hanging on a horizontal bar with additional weight	10–15 times, 3 sets
Crossover exercise	10–15 times, 3 sets
Scott bench exercise	10 times, 3–4 sets
Exercises with dumbbells	15–30 times, 3–5 sets

BENDING WITH TRX LOOPES

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE - a new direction in biceps training that appeared not so long ago, attach one side to a horizontal bar or crossover, and on the other side, install the handles at chest level, move the supports away to a distance of at least an outstretched arm and begin to perform biceps curls. The torso, legs and shoulders are fixed, only the biceps work.

TIPS – to make the exercise more difficult, during the biceps curl, position your body at a 45-degree angle, as shown in the photo, this will further train your core muscles.

How to train the biceps muscle

Biceps are synergists of the back muscles. In many back exercises they are included in the work. This, of course, tires the muscle and affects your performance in subsequent arm exercises.

Therefore, the best option for biceps growth is to train it twice a week: once with the back and once with the triceps or chest.

On back day, the biceps should not be overloaded, as you will not have enough energy to work them out effectively. So just get the blood flowing through your muscles.

But on a day when you don’t have back exercises in your program, load your biceps to the fullest. You can alternate exercises for biceps and triceps, combine training with shoulders or legs, do biceps trisets, double sets and other combinations.

To make it more convenient, we provide below a list of effective exercises for biceps in the fitness room.

Carefully familiarize yourself with the technique of performing them. If possible, do several repetitions in front of a mirror. Assess how well you feel the muscle working and how accurately you perform the movement. You can ask a friend, or better yet a coach, to watch you. After all, it’s always clearer from the outside. There's a lot you can't see with your own eyes. Sometimes it can be difficult to fully feel the work of muscles, since there is not enough experience.

And remember that purposefully pumping up only the biceps will only lead to a slight increase in the volume of the arms and strangely bent elbows. After all, undeveloped triceps will not be able to constantly restrain the trained biceps muscle.

The position of your hand in a relaxed state is the balance of the antagonist muscles. So, to maintain this balance, do both biceps and triceps exercises.

In addition, triceps make up two-thirds of the volume of your arms, so for harmonious development and effective mass growth, they should also be given attention.

BICEPS HOOK CURL

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE – perform the exercises both with a regular barbell and in a Smith machine, the starting position is the same as when bending your arms with a barbell, but here the elbows are pulled back and the bar moves strictly up and down along the line of the body, and not in an arc as usual. At the top point, additionally tighten your biceps and slowly lower the bar straight down.

TIPS - at the top point of the lift, the elbows should be bent around 80-90 degrees, this is how the maximum peak of the biceps is achieved; this exercise should not be done more often than 2-3 times a month.

Introduction

Biceps are a part of the body that many unreasonably consider to be the main one and often spend too much time training them, forgetting about other muscle groups. You can often see guys in the gym who pump their biceps two or even three times a week, stroking their pride with the misconception that “the more often you pump, the faster it will grow.” But we are not talking about them now. Here we will describe the most effective exercises for the biceps, as well as for the forearms.

In this article we will look at the muscles that are somehow involved in flexing the elbow joint. These are primarily the biceps brachii muscle (biceps), brachialis muscle (brachialis) and forearm muscles. As we already understood, biceps are needed to bend the arms at the elbows. The muscles of the forearms help with the work of the wrists. Accordingly, training the biceps and brachialis consists of all kinds of arm curls. The forearms are trained by flexing and extending the wrists.

STANDING BICEPS RAISES

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE – a basic exercise that increases the mass and strength of the biceps, take the barbell in your hands, your torso is straight, your abdominal muscles are tense and with a powerful movement, without bending back, bend your arms. Do not throw your arms back all the way to your shoulders, otherwise the load will go away; leave a distance of at least 20cm. to the deltas.

TIPS - when doing curls, make sure that your elbows remain as close to the body as possible and are not mobile, this is the only way your biceps will get maximum pumping and a powerful workout.

BICEPS CURL IN A MACHINE

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE – the exercise technique is similar to exercise No. 1 with the difference that perform the exercise not with free weights, but in a machine. The main thing is to choose the right seat height so that the load on the biceps is felt as much as possible. At the top point, strain your biceps as much as possible, this way you will additionally engage muscle fibers in the work.

TIPS - do not tilt your body back or make jerky movements, the risk of injury in this case increases, and the effectiveness of biceps training decreases.

Preventative tips

Helpful tips are aimed at improving your training as well as the safety aspect. For example, it is important:

• wear gloves when doing pull-ups, as without them you can easily fall;
• Carefully use equipment in various tractions; mistakes lead to injuries. You need to work with gloves or use magnesium.
• Lower the weights slowly on almost all exercises. Harshness can cause a bicep strain that takes a very long time to heal.
• use the appropriate weight. When working, you need to clearly understand the dangers of using heavy barbells and dumbbells and correctly calculate your own strength.

