Almost all beginners and experienced athletes include exercises for biceps in their training program. It’s not surprising - the size and shape of the biceps brachii muscle plays an important role in an athlete’s figure. Therefore, men, sparing no effort and time, devote themselves to such training.
To get the desired results from regular exercise, it is important to constantly work on muscle development and choose the right exercises. After all, biceps really look great only when they have parameters proportional to other muscles. Accordingly, you need to train your arm strength comprehensively.
The structure of the biceps muscles
The biceps is the biceps brachii muscle, consisting of a short and a long part. Each of them has its own attachment point and movement mechanism. The better developed the biceps muscles, the more expressive their components.
The long muscle part is located on the outside of the arm, the short part on the inside. In addition, the development of the biceps is directly influenced by the brachialis muscle. She is next to him and gets involved during training.
The brachialis muscle seems to push the biceps upward, making its size visually larger.
What factors cause muscle growth?
Before moving on to the exercises, let's look at the main factors of muscle growth. This is necessary for a clear understanding of the appropriateness of the exercises that we will consider below.
To simplify it as much as possible, muscle development requires building material (amino acids), energy (glucose), hormones (the body synthesizes them in response to training stress) and muscle tension or tension, which initiates growth. Moreover, sufficient muscle tension is the main factor , without which there will be no progress, even if the accompanying conditions are met.
Accordingly, for effective development of muscles, including biceps, it is necessary to create conditions in which there is noticeable muscle tension without unnecessary stress on the ligaments and tendons. This is achieved by using the correct technique for performing the exercise and understanding its biomechanics.
We recommend reading: How to build big legs: finishing exercises that will “explode” your legs
In the case of the biceps brachii muscle, for example, the grip width of the barbell during a classic biceps curl does not matter. Let me remind you that with any bending of the arm, both heads of the biceps are always tense. Thus, the grip should be comfortable to maximize muscle tension with minimal stress on the hands and elbows.
This is much more effective than trying to pump up the outer and inner heads of the biceps separately by varying the grip width. You will spend more time, and due to a grip that is too wide or too narrow, you will overstrain your joints and ligaments, which will not allow you to create sufficient muscle tension. Progress in increasing the weight, and therefore adapting the muscle to the load through its growth, will stop before the size of the biceps begins to please you.
Muscle Growth Factors
Before you grab dumbbells and barbells, you should understand what exactly causes muscle growth.
For development and growth, any muscle needs building material, which in the human body includes amino acids, glucose, hormonal elements and muscle tension, which stimulates an increase in volume. What is noteworthy is that it is muscle tension that is the leading factor thanks to which it is possible to achieve good progress.
In order for muscles to actively develop (including biceps), you need to provide them with appropriate conditions. During training, it is necessary to set a noticeable load, but not to overload the tendons and ligaments. You can achieve maximum efficiency in your work only with the help of the correct technique for performing a set of biceps exercises.
With regard to the biceps muscle, for example, the grip width of the barbell during a standard lift is absolutely not important. Both biceps heads are loaded in any case when flexing and extending the arms. Therefore, the athlete can hold the apparatus in a way that is convenient for him. The main thing is that the elbow joints and hands experience minimal tension.
Home training equipment
To effectively train your biceps at home, you need to acquire additional equipment. Without it, answer the question “How to pump up biceps at home?” it won't work out completely.
Collapsible dumbbells
The best machine for training biceps at home. By adding weight, the principle of load progression is observed. Heavy dumbbells allow you to pump up both the biceps and the muscles of the whole body, which increases the rate of muscle growth.
Complex horizontal bar-bars
With its help you can work all the muscles of the upper body. The parallel bars are an opportunity to learn how to do pull-ups and push-ups on parallel bars, which will strengthen the muscles of your back, chest, biceps, triceps and deltoids. The complex allows you to work out the muscles of the abs and forearms. The efficiency of working with a horizontal bar and parallel bars increases if you use it together with a belt for attaching weights and weight plates.
Barbell
The best accessory to answer the question “How to build biceps at home?” But expensive and takes up a lot of space. You will have to purchase additional plates of the appropriate size for the bar. A bench – if you want to do bench presses, and barbell racks if you want to do squats.
Kettlebells
An undeservedly forgotten piece of equipment with which you can train no less effectively than when working with dumbbells. Kettlebells are a development of both the biceps and all the muscles of the upper and lower body.
