Biceps pain may indicate any number of underlying conditions, such as tendinitis or strain due to impact injury, repetitive motion or repetitive weight training. Check with your doctor before starting biceps exercises. While rest is usually the most immediate prescription for pain, a few key exercises can help build the biceps muscle and tendons back to their former strength.
Stretch
Stretching the biceps is particularly effective at recovering from pain. The biceps stretch can be performed by facing a wall in a standing position and raising the afflicted arm to one side with elbow locked. Placing your palm against the wall, slowly rotate your torso in the opposite direction from your hand until the biceps muscle is fully extended. Hold that position for several seconds before returning to the original position and repeat as desired.
Curls
Very light weight-training exercises can help speed recovery from biceps pain. Curls are particularly helpful and targeted to the biceps. Starting with minimal-weight dumbbells is key, since too much weight too soon can risk re-injury or further pain. For instance, a 1-pound dumbbell or similarly sized item is a good starting weight. Grasp the weight in your hand. With your elbow resting at your side and your upper arm at a 45-degree angle to your torso, slowly raise the weight with your upper arm until you almost touch your shoulder. Lower the weight slowly back to the original position and repeat as desired.
Flexing
Shoulder flexing is another good exercise for treating biceps pain. This routine begins in a standing position with the afflicted arm resting at your side. With elbow locked, slowly raise your arm forward, palm up, toward the ceiling. Hold that position for a few seconds before slowly returning your arm to its original position. Repeat as desired. Minimal weight can gradually be added as the routine becomes easier.
Considerations
For weight trainers or anyone who depends on their biceps muscles on a daily basis, warming up is an important preventative measure against the risk of pain. Gentle static stretches, including the biceps stretch mentioned above, loosen the muscle and the tendons at each end, enabling a more effective workout. Likewise, cooling down is also critical. Icing the biceps, for instance, can help prevent pain that results from inflammation.
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