Muscle group

Biceps exercises

Your biceps work on every elbow bend and on every pull-up, so they grow from heavy back work as much as from isolated curls. The atlas covers barbell, dumbbell, cable, resistance band and bodyweight movements.

If you are just starting out, pick one barbell or dumbbell movement and learn to run it without swinging the weight up. If you have been lifting a while, add a cable variation, which holds tension through the full range of motion.

Biceps exercises by equipment

Choose the equipment available to you and find exercises that suit your setup.

Dumbbell54Preview unavailableEach arm works on its ownResistance band18Preview unavailableHome and travelBarbell16Preview unavailableEasiest weight to progress

More equipmentCable 11·EZ bar 10·Bodyweight 4

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Training guide

About training Biceps exercises

Choose one movement, perform it well, then progress it over time.

How do you train biceps?

The biceps is a small muscle. It recovers fast, and it also picks up plenty of work from your back training. If your week already has heavy pull-ups and rows, two isolation exercises on top of that are usually enough. Three to four sets of 8-15 reps beat single all-out attempts - the biceps responds to time under tension, not to records.

How do you pick a movement for your equipment?

A barbell lets you load the most weight and makes progress the easiest to track. Dumbbells even out side-to-side differences and let your wrists find their own angle. A cable holds tension constant, including at the top, where a barbell starts to unload itself. A resistance band is the lightest thing to travel with and works well as a finisher at the end of a session.

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By equipment

Dumbbell54Resistance band18Barbell16Cable11EZ bar10

Other muscle groups

TricepsForearms

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