THE 3 BEST EXERCISES FOR BIGGER BICEPS

Anthony Church
Aug 9, 2017 · 4 min read

Bigger biceps? Here’s How.

If you ask the majority of the guys in the gym what their goals in fitness are, I am pretty sure many will say bigger and toned arms. The biceps muscle is one of the most coveted muscles in the body, and of course the most over-trained.

So, how do you get those arms that you want so much? Several workouts have been proven to help in building bicep muscles, but only the top three exercises will be covered here. As always, remember that picking the right weights and movements plus proper diet will yield maximum results and that everybody’s body responds a little differently to training based on a variety of factors. Try a bicep routine that uses just these three for a while and see if you have the success that so many others have with these ever-popular and effective exercises.

1. BARBELL CURLS

Barbell bicep curls are great for maximum strength development and are great for beginners!

When doing the barbell curls, do not lean backward with the momentum as you hoist the weight upwards. Make sure you perform the workout in a slow and controlled manner, to avoid a situation where your momentum is performing more of the work than the muscles. This will ensure that you place high intensity within the fibers of the bicep muscles for ultimate contraction and stimulation.

How to do the barbell curl

Hold the barbell with a shoulder width underhand grip with your arms extended. Keep your chest up, abs tight, and head straight as you contract your bicep muscles to curl the bar toward the chest from the hip area, and keep your elbows pinned to your sides throughout. At the top, pause and squeeze your bicep muscles and slowly return the barbell along the same path. You may also use a cambered bar for this, which puts less strain on the wrists and causes the biceps to contract from slightly different angles.

2. INCLINE DUMBBELL CURL

This is a hardcore movement that involves the use of free weights and puts the biceps under stretch, thereby activating the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC).

At the start of the incline curl, your arms should be slightly behind your body, which is a unique position that is not achieved in the other bicep moves and a large part of what makes this a fantastic bicep exercise for building bigger biceps.

Your biceps are still under load in the lowest position and they contract eccentrically. This has been found to lead to a more powerful concentric contraction through the release of stored elastic energy.

How to do the incline dumbbell curl

Adjust your incline bench to about 45 degrees and sit squarely against the pad with the feet flat on the floor. Let your arms hang straight down by your sides with the palms facing forward. Shift your shoulders back and have your upper arms in a fixed position perpendicular to the floor, then curl the weights so that they approach your shoulders. Do this one arm at a time or both arms simultaneously and do not allow your arms to break their perpendicular orientation with the floor. Squeeze your biceps at the top and then return them to the start position slowly for a great stretch!

3. STANDING BICEPS CABLE CURL

This exercise targets the deep tissue, muscle fibers of the biceps. The pattern of movement with this movement is less stable due to the constant tension provided by the cable. This means that you will use all the stabilizing muscles that surround the bicep muscles as you execute this move, working them out as well. It also means that even at the bottom of the movement your biceps will maintain maximal contraction as opposed to dumbbells where it is easy to rest at the bottom without much tension on the bicep muscles.

How to do the Bicep Cable Curl

Stand and hold a bar which should be attached to a low pulley cable with and underhand grip and elbows extended at your sides. Have your chest up, abs tight and head straight and contract your biceps to curl the bar towards your chest, making sure your elbows are at your sides all through the movement. At the top, hold and squeeze the contraction and then slowly return the bar along the same path. Repeat several times without letting the weight touch down between each rep.

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Anthony Church is a veteran to the fitness industry. In addition to being one of the original writers for bodybuilding.com and a contributor to various other fitness publications he has competed as a drug-free bodybuilder at the national level and accumulated over a dozen bodybuilding victories. He holds a degree in psychology as well as an MBA and has worked as a certified fitness trainer for years helping countless individuals achieve their fitness goals.

Having overcome significant adversity Anthony has mastered the ability to train the mind to carry the body through what seems insurmountable, undesirable, and even impossible. He is a contributing author to the book “Living Passionately”, available on Amazon, and specializes in helping individuals unleash the warrior within, starting with the mind. Learn more at Anthony Church Fitness.


Originally published at anthonychurchfitness.com on Feb. 13, 2017. 3 Best Exercises for Bigger Biceps

Anthony Church

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👉 National Bodybuilder 👉 Trainer 👉 Writer 👉 Follow me. Insta = @anthonychurchfitness Snap, Twitter & Facebook: @achurchfitness www.anthonychurchfitness.com

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