5 Best Bicep Exercises for Men to Build Strong Arms
Biceps are an important muscle in the body. They work with the forearm to flex and supinate the elbow, provide assistance in picking up heavy objects, and add definition to the upper arm.
Big biceps signal to the world that you’ve put in some serious sweat equity at the gym.
If you want strong, muscular arms, there’s no better muscle group to train than the biceps.
Bicep Exercises for Muscular Arms
Here's a look at five top bicep exercises for men who want muscular arms:
1) Barbell Curl
The barbell curl is a classic biceps builder. This exercise targets the biceps, and when done correctly, it can add serious size and strength to the muscle.
It’s also fairly easy to do — simply load up a barbell; hold it in both hands, and lift it towards your chin.
How to do it?
- Take a barbel,l and hold it with an underhand grip that's slightly wider than the shoulders.
- Pull your shoulder blades together, and thrust out your chest so that you can see the front of your biceps.
- Curl the barbell up by flexing your biceps, making sure not to lean forward.
- Collapse your shoulder forward, or let the elbows move backward in relation to your torso.
2) Chin-Up
The chin-up is a bodyweight exercise that can build serious muscle in the biceps and back. All you need is a pull-up bar mounted on a door in your home gym.
As you’re lifting your bodyweight, the biceps are typically exposed to loads heavier than you can lift with a barbell. However, if you perform it incorrectly while engaging the shoulder and grip muscles, you could risk injury.
How to do it?
- Hang from a bar with your palms facing you and hands about shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
- Inhale. Exhale, and pull yourself up till your chin is at or above the bar.
- Don't arch your back or fold inwards.
3) EZ-Bar Preacher Curl
Curling on a preacher bench can increase the range of motion, which can lead to greater muscle growth in the biceps.
Using an EZ-bar instead of a straight bar changes the angle of the exercise, allowing you to target different muscle fibers in the biceps.
How to do it?
- Sit on a preacher bench, and rest your arms on the pad.
- Lean forward slightly, keeping your back straight and chest up.
- Hold an EZ-bar with your arms at shoulder width and hands facing inward.
- Curl the bar upward while flexing your biceps till they're fully contracted.
- Hold for a moment, and lower the weight slowly to complete one rep.
4) Reverse Grip Bent-Over Row
The movement pattern of this exercise — back and arm muscles contracting together—is similar to the chin-up. You can handle more weight on the barbell compared to other biceps exercises. Moreover, you can build up your biceps and back muscles for enhanced muscularity.
How to do it?
- Barbell rows can be performed with an underhand grip that's about shoulder-width apart.
- The back must be flat and chest up while performing the exercise.
- Lower the barbell to your stomach while pulling with the back and arms, keeping a constant tension on the muscle.
- Perform a few reps.
5) Concentration Curl
Concentration curls are a great biceps exercise that allow you to feel your arms working.
The position of your elbow on the thigh makes it more difficult to curl but allows you to use more weight and burn more calories. By curling with one arm at a time you allow your weaker arm to catch up.
How to do it?
- Sit on a bench with your feet set wide enough to allow your arm to hang in the middle, and rest your elbow on the inside of your thigh.
- With a dumbbell in hand, slowly curl the weight upward at a controlled pace, concentrating on contracting the biceps to move the load.
- At the top of the movement, flex as hard as possible, and slowly lower the weight down again. The key is not to lose tension on the biceps during the range of motion.
Takeaway
For the best and safest biceps workouts, exercises like preacher curls, hammer curls, and concentration curls offer a range of benefits to bodybuilders at all levels.
For instance, each bicep exercise allows you to target unique muscle fibers in the arms and promote strength gain.
Although there are many bicep exercises that can help you add muscle to your arms and improve strength and performance, the aforementioned ones are some of the best. By incorporating them in your regular workout, you will develop leaner arms and sculpt a leaner body.
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