List Of Exercises Just For Biceps With Dumbbells

Strong, toned biceps will draw plenty of compliments and help you perform back exercises with greater intensity, reducing some of the flab under your arms. Dumbbells enable you to move through a more natural range of motion compared with working your biceps with a straight barbell, EZ bar or a cable bar.

Muscle Heads

The biceps brachii muscle has a long head and a short head. Both heads originate on the outermost, top end of your shoulder and insert on the elbow end of your radius, which is the bone on the thumb side of your forearm. The primary function of your biceps brachii muscle is to bend your elbow, drawing your hand toward your shoulder. It also rotates your palm upward from a palms-down position. The brachialis muscle lies under your biceps brachii, originating on your arm bone and inserting in your ulna, the bone opposite your radius. The brachialis flexes your elbow when your palm is facing down. The brachioradialis begins at the lower third of your arm bone, inserting in your radius; it rotates your forearm as you bend your elbow.

Goal

Modifying the weight you use, the number of repetitions and the number of sets for every bicep dumbbell exercise enables you to tone, build or strengthen your biceps. If your goal is to tone the front of your arms, use light weights for 15 to 20 repetitions of two to three sets per bicep exercise. Building the size of your muscles means you must use moderate to heavy weights for 6 to 12 repetitions of four to six sets, totaling three to four bicep exercises. To increase the strength of your arm muscles, stick with three major exercises using very heavy weights for one to five repetitions for four to six sets.

Dumbbell Curls

Alternating dumbbell curls is the fundamental bicep dumbbell exercise. It engages all your biceps muscles at some point of the movement, though much of the work is performed by your biceps brachii. Keeping your knees slightly bent, your feet just narrower than shoulder width apart and your core muscles contracted reduces your risk of injury, especially when you are lifting heavy dumbbells. If you feel you are swinging your trunk to lift the dumbbells, decrease the weight you are using because it is too heavy. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms by your side. Rotate your palm upward as you draw the dumbbell toward your shoulder. Return to the start position, then curl with your left arm.

Hammer Curls

Hammer curls work all your bicep brachii and your brachioradialis. This exercise is performed with your body in the same stance as for dumbbell curls. Keep the dumbbells in a vertical position throughout the entire movement as you bend your elbows.

Concentration Curls

Concentration curls can be performed to focus on just the biceps brachii or to work all of your bicep muscles. You will need to sit at the edge of a bench with your knees spread apart and your left hand supporting your body weight against your left thigh. Place your right elbow on the inner surface of your right thigh. Hold a dumbbell in your right palm and face your palm toward your leg. Rotate your palm upward as you curl the dumbbell toward your shoulder, then rotate it back down to the start position, engaging the entire bicep muscle. If you want to focus on the big biceps brachii, keep your palm facing upward throughout the entire curling motion.