Your biceps are not one of the biggest muscles on your body, but they are nearly always on show. Whether you are working out another muscle or just out in a T-Shirt, your biceps are nearly always visible. Big biceps are like your show off muscle that people are going to notice.
Biceps are a lot smaller than triceps and their main job is to flex your elbow. To create big arms you often have to focus on triceps, but working biceps will give you good all round definition and make your arms look like they are popping out.
Take a look below at our favourite exercises for working your biceps.
Hammer curls
Hammer curls are similar to your normal bicep curls, but you turn your arms to the side instead This moves the workload from your brachii to your brachialis. doing this will make your biceps look thicker as you are focusing of them from a different angle.
To do hammer curls you need to take two dumbbells and let them hang to the side of you. Then you bend your elbows, raising the dumbbells towards your shoulders, pause and slowly bring them back down. To keep correct form ensure you straighten your arms fully at the bottom and that you do not move your upper arms. You should drive all the power with your biceps to ensure you are isolating them.
Barbell Curl
When lifting a barbell, you can often lift slightly more than with a dumbbell, making this a great exercise for increasing your maximum strength. To do this exercise you need to stand with the barbell handing in front of you. then slowly bring it up towards your shoulders, before pausing and bringing it back down.
It can be easy to cheat on this exercise by using the momentum you have built up to give you a head start or using your upper body muscles to help hoist the barbell up. to avoid this, ensure you perform tis exercise slowly, focusing on your form.
Incline dumbbell curl
the incline dumbbell curl puts more of a challenge on your biceps by starting at a deficit. To do this you need to position the bench at a 45 degree angle and lie back against it. then bend your elbows to raise the dumbbells towards your shoulders, before pausing and lowering them back down. This motion should be done entirely with your biceps.
Cable rope hammer curl
Similar to dumbbell hammer curls, this exercise focuses on building the thickness of your biceps. The difference is that the cable keeps a constant load on your biceps for longer, which can encourage more growth.
To do this, you need to attach the rope to the bottom of the cable machine and hold both ends of it whilst standing up straight. Ensure you are standing straight and your feet are shoulder width apart. Curl the rope using your biceps up towards your shoulders, then pause and slowing reverse the motion back to your original position.
EZ preacher curl
Because you position your arms on the pad, this stops your other upper body muscles supporting your biceps when they are struggling. By isolating your biceps you can ensure you are focusing on then , without incorporating other muscles. to do this exercise you need an EZ bar and a preacher bench.
You then need to place your hands on the bent part of the EZ bar and raise them towards your shoulders, before pausing and bringing them back down. This exercise is great for building big strong biceps.
Concentration curls
Concentration curls focus on isolating your biceps and many people complete this exercise to exhaustion at the end of their workout. To perform this exercise you need to use one dumbbell and sit on the side of the bench. Your arm should be positioned back against your leg to stop it moving.
Then you need to raise the dumbbell slowly up towards your shoulder and then back down. Concentration curls reduce momentum and focus entirely on your bicep, without any help from other muscles.
Standing EZ bar curl
The EZ bar curl is a great all round bicep workout, focusing on a different angle than the standard bicep curl. Therefore it should be incorporated into your workout to ensure you are hitting your bicep at every angle. Performing the EZ standing curl is similar to the barbell curl.
You need to raise the bar up to your shoulders, pause and then slowly lower it back down. You should also try to avoid any momentum building up which could affect your form and the muscles you are working.
Zottman curl
The zottman curl works your bicep on multiple angles and it a great exercise for improving the size and thickness of your bicep. To perform the zottman curl you start with the dumbbells hanging on each side of you. You then need to raise your arms whilst turning your hands so that the dumbbells are facing the opposite way by the time you reach near your shoulders. Then slowly bring your arms back down to your original position.
Overhead cable curl
To perform this exercise you need to stand in the middle of the cable machines and position them near the top. You then stand in the middle and curl your biceps inwards, focusing on just your biceps and keeping the rest of your upper body still. this is great for practising your pose at the same time as working out.
Incline hammer curl
As mentioned previously, hammer curls are great for building bicep thickness. Incline hammer curls can take them to the next level by starting at a defect and ensuring you work hard. Incline hammers curls are performed in the same way as incline bicep curls, but with turning your hands to the side instead. By positioning the bench at a 45 degree angle you can ensure you are isolating your biceps
this was our list of out favourite biceps workouts. the general motion is similar on most of them, focusing on extending your elbow. By hitting the bicep from different angles you can ensure a well-built muscle.
Building muscle takes time and dedication. The right diet and workouts can help you develop the muscular physique you want. Supplements are an important aspect of building muscle. Protein supplements help to repair muscles such as biceps, allowing them to grow bigger and stronger.
