Let’s be honest, we're all a fan of upper body day because everyone wants big arms. No, more specifically, big biceps. However, if you’ve been endlessly curling dumbbells and your t-shirt sleeves still aren’t looking any fuller than they were a month or two ago, take this as your sign to stop. Senior Personal Trainer at Ultimate Performance, Zach Schmidt, shares three exercises that will build muscle and leave you with an impressive pump.
But before you jump to his exercise selections below, there are a few things Zach says you need to consider in order to effectively drive hypertrophy. “Firstly, you need to get your nutrition right by eating a good diet and being in a modest calorie surplus. As a general rule of thumb, you will need to add an extra 10-15lb of overall lean bodyweight to add an inch to the circumference of your arms.
“Secondly, the trick to grow any muscle is to hit it from all angles. That’s why people who only perform biceps curls struggle to pack on mass. Then, thirdly, applying the principles of progressive overload is crucial.”
FYI, progressive overload doesn't just have to be increasing the weight you use, you could reduce your rest time, add an extra rep, or slow the exercise right down. However, it is key to continuously challenge your muscles to stimulate growth.
Now that you've taken note of all of that, onto the good stuff. Here are the three exercises Zach recommends to pump up the biceps...
Incline bicep curl
If you’re looking for an exercise that will really add size to the peak of your biceps and overall strength to the top of your arms, the incline dumbbell curl is pretty much unrivaled.
"It targets the long head of the biceps (the lateral part of the muscle), which is stretched at the beginning of flexion of the elbow," says Zach. "The long head is responsible for the muscle ‘peak’ when you flex your biceps – in other words, the ‘vanity muscle’ of your biceps!
"Why I personally prefer the incline variation is that ir allows for a greater range of motion than their standing counterparts, and it also brings into play the stabilizer muscles in your upper back and shoulders."
To perform:
- Set up your weight bench to a 45-degree angle and take a seat
- Pick up your dumbbells and hold one at either side of your body at arm's length
- Curl them up to your shoulders, flexing at the elbow making sure you really squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement
- With control, slowly extend at the elbow and lower them back down to your sides
Hammer curl
Hammer curls – where you hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip, AKA palms facing each other – are often less favoured over the traditional bicep curl. However, Zach explains that the change in grip offers major for your biceps and other arm muscles.
"It allow you to target not only your biceps brachii, but also the brachialis and brachioradialis (the major muscle in your forearms) more effectively than a traditional standing biceps curl.
"Because of this subtle change in grip, it targets several key muscle groups in your arms, which means the hammer curl is super effective if you want to add not only power and girth to your biceps, so that they appear fuller and thicker, but also helps you to build powerful and balanced upper arms."
To perform:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your dumbbells either side of your feet
- Bend down and pick up a dumbbell in each hand (palms facing towards the body) and hold them at the side of your body
- Bend at the elbows and curl the dumbbell up towards your shoulders, trying to get your thumb to as close to them as possible
- Pause at the top and squeeze your biceps
- With control, lower the dumbbells back down to the start position
Reverse grip EZ-bar curls
Zach mentioned earlier in the article the importance of hitting the biceps from various angles, and that's exactly what a reverse grip EZ bar (or barbell) reverse curl will do.
"The reason I’ve included these, at the expense of their more traditional counterparts, is that if you’re already incorporating incline dumbbell curls into your workout, this is a great move for targeting your biceps from a different angle.
Standing barbell curls are popular biceps exercises, but performing these alone can leave the long head of the biceps brachii and the brachioradialis underdeveloped in relation to the short head of the biceps brachii. To bring them up to par, incorporate reverse curls. They also strengthen the wrists which will give you greater overall arm strength when performing other arms-specific exercises and compound moves such as bench presses and deadlifts."
To perform:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and pick up an EZ bar or barbell with a pronated grip (palms facing the floor) and rest it on top of your thighs
- Make sure your hands are about shoulder-width apart
- Bend at the elbows and curl the bar up as close as you can get it to you shoulders, squeezing the biceps in this top position
- Lower the bar back back down towards your thighs