Biceps exercises

How to train your biceps

The biceps sit on the front of your upper arm and cross both the elbow and the shoulder. They bend the elbow and turn the forearm so the palm faces up. Beneath them lies the brachialis, which bends the elbow in every grip, and the brachioradialis on the forearm helps most when your thumbs point up.

Curls are the direct exercise. The EZ bar curl is the classic: its angled grip is easier on the wrists than a straight bar. The hammer curl, with thumbs up, shifts more work to the brachialis and the forearm. Keep your elbows at your sides and lower the weight slowly; swinging only moves the load to your back.

Your biceps already work in every row and pull-down, and the chin-up with palms facing you trains them hard. Muscla counts each pull as half a set for the biceps, so a few curl sets at the end of a session are usually enough.

Curls are isolation exercises: they come after the big lifts, with higher reps and shorter rests.