Tubular expander
The cheapest option. Allows you to pump up your biceps for men and women who do not strive to become professional bodybuilders and acquire “cans” of 45-55 cm. A universal expander allows you to work all the muscles of the upper and lower body from different angles, which increases its effectiveness in hormonal regulation. An expander, if used correctly, allows you to pump up your biceps at home. But don’t count on super results. As a result of training with an expander, the athlete will look more like an attractive beachgoer than a beefy bodybuilder. This is an ideal exercise machine for girls.
Rubber loops
An alternative to an expander. It has the same properties, but is more suitable for following the principle of progression of loads. We buy a set of several rubber loops and replace the entire gym with them. Resistance bands can be used to complement barbell exercises. But at home, their use in “solo” mode is justified. Expander and rubber loops are exercise equipment for those who do not want to spend money and take up space in the house. The result will not be so massive, but you will get an attractive figure. Dumbbells or kettlebells are the best choice for pumping up your biceps at home quickly. They cost more than an expander or loops, but the result can be more impressive. The barbell and its accessories are the best option for training at home. But the most expensive, and taking up a lot of living space. The horizontal bar and parallel bars are an alternative to dumbbells. With a weight belt it can be more effective than dumbbells. To train your legs, you can buy an expander or rubber loops.
How to properly pump up your biceps
You can work your biceps muscles several days a week. Each athlete determines the number of sessions for himself individually, in accordance with his physical capabilities. To develop a competent training program, you should use the help of a professional trainer. Only an optimally designed and timely adjusted training regimen will achieve tangible results.
Maximum effectiveness can be achieved if you pump up your biceps at least twice a week.
The biceps muscle itself makes up only a small part of the arm. The main share of the volume (more than 50%) falls on the triceps. But it is the regular exercise of the biceps muscle that makes the shoulders expressive and gives them a spectacular, masculine profile. However, in order for your arms to look strong and strong, in addition to basic biceps exercises, you must not forget to pump up your triceps.
When working the muscles, you should completely focus on your own sensations. It is very important to feel how the body works and adhere to the correct exercise technique.
Push ups
How to increase biceps at home if you don’t have a horizontal bar? One good exercise is push-ups. However, it is important to understand that with their help you will not be able to quickly pump up your arm muscles, since part of the load will be distributed on the abs, chest and back. The training scheme is quite simple: take a starting position with your hands at shoulder level and start doing push-ups. The number of approaches and repetitions depends on your physical capabilities. But you shouldn’t try to do heavy workloads from the very first day, because it won’t end well. They should be increased gradually.
Training with free weights
Free weights include dumbbells, a barbell, plates for it, and special weights for the arms and legs. That is, any unfixed sports equipment. During training with such equipment, the main sources of strength - ligaments and tendons - are more involved in the work.
Standing biceps curl
Align yourself in a standing position, with your back resting against the power frame. The wall is not a suitable option in this regard, since when performing the exercise you will not be able to move your elbows back a little.
Take the projectile, pressing your elbow joints to your body or stomach. At the same time, you need to hold the barbell with a reverse grip shoulder-width apart. As you inhale, bend your arms to chest level, and as you exhale, return to the starting position.
Incline Dumbbell Raise
Place the back of the training bench in an inclined position. Sit on it, holding the shells in your hands, press your back tightly against the backrest. Bending your elbows, alternately raise and lower your arms. When the hand is in the top position, you need to turn the hand in your direction as much as possible. The elbows should not move forward.
Hammer Dumbbell Raise
Stand straight, make sure that your shoulder blades are brought together, your elbows are in a natural position without moving forward. Exhaling, smoothly raise your arms with the apparatus upwards, and while inhaling, lower them back. When doing biceps exercises, you can lift both arms at the same time or one at a time. When moving your limb to the lower position, do not relax it completely. A slight tension should be felt.
Concentrated dumbbell raises
Sit on a training bench with your legs slightly apart. Take the apparatus in your hand, bend over a little and turn towards the dumbbell. The elbow should rest against the inner thigh.
Now lower the outfit to the surface of the floor, almost straightening your arm. Next, lift it by bending your elbow joint and try to hold the weight in the top position for at least two to three seconds.
How to pump up without dumbbells?
If you don’t have dumbbells, then don’t despair, you still have a chance to pump up your biceps at home. Perhaps you have a barbell or kettlebell .
This, of course, is less likely, because if there are dumbbells in almost every home, even the smallest ones, then barbells and weights are not so popular. But suppose you have at least one of these, or even both.
