Biceps: exercises and how to train them
The biceps bend the elbow and turn the hand. They grow from full-range curls, and hammer curls add the brachialis — the muscle that makes your arm look thicker.
What these muscles do
The biceps have two heads. The long head stretches more when your arm is behind you — hence incline curls. The short head works harder with your arms in front — the preacher bench. Underneath sits the brachialis, which takes over with a neutral grip, as in hammer curls. Every back pull loads the biceps too, so your arms need less direct volume than you'd think.
Exercises with technique breakdowns
25 more exercises in the catalog
- Machine Bicep Curl
- Standing Cable Curl
- Cable Rope Hammer Curl
- Reverse-Grip Barbell Curl
- Alternate Hammer Curl
- Cross-Body Hammer Curl
- Cable Preacher Curl
- Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curl
- Wide-Grip Barbell Curl
- Seated Dumbbell Curl
- Incline Hammer Curl
- Zottman Curl
- Machine Preacher Curl
- Standing One-Arm Cable Curl
- One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl
- Alternate Incline Dumbbell Curl
- Standing Concentration Curl
- Lying Cable Curl
- Overhead Cable Curl
- Reverse Cable Curl
- Reverse Barbell Preacher Curl
- Standing Dumbbell Reverse Curl
- Preacher Hammer Dumbbell Curl
- Two-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl
- Close-Grip Standing Barbell Curl
They're all in the diary: find one by name in the bot or the app, and I'll remember the weight and reps.
How to train them
- Lower the weight to straight arms — the bottom third of the range does more than an extra plate.
- Keep your elbows at your sides and don't help with your back: if you swing, it's too heavy.
- Mix grips: palms up for the biceps, neutral for the brachialis and brachioradialis.
- Count your pulls too: underhand pull-ups are biceps work as well.
Programs and sets for this group
| Program | Sets per cycle | Days per cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Push / Pull / Legs | 6 | 3 |
| 3-Day Split | 6 | 3 |
| Full Body — 3 Days | 4 | 3 |
| Upper / Lower | 3 | 2 |
| Full Body — 2 Days | 2 | 2 |
Sets for one pass through all of the program's days, by its own schemes. A deadlift set is split in half between back and hamstrings — the way the diary counts it.
Exercise comparisons
Log your workouts — I'll show how many sets a week you give this group.