To stretch your shirtsleeves and make the most of arm workouts, you need to build three-dimensional muscle by working through dedicated triceps exercises and the best biceps exercises. That's true whether you're using adjustable dumbbells at home or taking advantage of a full gym setup.
In tandem with back exercises, shoulder exercises, and chest exercises—crucial components to push day and pull day routines—you can build upper body strength, size, and definition that would make Mark Wahlberg and Vin Diesel proud.
While it's tempting to hit these show muscles often (who doesn't love biceps curl variations?), incorporating a mix of HIIT workouts, ab exercises, glute exercises, and leg exercises is key to having a well-rounded physique.
But, you're here for arms, so let's give you what you're after. Behold, 15 of the best biceps exercises guaranteed to stimulate new levels of growth.
15 Best Biceps Exercises
1. Conventional Barbell Curl
You've certainly done this exercise before, but there are plenty of ways to shake up the set/rep scheme.
Conventional Curl
James Michelfelder
How to Do It
- Grasp a barbell with an underhand (supinated), shoulder-width grip.
- Start with your arms extended and the bar in front of your thighs.
- Curl the bar up as high as possible without letting your elbows come forward.
- Slowly lower the bar back down to full extension.
Variation
To enhance grip strength while doing this exercise, wrap a towel around the bar for a “fat grip” and perform the movement.
2. Wide-Grip Barbell Curl
Wide-Grip Barbell Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Grasp a barbell with your hands wider than shoulder-width—if you’re using an Olympic bar, your pinkies should be on the outside knurling.
- Start with your arms extended and the bar in front of your thighs.
- Curl the bar up as high as possible without letting your elbows come forward.
- Slowly lower the bar back down to full extension.
Variation
This exercise can also be done on a cable machine using a long lat pulldown bar.
3. Close-Grip Barbell Curl
Close-Grip Barbell Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Grasp a barbell with your hands inside shoulder-width.
- Start with your arms extended and the bar in front of your thighs.
- Curl the bar up as high as possible without letting your elbows come forward.
- Slowly lower the bar back down to full extension.
Variation
This exercise can also be done on a cable machine using a short straight- or EZ-bar.
4. Supinated Dumbbell Curl
Supinated Dumbbell Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your sides (neutral position).
- Without letting your upper arms drift forward, curl the weights up, rotating your wrists outward (supination) so that your palms face you in the top position.
- Hold the top for a moment and squeeze your biceps.
- Lower the weights back down while rotating your forearms back to neutral.
Variation
To place more stress on the forearms, lower the dumbbells in a pronated position (palms down)—this is called a Zottman curl.
5. Drag Curl
Drag Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides with your palms and forearms facing forward.
- Drive your elbows back and pull the dumbbells straight up your sides, keeping your palms facing forward. It should look as though you’re dragging the weights up along your torso.
- When the dumbbells reach somewhere around mid-torso (range of motion will different from one person to another), squeeze your biceps and then lower back down under control to full elbow extension.
Variation
This exercise can also be done on a Smith machine.
6. Cheat Curl
Cheat Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Choose the heaviest dumbbells you think you can curl, starting with the weights at your sides in a neutral position.
- Perform a conventional dumbbell curl, but use momentum from your hips to power through the sticking point (halfway up, when the weights are most difficult to lift).
- Do not lean back as you lift; rather, get into a rhythm where you rock your torso forward and extend your hips to complete each rep.
- Stop each set one rep shy of total muscle failure.
Variation
This exercise can also be done with a heavy barbell.
7. Hammer Curl
Hammer Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your sides (neutral position).
- Curl the weights up while keeping your forearms in the neutral (aka hammer) position throughout.
- Hold the top for a moment and squeeze your biceps and forearm muscles.
- Lower the weights back down under control to full elbow extension.
Variation
This exercise can also be done with cables.
8. EZ-Bar Preacher Curl
EZ Bar Preacher Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Sit at a preacher bench, and adjust the seat height so your armpits touch the top of the bench.