To pump up your biceps, it’s enough to train weekly in the gym. In a circle of exercises, you can use 4 sets with a minute's rest between tasks. Other techniques in combination are not recommended. An ideal complex should contain only a basic biceps program. The use of exercise machines improves muscle development, allowing you to increase productivity.

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LIFTING THE EZ-Bar WITH A REVERSE GRIP

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE - this exercise perfectly trains the forearm and the muscle lying under the biceps - the brachialis; as it increases in size, it raises the biceps, making it visually larger. While bending, make sure that your elbows remain in place, this is the only way the load will go to the right place.

TIPS - it would be correct to take the grip on the second bend, this is a more natural position for the hands and trains the muscles better.

EXERCISE – HAMMER

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE – another exercise aimed at training the forearm, with the difference that, unlike conventional dumbbell bending, there is no rotation of the hand (supination), and the dumbbell is moved with a neutral grip in one position when the thumb is pointing upward.

TIPS - To get the most out of your biceps, start with double-arm curls, and when you feel muscle failure, start doing alternate-arm curls. An additional 2-3 repetitions will better stimulate muscle growth.

CONCENTRATED BICEPS CURLES

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE – sit on a bench, rest your elbow on the lower part of your quadriceps, tilt your body forward and lift the dumbbell up with a concentrated movement. Do not pull the dumbbell with your whole body, just move your arm up and down. Don’t forget to breathe correctly, exhale when going up, inhale when going down.

TIPS - in order to pump up the peak of the biceps well, this exercise must be performed at least once a week and at the very end of the arm workout. No matter how hard it is, do not shift the elbow support towards the groin, it should be almost near the knee, if the weight does not give in, reduce it, but do not violate the technique.

Biceps muscles

The biceps consists of 3 small muscles:

1. Long/outer head (caputlongum).
2. Short/inner head (caputbreve).
3. Shoulder muscle (brachialis).

The heads are sometimes called the biceps muscle; they are located on the outer/upper side of the arm, so the main attention is paid to them, working on volume and relief. The brachialis muscle supports the biceps from below, giving volume. So we can note the brachioradialis muscle (brachioradialis), it transmits a flexion moment to the forearm, ensuring its movement. When working on the biceps muscles, it is important not to forget to work the forearm muscles.

HOLDING THE PANCAKE AT STATIC

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE – an excellent exercise for the biceps, like an abdominal plank, a static exercise that strengthens the biceps, making it more resilient. The essence of the exercise is simple, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, extend your arm forward and turn it palm up, place a weight on top of your palm that you can hold for at least 30 seconds. The second hand rests on the side to stabilize the body.

TIPS - to hold the dumbbell longer, tighten your core muscles, this will allow you to better balance your torso; if your lower back experiences discomfort, wear an athletic belt.

ARM Curls with Dumbbells on an Incline Bench

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE – take dumbbells and lie on an inclined bench at an angle of 45 degrees, shoulder blades and the back of your head are pressed tightly against the back and from this position, bend your arms, during the exercise do not lift your head and back from the gymnastic bench, your gaze is always directed to the ceiling.

TIPS - when performing lifts and lowerings, make sure that your elbows remain in place and do not go back; they are allowed to move a little forward during the process of lifting dumbbells for biceps.

Reasons why biceps don't grow

A common problem is that at some point the arms stop growing. Some attribute it to genetics, others understand that they are eating or training incorrectly. Sometimes these parameters are sometimes combined. If a person is a frail ectomorph, then the biceps will grow with a noticeable “creaking”.

Among the main reasons why hands refuse to grow:

1. Overtraining of the biceps;
2. Unproductive approach to training;
3. Incorrect exercise technique;
4. Monotonous workouts.

You should especially look at the third point. Main mistakes:

• Regular cheating;
• You spread your elbows to the sides;
• When bending, you raise your elbows up;
• Unconsciously, the amplitude is too short.

REVERSE GRIP PULL-UPS

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE - an exercise that does not require special equipment, to perform it you only need a horizontal bar, grab it with a reverse grip, pull yourself up to the level of your chin and slowly lower yourself, almost completely straightening your arms, leaving a slight tension in your biceps. Do not allow the body to swing, otherwise the amplitude will make the exercise easier and the biceps will receive less load.

TIPS - for those who can perform more than 12 times, hang a pancake on your belt, and for those who cannot pull yourself up, first put a stool, pull yourself up a little with your legs while standing on it, and lower yourself solely using your own body weight.

