6 Best Bicep Exercises for Men to Build Mass

When you want to build your upper arms, you must be aware of the best bicep exercises. Whenever you’re working on a muscle group, the exercises need to work on every part of the muscles.

The biceps are up of two parts - the short head and the long head. To ensure that the biceps develop properly, you need to work on both heads. The short head is responsible for making the arm bigger and fuller, while the long head is responsible for the bicep peak. If you don’t work on both heads, your biceps will not take up the shape you desire.

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Best Bicep Exercises for Men to Add Mass

It’s important to note that isolating the long head from the short head during bicep exercises is difficult. All exercises work on both heads, but the intensity differs with each exercise.

There are certain bicep exercises that work both heads with the same intensity, while some have a higher impact on the long head and some on the short head.

On that note, here are six best bicep exercises men should incorporate in their workout routine to ensure the growth of their bicep muscles:

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1) Chin-up

Chin-ups are the top bodyweight exercises for biceps. This exercise works on both bicep heads and is a great movement to warm up the muscles and get the blood flowing.

Usually, you need access to a chin-up bar for this exercise, but you can do the same on cable machines, as they come attached with chin-up handles.

When you’re doing chin-ups, ensure that you’re pulling using your bicep muscles, and try to use the full range of motion. Hence, lower your body till you feel the stretch on your biceps before pulling yourself back up.

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2) Barbell Curl

Barbell curls are heavy movements that focus on volume. You can do wide-grip barbell curls to target the short head of the biceps and short-grip curls to target the long head of the biceps. The same emphasis can be given to the bicep long and short head if the EZ bar is used.

Additionally, to increase the volume on the biceps, you can do cheat curls. To do this exercise, rack the barbell with weights. Instead of lowering the barbell all the way, do so half way, and use a slight elbow and body momentum to do the curls.

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3) Crossbody Dumbbell Curl

Crossbody dumbbell curls are an extremely effective bicep exercise, especially, if you’re looking for a bicep exercise to burn out your muscles. Additionally, it’s a great alternative to hammer curls as well.

When you’re doing this exercise, use a weight that helps you move through the full range of motion without using your body’s momentum. You must keep your body and elbow stable during this workout.

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4) Banded Dumbbell Curl

Banded dumbbell curls add intensity to your bicep workout routine. In fact, it’s a great way to increase resistance without moving to the next heavier dumbbell.

For example, if you’re curling 20 lb dumbbells but do not have the strength to curl 22 lb dumbbells yet, bands can help increase the resistance to somewhere between 20 and 22 lb.

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5) Incline Dumbbell Curl

Incline dumbbell curls are an advanced bicep exercise. When you’re doing incline curls, ensure that you’re feeling the stretch on the biceps when you’re loading the dumbbells.

When you curl the dumbbell, slightly turn your pinky finger up to maximize the impact for the bicep peak.

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6) Waiter Curl

The waiter curl is another great bicep exercside. This is a unique workout because of the grip it requires.

Waiter curls help activate the smaller muscle fibers present towards the outer areas of the muscle group. You should be able to feel the burn and fatigue when you do this exercise.

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Bottom Line

When focusing on the best bicep exercises, focus on factors such as nutrition and rest as well.

You have to provide your muscles with the proper nutrition, especially protein, if you want them to grow back thicker and stronger. Moreover, for the fibers to grow stronger, you must allow the muscles to have enough rest for proper recovery.