With the barbell and kettlebell, we will do everything we did with dumbbells, just with a slightly different technique.
You can do the following biceps exercises with a barbell::
- lifting the barbell while standing with a straight or reverse grip;
- lifting the barbell while standing against the wall with a direct or reverse grip;
- lifting the barbell onto the biceps, resting your elbows on some surface.
You can do this with a kettlebell:
- lifting weights with one hand on the biceps;
- lifting the weights onto the biceps with both hands, grasping the sides of the arch.
- lifting weights for biceps while standing against a wall;
- lifting weights for biceps with one hand while sitting, resting your elbow on your thigh.
The principle of constructing the program does not change, all the same 3-4 exercises and 6-20 repetitions.
For example, at home you can use such a program:
- Lifting the barbell while standing with a straight grip – 4 sets of 6-10 repetitions.
- Lifting a kettlebell with one hand while sitting, resting your elbow on your thigh - 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions.
- Lifting the kettlebell with both hands, holding hands on the sides of the arch - 4 sets of 8-12 repetitions.
- Lifting the barbell while standing with a reverse grip – 4 sets of 8-12 repetitions.
The program is similar to the dumbbell program, but you can replace some exercises with those that you like better. There is no one-size-fits-all biceps workout at home that's perfect for everyone, so experiment and find what works best for you. Each new lifting angle engages the muscle differently.
Effective biceps exercises using exercise machines
Training with a biceps machine
Sit on the machine bench and set the required weight. Place your elbows on special supports and grab the handles with your palms. Please note that the elbow joints should be in line with the shoulders.
Exhaling, tighten your biceps muscles and lift the handles of the machine up. Stay in the top position for a few seconds. As you inhale, gently lower your arms to the starting position.
Bending arms in the upper block of the crossover
First of all, prepare the machine by attaching the handles to the crossover cables. Now stand up straight and grab them with your palms with an underhand grip.
As you exhale, tighten your biceps and bend your elbows, pulling the handles held in your hands toward your head. In the position when your palms are on your deltoids, you need to pause, tensing your muscles as much as possible.
Emptying your lungs of air, return to the starting position.
Curling the arms in the lower block of the crossover
In the starting position, grab the handle attached to the cable of the lower block. Now straighten up and lean back a little. When performing, do not spread your elbow joints to the sides. Place your feet approximately shoulder-width apart.
As you exhale, bend your forearms until you feel your biceps contract completely. Keep your body straight, don't sway.
While inhaling, take the starting position.
Is it possible to pump up biceps without iron at all?
The option is the most deplorable, but far from hopeless.
If you don’t have special equipment and don’t have the money to buy it, then ingenuity will help you pump up your biceps at home. At a minimum, almost all courtyards have sports grounds with horizontal bars. If it’s not in your yard, then it’s in the next one.
You grab the bar with a reverse grip approximately shoulder-width apart and begin to pull yourself up.
These pull-ups focus on the biceps, while other options, for example, with a wide straight grip, use the back muscles more. By the way, I already wrote about how to pump up your back on the horizontal bar.
Now let’s remember the biceps exercises at home with dumbbells that you read about above. Instead of dumbbells, you can use, for example, bottles of water or sand . Bottles are generally a great option. If you have never lifted anything heavier than a tame python in your life, then you can take 1.5-2 liter bottles.
If you are a little familiar with sports, you can take 5-6 liter bottles. And if you are almost a machine, then you can take 10 liter bottles. Just keep in mind that their handles wear out very quickly and on one of the approaches this bottle may fall right on your foot.
You can also use a backpack, put something heavy in it and lift it by the handle. Here you can also play with weight. You can put anything in there and add weight until you hear the threads crack.
You can also come up with biceps exercise machines at home from scrap materials.
Well, or rather, not really simulators, more like devices. To pump up your biceps at home, you can, for example, use medical rubber . It is inexpensive, but it can really help in training. If money is not a problem, then you can buy a special expander .
The essence of these devices is that you clamp one part with your foot, and hold the second with your hand and lift it, bending your arm at the elbow. This exercise is also interesting because the load here will vary depending on the degree of tension of the elastic band.
The higher you lift and the more you stretch the rubber, the greater the load will be.
You can also tie this rubber to something stable, such as a pipe, this is also a good option.
