Almost every client I have ever worked with wants big, sculpted arms. Specifically, they want big biceps.
Cbum - Olympia world champ, massive bicep enthusiast
Some people think “oh I’ll just do more curls to get there” - but doing the same movements again and again isn’t always a recipe for success. You have to do a combo of the right movements to make sure you’re training the whole bicep and not just part of it.
This is because of how this muscle is structured…
Anatomy of the Bicep
The Bicep is a muscle on the inside of your arm that has 3 heads.
The three heads of the biceps are the long head, the short head, and the brachialis (while technically not part of the biceps, it lies underneath and plays an important role in arm strength and shape).
Each of these parts has its own function, and in order to fully develop your biceps, you gotta train all of them.
Long Head: This is the larger of the two primary biceps heads, and it runs along the outer part of your arm. It’s responsible for the peak of your bicep when flexed. Exercises that emphasize the long head include incline curls and hammer curls.
Short Head: This part of the biceps lies more towards the inside of your arm. It contributes to the thickness and overall fullness of the bicep muscle. To target the short head, you can perform exercises such as concentration curls or spider curls.
Brachialis: While not technically part of the bicep, the brachialis lies beneath both the long and short heads of the biceps. Training this muscle will give your arms more size and definition, as it pushes the biceps up, making them appear larger. Effective exercises for the brachialis include hammer curls and reverse curls.
Anatomy of the bicep
SO - you should vary your training to target all the different heads of the biceps so that you can build balanced, fuller arms.
Training Tips for Building Big Biceps
For long time readers, these tips will be more of a refresher than anything. But in case you’re a new reader (welcome), here are some high level tips to keep in mind when trying to grow your biceps (and any muscle):
Vary Your Grip and Angle: Use a mix of supine (palms-up) curls, neutral (palms-facing) grips, and pronated (palms-down) grips. Also, don’t just stick to standing curls – try incline curls or preacher curls to hit different parts of your biceps from various angles.
Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight or resistance you're using over time to ensure your muscles are continuously challenged and growing. Stick in the 5-8 rep range and push yourself to struggle.
Control the Motion: Perform each rep with control, both on the way up and the way down. Don't let the weight just drop – slow down the eccentric (lowering) part of the movement. This will create more time under tension, helping to build more muscle.
Include Compound Movements: While isolation exercises like curls are important, don’t forget to include compound movements like pull-ups and rows in your routine. These exercises work the biceps along with other muscle groups, helping to promote overall arm development and strength.
Recovery and Nutrition: Remember, muscles grow during recovery, not while training. Get enough rest, eat a balanced diet with adequate protein, and stay hydrated.
Now let’s go over some specific exercises for training each of the 3 parts of the bicep.
Exercises to Build Big Biceps
1. Long Head
To target the long head, focus on exercises that involve more extension and stretch of the arm.
a. Incline Dumbbell Curl
Why it works: The incline angle increases the stretch of the long head and isolates it more.
How to Perform: Sit on an incline bench (set at 45–60 degrees) and let your arms hang straight down while holding dumbbells. Curl the weights toward your shoulders, keeping your upper arms stationary. Lower slowly for maximum tension.
b. Drag Curl
Why it works: This curl variation emphasizes the long head by keeping the elbows back and dragging the barbell or dumbbells up along your torso.
How to Perform: Hold a barbell or dumbbells with an underhand grip. As you curl, pull the weight up while dragging your elbows back (instead of allowing them to move forward like in regular curls), bringing the bar close to your torso. Slowly lower the weight.
2. Short Head
To emphasize the short head, focus on exercises that bring the arms closer to the body, targeting the inner part of the biceps.
a. Concentration Curl
Why it works: This move isolates the short head by forcing a close, controlled curl.
How to Perform: Sit on a bench and spread your legs. Rest your elbow against the inside of your thigh and curl the dumbbell toward your shoulder. Squeeze the bicep at the top, then slowly lower it back down.
b. Spider Curl
Why it works: By curling from a prone (face-down) position, the short head is placed under greater tension, focusing on thickness.
How to Perform: Set an incline bench to a low position and lie face down. Grab an EZ curl bar or dumbbells and curl the weight up, keeping your elbows slightly forward. Focus on squeezing at the top before lowering back down.
3. Brachialis
To target the brachialis, focus on exercises that use a neutral grip, which places more emphasis on the muscles beneath the biceps.
a. Hammer Curl
Why it works: A neutral grip directly targets the brachialis while still working the biceps.
How to Perform: Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other. Curl the weights up, focusing on keeping your palms neutral. Lower slowly for a controlled stretch and contraction.
b. Reverse Curl
Why it works: The pronated (palms-down) grip hits the brachialis muscle more than a traditional supine curl.
How to Perform: Grab a barbell or dumbbells with your palms facing down (pronated grip). Curl the weight up while keeping your elbows close to your torso, then lower slowly.
So if you’re looking to build some massive biceps, make sure you’re working in all of the following:
Compound movements like pull ups, rows, and deadlifts
Multiple exercises to train both heads of the bicep and the brachialis
Eating, sleeping, and training to build muscle (more on that here)
Cheers,
Dane