Your biceps, more properly known as the biceps brachii, are responsible for flexing your arms at the elbow, supinating your forearms, and also help, albeit weakly, with shoulder flexion. The biceps also help stabilize the shoulder joint during some exercises. Training the biceps prepares you for real-world pulling and hauling motions.
Hammer Curls
Hammer curls target all three of the major pulling muscles in the arm: biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis. All you need to do hammer curls is a pair of light-to-moderate-weight dumbbells.
To do hammer curls, stand square with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell at your side in each hand, palms facing in toward your body. Curl one dumbbell up as far as possible toward your shoulder without moving your elbow away from your side. Lower the dumbbell and repeat on the other side. Continue alternating sides until you've done a full set with both arms.
Concentration Curls
Concentration curls, as the name suggests, let you focus your whole attention on one arm at a time. They work the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis.
To do concentration curls, sit down on a chair or bench with a dumbbell in your left hand. Place the back of your left arm, just above the elbow, against the inside of your left thigh. Hold your elbow stationary against your knee as you curl the weight up to your shoulder, then slowly lower it back to the starting position. Finish a full set on the left side before going on to the right.
Resistance Band Curls
If you either don't have dumbbells to work with or want a bit of variety in your home workout, use a resistance band to do bicep curls. Resistance band curls work your biceps, brachialias and brachioradialis, just as dumbbell curls do.
To do resistance band curls, hold one end of the band in each hand. Step on the middle of the band with one or both feet. Lower both hands to your sides, then slowly curl them up toward your shoulders, palms facing up. Stop when you can't raise your hands any farther without moving your elbows away from your side. Lower your hands back to the starting position and repeat.
Chin-ups
If you're strong enough to do chin-ups, you can use them to get a good biceps workout at the same time you develop all your major back muscles, including the latissimus dorsi and trapezius. Doing compound exercises like chin-ups also helps save time, which may be one of the limiting factors keeping you out of the gym.
To do chin-ups, you'll need a chin-up bar. It can be permanently mounted from wall studs or in a doorway, or you can purchase no-mount chin-up bars that stay put by leverage. Grasp the bar in an underhand grip, hands shoulder width apart. Pull your body up until your chin is at bar height, then lower slowly back down to the starting position.
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