The biceps are one of the smaller muscles but often get the most attention in the gym. While you have a huge variety of biceps exercises to choose from, a few stimulate the short and long heads of your biceps muscles for more growth from your workout. Choose two to three exercises per workout and complete two to three sets of six to eight repetitions each. Give your biceps at least 48 hours of recovery time between workouts.
Barbell Curl
The basic standing barbell curl is one of the most basic and popular biceps exercises out there. Start by standing with a barbell hanging in front of you with your palms facing forward and your hands spaced shoulder-width apart. As you exhale, contract your biceps and curl the barbell up toward your chest. Keep your upper arms stationary against your body and only move your forearms during the exercise. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the motion before slowly lowering the weight again as you inhale.
Spider Curl
Spider curls use a preacher bench to limit the range of motion of your elbows to help target the short head of the biceps while working the brachialis muscle that runs along the side of your arm and contributes to upper arm size. Lean your torso against the diagonal pad of the preacher bench with your armpits resting at the bend in the pad. Hold a barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart. Start with your arms almost fully extended toward the floor with your palms facing forward. Curl the bar toward your chest as you exhale, squeeze your biceps and lower the bar back to the starting position as you inhale.
Zottman Curl
The Zottman curl, while similar to a traditional biceps curl, works the entire biceps region as well as your forearms for improved grip and your brachialis and brachioradialis muscles that act as stabilizers during the exercise. Stand with your arms at your sides with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward. Curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders as you exhale. At the top of the lift, rotate your forearms until your palms face forward. Lower the weights back to your sides as you inhale.
Hammer Curl
In addition to working your biceps, hammer curls strengthen your brachialis to fill out the lower portion of your biceps region. Stand with your arms at your sides holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body. Curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders as you exhale, but instead of rotating your palms toward your shoulders, keep them facing in toward each other. Flex your biceps at the top of the motion before lowering the weights back to the starting position. The entire movement should mimic the motion of hammering a nail.
Preacher Curl
Preacher curls help isolate the biceps muscle to help add size to the lower head and give the biceps a peaked look. Sit at a preacher bench with your torso resting on the vertical portion of the pad and the elbow of one arm resting at the bend in the pad. Hold a dumbbell in that hand, and begin with your arm resting extended on the diagonal portion of the pad. Curl the weight toward your should on an exhalation and slowly return it to the starting position on an inhalation. Switch arms to work the opposite biceps.
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