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Do you want bigger biceps but just can’t seem to make it happen? Are you tired of all those barbell curls and other biceps exercises and need some variety? I’ve gathered four lesser-known biceps exercises for you that you can easily incorporate into your training so you’ll get less bored and give your biceps that extra push they need to grow a bit more!
Training Biceps with These 4 Exercises
For most people, bigger biceps are a sign that you’re training. Your legs can be huge or your back thick, but if your biceps don’t bulge in your sleeves, you’re not a serious bodybuilder or fitness enthusiast.
For the hardcore trainers among us, that means barbell curls to infinity and dumbbell curls until you’re blue in the face. Good for your muscles, but as with everything, variation is a factor you should take seriously.
When you always do the same exercises, your muscles are less inclined to continue growing, not to mention the boredom that many athletes experience when they do the same exercises every workout!
The four biceps exercises I’m giving you are not entirely new, but you don’t see them done much in fitness centers and gyms. They are mainly variations on more well-known biceps exercises – there are only a limited number of ways to bend your arm… – and they breathe new life into your biceps training.
The first exercise is a variation on the standard barbell curl.
Spider Curls
Spider curls are a very strict variation of barbell curls that emphasize the bottom of the biceps, the part closest to your elbow. The reason this method is so strict is because your entire upper body is lying on an incline bench, making it impossible to cheat. All the power must come from your biceps!
The execution is quite simple, but don’t be surprised if you get stared at in your gym…
- Set the backrest of an incline bench at a 45-degree angle, 30 degrees is about as low as you can go
- Place a long barbell with weights behind the bench, preferably on a riser
- Lie face down on the bench with your shoulders just above the end for freedom of movement. Your feet should be on the ground, sitting is not possible because you’ll end up with your face on the backrest…
- Grab the barbell and let your arms hang straight down
- Now curl the barbell upward and bend your head down
- Bring the barbell as high as possible towards your neck and contract your biceps well
- Then slowly lower the barbell back down until your arms are straight down again
Due to your position, you cannot swing the barbell upward with your body, and letting your elbows point backward is barely possible. Very strict, very painful, very good!
The second exercise is a simple variation on a favorite of many:
One Arm Preacher Curls
Almost everyone who does preacher curls in the gym uses a barbell or an EZ Bar. The preacher bench, however, is also very suitable for doing a pure isolation exercise with a dumbbell.
One arm preacher curls require everything from your biceps, from full extension to full contraction you work the entire biceps from top to bottom; the emphasis is especially on the bottom of your biceps, but the extension has a significant effect on the entire biceps.
You practically never see the standing preacher bench in the Netherlands, so I’ll assume the preacher bench where you have to sit:
- Adjust the armrest to the correct height. When you lay your arms on the armrest, it should not dig into your armpits
- Sit down with a dumbbell and grab it in the hand you want to train. Hold onto the top or side of the armrest with your other hand to stay balanced
- Lower your hand slowly until your arm is almost fully extended. If you do this too quickly, you risk tearing your biceps…
- Now bring your hand back to the starting position and contract your biceps hard
- Do your repetitions and then switch the dumbbell to your other hand
A variation on this is to sit so that the side of your body faces the backrest. This makes the exercise even stricter and puts more emphasis on the inside of the biceps.
You can also perform the preacher curl on a machine:
One Arm Machine Curls
Although I’m not a fan of training with machines, this exercise is a very nice and painful addition to your biceps workout! The principle here is the same as with the One Arm Preacher Curls:
- Make sure your seat is high enough to reach the armrest properly
- Sit down and grab one of the handles
- Bring the handle towards your face next to your head and contract your biceps well. The tension from the machine provides maximum contraction!
- Lower your hand slowly until your arm is almost fully extended and start the next repetition
The machine with separately moving handles is also very suitable for a nice variation on the hammer curl. Grab the handle in such a way that your palm faces sideways instead of upward and perform the curl like this. The armrest provides a hefty extra dose of tension on your muscles that you’ll feel for days!
Speaking of hammer curls, the last exercise is a challenging and heavy variation on the hammer curl:
Rope Hammer Curls
Not a pure biceps exercise but mainly a good brachioradialis training. The brachioradialis runs on top of your forearm from your wrist to your biceps. It gives an enlarging optical effect to your entire arm when the brachioradialis is well developed.
Your biceps is also targeted in a unique way by this exercise because your palms face each other during the arm bend.
For this exercise, you need a cable station with a cable attachment at the bottom plus a handle consisting of a thick rope with an attachment for the cable in the middle. The rope should have a thick knot or bulge at the ends to prevent your hands from slipping:
- Grab one end of the rope in each hand and stand up straight with your palms facing each other
- Now bring your hands up and slightly outward by bending your arms. Keep your upper arms in the same position
- Contract and then slowly lower
The cable provides constant tension on your muscles that cannot be replicated with free weights. The exercise is a good change when you’re tired of regular hammer curls!
There you have it: four exercises to give your arms a good beating! Incorporate them into your schedule and let your biceps grow bigger and stronger again!
