If you’re looking to bulk up and build some drool-worthy biceps, you’ve come to the right place! Whether you’re looking to work it out in the gym or get some reps in at home, this list has various workouts to pick and choose from when working towards your dream arms.

Large bicep muscles are a true testament to a well-seasoned workout and can do wonders for your personal appearance. It can really pay off to incorporate some bicep workouts into your regular routine if you’re looking to add some well-earned girth to your upper body.

Many people don’t know that working to add some muscle mass to your biceps can be a bit of a challenge. However, don’t let that stop you! Though it may be hard, it is not impossible, as long as you zero in on target exercises and put some strict commitment to your workout goals. Before we dive into the bicep workouts you’ll need to master to tone your physique, let’s learn more about this muscle group.

Breaking Down Your Biceps

Let’s begin with some Bicep Muscles 101. Your biceps (known in Latin as biceps brachii, meaning “two-headed muscle of the arm’) are a large group of tendons found on the front-facing section of your upper arm. This muscle comprises two tendons, attached to the scapula bone in the shoulder and the radius bone found at the elbow. These tendons are often referred to as the “short head” and “long head,” combining to make up the single bicep muscle.

Your bicep is designed to both rotate your forearm and flex your elbow, allowing you to accomplish lifting and pulling movements. They are one of the most powerful muscles in your upper arm, supporting and stabilizing other muscles as you accomplish daily tasks. The biceps are also the only muscle group in the collection of muscles that make up your upper arm that pass through two joints, both the shoulder and elbow.

 

Key Bicep Workout Tips

It is in the best interest of anyone looking to get into the world of weightlifting to make their biceps a top priority. However, because biceps are involved in much of our daily heavy-lifting tasks, they are especially susceptible to harm. You must take care when strengthening this muscle group, as strains and tendon tears can happen easily. Be sure to keep some of the following tips in mind before embarking on your new bicep workout routine:

Always Properly Stretch

As with any workout, it is always important to ensure you are properly warmed up before you begin! While some may find this step tedious and boring, we promise you’ll notice an immediate difference if you incorporate some simple stretches into your pre-workout routine.

By properly stretching, you increase blood flow to your muscle groups, providing better oxygenation, and leading to better bulking results. As an added bonus, this increased blood flow and oxygenation will also lead to less risk for tears or muscle soreness while heavy lifting.

Invest in Equipment

To get your dream biceps faster, investing in some equipment can really make a difference. For those of you with a gym membership, most of the equipment referenced in our listed exercises can be found in any standard gym. For those who are embarking on a bicep workout journey from home, investing in some basic equipment can make a huge difference in your results.

Getting a set of basic dumbbells should be a priority for those working on their biceps at home. Resistance bands can also work as a great substitute in these exercises, with some modifications. If you’re looking to invest and build a larger home gym, an adjustable workout bench, cable machine, and barbell bar would also be worthwhile additions.

Don’t Forget to Squeeze

The novice lifter may not know the importance of squeezing with each rep. If you’re looking to build some serious muscle mass, squeezing the top of each muscle contraction as you exercise is a key practice. You are putting force and tension on the muscle by squeezing, breaking down fibers to build new mass. Constant tension is a must in bicep workouts if you want to reach maximum results.

Switch Up Your Routine

Finding your perfect routine can be nice but be sure not to let it get stagnant! It’s ideal to switch up your exercises every so often to ensure you’re reaching your full potential and properly working out this muscle group. Vary your reps and sets as you go, change up your equipment, and try new types of exercises as you reach for your goals.

When building your bicep routine, try to come up with two different variations, alternating between them weekly. By embarking on this kind of routine, you should be able to build fuller biceps faster and see visible results in as soon as eight to twelve weeks.

Take Deep Breaths

This may seem obvious, but don’t forget to breathe! Some may find themselves unconsciously holding their breath as they exert their strength on a heavy lift. While you may think this is helping, you are causing a lot of internal stress. Holding your breath can cause a momentary spike in blood pressure and leads to less oxygenated blood getting to your muscle groups. It’s more than worth your while to make sure you’re equally focused on taking in some air as you are on your lifting technique.

