Biceps tend to get a lot more attention in the fitness world than any other part of the body. There is a massive choice between exercises to stimulate, build and enhance them. This is so much so that it is often difficult to tell which ones get the best results when reaching your fitness goals whether that be to build muscle up or developing a lot of lean muscle.
Here we will explore some of the best exercises that go beyond your standard bicep curl at the gym. Many of these exercises, in fact, don’t even require weights to get the results you want. This is because many of them leverage off of your own bodyweight to get the job done. So next time arm day comes around in your workout routine, why not try these instead of, or in addition to, your current favoured bicep exercises.
Bicep Exercises
Preacher Curls
The bicep is not a solid muscle. Rather it consists of different parts. For the bicep’s peak, preacher curls are not ideal since they are performed in front of the body, which causes slack along the long head of the muscle. When it comes to building the inner-biceps, however, preacher curls excel. This makes them a good exercise to include with other workouts in your routine that also target your biceps.
Preacher curls are also quite easy to do. That is to say they are simple but will still work you.
With your upper arms and chest placed against a bench pad, hold an EZ-cur bar at shoulder’s length as a starting position. Then, slowly lower the bar as you inhale until your bicep is fully stretched as your arm is extended. That is one preacher curl.
The sets and reps of them will depend on your goals and abilities.
Overhead Cable Curls
Overhead cable curls, while being an excellent workout for your biceps, is also a good one for triceps and shoulders. The reason why they are great for biceps is that they work both their mid-section and their heads. This means that this exercise effectively works them in their entirety.
To do an overhead cable curl, stand with your body upright while holding a cable-handle in each hand with your palms facing the ceiling. Make sure that they are set at a height that is higher than your shoulders. In the starting position your arms should be extended and parallel to the floor. Your feet should be shoulder width apart.
While exhaling, slowly bring your arms closer to your body by curling them in until your forearms and biceps touch. Repeat that motion for as many reps and sets as you need to or are able to manage.
Chin-Ups
Not enough is ever said about the power of a simple chin-up or, rather, a few sets of them. One of their biggest benefits is the ability to provide a workout to most of your upper body. They can be gruelling and effective. When it comes to building biceps, however, they are an incredibly powerful exercise.
Chin-ups are done with a much narrower grip than pull-ups. Hence they work the body in a different way. Start by placing your hands on the overhead bar while making sure that there are only a few inches between them. Be sure to use an underhand grip when doing this. By placing your hands closer together (than you would for a pull-up) you are forcing more engagement from your biceps. This means that you will be working them harder.
The thing about chin-ups is that they get more difficult when you are carrying more bodyweight. This means that if you are using them as part of a way to bulk up, they will actually become more difficult as you get closer to your fitness goals (which could also serve as motivation to drop a little extra weight).
Contact the Trifocus Fitness Academy
There is a massive assortment of exercises that target biceps, more than we could hope to talk about in just one article. To learn more about the world of fitness, and to make it your profession, consider taking a specialised personal training course. Contact one of our representatives at the Trifocus Fitness Academy today to learn more or visit our website for details on our internationally accredited courses.
