- The Exercises
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- Biceps Workouts
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- Biceps Anatomy
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- Benefits
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- FAQs
Big biceps signal to the world that you’ve put in some serious sweat equity at the gym. The biceps are small muscles, but growing them takes time, knowledge, and intelligent programming. Big biceps don’t just look good — they serve a real function. The next time you pick up your kid, load up a weight plate, or perform a perfect pull-up, that’s your biceps at work.
To help you figure out which is best for you, we’ve compiled 16 of the best biceps exercises into one list. You’ll also get more info on the muscle itself and learn how to incorporate biceps workouts into your routine.
Meet the Experts
This article was originally written by Mike Dewar, CSCS, weightlifter and strength & conditioning coach who founded J2FIT. Alex Polish is BarBend‘s Editor, a certified personal trainer (through the American Council on Exercise), and is certified in Kettlebell Athletics.
Jake Dickson, BarBend‘s Senior Writer, verified this article. Dickson holds a B.S. in Exercise Science, as well as a CPT-NASM certification and USAW-L2 weightlifting certification.
16 Best Biceps Exercises
- Preacher Curl
- Hammer Curl
- Bayesian Curl
- Zottman Curl
- Concentration Curl
- Barbell Curl
- Chin-Up
- Incline Dumbbell Curl
- Spider Curl
- EZ-Bar Curl
- Drag Curl
- Seated Dumbbell Curl
- Cheat Curl
- Crucifix Curl
- Resistance Band Curl
- Cable Curl
[Related: The Best Bodyweight Biceps Exercises You Can Do]
Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.
1. Preacher Curl
[Read More: The 15 Best Dumbbell Exercises You Need for Muscle and Strength]
Equipment Needed: Dumbbell, adjustable weight bench
Why Do It: Curling on a preacher bench lengthens the exercise’s range of motion. As a result, the biceps will be under tension for a longer period of time, which usually equates to more muscle growth.
You can enhance the preacher curl further by working with one arm at a time — the single-arm preacher curl allows you to stretch your biceps out a bit more and target them individually for balanced development.
How To Do It
- Set an incline bench station to about 60 degrees if you don’t have access to a preacher bench.
- Drape one or both arms over the pad of the bench, ensuring your elbow is jammed snugly into the edge.
- Unfurl your arm and lower the weight slowly down until your elbow is almost fully straight.
- Reverse the motion and curl until your forearm is at least perpendicular to the surface you’re resting on.
Coach’s Tip: Keep your body locked into place throughout each rep.
Sets and Reps: With a moderate to heavy weight, perform three to four sets of eight to 12 reps.
2. Hammer Curl
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells
Why Do It: The hammer curl targets both the biceps brachii and brachialis, as well as the brachioradialis muscle on the forearm, for more overall thickness. This will be advantageous whether you’re looking to build out your physique or craft a strong grip to support massive deadlifts.
How To Do It
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand while standing.
- Turn your wrists so that they’re facing each other.
- Keep your arms tucked in at your sides and flex your elbows to curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders. Lower them back down with control.
Coach’s Tip: Focus on squeezing your biceps at the top of each rep to make the most of this move.
Sets and Reps: With moderate to heavy weight, do three to four sets of eight to 12 reps.
3. Bayesian Curl
Equipment Needed: Cable machine, D-handle attachment
Why Do It: To perform the Bayesian curl, you need to stand facing away from the cable tower. This setup allows you the same benefits of the incline dumbbell curl — a greater stretch due to a longer range of motion — coupled with the consistent resistance of the cables, which keeps tension on the muscle throughout the entire movement.
How To Do It
- Set the handles of the cable pulleys to the lowest setting and attach D-handles to each pulley. Pick up a handle in each hand.
- Tense your upper back and let your arms hang so they’re fully extended.
- Curl the weight without moving your shoulders. Hold the top of the movement before slowly lowering the handles with control.
Coach’s Tip: Step away from the cable stack far enough to feel resistance from the cables but not enough to lose structural integrity across your body.
Sets and Reps: Using weight that’s challenging but doesn’t pull you off balance, perform two to four sets of 15 to 25 reps.
