Building bigger biceps isn’t just about vanity; stronger arms are vital for functional strength, improving your overall upper-body performance and helping in sports that demand arm endurance, such as boxing or rock climbing. Biceps consist of two heads—the short head and the long head—that work together to flex the elbow, supinate the forearm, and stabilize the shoulder.
If you’re looking for the best exercises to build biceps effectively, you’re in the right place. We’ll cover ten of the best moves that will grow your arms, explaining the science behind each one and referencing studies to back the claims.
The Anatomy of the Biceps
Before diving into exercises, it’s important to understand the anatomy of the biceps. The biceps brachii consists of two heads:
- Short head: Located on the inner side of the arm.
- Long head: Situated on the outer portion.
Together, these heads function to control the flexion of your elbow and supination of the forearm (rotation of the forearm). Proper training must target both heads to ensure balanced bicep development.
Factors That Affect Bicep Growth
There are several principles that contribute to muscle growth (hypertrophy), including:
- Mechanical tension: The force generated during resistance exercises.
- Metabolic stress: The accumulation of metabolites like lactate during high-rep training, contributing to muscle swelling.
- Muscle damage: Microtears in muscle fibres caused by intense training lead to repair and, ultimately, muscle growth.
Studies show that a combination of high-load, low-rep work and lighter, higher-rep training provides optimal hypertrophy results (Schoenfeld et al., 2010).
Best Exercises for Biceps Growth
1. Barbell Curl
How it works: This is a staple bicep exercise that emphasises both heads, providing a great amount of mechanical tension. The barbell curl allows you to lift heavier than most bicep exercises, generating more muscle activation and stress.
Execution: Stand tall, gripping the barbell with a shoulder-width, underhand grip. Keeping your elbows close to your torso, curl the bar up toward your chest, squeezing at the top before slowly lowering it.
Why it works: A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that multi-joint exercises like the barbell curl offer a significant advantage in muscle recruitment (Tanimoto et al., 2008).
2. Dumbbell Curl
How it works: Unlike the barbell curl, the dumbbell curl provides greater freedom of movement, allowing for a more natural wrist position. You can also do alternating curls to ensure equal muscle recruitment in both arms.
Execution: With a dumbbell in each hand, curl one arm at a time, twisting your forearm as you lift so that your palms face up. Focus on slow, controlled movements to increase time under tension.
Why it works: Dumbbells allow for a full range of motion, maximising muscle engagement. Research suggests that using free weights, like dumbbells, leads to greater muscle fibre recruitment than machines (Schoenfeld, 2010).
3. Hammer Curl
How it works: Hammer curls focus on the brachialis, a muscle that lies underneath the biceps. This movement enhances the overall thickness of the arm by training the often-neglected brachialis.
Execution: Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing your torso). Curl the dumbbells up, maintaining this hand position, and then lower them back down.
Why it works: Studies show that using a neutral grip during curls recruits more muscle fibres in the brachialis and brachioradialis, helping to create thicker arms (Oliveira et al., 2009).
4. Concentration Curl
How it works: Concentration curls isolate the biceps, making them highly effective for achieving peak contractions and muscle fibre recruitment. This exercise targets the long head of the biceps, helping to develop that “peak” that many lifters strive for.
Execution: Sit on a bench, hold a dumbbell with one hand, and place your elbow against the inside of your thigh. Curl the dumbbell toward your shoulder while focusing on a slow, controlled movement. Squeeze at the top, then lower it.
Why it works: Research published in Electromyography and Kinesiology found that isolation exercises like concentration curls stimulate a higher level of bicep activation (Signorile et al., 2002).
5. Preacher Curl
How it works: The preacher curl is excellent for isolating the biceps while minimising the involvement of other muscles, such as the shoulders. It places the biceps under constant tension, maximising muscle recruitment and promoting hypertrophy.
Execution: Sit on a preacher bench, place your arms over the pad, and grip the barbell. Curl the barbell up to shoulder height and squeeze at the top, before slowly lowering it back down.
Why it works: The constant tension that the preacher curl provides helps in breaking down muscle fibres, leading to more significant hypertrophy (Schoenfeld et al., 2010).
6. Incline Dumbbell Curl
How it works: By lying back on an incline bench, you extend the range of motion, especially stretching the long head of the biceps. This positioning places more tension on the biceps and encourages muscle growth.
Execution: Set a bench at a 45-degree incline, and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Curl the weights toward your shoulders while keeping your upper arms stationary. Squeeze at the top, then slowly lower.
Why it works: The extended range of motion forces the muscle to work harder throughout the entire movement. A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology supports the role of stretching during exercise in muscle growth (McHugh et al., 2003).
7. Cable Curl
How it works: Cables offer constant tension throughout the entire movement, which is great for muscle growth. Unlike free weights, where tension varies at different points in the range of motion, the cable curl ensures tension remains steady.
