There are countless ways to workout your biceps. One of the most common biceps exercise is the bicep curl. We all now how boring this biceps exercise can be. So we’ve reached out to the fitness experts to give you the many variations of the bicep curl. Now that there’s no excuse for any biceps-training regimen to be limited to the same old barbell and dumbbell variations.
If you stick to the same old exercises two things are bound to happen: Your results will plateau due to lack of imagination, and you’ll be bored out of your mind. That’s unacceptable!
Your pipes should never be set on autopilot, and your biceps exercise should never be boring. It’s time to make your biceps workouts fun and productive again, starting with these six versions of the classic bicep curl.
Why Do It: “Because the arm is behind the body, this curl variation stretches the long head of the biceps [the head most responsible for giving the biceps its ‘peak’],” says Robert Ciresi Jr., a certified personal trainer based in Riverside, CA. “A bigger stretch means a stronger contraction.”
Do It: Attach two handles to the lowest pulley setting on a cable column. Facing away from the weight stack, grab the handles and step away from the stack a few feet. Start with your arms fully extended and back behind you. Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the handles forward and up.
Sets x Reps: 3 x 12–15.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Dumbbell Drag Curl
Why Do It: “The angle of the arms, which would be difficult to maintain without the use of an incline bench, forces the short head of the biceps to work superhard,” Ciresi says. “Development of the short head gives tremendous width to the biceps.”
Do It: Lie facedown on an incline bench set to 45 degrees, holding a pair of dumbbells. Start with your arms hanging straight down toward the floor, palms facing forward (supinated). Keeping your upper arms perpendicular with the floor, curl the dumbbells up and squeeze the contraction in your biceps at the top. Slowly lower back down to full elbow extension. This exercise can also be performed one arm at a time, alternating sides every other rep.
Sets x Reps: 2–3 x 12 reps.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Barbell Drag Curl
Why Do It: “This old-school burner torches the long head of the biceps muscle,” Ciresi says. He also notes that the reduced, focused range of motion better targets the biceps, since you’re squeezing harder.
Do It: Hold a barbell with a standard shoulder-width grip. Bend your arms and push your elbows back behind you to pull the bar straight up your body (unlike with a typical curl, in which the weight moves in an arc). Pull it as high up as possible, somewhere around your upper abs or lower chest, and squeeze your biceps for a count at the top.
Sets x Reps: 3 x 8–10 reps.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Lying Cable Curl
Why Do It: “Placing constant tension in the concentric and eccentric phases of the lift, the lying cable curl allows for maximum stability of the torso,” Ciresi says. “This lets you fully concentrate on isolating the biceps.”
Do It: Clip a straight- or EZ-bar attachment to a pulley set low. Grab the ends of the bar with a palms-up grip, then lie all the way back on the floor, faceup. Fully extend your arms straight down your body (parallel with the floor), then curl the bar up as high as possible, keeping your elbows in tight throughout. Hold the contraction for a count at the top, then slowly lower back down until arms are fully extended.
Sets x Reps: 3 x 15 reps.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
High Cable Curl
Why Do It: “High-cable curls pack a wallop due to the external rotation of the shoulder,” Ciresi says. “In this position, the short head is forced to perform the bulk of the lift. The constant tension that the cable provides would be difficult to achieve using a dumbbell.”
Do It: Attach handles to the high pulleys on either side of a cable-crossover station. Grab the handles and stand between the pulleys with your arms extended and up. Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the handles in to your ears. Squeeze hard, then slowly return to the arms-extended position. You can do these one arm at a time.
Sets x Reps: 2–3 x 15–20 reps.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Cable Preacher Hammer Curl
Why Do It: “The hammer [neutral] hand position targets the brachialis muscle, which, when fully developed, greatly enhances the biceps peak,” Ciresi says. “The preacher bench stabilizes the arms to promote full isolation, and the cable provides constant tension throughout the lift.”
Do It: Position a preacher curl bench a couple of feet in front of a cable station. Hook a rope attachment to the low pulley, grab the ends of the rope with palms facing each other, and sit on the bench. Start with the backs of your arms flush against the pad and your arms extended. Curl the weight up as high as possible.
