Fill your muscle-building arsenal with these arm exercises for bigger biceps
BEST EXERCISES FOR BIGGER BICEPS:
Each of these arm exercises hits the maximum muscle fibres to spark the growth you're after and proves any piece of kit – in the right hands – has gun-toting potential to supersize your biceps for thicker arms.
(Related: 10 of the best exercises to build bigger triceps)
Below, we present a detailed 'how to' that'll ensure you complete each rep with perfect form and explain the specific benefit of each exercise – helping you pick the perfect combination for every goal. Say hello to your new strong arm tactics.
(Related: How to get big biceps)
Incline bicep curl:
Sit on an incline bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand at arm's length. Use your biceps to curl the dumbbell until it reaches your shoulder, then lower them back down to your side and repeat.
Beware: this position isolates the biceps and prevents other muscles from sharing the load. You can work the entire muscle by turning your wrists out slightly and keeping your elbows pointed towards the floor throughout the rep, a range of motion not available in other arm exercises.
Diamond press-up:
Lie on the floor with your body straight and form a diamond shape with your hands. Lower your body down until your chest is almost touching the floor. Press your body back up to the starting position, squeezing your triceps and chest at the same time.
(Related: How to fix common press-up mistakes)
Narrowing your grip works all three heads of your triceps, along with your chest, to sculpt eye-catching definition.
Concentration curl
Sit down on bench and rest your right arm against your right leg, letting the weight hang down. Curl the weight up, pause, then lower. Repeat with the other arm.
This isolates the arm flexors and hits the lateral head of the biceps for peak performance (and appearance).
Straight barbell palms up wrist curl:
Sit on a bench and hold a barbell with your palms facing up. Rest your forearms on your knees and lower the bar towards the floor as far as possible. Curl your wrist upward, pause, then slowly lower.
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Your forearms will be on display long after your beach body has gone back into hiding, so give them due care. Your grip strength will be much improved come deadlift day too.
Javelin press:
Hold an EZ bar in your right hand just above your shoulder. Extend your arm and drive the bar above you, then lower it back down to your shoulder and repeat.
(Related: One easy trick to bulk up your biceps)
This works your triceps unilaterally (one arm at a time) for even gains, while the added instability from ungainly equipment helps activate smaller shoulder muscles that injury proof the joint. Plus, you’ll look like a pro next to the guys toting dumbbells.
Straight barbell palms down wrist curl:
Sit on a bench and hold a barbell with your palms facing down. Rest your forearms on your knees and lower the bar towards the floor as far as possible. Curl your wrist upward, pause, then slowly lower.
This subtle move isn’t one for show-boating, but don’t skip it. It targets the extensor muscles to minimise wrist and elbow injury during other moves.
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Twisting dumbbell curl:
Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your side with palms facing each other. Use your bicep to curl the dumbbells up to your shoulders alternately, twisting your palms to face your chest as you lift them. Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to your side and repeat.
The twist brings your forearm into play. It won’t hit your biceps as hard as other arm exercises, but when you’re squeezing sets in over lunch this move will hit more of your arm in less time.
One arm triceps extension (seated):
Hold a dumbbell in one hand directly behind your head, with your elbow bent and pointed towards the ceiling. Extend through your elbow until your arm is straight and the dumbbell is directly above you. Lower your arm back to starting position and repeat.
This move builds arm strength and adds stability to your shoulders and elbows. Plus, working unilaterally will put an end to any muscle imbalances.
Underhand seated row:
Bend your knees and hold the bar with an underhand grip, shoulder-width apart. Lean back slightly, keeping your back straight, then use your back muscle to drive the bar towards your belly button. Return the bar to starting position and repeat.
(Related: Try this chest and triceps workout)
Go one better than bodyweight moves in your quest for bigger biceps — this doesn’t take up a squat rack, either.
Reverse curl straight bar:
Stand and grip a barbell at shoulder width with an overhand grip. Flex the elbows and rotate the barbell upwards, only using your forearms, until your palms face out and the barbell is in line with your shoulders. Return it back down slowly and repeat.
Often neglected because it works the brachialis, an invisible muscle lower down your upper arm — but one essential for bigger biceps. Train it well and the brachialis pushes the peak of your bicep muscle up higher, making for a more impressive flex and bigger looking arms.
Decline close grip EZ bar skullcrusher:
Lie back on a bench set to a 30-degree decline. Grip the EZ bar on the innermost grips and extend your arms straight up, palms facing your feet. Keeping your elbows fixed and tucked in, lower the bar until it is about an inch from your forehead. Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position without locking your elbows.
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Don't be scared of the name, this is one of the arm exercises for ultimate triceps builders. Set the bench to decline and it'll increase your range of motion for increased muscle activation.
Leant forward EZ bar curl:
Hold the EZ bar in front of your thighs with an underhand, shoulder-width grip. Lean forward slightly, so your torso's around 30-degrees to your hips. As you breathe in, curl the bar until your hands are at your shoulders. Squeeze your biceps, then lower under control.
You’re working the main flexor muscle involved in finger strength, which will earn you a vice-like grip for the bigger lifts – and a bone-crushing handshake for good measure. Plus, that forward tilt means using your hips to swing up the final few reps is a no-no. Perfect form for perfect gains.
Tate press:
Lie on a bench and hold two dumbbells directly above your shoulders. Slowly bend your elbows to bring the dumbbells to your chest, so your palms face outwards and the dumbbells point towards the ceiling. Raise the dumbbells back to starting position and repeat.
Working at this angle places more emphasis on the long head of the triceps for more visible muscle separation at the back of your arms. Wearing a vest to show them off at the office is against the rules, sadly.
Reverse grip EZ bar curl:
Hold the EZ bar in front of your thighs with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. As you breathe in, curl the bar until your hands are at your shoulders. Squeeze your biceps, then lower under control.
(Related: 3 reasons you're not benching bigger numbers)
No matter how many arm exercises and curls you crank out, biceps development can be severely limited by weaknesses in your elbows and forearms. This move hits your brachioradialis (forearm muscle) to remedy it.
Prone dumbbell spider curl:
Lie on an incline bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand, letting them hang underneath your shoulders. Use your biceps to curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders. Slowly return to starting position and repeat.
(Related: Build bigger arms with this super set workout)
Lying against the bench helps your master the proper curling technique - useful in loads of arm exercises. If your chest lifts off it, that’s cheating, but keep it flat for every rep and you know you’ve nailed another set in your quest for bigger biceps.
Standing overhead barbell triceps extension:
Grab a barbell and stand with it held over your head in both hands, hands almost touching and palms facing forwards. Bend your elbows to slowly lower the bar behind your head, keeping your upper arms stationary. One your elbows hit 90 degrees, pause, then return to the starting position by flexing your triceps.
Using a barbell overhead, instead of dumbbells, gives you a gripping advantage. Use your strength to try and snap the barbell at the top of the rep, it’ll activate the maximum amount of muscle fibres.
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