For each biceps workout you’ll choose different biceps moves from our list of 13 exercises and the other variations we include. You’ll slate these moves into position based on how we’ve categorized them, choosing exercises you didn’t perform in your previous workout. On Mondays you’ll perform 15 biceps sets, but you’ll reduce volume to 12 sets on Thursdays to target growth for that body part without overtraining it.
Note that virtually every biceps move fits into at least two categories, if not three or four. We’ve emphasized each move’s greatest benefits based on the workouts and categories we’ve established.
Here’s more about each category, with a tip for each:
Mass-builder exercises
These moves use heavy weights to stimulate maximal growth. They’re the best choice for your first exercise on both Mondays and Thursdays. You don’t need to make this very complicated. Choose a mass builder from our list for your first biceps exercise every workout. You can use these moves frequently.
*Tip: Choose weights that allow you to perform virtually all reps without cheating, particularly for the first 2–3 weeks of your program. Emphasize using effort from your biceps rather than choosing heavy weights that force you to cheat or quit before performing all sets and reps.
Shoulder positioner exercises
Many biceps exercises require that you keep your upper arms at your sides, but it’s also important to include other shoulder angles to encourage different stresses on your biceps to maximize growth. Some of these moves require that you position your elbows behind your shoulder, while others require that you place them in front.
*Tip: Perform a move from this category in every workout to target your biceps from different angles. While performing these moves, emphasize the stretch and contraction in the places in your biceps that feel different from other biceps exercises.
Unilateral exercises
These moves require that you move your arms independently, whether in alternating fashion or at the same time. The benefit of these moves is that your stronger arm cannot help your weaker one. You should include a unilateral biceps exercise in nearly every workout.
*Tip: Focus on your working arm during each rep, emphasizing the element of your biceps growth you need most. While you can alternate arms, it’s also good to include moves where you perform all reps for one arm before the other as a variation.
Cable exercises
Cables provide constant tension, an advantage when trying to increase biceps detail and mass. You should include a cable move in nearly every biceps workout.
*Tip: Weight is less important than the contraction and stretch in each rep for cable moves for biceps; choose weights that allow for this, particularly emphasizing the stretch. It’s easy to overlook the negative of the rep, allowing the weight to return to the starting position without using biceps control.
Detail exercises
These exercises help you perfect your biceps, whether that’s building the brachialis or emphasizing your biceps peak or split.
*Tip: Emphasize the detail you’re trying to bring out for each of these moves, whether that’s the split at the top of the biceps or separation and detail along your inner or outer biceps. Use a mirror and your mind-muscle connection for guidance.
Outer/inner biceps exercises
We’ve paired these together because developing the inner and outer sides of your biceps is as much about hand position as exercise selection. When you want to develop the outer sides of your biceps, you should choose a narrow grip; when you want to develop the inner sides of your biceps you should opt for a wider grip.
INNER EXAMPLES: Standing barbell curl (shoulder-width or wider grip), low cable curls (straight bar with shoulder-width or wider grip), standing alternating dumbbell curls (with a twist to the outside)
*Tip: Emphasize the contraction of the inner or outer portion of your biceps, depending on which is the target for that particular exercise.
See how to construct your two weekly bicep workouts on the next page.
BICEP WORKOUTS
Here are two charts to provide examples for you to follow in constructing all of your biceps workouts on Mondays and Thursdays. Make substitutions of exercises from week to week based on our categories, described earlier and listed in the chart. Choose different exercises, angles, and handles from one workout to the next. Note that we haven’t added outer/inner moves to the chart, but keep that in mind as you select your mass-builder and detail exercises, trying to emphasize moves that will help you build both.
*Tip:Don’t think about how many reps or how much weight you used in a previous workout for a particular exercise. That is not a good gauge of biceps growth; it’s a measure of accommodation. Instead focus on working your biceps through the full range of motion for every rep.
MONDAY OVERVIEW: For your Monday workouts, you’ll perform all your biceps moves before triceps and abs. Choose weights that allow you to perform all reps with good form. For each Monday workout, you’ll choose a move from the four categories, making sure to vary your selections from the previous week’s biceps workouts. So, while the categories remain constant from week to week, the exercises should shift so that you’re constantly providing muscle confusion to stimulate maximal growth. You’ll perform 15 total sets for biceps on Mondays.
