3 biceps exercises: effective training for more strength

Our three biceps exercises are among the classics in fitness sports. We’ll show you how to give your upper arms strength with the right training and get them to grow efficiently.

There are a variety of biceps exercises that can strengthen your upper arms. In fitness studios you will find some equipment specifically for this part of the body. But above all, you need weights. You can also enlarge your arms with body weight alone, but with the help of dumbbells and other equipment, you can do it more efficiently and in more variety.

With a few tools you can save yourself a trip to the gym and can train your biceps at home:

• Dumbbells: The weight depends on your strength and your training bike. Just try out in the store at what weight it becomes too heavy for you to do around ten repetitions.

• Filled water bottles: They should weigh approx. 1 to 1.5 kilograms and are suitable for beginners.

• Pull-up bar: You can buy such a bar for home use and easily attach it to the door frame. You can also find pull-up bars outside in many playgrounds.

One thing is particularly important for all exercises: correct execution. It’s not about getting a lot done quickly or comparing yourself to others. You can only strengthen your biceps effectively if you train regularly and do the exercises correctly.

The classic biceps exercise: push-ups

Push-ups are the classic exercise for your chest muscles, shoulders and arms. However, in order to train your biceps, there are a few points you should keep in mind:

• Start in the kneeling position and position your arms correctly first. This is especially important before you proceed.
• Rotate so that your fingers point backwards rather than forwards. Align your arms so that your hands are closer to your hips than your shoulders.
• Keep your back straight and avoid arching your back.
• Now place your feet on the balls of your feet.
• If you have problems with excess weight or your joints, do push-ups on your knees. Stay bent forward and feel the tension in your arms.
• Go down very slowly, with high tension in your back and buttocks. It is more important to perform the exercise properly than to complete multiple repetitions.
• Make it a priority to be able to do push-ups properly a few times before setting yourself higher goals.
• When you’re ready, repeat the push-ups 10 to 30 times in three sets with short breaks.

Concentrated biceps exercises with “curls”

A “curl” is the upward movement of the forearms in dumbbell training. With this exercise you can train your biceps particularly intensively. For this you need dumbbells. For beginners, filled water bottles are sufficient, as mentioned above.

If you want to do this biceps exercise regularly, you should keep increasing the weight. That’s why dumbbells with addable weights are worthwhile. If the exercise becomes too easy, that’s a sign that you should increase the weight of your dumbbells.

There are different variations of curls, but we will introduce you to the two most common ones. The repetitions vary depending on the level of training. A good place to start with this bicep exercise is three sets of ten reps with breaks. Try to increase the number of repetitions over time.

The classic hammer curl:

• Stand up straight and hold a dumbbell or a filled water bottle in each hand.
• Tighten your biceps and try to keep your upper arms close to your torso.
• Alternate between both arms so that you can better focus on the tension in the muscle during the exercise.
• Now slowly lift the dumbbells alternately so that you can clearly feel the tension in your biceps.
• Make sure to push your elbows forward.

Concentration curls:

• Sit on a chair with your legs apart and rest one elbow on your inner thigh.
• Be careful not to bend your shoulder forward. Try to lean back as much as possible.
• Tense your biceps and keep your upper arm still.
• Now slowly lift your dumbbell up and down with biceps tension.

Particularly challenging biceps exercise: pull-ups

Pull-ups are also classic biceps exercises. They have a particularly high level of difficulty. But you shouldn’t be afraid here either: every pull-up you master counts! Even trained and strong athletes rarely manage ten.

For pull-ups you need a pull-up bar. You can find these either in the gym or often on playgrounds. You can also get a pole for your home and attach it to the door frame.

How to do the pull-up correctly for strong biceps:

• Stand under the bar with your arms stretched upwards, shoulder-width apart. As an advanced user, you can also reduce the distance between your hands.
• Grip the pull-up bar from behind (as in the picture on the right). Start with your little fingers and your ring fingers, then cup them with your whole hand. This way you keep your grip in the perfect rotation for optimal biceps stress.
• Keep your back arched to optimally engage your biceps. If you want to train your back and take the strain off your arms, push it straight.
• Keep your feet together, legs straight and buttocks tense.
• Slowly pull yourself up and hold the tension until you reach your chin over the bar.
• Lower yourself back down slowly and tensely.
• If you’re at the gym or have access to a pull-up bar that’s higher than your straight arms, it’s best to go down until your arms are straight again. This means you have to use more force when pulling up and put even more strain on your biceps. This is usually not possible with a pull-up bar in the door frame at home.
• When you come down, don’t put your feet on the floor until you can’t do it anymore.

Read more on Techzle\.com:

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Revised by Philipp Multhaupt

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