The biceps are one of the most visible muscles in the upper body. Whether you wear a fitted shirt or a sleeveless tee, well-developed biceps can significantly improve your body’s appearance.
However, having strong biceps offers more than surface-level benefits. It increases your ability to pull and push objects with ease. Combining bicep exercises with a full body workout enhances your strength, burns calories, and gives you the desired appearance.
Must Read: Upper Body Workouts for Women
Top 20 Bicep Exercises
Keep reading to discover 20 top bicep exercises for every fitness enthusiast.
1. Barbell Curl
Barbell curl is a classic and basic exercise. The exercises work both of your biceps simultaneously, so you can work out every part of the muscle.
Here’s how to perform a barbell curl:
- Grab the barbell with an underhand grip.
- Take a wider grip to focus on the inner part of the muscle and a closer grip to focus on the outer part.
- Squeezing your core, curl the bar up to your shoulder height.
- When you reach the top, squeeze your biceps. Then lower the weight down slowly to the starting position.
2. Preacher Curl
This exercise involves curling on a preacher’s bench. The use of the bench to perform the movement makes it target the lower part of your bicep more.
Here’s how to do it:
- Grab a preacher bench or set an incline bench at a 60-degree angle.
- Put one or both of your arms over the bench.
- With your elbow at the edge of the bench, unfurl your arm.
- Lower the dumbbell slowly down till your elbows are straight.
- Reverse the motion to the starting position.
3. Concentration Curl
Concentration curl is performed on a single bicep at a time. The movement, commonly performed in a sitting position, targets the bicep effectively and is great for building mass.
Follow these steps to perform a concentration curl:
- Sit on a bench and grab a single dumbbell.
- Spread your legs and rest your arm with the dumbbell on the same leg. For example, if the weight is in the left hand, the arm should be resting on the left leg.
- With your torso upright, curl the weight up. Squeeze it at the top and lower into the starting position.
Read Also: Top 12 Dip Bar Exercises
4. Hammer Curl
Hammer curl works your biceps, forearms, and brachialis. This exercise helps you gain mass in the majority of your bicep while also building a strong grip.
The steps for performing a hammer curl are as follows:
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand.
- Stand upright and turn your wrists so they face each other.
- With your arms tucked inside your sides, curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders.
- Lower the weight back down into the starting position.
5. Crucifix Curl
Crucifix curl is performed with a cable tower. This is one of those exercises that fully isolates your biceps, causing maximum gains.
Perform a crucifix curl with these steps:
- Set up a cable tower so you can hold the cable’s handle with your elbow from a kneeling position.
- Curl the cable toward yourself squeezing your biceps.
- Don’t move your shoulders and hold for a moment after curling the cable.
- Now return to the beginning position.
6. Isometric Biceps Hold
Isometric bicep hold allows for intense muscle activation as you hold the weight in a contracted position for some time. It’s a great movement to build strength and mass in your biceps.
To perform isometric biceps hold, follow these steps:
- Grab a cable’s handle and hold them at your sides.
- Keep your back straight and then bend your elbows and curl it till they form a 90-degree angle.
- Hold for 30 seconds and then release.
Read Also: Best Compound Triceps Exercises
7. Tempo Biceps Curls (Eccentric and Concentric)
Tempo biceps curls involve slowly curling the weight. It forces your body to stabilize and target the bicep muscle effectively. It’s also an exercise where you can check your form as you are going slower and correct it to get the most out of the exercise.
Here’s how to perform it:
- Grab a pair of dumbbells in both hands.
- Keep your back straight and curl the weights toward your shoulder.
- Now, lower the weight very slowly to the starting position. This is an eccentric bicep curl.
- To perform the concentric bicep curl, curl the weight toward your shoulder very slowly.
- Complete a set of eccentric bicep curls before moving on to concentric curls.
8. Zottman Curl
Zottman curl is a comprehensive movement that includes both supinated and pronated grips. The movement, when done as a part of upper body training significantly builds arm strength.
Perform a Zottman curl with these steps:
- Hold the dumbbell with both palms facing up.
- Do a regular bicep curl and when you reach the top rotate your hands so your palms face down.
- Lower the dumbbells into the starting position.
9. Strict Dumbbell Curl
Strict dumbbell curls isolate the biceps most effectively. Since there is no momentum, the muscles are challenged significantly more compared to movements with momentum.
Here’s how to do a strict dumbbell curl:
- Press the back of your body against the wall.
- Hold dumbbells in each hand and curl them till your forearms are parallel to the floor.
- Hold for a moment and squeeze your biceps to lift the weights up.
- Lower the dumbbells down to the initial position.
Read Also: Top 15 Cable Shoulder Workouts
10. Incline Dumbbell Curl
An incline dumbbell curl allows for a greater stretch of the biceps. The contraction coming out of the bottom of the movement is much stronger, helping you build mass in the muscle.
Perform an incline dumbbell curl with these steps:
- Set up an incline bench.
- Sit on it facing forward with one dumbbell in each hand.