You can also take some ropes, rope, cable or anything else that can be tied or hooked to something on the wall or ceiling. This will be similar to TRX. You hold the edges of the cable with your hands, put your feet forward and tilt your body back. Then you pull your hands towards your head, bending your elbows.
Another option to pump up your biceps at home, not the most convenient, but effective. You can take a regular towel, grab it with your hands on each side, and put your foot in the middle and push your foot down, and with your hands, on the contrary, try to lift the towel. It will be more convenient if the towel is long, or if you have a partner who will push the towel with your foot instead of you.
How to achieve maximum efficiency
First of all, you should remember that progress depends on the competent organization of the training process. This is the only way to prevent injury and excessive fatigue during exercise.
In order for biceps training to bring tangible results, you need to follow a number of useful recommendations:
- The basis of the training program should include basic heavy exercises. Such as: dumbbell and barbell presses, lunges, squats, pulling movements that increase muscle mass and strength. In a situation where an athlete is focused on working only one or two muscle groups, his body develops disproportionately.
- You need to conduct classes regularly, preferably at least three times a week. You can’t train occasionally, postponing the next workout until later.
- When the goal of exercise is to build muscle mass, we must not forget about proper nutrition. When composing your daily diet, you need to focus on protein foods. Ideally, an athlete should consume 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Make sure your menu has enough lean meat, seafood, poultry, fish and dairy products.
- Before you start doing biceps exercises in the gym or at home, be sure to warm up. Otherwise, you can injure your muscles and tendons.
- Intense training cannot be done every day. In order for muscles to develop well, you need to give them enough time to recover. Do not forget that after exercise, muscles recover on average at least 48-72 hours. To help them, you need to eat right after training.
Ways to develop biceps
If you have dumbbells, a horizontal bar and a barbell in the house, you should create a comprehensive program that includes all these equipment. Otherwise, you have to go with what's available. You can train your biceps at home even with just push-ups, although this is not the fastest way to develop sculpted muscles.
Working with your own weight (push-ups)
In order to apply the main load specifically to the biceps muscles, the palms in the prone position should be directed with the fingers towards the legs. When lowering, the elbows do not deviate, continuing to remain as close to the body as possible. By alternating such push-ups with classic ones, you can get very good results. However, if we talk about how to pump up biceps at home, this method cannot be called the most effective.
Exercises with dumbbells
Dumbbells are the optimal solution for training in limited space. With them you can easily pump up your muscles even in a small apartment:
- Raising/lowering dumbbells while standing . Hands can be raised simultaneously or alternately. The first option resembles working with a barbell.
- Seated arm curl . There are several positions here. The first is to do lifts/lowers while leaning back in a chair or armchair. The second is to bend your arm, resting your elbow on your thigh or some other support. The third is to work with a dumbbell, keeping the weight suspended.
- "Hammer" . The difference from regular curls is that the dumbbells are fixed in the palms perpendicular to the ground.
There are other dumbbell exercises for biceps at home, but they require special machines.
Barbell training
Using a barbell helps develop overall strength. To train the biceps muscles, flexion/extension in a standing position is usually used. Both classic and reverse grip are suitable. Deadlifts and lifting the barbell to the waist also have a good effect. Don't forget that working with weights requires a thorough warm-up. If your level of training requires the use of heavy weights, it is better to train in the gym.
Exercises for biceps on the horizontal bar
In articles talking about how to pump up biceps at home, the horizontal bar is not mentioned so often. Meanwhile, pull-ups are very effective. The grip is reverse, the palms are slightly narrower than the shoulders (you can try other distances). The main thing is that it is the biceps muscles that are pumped. Advanced athletes can start with 3 sets of 10 pull-ups. Subsequently, you can increase the number of approaches and add weights.
FAQ
How effective are biceps exercises at home?
With dumbbells, a barbell, a horizontal bar and persistence, you can achieve impressive muscle development.
How often should you exercise?
Hand day should be part of your overall training program. One lesson per week is enough.
How to train biceps at home if your level of athletic training is weak?
First you need to work on your general physical fitness. We can talk about the development of specific muscle groups a little later.
What to do if your forearms can’t handle the load?
This is a common problem among beginners. There is only one way out - we pump our hands with the help of expanders and various auxiliary exercises.
How to train for beginners and avoid mistakes
Often, novice athletes begin training without knowing the specifics of muscle structure and having no idea about the correct technique for performing exercises. Because of this, they make many mistakes and lose the opportunity to achieve the desired result. For classes to be truly effective, beginners should be aware of the most common shortcomings and try to avoid them.