4. Zottman Curl
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells
Why Do It: If you want to build bigger biceps, you need forearms that can support all that extra weight. Enter the Zottman curl — it might take you a minute to get used to the movement pattern here. But once you’ve gotten the hang of the rhythm, you’ll feel your forearms fighting on the eccentric while your biceps fire up on the concentric portion. A win-win for bigger all-around arms.
How To Do It
- Take hold of the dumbbells with your palms facing up. Curl as usual.
- Rotate your hands so that your palms are facing down once you reach the top of your rep.
- Lower the weights slowly and with control. When your arms lengthen, rotate your hands again so your palms are facing up.
Coach’s Tip: Move as slowly as you can manage on the eccentric portion. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top of each rep.
Sets and Reps: Use a weight that you can control with a reverse grip on the way down. Perform two to three sets of six to 10 reps with a very slow eccentric (lowering) phase.
5. Concentration Curl
[Read More: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Arm Workout, Explained and Remixed for All]
Equipment Needed: Dumbbell, weight bench
Why Do It: The concentration curl is all about feeling your biceps work. Lifting with one arm lets you concentrate on engaging your biceps one at a time. Plus, you’ll allow your weaker arm to play catch-up with your dominant arm if there’s an imbalance at play.
How To Do It
- Sit on a bench with your feet set wide enough to allow your arm to hang in the middle, with your elbow resting on the inside of the thigh.
- Slowly curl a dumbbell upward at a controlled tempo, concentrating on contracting the biceps to move the load. At the top of the movement, flex as hard as possible.
- Lower the load slowly.
Coach’s Tip: The key is not to lose tension on the biceps at any point in the range of motion.
Sets and Reps: Use moderately heavy weights and perform two to four sets of eight to 12 reps per side.
6. Barbell Curl
[Read More: The 8 Best Biceps Stretches to Support Long-Term Arm Thickness and Strength]
Equipment Needed: Barbell, weight plates, fractional plates
Why Do It: The barbell curl is a classic biceps-builder. This exercise targets the biceps and can increase serious strength and size to the entire muscle when done correctly. You can curl more weight with the barbell curl than other curl variations as you lift a singular implement with both hands.
How To Do It
- Grab a barbell with an underhand grip, slightly wider than the shoulders.
- Pull your shoulders back into their sockets to expose the fronts of your biceps. Your elbows should be under your shoulder joints, or slightly in front by your ribs.
- Curl the barbell up using your biceps.
Coach’s Tip: Make sure not to let your torso lean forward, shoulders collapse forward, or elbows slide backward to the side of your body. Instead, they should stay slightly in front of your shoulders.
Sets and Reps: With moderate to heavy weight, do three to four sets of six to 12 reps.
7. Chin-Up
Equipment Needed: Pull-up bar or power rack
Why Do It: The chin-up can induce serious muscle growth of the biceps (and back) with nothing but a pull-up bar. If you have a door-mounted pull-up bar in your home gym, then that’s all you need to bang out sets of chin-ups.Since you’re working with your entire body weight, your biceps are exposed to loads heavier than you can lift with a barbell.
How To Do It
- Hang from a bar with palms facing you and your hands about shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together from a dead hang.
- Pull your body up, making sure not to let your body fold inward until your chin is at or above the bar.
Coach’s Tip: Imagine drawing your elbows down and back slightly into your back pockets.
Sets and Reps: Using a resistance band to assist you if needed, perform three to five sets of as many reps as possible.
8. Incline Dumbbell Curl
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells, adjustable weight bench
Why Do It: To perform the incline dumbbell curl, you’ll need to lie back on an incline gym bench. Curling from an incline takes the momentum out of the equation so that the lifter can’t cheat the weight up.
Secondly, curling with lengthened, extended arms creates a longer range of motion, ultimately making this curl variation more effective.
How To Do It
- Lie back on an incline bench, angled at about 60 degrees, with a dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms hang so they’re fully extended.
- Curl the weight up without moving your shoulders.
- Hold at the top of the movement for about a second, then slowly lower the dumbbells with control.
Coach’s Tip: Maintain contact between the backs of your shoulders and the bench.
Sets and Reps: With moderate weight, perform two to three sets of eight to 15 reps.