Secrets for biceps training

All outstanding bodybuilders have their own ideas for pumping up huge biceps. For example, German bodybuilder Gunter Schlierkamp recommends following 5 tips:

• Biceps should always be pumped together with triceps . Moreover, it will be completely pointless if you decide to train your tired arms after your back. There is another side to the coin - you will not be able to fully load your back muscles if the day before you did a killer biceps workout. Based on this consideration, the split should be built correctly.
• Biceps will not grow if you load them with heavy weights . When training your arms, you need to take a different approach. Lower the weight on the bar and stand with your back to the wall. With the help of such a simple secret, your hands will receive additional stress.
• Hammer your biceps more often . The exercise trains the shoulders, and they, in turn, push out the upper biceps.
• Swing at a slow pace . Forget about jerks forever. They will not give you the desired growth, but you can easily get injured.
• Don't forget about alternate dumbbell lifts . It is enough to change the grip so that all the beams are pumped.

If you do not rely on the advice of bodybuilding stars, then simple recommendations will be as follows:

• Beginners do not need to focus on biceps . A number of athletes do not train their arms at all at first, but they still grow. To do this, you should do the bench press.
• Forget about daily workouts . Your body is not made of iron. If you continue to “plow” in this mode, you can get overtrained.
• Perform isolation exercises only together with basic exercises . Otherwise, the training will go down the drain.
• Biceps grow with 8-12 repetitions . Doing less will only increase strength. One approach lasts on average 40-50 seconds.
• It is recommended to change the training set slightly every month and a half . Otherwise, the muscles adapt to the load.
• Add weight every three workouts . Beginning athletes misunderstand this advice and suddenly add 5-10 kilograms. Everything is much simpler - hang 0.5 kilograms on a barbell. Even such a small weight can produce results.

BENDING ON THE LOWER BLOCK WITH ROPE HANDLE

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE - attach a rope handle to the lower block of the crossover, first take a step back so that in the extended position the weight remains suspended, which will automatically maintain tension in the biceps. Place your hands in a neutral grip with your thumb pointing upward and curl your arms while keeping your elbows as close to your body as possible; at the highest point of the lift, tighten your biceps as much as possible to achieve the peak of the contraction.

TIPS - To make the exercise more difficult, perform the lift with each arm in turn, it is very important to keep the torso in a stable position, not allowing it to swing, thereby directing the maximum load to pump the biceps.

BICEPS CURL ON THE UPPER BLOCK

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE - the final exercise on our list, which is performed using a crossover. To do this, hang the D-handles on the upper blocks, standing between them, hold them with outstretched arms, then turn your palms up and curl your biceps. It is very important that the triceps are parallel to the floor, maybe a little higher, but not lower.

TIPS - for more detailed pumping of each arm, perform arm bending one at a time, just make sure that the arm bending occurs when the torso is standing sideways to the upper block, the other hand holds the hand on the belt to stabilize the body.

Switch up your biceps exercises periodically using these best biceps exercises, but remember the chain, compound exercises first, then isolation exercises. Don’t get hung up on 2-3 exercises, change them constantly, not allowing your muscles to get used to the load. Effective training and big biceps, good luck!

General recommendations

1. Before you start pumping up your biceps, you should know that the genetic characteristics of the body play a decisive role in the appearance of the arms. In other words, the relief and beauty of the hands largely depend on hereditary factors. The mission of training is only to work out the existing muscles.
2. A set of exercises for pumping up the biceps is aimed at working out all the muscle fibers of this group, that is, it will not be possible to “pump up” a separate part of the arm.
3. To avoid injury, before training, you need to warm up your muscles and do warm-up exercises.
4. The optimal number of biceps training sessions per week is 2-3. If you exercise more often, the likelihood of getting microtrauma increases. In this state, the muscles will not be able to fully recover and will become very sore.
5. Biceps peak training should consist of 3-4 exercises. The optimal number of approaches is 3-4, the number of repetitions is 8-12.

We also recommend studying this topic:

Biceps machine

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Important! Biceps exercises in the gym are performed at a calm pace. One set should last at least a minute.

You can achieve results only if you follow the exercise technique and a healthy lifestyle.

1. To prevent your muscles from getting used to the load, you should alternate exercises every 3-4 workouts.
2. You can achieve sculpted biceps by alternating weight training with exercises to strengthen your arms, back, and chest.
3. Under no circumstances should you allow pain to appear in your wrists. If you experience any discomfort, you should stop doing the exercise.

Important! To avoid injuries during training, you need to use special gloves and cue balls.

1. You can achieve the maximum training effect if you work hard, that is, there is no point in performing exercises in 2 approaches.
2. To achieve results, it is not enough to know how to train your hands correctly. A nutritious balanced diet and 8 hours of sleep are the best friends of any athlete.

Fact! Athletes with low body weight find it difficult to pump up “cans” of more than 38 cm in girth. To have powerful arms, a bodybuilder must weigh at least 85 kg.

Sculpted biceps can be pumped up not only in the gym. Some athletes train at home with weights, dumbbells, or on the horizontal bar on the sports field.

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