Many powerlifters use the art of “bracing” while they breathe. To perform this exercise, push your stomach into your chest, also engaging your sides and back as you breathe in, reacting as you would if you were about to get punched in the gut. This brace is essential for your core when doing hardcore lifting and can offer much-needed support during heavy-weight exercises.

Remember to Rest

Just like warming up, taking rest days are essential when it comes to any workout routine. Knowing how often to workout is extremely important. Sometimes you may feel that you want to power through soreness and exercise daily to achieve your results, but rest periods play a significant role in any workout.

Resting is essential for repairing ripped and torn tendons that naturally get worn and broken down as you work them out. Rest days will allow your muscles to fix the microscopic tears caused during workouts, helping your tissue to heal and return better than before. Rest day will also go a long way to prevent muscle fatigue and soreness and reduce your risk of injury in future workouts due to strain.

It is just as important to rest during a workout as it is to rest afterward. While some assume you only need to rest for thirty to sixty seconds between reps, it is actually good to give yourself more time.

When planning your bicep workout, try to find a way to incorporate three to four-minute rests for this muscle group between sets to allow your muscles to return to full strength before starting again. If you don’t want to wait around during the rest period, you could try training a different muscle group in the downtime.

 

The Ten Best Bicep Exercises For Men

As we stated above, there are many benefits to focusing on biceps as an area of improvement in your own workout routine. If you’re looking to put the work into bulking up your biceps, the exercises we break down below are a perfect starting place. From beginners to seasoned pros, there’s something for every stage of your workout journey to be found here:

1. Standing Dumbbell Curl

The standing dumbbell curl is a classic exercise and can easily be replicated with some basic home equipment. For this exercise, you can use a dumbbell of appropriate weight or improvise with any heavy object at home that you can get a safe grip on. Be sure to take caution when performing this exercise to avoid injury- keep slow control, remember to squeeze, and keep your back straight!

1. Standing up straight, hold one dumbbell in each hand, with your arms straight, palms facing forward and down by your sides.
2. Keep your elbows locked beside your torso, stationed above your hips.
3. While keeping your upper forearms still, curl the weight upwards towards your shoulder as far as you can. Repeat on either arm.

 

2. Standing Barbell Curl

This is another common bicep exercise, considered an old favorite by many. This exercise is well-liked for a good reason, as it allows you to work on both bicep muscles simultaneously, leading to more even results. When performing a standing barbell curl, be sure to keep your body fixed and straight, and avoid swinging as you lift. Your elbows should also remain by your sides and not move while lifting the weight.

1. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip while standing shoulder-width apart.
2. Get yourself into position, standing with a straight back, arms extended, and feet together.
3. Keeping your upper forearms locked by your side, curl the bar up towards your chest. The bar should not touch your chest.
4. After pausing, lower the bar back to your starting position. Repeat.

 

3. Hammer Curl

The hammer curl can be considered a more nuanced version of the classic dumbbell curl, working to target your biceps from your brachii to your baracialis. This exercises ability to better target the whole of your bicep muscle can help you gain some much-needed bulk. When done properly, a hammer curl can also put less stress on your wrists, if that’s an area of concern.

1. Standing straight, hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides, palms facing inwards towards each other.
2. Keeping your upper arms locked in place, curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders as far as you can, keeping your palms facing inward.
3. Hold your position for a second, then lower the weights back down, entering your starting position.

 

4. Spider Curl

The spider curl is another variation of the classic curl. This approach can allow for a greater range of motion than other bicep exercises, ensuring that an optimum amount of tension is being held on the muscle. When performing a spider curl, you will need an adjustable workout bench set at an angle where you can stand leaning forward, allowing your arms to hang straight down to the floor while holding your dumbbells or barbell bar.

1. Lie down on an angled workout bench, so you are standing, leaning forward, with your arms angled straight down.
2. Hold your dumbbells in both hands, palms facing upwards towards you.
3. Keeping your upper arms still by your side, curl your dumbbells upwards towards your chest as high as you can.
4. Pause briefly before lowering your arms back down to their starting position. Repeat.

