5 Best Bicep Exercises to Firm Your Biceps

The biceps muscle, located on the front of your upper arm, is used in many everyday activities such as lifting, carrying heavy bags and turning door handles. However, if you want your biceps to really pop out, you’ll need to add certain exercises to your workout routine that specifically target the biceps with the goal of toning them without bulking them up too much. Here are five great exercises that will help you firm up your biceps and look great at the beach this summer!

How are biceps structured?

Biceps are two-headed muscles found in your upper arm. The short head is located above your elbow and flexes your arm towards your body. The long head does just what it sounds like—it flexes your arm away from your body.

5 best exercises for biceps

Bicep curls

The truth is, you don’t need much equipment at all to get a good bicep workout. Grab a pair of dumbbells and you’re set. 

One of the most popular bicep exercises is barbell curls—grab a free weight and simply curl it upwards toward your shoulder. Although there are many different variations, including EZ-bar curls and cable curls, dumbbells work best for isolating individual muscle groups in your arms. 

Hammer curls

If you’re looking for an easy way to firm your biceps, try hammer curls. 

Stand straight with a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing in toward your body. Let them hang by your sides. Bend your elbows and curl them up toward your shoulders. Do not lean forward as you lift. Instead, focus on using only arm strength rather than using momentum from your body (like in a basic bicep curl). If it’s too hard for you, use a lighter weight until you build up some strength, but don’t skip out on building muscle! Finally, lower yourself back down to starting position slowly before repeating once more.

Concentration curls

To do them, sit on an inclined bench with your feet at the side of the bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides. Without moving your upper arms, bend both elbows and curl both weights up toward your shoulders. Straighten both arms again slowly. 

Repeat 12 to 15 times (five times on each arm) for one set. If you want a challenge, sit on an incline bench or chair and raise one leg for two sets of 20 reps (10 on each arm). If you’re looking for more of a burn, place your forearms—elbows bent 90 degrees and hands open like claws—on an incline bench behind you.

Zottman curls

Zottman curls are perfect for hitting every muscle in your biceps. They are great for both building and toning – the difference lying in sets and reps. 

To do the zottman curls, stand with your feet hips-width apart. Lock your elbows at your sides with dumbbells in your hands. With your palms facing upwards, perform an ordinary bicep curl. As your hands reach to your chest, twist your hands upside down so that your palms are facing downwards. Then, lower your hands slowly and repeat. 

Vivanour recommended Products

Chin ups

If you have access to a pull-up bar, try doing chin ups. To start, hold on to a sturdy structure with an overhand grip and then lean forward until your chest touches it. Pull yourself up so that your shoulders are fully above your hands. Keep your back straight throughout and slowly lower yourself back down so that your arms are fully extended. 

Chin ups also work well for latissimus dorsi (the broad muscle at the back of each shoulder) since they allow you to target both sides of your upper back at once while stabilizing with arm muscles.

How often should I train my biceps?

The question of how often you should work out your biceps depends on two factors: How quickly you want results and how much time you have. 

The best way to get it right is finding a program that isn’t too strenuous (which can lead to burnout), but also doesn’t give your body too much time to recover (which means you won’t see results). 

The general rule is that you should train each muscle group about twice per week. If it takes up a lot of room, such as with your shoulders or legs, that number can increase. However, working out any particular muscle group more than three times in a week is usually too much for most people and could lead to overtraining.

How many sets and reps should I do?

This will vary from exercise to exercise, but there are some general guidelines. 

If you’re doing isolation exercises like dumbbell curls, try three sets of 10-12 reps per set with 60 seconds rest in between. You can also do supersets (two exercises done back-to-back without rest) as a way of keeping your heart rate up and getting more out of each workout. 

What’s more important, weights or reps?

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again: For biceps, weight is more important than reps. It seems logical, but for a lot of people, that’s easier said than done. 

If you can’t lift heavy enough to keep your heart rate elevated during your workout, you won’t get stronger and stronger—you just end up increasing endurance. If you want firm biceps (and who doesn’t), use weights. Start with heavier sets of fewer reps and slowly increase your weights as you build strength. Start with at least 10 repetitions per set (more if you have strength

Ready, Set, Go!

With a set of well-toned biceps, you can be sure that your arms will get enough attention at every social gathering. But it’s not just about looking good; well-defined arm muscles also mean better balance and improved posture—two things we could all use more of. In order to enjoy all these benefits, however, you need to follow a strict exercise program. Want more out your full body workout  click here to get does washboard abs  and click here to get that chest you want 

Your new body will need new accessories to click here to shop