Developing biceps strength involves more than training to improve the size of your arms. You must work your biceps through a full range of motion and develop the supporting musculature to avoid injury. Perform both multi-joint, or compound, and isolation exercises for maximal development of your biceps. A combination of exercises and repetition ranges builds biceps size and strength. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any strength training program.
Step 1
Perform full chinups. This exercise works your back and the back of your shoulders, but also heavily works your biceps and provides a good stretch at the bottom of the repetition. Do not bounce out of the bottom, and grip the bar with your palms facing you, with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. If you can perform more than 15 repetitions, add weight by holding a dumbbell in between your feet.
Step 2
Perform heavy barbell rows. Like chinups, rows work your biceps and stretch them at the same time. Hold a barbell with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders and lean forward until your torso is nearly parallel to the ground. Smoothly pull the bar from a fully extended position into your sternum and lower. Perform this exercise for sets of six to eight repetitions.
Step 3
Train your biceps heavily with barbell curls. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width, and do not bend your wrists while curling your forearms up to your biceps. Perform this exercise for sets of eight to 15 repetitions.
Step 4
Work your biceps with dumbbell curls. Begin this exercise by holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing in and your arms pointing straight down. Curl the dumbbells up by bending your elbows and twisting your wrist until your palm faces up. The twisting motion works a slightly different function of your biceps and should not be ignored.
Step 5
Strengthen your brachialis with hammer curls. Your brachialis is the muscle next to your biceps, and helps flex your elbow joint. Perform hammer curls in the same manner that you perform dumbbell curls, but do not rotate your hands.
Tips and Warnings
- Always train through a full range of motion.
- Never bounce out of the bottom of a repetition, regardless of whether it is a chinup or a curl.
Things You'll Need
- Barbell
- Dumbbells
- Chinup bar
References
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Surface Electromyographic Activation Patterns and Elbow Joint Motion During a Pullup, Chinup or Perfect Pullup Rotational Exercise; J.W. Youdas, et al.; December 2010
- "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Electromyography as Indexes of Muscle Function; G.R. Adams, et al.; October 1992
- "Strength Training Anatomy, Third Edition"; Frederic Delavier; 2010