9. Spider Curl
[Read More: 5 of the Best Dumbbell Arm Workouts for Strength, Size, and Time-Saving]
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells, adjustable weight bench
Why Do It: If you’re afraid of the creature this biceps curl variation is named after, don’t worry — no arachnids need to join in the fun. The spider curl provides a chest support so you don’t sway back-and-forth as you curl, ensuring that your biceps alone do all the work.
How To Do It
- Set up an incline bench so that when you lie on it face down, your arms can just barely reach weights on the ground. (Use stable weight plates to raise the bench if needed.)
- Lie on the bench facing the ground, with your chest supported and your head extending over the top.
- Reach down to grab your chosen implement securely then reestablish a stable starting position.
- Curl the implement using only your biceps, avoiding any momentum.
Coach’s Tip: Bear down on your core as you prepare for each rep. This will allow you to focus as much as possible on your biceps during the lift itself.
Sets and Reps: Use a moderately heavy weight, aiming for two to three sets of eight to 10 reps. Hit failure with each set.
10. EZ-Bar Curl
Equipment Needed: “EZ” or cambered barbell, weight plates
Why Do It: Some people experience wrist pain when performing barbell curls. You can work through the discomfort by using wrist wraps, or find a more practical solution, such as using an EZ-bar instead.
How To Do It
- Load an EZ-bar up with some plates or use just the bar itself, then stand upright with your feet under your hips.
- Brace your core and pin your upper arms to your sides tightly.
- Bend at the elbows, curling the bar up toward your chest, until your biceps fully contract.
Coach’s Tip: You can add some extra forearm work into this exercise by wrapping a pair of gym towels around the bar, which makes it harder to grip.
Sets and Reps: Try 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps of EZ-bar curls.
11. Drag Curl
[Read More: The 10 Best Arm Exercises for Major Muscle Growth]
Equipment Needed: Barbell, weight plates, fractional plates; or dumbbells
Why Do It: Almost all biceps exercises involve pinning your upper arm to your torso and keeping it locked there for the duration of your set. However, the main benefits of the drag curl involve exploiting how your biceps insert onto your shoulder blade. By pulling your elbow backward behind you as you curl, you can stretch the biceps at one end and contract at another, creating unparalleled tension.
How to Do It
- Stand upright holding a barbell (or dumbbells) in your hands with a supinated grip.
- Curl the bar up and, simultaneously, pull your elbows back behind your torso.
- Use your biceps to guide the bar up your torso, making very gentle contact.
- Curl until you can’t pull your arms back any further, then reverse the motion.
Coach’s Tip: The bar should gently kiss your shirt, but you shouldn’t drag it along your body hard enough to create any friction.
Sets and Reps: Try 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions on this one.
12. Seated Dumbbell Curl
Equipment Needed: Weight bench, dumbbells
Why Do It: Dumbbell curls are a great basic option for training your biceps. However, holding two weights at the same time can make you prone to swinging your body too much. Taking a seat on a bench reduces the amount of momentum you can generate to ensure you aren’t cheating your form.
How To Do It
- Take a seat on the end of a flat or adjustable bench with your knees bent and your feet on the floor in front of you.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and pin your upper arms to your sides.
- Curl the weights up, either one at a time or simultaneously, until your biceps fully contract.
Coach’s Tip: In the starting position, you can either point your palms forward or at one another. If you do the latter, be sure to twist your wrists as you curl to engage your biceps.
Sets and Reps: Try 3 sets of 8 curls per arm here.
13. Cheat Curl
Equipment Needed: Barbell, weight plates
Why Do It: Good form is integral to successful lifting, but that doesn’t mean you must color within the lines during every single biceps workout. By adding a bit of body English to your standard barbell curl, you can glean several unique benefits. You’ll be able to lift heavier weight, creating more mechanical tension, and you can emphasize the eccentric portion of the curl by lowering the bar slowly after using some force to hoist it up.
How To Do It
- Stand upright grasping a loaded bar as though you were going to perform a regular strict curl. Load up with a bit more weight than you’re used to.
- Initiate the cheat curl by hinging at the hips slightly and, as you bend your elbows, push your hips forward to give the bar a bit of kick.
- At the top, reverse the motion and fight the bar as you lower it down. Resist the weight, stretching your biceps out until your elbow straightens fully.
