Muscle group
Every biceps exercise is a form of curl: bending the elbow against resistance. Changing your grip, arm position and equipment shifts which parts of the arm do the most work, so a few different curls cover the muscle well.
Written by the GymStreak coaching teamUpdated
01
The biceps brachii has a long head and a short head. It bends the elbow and turns the palm to face upward (supination), and because it crosses the shoulder it also helps lift the arm forward. Underneath it, the brachialis is a strong elbow flexor whatever your grip, and the brachioradialis in the forearm works most with a thumbs-up (neutral) grip.
02
Palms-up curls with a barbell, dumbbells or a cable train the biceps directly. Hammer curls, with a neutral grip, bring in more of the brachialis and brachioradialis. Incline curls start with the arm behind the body, which lengthens the biceps; preacher and concentration curls fix the upper arm so you can't swing. Rowing and pull-up movements also work the biceps, so arm work can be a small add-on after back training.
03
Pick one palms-up curl and one hammer or reverse curl. Use a weight you can lift without leaning back, lower it slowly, and add reps before you add load; small jumps matter more here than on big lifts.
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Beginner isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation barbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner compound bodyweight exercise for the biceps and lats, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation cable machine exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation barbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation preacher curl machine exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation barbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation cable machine exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Beginner isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation barbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation barbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation plate exercise for the biceps and forearms.
Intermediate isolation barbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation barbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the biceps, also working the forearms.
Free GymStreak calculators that go with biceps training.
Guides from the GymStreak blog on this topic.
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