- Grasp an EZ-curl bar with a shoulder-width, underhand grip (palms facing upward, aka supinated).
- Starting with your arms extended, curl the bar up until your forearms are perpendicular to the floor, keeping the backs of your upper arms against the bench.
- Lower the bar back down under control until your elbows are fully extended but not locked out.
Variation
This exercise can also be done with dumbbells, either one or both arms at a time.
9. Cable Curl
Cable Curl
James Michelfelder
How to Do It
- Attach a straight- or EZ-bar to the lowest setting (floor level) on a cable machine.
- Hold the bar in your hands with a supinated grip in front of your thighs, and step back to place tension on the cable.
- Curl the bar up, keeping your elbows tight to your sides.
- Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower back down under control.
Variation
This exercise can also be done one arm at a time using a D-handle.
10. Behind-the-Back Cable Curl
Behind-the-Back Cable Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Attach a D-handle to the low pulley of a cable machine.
- Grasp the handle in one hand, and step forward (away from the machine) until there's tension on the cable and your arm is drawn slightly behind your body.
- Stagger your feet with your opposite leg forward (right leg forward if curling with your left arm, and vice versa).
- Curl the handle up, keeping your elbow behind your torso.
- Complete all reps with that arm, then repeat on the other side
Variation
This exercise can also be done with a resistance band.
11. Reverse Curl
Barbell Reverse Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Stand holding a barbell in front of your thighs with a shoulder-width, overhand grip (palms facing behind you, aka pronated).
- Keeping your upper arms against your sides, curl the bar up as high as possible without letting your elbows come forward.
- Slowly lower the bar back down to full elbow extension.
Variation
This exercise can also be done with a resistance band, EZ-bar, or dumbbells.
12. Band Curl
Band Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Anchor a band under your feet, holding each end with both hands at your sides, forearms neutral.
- Resist your elbows moving forward as you perform curls fast and explosive on the way up and under control back down.
- Keep your torso stationary throughout, keeping all movement limited to the elbow joints.
Variation
To put more emphasis on the forearms, rotate your wrists to the neutral position for hammer curls.
13. Band High Curl
Band High Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Attach two bands that face each other to sturdy objects at shoulder-height.
- Stand between them, and hold an end in each hand.
- Raise your arms out 90° with elbows extended—you should still feel some tension on the band in this starting position.
- Curl the bands toward your ears, and hold the contracted position for two seconds.
- You can also do this exercise with cables.
Variation
This exercise can also be done one arm at a time if you don’t have multiple bands of the same resistance.
14. Band Reverse Curl
Band Reverse Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Attach a band to a sturdy object in front of you, and stand facing it.
- Hold the ends of the band in your hands and step back to place tension on it.
- Start with your arms extended a few inches in front of your thighs and your palms facing down (pronated)
- Maintaining the pronated forearm position, curl up as high as possible, keeping your elbows stationary.
- Lower back down under control.
Variation
This exercise can also be done one arm at a time.
15. Suspension Trainer Biceps Curl
Suspension Trainer Biceps Curl
Beth Bischoff
How to Do It
- Face the suspension trainer’s attachment point and grasp the handles with palms facing up.
- Lean back with your abs braced, body straight, and arms extended in front of you.
- Curl your body up to the handles, keeping your hips straight—don't bend or twist.
- Lower your body back down under control.
Variation
If you need to make this exercise easier, move your feet toward you so you're in more of an upright position; if you want to make it more difficult, step your feet slightly farther in front of you.
Why Biceps Exercises Are Important
People often associate biceps training with purely aesthetic benefits, but building up the biceps isn’t just for show.
First of all, the biceps brachii is the primary muscle responsible for bending your arm (elbow flexion), an important anatomical movement in everyday life and any athletic endeavor. Doing isolated exercises for the biceps will ensure proper function at the elbow joint.
