The biggest mistake that beginners make when training arms is believing that they need dozens of different curl options to mix the muscles into muscle growth. Forget muscle tension. Your biceps aren’t confused—they’re underdeveloped. Growth comes from gradually making the muscles harder, not from inventing new ways to curl the dumbbell.
In my last episode I talked about how biceps grow. I covered the growth equationthe importance of timing under tension, why tension always outweighs volume, and why the often-overlooked brachialis muscle deserves as much attention as the biceps themselves. Now it’s time to put all this knowledge to work.
Remember that your biceps are relatively small muscles. They also help during practice You are doing a heavy back exercise. Pull-ups, chin-ups, pull-ups, and rows all engage the biceps secondarily. By the time the day of rebuilding arrives, they have already done their part. This means that quality is more important than quantity. These four exercises are more than enough to blast your biceps to perfection.
4 biceps workout for bigger arms
Standing Barbell Curl:
4 sets, 12, 10, 8, 8 repetitions
Start your workout with standing barbell curls. Nothing fancy. Just you, a barbell and a strict form. Forget changing weights, moving backwards, or turning the exercise into a full-body Olympic event. Your elbows should be close to your sides when the biceps are working. If you have a handheld device, now is the time to use it. Do four progressively heavier sets of 12, 10, 8, and 8 repetitions. The first set is just a warm-up. Each set after that should increase the weight until those final two reps become a real battle.
Alternate Seated Dumbbell Curl:
4 sets, 8-10 repetitions
After you’re done with the barbell, switch to alternate seated dumbbell curls. Since the muscle is already warm, there is no reason to waste energy working through multiple sets of light. Choose a difficult weight and perform four sets of eight to ten repetitions, focusing on squeezing the biceps at the top of each repetition before lowering the dumbbell slowly under control. Resist the temptation to let gravity take over. Remember that weight loss is still part of the exercise.
Standing Curl Hammer:
1 warm-up set, then 4 sets, 8-10 repetitions
Now it’s time to show the bras some respect. Standing dumbbell curls are one of the fastest ways to add thickness to the upper arms because they emphasize the brachialis, which is located under the biceps. When this muscle develops, it actually pushes the biceps up and makes the whole arm look bigger. Do one light warm-up set followed by four hard sets of eight to ten repetitions. Now your arms should be questioning every decision you make as you walk through the gym door.
Straight or EZ Bar 21s
If you really want to know what your pain tolerance is, it’s time to do a workout with one of the oldest and most brutal hands in bodybuilding – 21 years old.
If you were born in the 90s, you probably think 21 is an aftermarket tire. But if you’ve been working out in gyms before health clubs became social clubs, you know exactly what’s going on.
Twenty-one people are not primary mass builders. They are finishers. By the time you reach them, your biceps should already be fully fatigued. The goal is to prolong the time under pressure, pump as much blood into the muscles as possible, and push yourself right to the brink of failure.
Load the straight bar or EZ-curl bar with a weight that you can usually curl for about twenty solid repetitions, then lift some weight. You will perform approximately twenty one continuous repetitions, divided into three sets of seven repetitions each.
Start with seven half reps and lower the bar from full extension to about halfway up. Pause briefly at mid-point before lowering the weight under full control. Without setting the bar, immediately perform seven reps of the half-up, starting from the middle, until fully contracted, squeezing the biceps tightly, before lowering only halfway. Finally, perform seven full range of motion repetitions from bottom to top, tightening the biceps as much as possible on each repetition.
If you pick the weight correctly, your biceps should be full of wet concrete by the time you finish the set. Rest for about ninety seconds and repeat for another three or four rounds if you’re feeling particularly ambitious.
One of my favorite ways to do 21 is with a training partner. Standing face to face. When you finish your set, don’t break the bar. Pass it directly to your partner and immediately follow him through his replay. As soon as he’s done, he hands the bar right back to you. There is no sitting. Don’t check your phone. Pretending to be healthy at the gym doesn’t cut it. Just keep going until you both run out.
Done right, you’d be hard-pressed to find another biceps exercise that’s as physically demanding as it is mentally exhausting. On the last three reps of your final set, it should feel like someone is cutting your arm with a chainsaw.
It’s a feeling you’ll never experience standing on a Bosu ball.
Remove, restore, repeat
Of course, none of this will amount to much if you don’t feed the muscles you’ve cleaned. Remember the second half of the growth equation. Learning creates motivation. Recovery builds muscle. This means plenty of lean protein, good quality complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, hydration and enough sleep. Add a quality multivitamin/mineral supplement, enough protein for recovery, and if you benefit from the extra energy and focus, a pre-planned workout can help make for a productive run.
Most importantly, be patient.
Nobody builds championship caliber guns in a month. Building impressive biceps is no different than building an impressive physique. It requires consistency, progressive overload, smart nutrition, and enough intensity to convince your body that bigger, stronger arms are no longer optional.
Keep up the show.
Keep adding weight.
Follow up with another representative.
Do this long enough, and those biceps will pop!