Coach’s Tip: Contract your biceps hard as you curl; don’t rely solely on momentum from your legs.
Sets and Reps: Hit it hard and heavy with 3-4 sets of 5-8 reps here.
14. Crucifix Curl
[Read More: The 7 Best Smart Home Gyms ]
Equipment Needed: Cable station, D-handle attachment
Why Do It: The crucifix curl, named for the gymnastics pose it resembles, removes any support structure from your upper arm and aligns your biceps with the direction the cable is pulling. Curling from a high, extended arms position is thought to emphasize the short biceps head, which is what builds that coveted biceps peak. While this isn’t a shoulder exercise, you’ll get the added benefit of building a lot of shoulder stability in this position.
How To Do It
- Set a cable pulley to about shoulder height and attach a standard handle to the pulley.
- Stand between the pulleys and raise your arm to shoulder level, keeping your upper arm parallel to the ground.
- Curl the handle toward your head, then slowly lower the load back to the starting position.
Coach’s Tip: You can perform crucifix curls with one arm at a time, or both arms simultaneously.
Sets and Reps: Use a weight that you can control while maintaining your upper arm position. Do two to three sets of 15 to 20 reps.
15. Resistance Band Curl
Equipment Needed: Resistance band
Why Do It: If all you have access to are resistance bands, you can still use them to get a good arm workout in. Bands lack the loading potential of free weights or the consistency of cables, but on the other hand, they’ll fit into your backpack or gym bag. There aren’t many good biceps exercises with no equipment, but the banded biceps curl is certainly one viable option.
How To Do It
- Place a resistance band on the floor and step on it with both feet. Then, grab the handles if the band has them, or hold onto the band itself.
- Pin your arms to your sides and brace your core for stability.
- Curl the band upward as though it were a barbell or dumbbell.
Coach’s Tip: Bands apply increasing tension the more they’re stretched. Prepare for this move to be easy in the beginning but very difficult at the top.
Sets and Reps: Catch a good pump by doing 2 or 3 rounds of 20 curls with the band.
16. Cable Curl
Equipment Needed: Cable machine, straight bar attachment
Why Do It: Free weight biceps exercises are excellent, but they’re not the only thing you need. When you curl a dumbbell or barbell, the movement is hardest at the midpoint of the lift since the weight is furthest from the body. However, the cable biceps curl keeps tension on the muscle throughout the movement, as the weight stack you’re lifting is suspended throughout.
How To Do It
- Attach the desired handle to the pulley of a cable machine set to the lowest height.
- Grab the handle in both hands and take a few steps back so there’s constant tension on the cable (the weight stack should be elevated the entire time).
- Curl the bar up to your chest and then slowly lower it back down.
Coach’s Tip: Focus on setting up the angles of your body and the machine to ensure that the line of pull from the cable lets you focus intently on your muscle contraction.
Sets and Reps: With light to moderate weight, perform two to three sets of 15 to 25 reps.
4 Biceps Workouts To Try
Designing your biceps training is technically as simple as hitting the dumbbell rack and performing curl, after, curl, after curl. However, a good biceps workout should be more; more fun, more engaging, more challenging and, especially, more rewarding. If your arm day needs a touch-up, give any of these five workouts to pump up your sleeve-stretchers.
Biceps Workout for Mass
Here, you’ll strategically mix up the best biceps exercises for mass to create a major arm-builder. You’ll want to aim for 10-14 total sets per workout. Start with one arm workout per week, and then add another once your gains begin to plateau.
Also, you’ll want to rest between 90 seconds and two minutes between each set — long enough so that you can still push yourself on weight, but not too long that you’ll go cold.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Curl | 4 | 8 |
| Dumbbell Hammer Curl | 3 | 10 |
| Cable Curl | 2 | 12 |
| Cheat Curl | 3 | to failure |
Equipment Needed: Barbell, weight plates, fractional plates, cable machine, straight bar attachment, dumbbells, pull-up bar
Biceps Workout for Strength
When you’re training for strength, you’ll keep the volume lower — fewer reps and sets — but you’ll lift heavier weights. It’s also important to make sure the volume isn’t too low, though, so it doesn’t diminish some of your strength and muscle growth.