Aside from curling movements, the biceps also assist in a number of major gym exercises—particularly back exercises like pullups, lat pulldowns, and rows, as well as competitive lifts like cleans, snatches, and deadlifts. Pretty much any exercise that involves pulling with the upper body will involve the biceps.
“Anyone who thinks the biceps aren’t a ‘functional muscle’ is mistaken,” says Jim Ryno, personal trainer and owner of home gym design firm Iron House. “If you neglect to train them and they’re weak and underdeveloped as a result, you’re limiting your effectiveness on pulling exercises and also exposing yourself to potential injuries like biceps tendon tears.”
The work your biceps put in during back workouts will help them get bigger and stronger, but it’s also important to take the muscle through full range-of-motion exercises (namely, curls) on a regular basis.
What Are the Biceps Muscles?
The biceps comprise the long and short heads.
Getty Images
Biceps Long Head
The word “biceps” means “two heads,” and “brachii” is a Latin term meaning “of the arm.” The two heads are the long (outer) head and short (inner) head. The long head is the larger of the two.
The coveted biceps “peak” comes from the long head, which sits above the short head. Although it’s impossible to isolate one biceps head from the other (the two contract together), you can place greater emphasis on the long head with certain curl variations: behind-the-back curls, where the upper arms remain behind the torso throughout the lift; close-grip barbell curls, where the hands are inside of shoulder-width; and hammer curls, where the forearms are in a neutral position (palms facing each other).
Biceps Short Head
The short head may be smaller than its brother, but it adds thickness to the biceps when fully developed. Curl variations that emphasize the short head include wide-grip barbell curls, where the hands are outside of shoulder-width; preacher curls, where the arms stay in front of the torso throughout; and supinating curls, where the forearms are intentionally turned outward during the movement.
Where to Start for Beginners
If you’re new to weight training or are just getting back in the game after an extended hiatus from the gym, ease into your biceps training. Doing excessive volume (too many total sets) right out of the gate will lead to uncomfortable and unnecessary muscle soreness and possibly even injury in the form of a biceps tear.
Start with one or two biceps curl exercises one or two times a week, doing two or three sets per exercise for 10 to 15 repetitions. Somewhere around six to eight total sets per week, and no more than 12, is a good place to be volume-wise for the first month or two. From there, you can work up to 15 to 20 sets weekly. Vary your biceps exercises from week to week, choosing from the below list, to work the muscles from all angles and stimulate both heads.
The best days to train biceps are during workouts when you’re also hitting back and/or triceps. As mentioned above, the biceps are involved in back exercises, so they’ll already be sufficiently warmed up by the time you’re done with your pullups, lat pulldowns, and/or rows. Triceps are the opposing muscle group to biceps, initiating elbow extension (straightening the arm), so working the two groups together is practical.
Tips to Maximize Biceps Workouts
The following tips from certified trainer Jim Ryno apply to all curl movements and biceps training in general.
1. Keep Your Elbows in Tight
To fully stimulate your biceps and to ensure proper technique, initiate the curl movement with your elbows pinned to your sides. Curl the weight up until you hit your end range of motion (when you can’t curl any further). At this point, which is the point where many stop), bring your elbows slightly forward just a couple of inches into shoulder flexion and finish with a serious squeeze of your biceps.
2. Vary Your Curl Movements
Too much of just one or two types of curls can lead to overuse injury, as your arms and elbows become repetitively stressed by the same forces.
3. Focus on Your Wrists
Your wrists should remain in a neutral position throughout. It’s important to not move them forward or backward while in the curl motion. Doing so can lead to tendon pain.
4. Avoid Using too Much Weight
This can lead to a loss of control, and you may find yourself forcing the weight up. Keeping the weight manageable prevents you from putting the muscles through unwanted stress.
5. Get a Full Stretch in Your Biceps
Since it’s somewhat difficult to accomplish this while performing a standing or seated curl, try lying on a flat bench or incline bench. Your muscles will then experience a full stretch while staying under load.
