Best Biceps Exercises for Beginners

Having strong biceps is more than just physical. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it adds to your good physique. But the purpose of working your biceps out is rather functional. It helps you carry heavy objects and get on with your everyday tasks easier.

If you’ve just started bodybuilding, you must be wondering how do these bulky dudes develop their biceps into sturdy and bulky body parts. Wonder no more, we have compiled the best biceps exercises for beginners.

1. Barbell Curl

Equipment needed: Barbell

Type of Exercise: Muscle gain, strength and mass builder

Barbell curls isolate the biceps. It holds tension in the working muscle as you apply force serious loads.

Steps:

• Stand behind the barbell, with both arms placed at your sides and palms are facing out. Keep your hands wider than shoulder width.

• Bend down and slowly pick up the barbell. Both of the palms should face upward and your thumbs around the barbell’s top.

• Stand up straight and keep the barbell at extended position. Place your hands just outside your hips and keep your head and chest straight forward.

• Squeeze your biceps to curl the bar up. Keep your elbows fixed and upper arms pressed into your ribs. As you curl the bar up, squeeze your glutes and core.

• Center all the work in your biceps as you’re curling the bar to your chest level.

• When you reach the top, squeeze your biceps and hold the contraction for a couple of seconds.

• Slowly lower the barbell down while keeping your elbow and upper arm locked in place. Keep the tension in your biceps.

2. Hammer Curl

Equipment: Dumbbell

Hammer curls focus on working your biceps. This exercise is a solid choice if you want to build not just arm strength but also the shape.

Steps:

• Start in a standing position. Hold the dumbbells at both hands. Keep your palms facing inward.

• Curl the dumbbells as close to your shoulders as you can. Keep your upper arms locked in place and elbows tucked.

• Take a short pause and slowly lower the barbell back to the initial position.

3. Preacher Curl

Equipment: Preacher bench and E-Z bar

Type of Exercise: Strength

If you want to have bigger biceps, then you must include preacher curls in your workout routine.

Steps:

• Sit on the preacher bench. Make adjustments to the height until your armpits can just touch the top of the sloped section.

• Hold the weights with both palms facing up. Extend your arms while upper arms are comfortably resting on the bench.

• Curl the weight up until your forearms are vertical. Keep your upper arms resting on the bench.

• Take a quick pause once you have reached the top of the curl.

• Lower the weight slowly until your arms are back in an extending position.

• Keep your feet planted on the ground while your torso and shoulders are staying still as you perform the movement.

4. Cable Curl

Equipment Needed: Cable machine

This isolation exercise targets the upper arm biceps muscle. As a result, you get stronger and bigger biceps. This exercise which requires a pulling action with a cable machine is perfect for beginners.

Steps:

• Make necessary adjustments on the cable machine. Attach the cable at the bottom with the sliding adjustment. Keep the cable metal grip extended so you can comfortably grasp it in one hand.

• Start in a standing position, with both feet planted firmly on the floor.

• Straighten your back, brace your abdominal muscle and steady your head.

• Slowly curl the weight toward your chest while exhaling out. Only your forearm should do the movement of rising from your elbow.

• Hold the top of the contraction for a second.

• Return your arm to the lower resting position by unbending your arm at the elbow. Inhale as you perform this action. Keep the cable under tension and stop before the weights go back to the stack.

• Do several repetitions then perform the same actions on the other arm.

5. EZ Bar Curl

Equipment: E-Z Curl Bar

Type of Exercise: Strength

The tools that you use is a great factor to promote muscle growth. Utilizing an EZ bar is helpful if you want bigger biceps. You can use a barbell if your gym doesn’t have this equipment.

Steps:

• Stand up straight and hold the EZ curl bar at the wide outer handle. Keep your palms facing forward and your elbows close to your torso.

• Exhale and curl the weights forward while your upper arms are kept stationary. Contract your biceps and focus only on the movement of your forearms.

• Raise the weight continuously until the bar is at your shoulder level and your biceps are fully contracted. Hold the contracted position for a few seconds while squeezing your biceps.
• Inhale and slowly return the bar back to the initial position.

• Perform several repetitions.

6. Concentration Curl

Equipment: Dumbbell

Type of Exercise: Strength

Concentration curls let you focus on biceps contraction without the use of body momentum. This action maximizes the tension placed on your biceps muscles. You will be able to build more strength as you have greater activation of your biceps.

Steps:

• Sit in a chair with your knees spread wide, feet flat and your left hand holding a dumbbell.

• Bend forward. Brace the back of your left elbow against the inside of your left knee. Hang your left arm straight down with your left palm facing your right leg.

• Curl the weight toward your shoulder while you keep your elbow against your knee and upper body still. Keep your palm facing upward.

• Take a quick pause and return to the initial position.

• Do several repetitions and repeat on the other side of the arm. Make sure that you perform an equal number of reps on both arms.

Strong and defined biceps can make you look athletic. It’s no wonder most bodybuilders focus on this area so much.  Start combining the exercises above and you’ll get out of the gym looking ripped and strong in due time.

REFERENCES

5 Effective Biceps Workout Routines: Beginner To Advanced. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/5-biceps-workout-routines-beginner-advanced

Basic Bicep Workout For Beginners. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://blog.anytimefitness.com/basic-bicep-workout-beginners/

Biceps Exercises for Beginners & Workouts to Start With. (2018). Retrieved from https://fitbodybuzz.com/biceps-exercises-workouts-beginners/

Smith, B. (n.d.). The 13 Best Arms Exercises for Beginners. Retrieved from https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/13-best-arms-exercises-beginners/1-hammer-curl-2/

Stewart, A. (2019). 5 Arm-Blasting Workouts – A Beginner’s Guide!. Retrieved fromhttps://www.bodybuilding.com/content/beginner-arm-training-guide.html