- Lift the dumbbells and when you reach the top, squeeze your bicep muscle.
- Lower the arms down to the extended position.
11. Banded Dumbbell Curl
Banded dumbbell curls increase peak tension in your biceps throughout the movement. With this exercise, you work active supination against resistance, which not many exercises give.
Here’s how to perform a banded dumbbell curl:
- Start in a standing position. Anchor the band to a low stable object.
- Each of your hands will have a dumbbell and a piece of the band.
- Lift the weight slowly and curl toward yourself. Pause at the top and then lower down.
12. Chin-Up
Chin-up, performed using a pull-up bar lets you build not only biceps but also back strength. In this exercise, you basically lift your entire body weight with your biceps. So, you are lifting heavier than in other exercises where you use dumbbells or barbells.
Perform a chin-up with these steps:
- Hang from a bar with your hands about shoulder-width apart.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull your body up.
- Keep pulling yourself up till your chin is at or above the bar.
13. 21s Biceps Curl Complex
This is a dumbbell complex with more than one bicep exercise. It targets different parts of the muscle. There’s no need to perform any more bicep exercises after doing this as it effectively takes care of different parts of the muscle.
Here’s how to do a 21s biceps curl complex:
- Grab a pair of dumbbells, holding one in each hand.
- Bend your elbows so they form a 90-degree angle.
- Curl the weights toward your shoulders keeping your upper arms in the same place. Don’t move them.
- Now, lower the dumbbells down to the beginning position. This should be done 21 times.
- Now, do a full biceps curl. Repeat this movement 21 times.
- Now, do all three movements for descending reps, starting from 20, 19, 18, etc.
Read Also: Scapula Pull-Ups
14. Spider Curl
Spider curl is performed lying on your stomach on a bench. Since the bench stabilizes your body, your focus remains on the biceps.
Here are the steps to perform this bicep curl variation:
- Set up an incline bench and lie on it face down. Your arms should just be able to reach weights on the ground.
- As you lie on the bench, your head should extend over the top.
- Grab the weights by lowering yourself down.
- Now, in a stable starting position, curl the dumbbells using your biceps.
15. Crossbody Alternating Bicep Curl
Crossbody alternating bicep curl effectively targets the outer head of your biceps by bringing the weight across your body as you curl. This movement provides a unique angle of stimulation that the regular curl cannot offer.
Here’s how to do it:
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lift a dumbbell toward your shoulder and the elbow fixed to your side.
- Now, bring the weight back to the starting position.
16. Drag Curl
Drag curl creates a significant amount of tension that few other movements give. It does so because you pull your elbow backward behind you and are able to stretch your biceps at one end and contract at another.
Perform a drag curl by following the steps below:
- Stand upright and grab a pair of dumbbells or barbells with a supinated grip.
- Curl the bar up and at the same time pull your elbows back behind your torso.
- Using your biceps, pull the bar toward your torso.
- Curl as much as possible until you cannot pull your arms back anymore.
- Now, reverse the motion.
17. Bent-Over Barbell Row
This exercise uses an underhand grip to make the bicep muscles work. When done correctly, the bent-over barbell row works both your biceps and back.
Follow these steps to perform a bent-over barbell row:
- With your feet shoulder-width apart, push your butt back and bend over to grab the barbell.
- Take an underhand grip, squeeze your glutes, and raise your torso slightly to lift the weight.
- Row the bar to just above your ribcage.
- Pause at the top and lower the barbell toward the floor.
Read Also: Best Dumbbell Quad Exercises
18. Wide Bicep Curl
A wide bicep curl targets the outer head of the muscle. It provides a more rounded appearance to your arm.
Here’s how to perform the movement:
- Grab a pair of dumbbells and fix your elbow to your sides.
- Hold your forearms at a 45-degree angle from your body.
- Keep the upper arms static and bend your elbows. Curl the weights toward your shoulders.
- Lower the weights down to the starting position.
19. Cable Biceps Curl
A cable biceps curl keeps the tension throughout the movement, unlike a dumbbell or a barbell curl. In the latter, it is difficult to create tension at the midpoint of the lift because the weight is farthest from your body.
Perform a cable biceps curl with the steps below:
- Attach a handle to a cable machine’s pulley and set it to the lowest angle.
- Grasp the handle in both hands and step back a few steps.
- Curl the bar up to your chest and lower it to the starting position.
Must Read: Best Dumbbell Back Exercises
20. Lying Cable Biceps Curl
Lying cable biceps curl gives you peak muscle contraction. Since your shoulders remain stabilized on the bench, you can better engage your biceps.
Here’s how to do it:
- Lie down on a flat bench.
- Pull the bar toward you while squeezing your biceps at the movement’s top.
- Keep your upper arms perpendicular to the floor to properly target the bicep muscle.
Wrapping up
Bicep strength is integral to performing other movements related to bigger muscles, such as the back. Bicep exercises thus help you build a balanced physique. Incorporate at least a few of the exercises above in your workout routine to notice a visible difference in the size and mass of your biceps and the appearance of your arms.