For this reason, it’s recommended that you stick to a rep range between six and eight reps and do no more than three to four sets. To ensure adequate recovery between sets, rest for as long as two minutes.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Chin-Up | 3 | to failure |
| Barbell Curl | 3 | 6 |
| Spider Curl | 2 | 6 |
| Dumbbell Curl | 2 | 8 |
Equipment Needed: Pull-up bar, barbell, weight plates, fractional plates, dumbbells
Biceps Workout for Bodybuilders
For your biceps to look the most massive and ripped as possible, you as a bodybuilder should do as many reps, exercises, and sets as possible, without overtraining. You’ll also want to work with a variety of different equipment, ensuring that you hit your biceps thoroughly from all angles.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Barbell Curl | 5 | 5 |
| Single-Arm High Cable Curl | 4 | 10 |
| Preacher Curl | 3 | 12 |
| Bayesian Cable Curl | 3 | AMRAP |
Equipment Needed: Barbell, weight plates, fractional plates, cable machine, straight bar attachment, rope attachment, D-handle, dumbbells, adjustable weight bench
Biceps Workout for CrossFitters
The main objective for CrossFitters is performance; not having large arms. If you train for CrossFit, your biceps need to adequately assist you during exercises like pull-ups, rope climbs, on the rowing machine, and so on. The best way to develop your biceps, then, is to combine strength and endurance-focused training.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Chin-Up | 3 | to failure |
| Inverted Row | 4 | to failure |
| Reverse-Grip Barbell Row | 3 | 8-10 |
| Barbell 21s | 2 | 21 |
Equipment Needed: Pull-up bar, barbell, safety spotter arms, squat rack, weight plates, fractional plates, dumbbells
What Muscles Make Up the Biceps
The biceps are called brachii, which is Latin for “two-headed muscle of the arm” — representing the short head and the long head. The biceps are small muscles, but they provide the pivotal function of bending your upper arm. Here are all of the muscles involved:
[Read More: Can You Really Build a Biceps Peak?]
- Biceps Brachii: This two-headed muscle originates on your scapula and inserts onto your forearm. Its two heads perform mostly identical functions, but adjusting how you curl and the position of your upper arm will make an impact. (1)(2)
- Brachialis: This thick muscle sits underneath your biceps and on the outside of your humerus. The brachialis only crosses the elbow joint and doesn’t interact with your shoulder, making it the principal muscle for elbow flexion.
- Brachioradialis: This small muscle is considered part of your forearm, but acts as an assistive muscle during elbow flexion, particularly when you’re performing exercises with a pronated hand.
Benefits of Training Your Biceps
Your biceps are mirror muscles, but that’s not all they’re good for. Strong and muscular biceps help you perform a number of different tasks and can help you out in the gym as well.
- Your biceps help you perform almost all back exercises. Strengthening your biceps will help you do more rows, pull-ups, and other compound exercises.
- Strong biceps can make it easier to carry out daily activities like picking your kids up, hoisting grocery bags into the bar, and more.
- You need to do biceps workouts if you want a balanced and complete physique. If you want bigger arms overall, half of that equation involves your biceps.
FAQs
What is the most effective bicep exercise?
The most effective bicep exercise is the one you can stick with and progress over time. There’s no “mandatory” biceps exercise for mass or strength. If you’re in doubt, start with the basics, such as the barbell or dumbbell curl.
How many bicep exercises should I do per workout?
You’ll want to perform two or three biceps exercises per workout in most cases. Try to select movements that involve different equipment as well, such as one cable-based biceps exercise and one dumbbell biceps exercise.
Do push-ups work out biceps?
No. Push-ups are a chest and triceps exercise. Your triceps lie on the back of your upper arm and extend your elbow. Your biceps perform the opposite movement.
Should I work my biceps every day?
Like any muscle, your biceps need rest in order to grow. Muscle growth happens in the hours between your workouts, not during them. You can train your biceps two or three times per week, but make sure to leave at least 48 hours of rest between workouts.
References
- Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 46(11), 1689–1697.
- Tiwana MS, Charlick M, Varacallo M. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Biceps Muscle. [Updated 2020 Aug 11]. StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan.
Featured Image: mrbigphoto / Shutterstock
