How to Work Your Biceps Smartly for Faster Results (2024)

Strong biceps play an important role in an overall strong and functional upper body. Building bicep strength helps you perform everyday tasks such as carrying and lifting. There are some unique tips to know for optimal biceps training to make the most of your workouts.

You will need a good set of dumbbells, barbells, kettleballs, or other form of weights. Some people simply use too much weight. Instead of using a concentrated movement, they will often grab a barbell or dumbbell far too heavy and end up swinging the body to lift the weight. All this does is distribute the effort to numerous muscle groups, including the shoulders, back, and hips. When this happens, the biceps don't get a good workout.

If the weight is too light, however, you won't see results with strength or building muscle mass.

To remedy this, go back to basics and learn how to build your biceps with the appropriate weight and workout routine.

Biceps Basics

The biceps muscles run from the front of the shoulders to the elbow. They are made up of two different parts: a long head and a short head. Both are activated during bicep exercises but respond differently to various movements. The biceps are responsible for elbow flexion (curling the arm up and down), forearm supination (turning the arm in and out), and, to a lesser extent, shoulder flexion.

Beyond the aesthetics of bigger muscles, it is important to work out the biceps as they are key to lifting, pushing, and pulling. As you age, the loss of these functions can be profound. Not only will you be less able to perform routine tasks, but other joints and muscle groups will also be eventually be compromised, including the elbows, wrists, forearms, shoulders, and lats.

How to Work Your Biceps

Biceps work should be part of a well-rounded strength routine. Focusing on the biceps alone might seem physically appealing, but unless you work them along with other muscle groups, you will create an imbalance that can affect the alignment of the shoulders and elbows, making them more (rather than less) vulnerable to injury.

Because the bicep muscles are proportionately small, at least in relation to your chest and back, you should always use a weight that allows you to flex and release with isolation (meaning that no other muscle is involved), but heavy enough to cause fatigue at the end of the set.

Bicep Building Tips

When putting together a workout routine, follow these basic rules:

• Work your biceps up to three non-consecutive days per week. This means at least one rest day between bicep workouts.
• If your goal is building muscle mass, lift heavier weights and perform six to eight repetitions. The last couple of reps should be difficult. If they aren’t, you need to lift heavier weights. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets. Repeat three to four sets.
• If your goal is endurance and lean muscle, use a lighter weight and perform one to three sets of 12 to 16 reps with at least one day of rest in between.
• For maximum results, switch up your workouts. Don't do the exact same routines every session.
• Regardless if you are working out for muscle mass or endurance, the last few reps should be difficult. If they aren't, your need to increase your weight.
• Keep the movement slow and controlled when lifting and lowering the weight. The lowering or eccentric part of the exercise is as important when building up your biceps muscle as the lifting or concentric phase.

Recommended Routines

Most bicep exercises are pulling exercises because they involve drawing your hand toward your shoulder. While there are many other exercises that can build the arms, the biceps curl is foundational to growth.

When designing a routine, choose three to four different biceps exercises, doing each for three sets of 12 reps. You can also do them as part of a circuit, performing one bicep exercise after the next with no rest. You will generally need to go lighter for this, but will definitely feel the burn.

Sample Biceps Workout 1

1. Biceps curls with dumbbells: Don't be afraid to lift a little heavier here, adding enough weight so that you can only do 12 reps. Don't jerk; watch your form.
2. Preacher curls on the ball: Working out on the ball forces to you maintain control and avoid swinging. Gravity is not your friend here, so you may need to go lighter.
3. Hammer curls: Turning your palms inward will also activate the forearm muscles.
4. Reverse curls: Finishing off with reverse curls helps target the forearm while working the brachialis muscle that lies just beneath the lower bicep.

Sample Biceps Workout 2

1. Barbell curls: You can usually lift more weight with a bar, so go for it here.
2. Concentration curls: These isolate the arm and focus the effort on the bicep.
3. Incline curls on the ball: Since you'll be at an angle for this exercise, you'll really feel the pull of gravity at your bicep.
4. Resistance band curls: Finishing off with resistance bands is not meant to be easy. It forces you to concentrate on form and balance more than many other types of exercise.
   

More Biceps Exercises

In addition to the above routines, you can switch out some of the exercises below to challenge your muscles for maximum benefits:

• Barbell bent over row
• Chin Up
• Inverted Row
• Hammer Curl with cable
• One-armed push-up

By alternating these routines weekly, you'll be able to build a fuller bicep faster than with just one or two exercises. Take your time, and you'll likely see real results after eight to 12 weeks.