 

5. Zottman Curl

The Zottman is definitely a more complex exercise, but it is worth learning this technique. By leveraging different hand positions to maximize its target multiple muscles, this exercise can allow you to build a more even and balanced look to your bicep. Be sure to take particular care of your positioning when performing this exercise, as improper movement could lead to sprained or tense wrists.

1. Stand in a shoulder-width stance, holding a dumbbell in each hand by your side with your palms facing inward towards each other.
2. With your palms still facing inward and your upper arms locked, lift your dumbbells until your arms are at a 90-degree angle.
3. Once your arms are at a 90-degree angle, rotate your hands, so your palms are facing up toward the ceiling.
4. Once in this position, continue to lift up your forearms, twisting your palms, so they are facing outward away from you.
5. Lower your arms back to their starting position. Repeat.

 

6. Regular EZ Bar Curl

An EZ Bar can be a great piece of equipment for working out your biceps, with its undulating handle allowing you to handle more weight than you could with other equipment. It also works to alleviate the pressure on your elbows and forearms, which can be great for healing muscles. Many claim that an EZ bar can stimulate better muscle growth than barbells or dumbbells, but it’s best to pick what works best for you! Adding this variation into your technique could lead to a new go-to set.

1. Standing shoulder-width apart, hold the EZ bar in an underhand grip, resting it in front of your thighs.
2. Keeping your upper arms locked by your side, curl the EZ bar up towards your shoulders.
3. Squeeze your muscles, then slowly lower the bar. Repeat.

 

7. Incline Dumbbell Curl

An incline dumbbell curl is a variation of the dumbbell curl that works to provide a deeper muscle stretch. You should be on an inclined bench in this curl, sitting upright with your back flat against the pad. If doing this workout at home without access to a bench, any straight back chair or bench will do – just ensure you’re sitting at a roughly 90-degree angle.

1. Begin by sitting upright with your back straight, keeping your arms down straight towards the floor, palms facing forward, with a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Keeping your upper arms locked and palms upward, curl both dumbbells upwards towards your shoulders as close as you can.
3. After a pause, lower the dumbbells, putting your arms back into their start position. Repeat.

 

8. Chin Up

This classic move is more difficult than meets the eye but can be highly effective when building your biceps. Plus, a good set of chin-ups can also work your shoulder and back to increase that overall upper body bulk when done properly. For those embarking on home workouts, there is a multitude of at-home chin-up bars online- just be sure it is properly installed to avoid any accidents. Any multifunction workout station should have the proper bars to get the job done for those in a gym setting.

1. Standing shoulder-width apart, grip your chin-up bar, keeping your palms facing towards your face.
2. Pull yourself upwards until your head is fully above the bar, with your feet off the floor.
3. After a pause, slowly lower yourself back to your start position. Repeat.

 

9. Underhand Seated Row

This exercise utilizes any kind of cable machine, working to target both your biceps and your back. This makes it a great exercise for an overall body routine. When performing this exercise, be sure to keep your back extra straight and secure. It’s best not to lean forward when performing this maneuver, adding unnecessary strain and improper form.

1. Sitting at a low pulley cable station or rowing machine, grab your straight bar with and underhand grip, shoulder-width apart, palms facing up.
2. Pull the cable towards your chest, both keeping your shoulders down and pinching your Shoulder blades together in the back.
3. After pausing, return your arms to their starting position. Repeat.

 

10. Standing Cable Curl

The use of the cable machine can allow you to perform rapid-fire sets with increased tension throughout the bicep, making it perfect for a quick routine. There are also many variations to this exercise, depending on the pulley attachments you attach to your machine. We’ll outline how to perform a standing cable curl with a straight bar attachment in the low position for these instructions.

1. Standing shoulder-width apart with a straight back, grab the straight bar with your arms extended, palms facing upward.
2. Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly pull the bar up towards your shoulders as closely as possible.
3. After pausing and squeezing your muscles, return to your start position.