Exercises To Increase The Biceps

Depending on the time and equipment you have, you can do different routines to increase the biceps. The important thing is to always be careful not to strain your muscles excessively, so as not to injure yourself.

Aesthetically, there are certain areas of the body that stand out more when they are toned and increase their muscle mass. Without a doubt, the arms can be included in this group, and that is why we suggest you know some exercises to increase the biceps.

Most bicep exercises are intended to target these muscles in isolation. This means that they differ from other jobs, such as squats or the military press , which are multi-joint because they demand the effort of several muscle groups at the same time.

It is important to clarify that neither of the two methods is better than the other, but that they simply pursue different objectives. What’s more, a study published by the Asian Journal of Sports Medicine & Science details that exercises that target few muscle groups produce the same gains in strength and muscle mass as those that require more muscle effort.

Routine to increase biceps at the gym

To get muscles to increase in size, it is necessary to induce a process called hypertrophy. As detailed in a review published by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research,  hypertrophy is generated by tensions that cause muscle tissue to break down ; later, these regenerate “readapted” to respond better to the stimulus that broke them.

The conventional way to exercise the biceps is with dumbbells or barbells with weights. In fact, this is one of the main reasons why many people decide to join a training center. We propose you to know some exercises to increase the biceps; Include them in your routine!

1. Preacher curl

Also called the ” Scott bench curl ,” after the first Mr. Olympia winner, Larry Scott, this exercise is very effective. It is done as follows:

• Grab the dumbbell with your right arm and rest your arm on a bench at a 45-degree angle. This is precisely the Scott bank.

• Slowly lower your arm to stretch your biceps. Some coaches suggest stretching it out all the way, while others argue that this is unnecessary and harmful. Consult with yours to obtain more details about it.
• Finish by lifting the dumbbell until it touches your shoulder.

2. Incline dumbbell curl

The movement of the arms is similar to the previous one, but in this exercise you work with both biceps at the same time. These are the instructions:

• Lie down on the 45-degree incline bench with a dumbbell on each arm; these remain stretched out to the side of the body.
• Bend your right arm so that the dumbbell reaches shoulder height.

• Lower your right arm and begin the movement with your left.
• This exercise alternates raising and lowering the arms; one always remains stretched and the other, flexed.

3. Alternating curl with supination

For this work, you should sit up straight and with a dumbbell in each hand. Once in position, do the following:

• Breathe in and flex your right forearm while doing an external wrist rotation. The idea is that the dumbbell touches the forehead.
• At the same time, the left arm is stretched to the side of the body.
• When you have descended with the right arm, repeat with the other side.

4. Concentrated curl

This exercise is recommended for beginners, as it is easy to perform. However, depending on the weight of the dumbbell used, it can also help the more advanced.

• Sit on a bench and bring your torso slightly forward.
• Take the dumbbell with your right hand and rest your left palm on your knee.
• Stretch your right arm so that the elbow touches the knee or thigh.
• Finally, bend your arm so that the dumbbell touches your shoulder or reaches chest level.

5. Curl barbell

In this case, you will not use dumbbells but the bar with the number of discs you support. This traditional exercise in the world of fitness is done as follows:

• Stand up with your legs slightly apart and your back straight.
• Grab the bar and stretch your arms with your wrists and palms facing forward.
• Bend your arms up to shoulder height ; that is, the fists should almost touch the shoulders.
• To finish, hold for a few seconds and return to the starting position.

Exercises to increase biceps at home

If you don’t like going to the gym, have little time, or want to keep the promise of exercising 15 minutes a day even at home, you can choose the following routine. These exercises will allow you to have bigger biceps without resorting to weights:

1. Push-ups

The so famous push-ups are very useful to increase the muscle mass of the upper body. According to a study published by researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada, who analyzed the action of each muscle when performing push-ups, the biceps contribute – to a different extent – to all variants of this work.

Anyway, it is important to clarify that in the push-ups they act complementary, since the pectorals are the ones that do the most work. Likewise, the triceps also participate, as in any exercise that requires the extension of the arms.

• Lie face down on the floor, on a mat, or other similar surface.
• Support the palms of your hands and the balls of your feet. The rest of the body is suspended.

• Bend your arms at the elbows and lower your torso and legs. All strength must be performed by the arms and pectorals.

2. Funds

Here we make a little parenthesis to add a nice complement to this routine. Beyond exercising the biceps, to increase the muscle mass of the arms it is also necessary to work the triceps, as detailed in a study published by the International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology .

The funds or dips are an effective method to achieve this goal. This triceps exercise can be done with a chair, bench, bed, or any piece of furniture that serves as a support.

• Start with your back to him and rest your palms on the edge.
• Place your feet as far as possible – with your legs straight – and raise your torso, always keeping your back straight.
• Bend your elbows so that your torso “goes down” and then stretch so that your torso “goes up.” The goal is for the arms to support the full weight of the body.

3. V bends

These are similar to the traditional push-ups we mentioned earlier, but with a difference: in this case, the space between the hands and feet is shortened and the buttocks are slightly lifted through the support of the knees.

• Support the clenched fists and the bottom of the toes, up to the ball of the foot.
• Bend your elbows to lower your torso and legs and stretch to return to the starting position.

4. Diamond push-ups

Another version of the push-ups that, although it also demands the effort of the pectorals and triceps mainly, can be used to increase the biceps. They are done like this:

• Lie face down with the palms of your hands resting on the floor as close together as possible ; they have to touch their thumbs.
• Cross your legs and support your knees.
• Perform elbow curls bringing your torso forward.

5. Lateral push-ups

Beyond the biceps, this exercise also serves to tone the lateral abs and increase resistance.

• Lie on your side on the mat with your legs stretched out (one on top of the other).
• Rest your forearm on the ground and raise your trunk. The “free” arm can rest on the side of the body or it can be stretched over the head to provide stability.
• Hold for at least 30 seconds.
• The only parts of the body that are supported are the elbow, forearm, hand and the side of a foot.

To increase biceps, don’t forget your diet

Diet is also key when it comes to generating hypertrophy. In this sense, protein consumption is essential, as explained in a study published by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition . This intake can be met through supplements as well, although this should always be supervised by a nutritionist.

On the other hand, rest is also very important. Exercising is a part of the process, but it is during rest that the true muscle changes occur, according to an investigation by Medical Hypotheses , which even adds that lack of sleep leads to a loss of muscle.

As you can see, increasing the volume of the biceps is a complex mission that includes many factors. Now that you already have many different exercises to exercise both at home and in the gym, go ahead and try them!