- First of all, remember that it is impossible to get voluminous, sculpted biceps in a short time. Of course, if you do it naturally. You can quickly pump up only with the help of pharmacological drugs, which do not have the best effect on human health. For lovers of an unnatural, rapid effect, in most cases everything ends very badly.
- Don’t overestimate your own capabilities, especially if you’re just starting out. Don’t rush to train your biceps with a lot of weight right away, you’ll only lose technique, get injured, and won’t achieve the desired result.
So, the optimal weight of the barbell for training the biceps muscle is 6.5 kg. To determine the weight of dumbbells, you will have to practice a little. To begin, take a projectile weighing 5-6 kg and do 12-15 repetitions. If you managed to complete them without much strain, increase the load by 1-2 kg. In the opposite situation, when the movement is difficult, you have to significantly strain your body and bend strongly, you should reduce the weight.
It is the excessive working weight that does not allow the novice athlete to directly feel the work of the muscles. As a result, when lifting biceps, a large load is placed not on the arms, but on the neck and back. Which leads to the development of various pathologies of the spine.
- Always follow proper exercise technique. A professional trainer can explain to you which biceps exercises to include in your training program and how exactly to do them. Of course, many people prefer to do it on their own, but at least the first couple of workouts should be done under the supervision of a professional.
Adding variety
It is very important to diversify your training program as much as possible. This allows you to maintain constant interest in the work, and also prevents the muscles from getting used to the load being studied.
The last movement that will be discussed is advanced and should be performed with a certain level of training.
Starting position: stand up, lower your arms at your sides, then lift the dumbbells up and to the sides. The number of repetitions and approaches does not differ from other described exercises.
When performing exercises with dumbbells for biceps at home, you should remember that the number of approaches indicated here is only suitable at the initial stage.
It is important to carefully monitor the load, gradually increasing it, monitor your breathing technique and your daily and training regimen.
With thoughtful and attentive work, the results will not take long to arrive.
Training program
Based on the approximate training scheme presented in the table below, you can competently build an individual training program. It is focused on performing exercises in the gym, but if desired, you can include other movements that allow you to practice at home. Training should be carried out no more than three times a week.
A set of exercises for biceps:
| Exercises | Number of approaches | Number of repetitions |
| Incline Dumbbell Raise | 4 | 12 |
| Hammer Dumbbell Raise | 4 | 12 |
| Standing barbell press for biceps | 4 | 10-15 |
| Concentrated dumbbell raises | 3 | 10 |
| Biceps machine | 3 | 12-15 |
| Bending the arms in the upper or lower crossover block | 3 | 10-12 |
The above training program is just a guideline to help you achieve your desired results. Don’t be afraid to improve, diversify your training regimen, adjust it to your individual physical capabilities - and you will definitely become the owner of strong, pumped up biceps.
Biceps hamstrings
The legs also need to be worked out, without focusing on the arm muscles alone - the whole body should work in order to ensure proper blood circulation, and not “drive” the blood, sending it exclusively to the favorite area of the body.
If most men are not very keen to pump up their legs, then girls have a different opinion. In addition to the quadriceps, which is relatively easy to train, there is also its antagonist - the biceps femoris muscle or, as it is also called, the biceps femoris.
Exercises:
- To pump up your hamstrings at home, without exercise equipment, you need to give it a load while bending your leg, lying on your stomach on a straight or inclined bench. Girls, for example, use an ironing board lying on the armrest of the sofa, and attach a weight to their feet, or clamp a small dumbbell between their feet. For greater load, you can use a backpack with any load.
- Lying on a bench with your face down, bend and straighten your legs. The necessary force is created by a partner, holding the legs of the training athlete.
- The situation is the same. The necessary force is provided by means of pharmaceutical rubber, one end of which is tied to a stationary object, the other is attached to the ankles. The force can be adjusted by the number of layers of rubber.
- Deep alternating lunges of the legs forward - the left leg is bent as much as possible, the right leg is extended back, and vice versa.
These exercises for the hamstrings, of course, will not replace the exercise machine, but they will still allow you to work the muscle. In addition, the goals of each training person are individual, and not everyone needs a lot of mass, so hamstring exercises performed at home give the desired effect for many.
The position of the toes during bending is also important. Extended socks put more stress on the upper part of the muscle, raised socks put more stress on the lower part.
