My Favorite Exercises For Bigger Biceps
How's it going everyone? Benjamin here, and today we're going to be discussing and going over some of my favorite exercises for bigger biceps. Let's get right into it!
BICEPS:
Before going into which exercises I believe are the best for growing your biceps, it is important to understand that the bicep has 2 heads. The long head and the short head. a majority of the mass in your bicep will be contained in the short head, and a majority of the peak looking shape will be contained in the long head. There is also the brachialis which sits in between your tricep and bicep, which aids in arm flexion (curling). If you put your arms straight down, the short head is located on the inside of your arm, and the long head is on the outside. (Seen below)
In order to develop bigger biceps, it's important to focus and give attention to both! Of course doing any bicep movement will fire both heads at the same time. However, specific exercises can put more stress on one head or the other.
1) Bicep Hammer Curls / Cable Hammer Curls with a Rope Attachment:
I love both of these exercises because it works not only the long head of the bicep, but also the brachialis and brachioradialis. What makes these exercises unique is the fact that it gives attention to the brachialis and brachioradialis which regular curls do not.
With developing your brachialis, it will increase your arm size greatly because it's located in between the biceps and triceps. When it grows, it pushes the two apart and adds more overall mass to your arm. It will also help you develop your brachioradialis which is located on your forearm and is always a nice touch to compliment bigger looking arms.
2) Straight Bar Curls:
Another great exercise for developing bigger arms. With this, I'm referring to the shorter bars in your gym, not a barbell. Which are usually located on a tower with the weight ranging from 20 lbs. - 120 lbs. The weight distribution just feels more comfortable to me with these than a barbell. This exercise mainly targets the short head of your bicep which will be great for packing on mass. Use a shoulder with grip, and curl the weight with a controlled manner. Make sure to squeeze and feel the contraction at the peak of the movement. Lower the weight in a controlled manner as well, using your biceps to fight the weight. This is often overlooked when people perform curls. The lowering portion of the weight is actually more important than the raising of the weight.
3) Dumbbell Preacher Curl / Preacher Curl Machine
The preacher curl is a great exercise for developing the short head of the bicep because when you lay your arm out in front of you on the slant, it puts slack on your long head, making it the weaker bicep head doing the movement. Because of this, your short head works even more harder to get the weight up.
It's also much harder to cheat and swing the weight up here since your arm is locked in against a surface. These two exercises are similar, however one is a machine and one is done with free weights. Don't be afraid to alternate between the two, as the tension feels much different between the two. Remember, use mind muscle connection and make sure you feel the muscle working.
4) Reverse Grip Cable Curls / Reverse Grip EZ- Bar Curls.
This is my favorite exercise for developing huge arms. Reverse grip curls will recruit both heads of the biceps, however it is mainly used for developing the brachialis.
Like stated earlier, developing your brachialis will help your arms grow larger because it's located in between the triceps and biceps. When it grows, it helps push them in opposite directions and makes your arms larger! Developing this muscle will also help your strength when performing standard bicep curl exercises.
These are just some of my favorite exercises for bigger biceps! There are plenty effective exercises, but definitely try these out if you're in need of some ideas. Catch you guys in the next article - "My Favorite Exercises For Bigger Triceps" See ya then!
-Benjamin