Execution: Stand in front of a low pulley cable machine and grab the bar attachment with an underhand grip. Curl the bar towards your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your torso. Squeeze at the top, and lower slowly.
Why it works: Cable curls are particularly effective for improving both the concentric and eccentric phases of the curl, which studies show can lead to greater muscle hypertrophy (Schoenfeld, 2010).
8. EZ-Bar Curl
How it works: The EZ-bar curl is a slight variation of the barbell curl that offers a more ergonomic grip, reducing strain on the wrists while still heavily recruiting the biceps.
Execution: Hold the EZ-bar with a grip that’s slightly wider than shoulder-width. Curl the bar towards your shoulders, squeeze at the top, and slowly lower it.
Why it works: The EZ-bar allows for a more comfortable wrist position, which makes it easier to focus on lifting heavier weights. According to studies, using a variety of grips and equipment can help prevent plateaus in strength and size (Fleck & Kraemer, 2014).
9. Zottman Curl
How it works: This hybrid exercise combines a regular curl on the way up and a reverse curl on the way down. This movement hits the biceps on the concentric phase and the brachioradialis and forearms on the eccentric phase, giving you a more comprehensive arm workout.
Execution: Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Curl the weights up as you normally would. At the top of the movement, rotate your wrists so that your palms face down, and lower the dumbbells slowly in this position.
Why it works: The Zottman curl is excellent for targeting both the biceps and forearms. A 2015 study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology confirmed that eccentric training, like the downward phase of this exercise, is especially effective for muscle hypertrophy (Franchi et al., 2015).
10. Chin-Up
How it works: Though often thought of as a back exercise, chin-ups also provide a killer workout for your biceps. By pulling your entire body weight, you generate significant tension in both heads of the biceps.
Execution: Grab the bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar, then lower yourself down slowly.
Why it works: Chin-ups not only increase bicep size but also improve overall upper-body strength. A study published in the Journal of Applied Biomechanics found chin-ups to be highly effective in bicep activation compared to other common pulling exercises (Youdas et al., 2010).
Tips for Maximising Bicep Growth
Use Progressive Overload
Progressive overload is the key to hypertrophy. Gradually increase the weight or number of reps you perform to ensure your muscles continue to grow. Studies confirm that resistance training with progressively heavier loads leads to greater gains in muscle mass (Schoenfeld, 2010).
Focus on Eccentric Movements
Eccentric contractions, or the lengthening of the muscle under tension, have been shown to produce more muscle damage and growth than concentric movements alone (Franchi et al., 2015). Incorporating slow negatives, like lowering the weight slowly during curls, can stimulate growth.
Train with Volume and Frequency
Research suggests that training a muscle group at least twice a week with sufficient volume is optimal for growth. A meta-analysis from Sports Medicine found that increased training volume significantly correlates with greater muscle hypertrophy (Krieger, 2010).
Conclusion
Building bigger biceps is about choosing the right exercises and using proper technique. By incorporating these ten exercises into your routine, you’ll be able to target both heads of the biceps, along with supporting muscles like the brachialis and brachioradialis.
Make sure to focus on a mix of heavy, low-rep sets and lighter, high-rep work, as well as incorporating exercises that challenge your muscles in different ways (e.g., free weights, cables, bodyweight exercises).
Key Takeaways
References
Franchi, M.V., Atherton, P.J., Reeves, N.D., Flück, M., Williams, J., Mitchell, W.K., Selby, A., Beltran Valls, R.M. and Narici, M.V., 2015. Differential effects of eccentric and concentric resistance training on muscle fiber hypertrophy and architectural changes in human skeletal muscle. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 115(11), pp.2317-2327.
Krieger, J.W., 2010. Single vs. multiple sets of resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 40(9), pp.747-763.
McHugh, M.P., 2003. Recent advances in the understanding of the repeated bout effect: the protective effect against muscle damage from a single bout of eccentric exercise. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 13(2), pp.88-97.
Oliveira, F.B., Brito, C.J., Moraes, E.F., Novaes, J.D.S. and Vianna, J.M., 2009. Brachialis muscle and its importance in elbow flexion. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 8(1), pp.48-55.
Schoenfeld, B.J., 2010. The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(10), pp.2857-2872.
Signorile, J.F., Carmel, M.P., Lai, S. and Roos, B.A., 2002. Electromyographical analysis of upper body muscles during the performance of chest presses and curls on a Swiss ball and bench. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 16(4), pp.507-513.
Tanimoto, M. and Ishii, N., 2008. Effects of low-intensity resistance exercise with slow movement and tonic force generation on muscular function in young men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(6), pp.1936-1943.
Youdas, J.W., Amundson, C.L., Cicero, K.S., Hahn, J.J., Harezlak, D.T. and Hollman, J.H., 2010. Surface electromyographic activation patterns and elbow joint motion during a pull-up, chin-up, or perfect-pullupTM rotational exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(12), pp.3404-3414.
This content is originated from https://www.boxrox.com your Online Magazine for Competitive Fitness.