When it is time to work your arms, and you want to make your workout very effective, there are some biceps workouts you should try. If you are looking to improve your appearance or your increase in mass and strength, then you can as well start with biceps workouts.
The muscles comprise of a short and long head, which come together to handle responsibilities like movements that include curling and flexing, which would lead to your arms popping.
Whether you are trying to impress or do anything related to that, the biceps are the easiest part of the body to show off.
The following are the best biceps workouts you can do at home that will significantly work on your biceps by either focusing on the short head or the long head.
These exercises focus mainly on your biceps, but it can also be beneficial to your triceps, pectorals, forearms, and shoulders. If you feel that the workout is becoming too challenging, you can try using a smaller dumbbell or alter your movements.
For the following workouts, you will need to complete 12 repetitions for each of them. Then, when you are done with all the exercises, you would have completed one cycle. It would be best if you kept going until you are done with three cycles.
Bicep curls
This is a very common bicep exercise, and it is the go-to exercise anytime you are told to perform a curl.
This is how to perform a dumbbell bicep curl:
- Take two dumbbells and use an underhand grip to hold one in each hand. Ensure that your elbows align with your torso, then you follow through with curling the dumbbells up to your shoulders.
- At the top of the curl, you tighten your biceps. Then you slowly start straightening your arm back to a totally outstretched position with the use of controlled motion.
Reverse curls
Just as the name suggests, you will need to do your curls in a reversed format.
This is how to perform the reverse curl:
- Grab two dumbbells and hold them in each hand with an overhand grip and keep your hands at your side and your palms should face down.
- Ensure that your elbows are pulled inward towards your sides before you start curling the dumbbells up to your shoulders.
- Then you lower your arms back down slowly while ensuring that your palms are still facing downward.
Hammer curls
This bicep exercise is called hammer curls because it involves the lifting and laying down the hammer.
This is how to perform the hammer curl:
- First, you start by grabbing your dumbbells and holding them down by your sides, and ensure that your thumbs are facing up while your palms should be facing inward.
- Then ensure that your elbows are pulled into your sides before you start curling the dumbbells up to your shoulders.
- Then you wrap up the movement by stretching your arms down with a slow and controlled pace.
W curls
This bicep exercise is properly named because while performing it; your arms would be in the shape of the letter “W”.
This is how to perform this exercise:
- First, you start by stretching your hands all the way down beside you while holding your dumbbells in an underhand grip format.
- Then ensure that your palms are facing outward and that you have the back of your hands beside you.
- Then, you proceed to raise your arms until they form a 45-degree angle. When you have achieved the W shape with your hands, you can then return them slowly to the initial position.
Zottman curls
This is named after the late George Zottman, who was a 19th-century weightlifter.
This is how to perform the Zottman curls:
- First, you start by stretching your hands all the way down while holding your dumbbells with an underhand grip.
- Then you start curling your arms up just as you would when performing a bicep curl.
- When the dumbbells have gotten to your shoulder level, then you proceed to rotate your hands to ensure that your palms are facing down and you have an overhand grip.
- Then you lower your arms slowly with the use of a controlled motion just as you would when performing a reverse curl.
- When your hands have been fully stretched back down, you can then return them to an underhand grip.
Isolated single-arm curls
This bicep exercise rounds up with isolated single-arm curls.
This is how to perform the isolated single-arm curls:
- First, you start by fully stretching out your arms to the sides, so that they form a T-shape with the rest of your body.
- Then you grab your dumbbells in an underhand grip format while ensuring that your palms are facing upwards.
- Then you start curling one arm till it forms an angle 90.
- Then you revert the arm to its initial position so that it is parallel with the floor.
- While you are working on one arm, ensure that the other one is kept in a stretched out position the whole time. When you are done with the reps on one arm, carry out the same steps with the other arm.
Crossbody curls
This bicep exercise involves you alternating between your two arms. But it would be best if you did equal reps for both hands.
This is how to perform the crossbody curls:
- First, you start by stretching out your arm down and out at your sides while holding the dumbbells with an overhand grip.
- Then you proceed to curl the thumb-side of your right hand to your left shoulder
- Ensure that you take the dumbbell across your body before you return it down slowly.
- When you are done with your right arm, repeat the process with your left arm.
Things to avoid when doing biceps workouts
It is for the fact that a lot of guys want to get bigger biceps. However, with all of the workouts, some guys still find it hard to get bigger arms. There are some things you should keep in mind while you are working your biceps so that you will get the best out of your workouts.
Not eating enough
One of the most common problems that guys face when they are trying to buff their biceps is that they are not big enough. For instance, a guy that is 6 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds would never be able to achieve bigger biceps as he is too skinny.
If you are looking to get bigger biceps, then you need to get bigger all round. So eat more to achieve bigger biceps. A rule to follow is first to take your height and then subtract 100 from it.
What you get is the minimum you should weigh in kilograms. For instance, if you are 6 inches (183cm), you have to weight at least 83kg. So, if you are not up to that, try to eat more.
Not varying the stimulus
For instance, you can use a thick-handle dumbbell to activate more musculature and enhance your neutral drive. If you don’t have access to thick-handle dumbbells, you can use fat grips or wrap a hand towel around the handles.
You can also make use of bands to fire past sticking points when you are performing exercises like the bicep curl. During this exercise, the biceps are engaged more around the upper half of the movement than the lower half.
Do not lift more than you can handle
It is not normal to see men carrying heavy 50-pound dumbbells to perform full-body curls. While working your biceps, you are not lifting to impressing anybody. So, it would be best if you came down to weights that you are sure of curling effectively.
Also, you must focus on the eccentric part of your movements. You can count to three while you slowly lower the dumbbell on each rep.
Don’t ignore your grip strength
Recent research has shown that grip strength might be experiencing a decline.
Studies that tested some men showed that they had noticeably weaker hand grips in comparison to young people that were tested in the 1980s. Your grip strength is not only essential for heavy lifts and handshakes.
Surprisingly, research has shown that is linked with longevity as it has been suggested that people who had weaker levels of grip strength are about 50% more susceptible to dying earlier than people who have stronger levels.
Do not neglect your triceps
When working their biceps, most guys do not remember to work their triceps too. It is important to note that the triceps make up two-thirds of your upper arm. So you should focus equally on your biceps and triceps if you want to really build your arms.