MONDAY BICEPS MOVES (Category)
EXAMPLE EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Mass-builder exercise
Standing barbell curls
4
10,8,6,4
Shoulder positioner exercise
EZ-bar preacher curls
4
12,10,8,6
Unilateral exercise
Alternating dumbbell curls
4
10,10,8,6
Cable exercise
Low cable curls
3
15,12,10
THURSDAY OVERVIEW: For each Thursday workout, you’ll begin with back, performing three moves for four sets for a total of 12 sets. Among these choose at least one back move that really works your biceps. Good choices include chin-ups (palms toward face), reverse grip bent-over rows, and dumbbell rows where you emphasize the stretch and contraction in your biceps as well as your back.
Next you’ll perform 12 total sets for biceps. Again, you’ll choose a move from the four categories in the following chart, making sure to vary your selections from the previous week’s biceps workouts. Note that the last category varies from your Monday workout, emphasizing detail over cables. These categories will remain constant on Thursdays, but your exercises should shift from week to week so that you’re constantly providing muscle confusion to stimulate maximal biceps growth.
THURSDAY BICEPS MOVES (Category)
EXAMPLE EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
Mass-builder exercise
Standing EZ-bar curls
3
10,8,6
Shoulder positioner exercise
Incline bench dumbbell curls
3
10,8,6
Unilateral exercise
Hammer curls
3
10,10,10
Detail exercise
Overhead biceps curls
3
12,10,10
Find the complete list of bicep exercises on the next page.
BICEPS EXERCISES
Here’s our list of 13 biceps exercises for your KAGED MUSCLE 6-WEEK BICEPS TRAINING PROGRAM. Some of our exercises also include variations for different emphases. Mix and match these moves and variations based on our Monday and Thursday biceps training charts. Make sure to switch up your exercises from one workout to the next for more complete biceps development.
Courtesy of Kaged Muscle
STANDING BARBELL CURLS
Motion: Grasp a barbell with a shoulder-width or wider grip while keeping your arms extended toward the floor. Hold a slight bend in your knees throughout. Curl the bar toward your chest, making sure your upper arms remain at your sides throughout. Lower the weight slowly, emphasizing a stretch in your biceps.
Purpose: This biceps move is one of the most basic mass builders for biceps, and it’s particularly beneficial for building the inner side of your biceps. Include it frequently in your biceps rotation.
CATEGORIES: Mass builder, inner biceps
Courtesy of Kaged Muscle
STANDING EZ-BAR CURLS
Motion: Take hold of an EZ-curl bar with a grip that’s narrower than shoulder width with your palms turned a bit toward one another. Keep a break at your knees throughout the set, and rotate your shoulders back. Using only the power of your biceps, curl the weight up to your chest, emphasizing a contraction in your biceps. Then lower the weight slowly, feeling a stretch in your biceps.
Purpose: This primary muscle-building exercise works the outer biceps more than standing barbell curls. For best results, alternate it with standing barbell curls from one workout to the next.
CATEGORIES: Mass builder, outer biceps
EZ-BAR PREACHER CURLS
Courtesy of Kaged Muscle
Motion: Holding an EZ-bar press the back of your upper arms firmly against the pad of a preacher curl bench. You can perform this move seated or standing, depending on the bench. Using the power of your biceps, curl the weight up toward your face. Lower the weight slowly, emphasizing the stretch. Keep your upper arms in contact with the pad throughout the set, and avoid moving your shoulders for additional leverage.
Purpose: This exercise encourages growth of your biceps at the attachment near your elbow, but emphasizing a full contraction at the top also stimulates muscle development at the top of the biceps near the shoulder.
CATEGORIES: Shoulder positioner, outer biceps
Courtesy of Kaged Muscle
INCLINE BENCH DUMBBELL CURLS
Motion: Lie on an incline bench while holding a dumbbell in each hand, allowing your arms to straighten, stretching your biceps (and chest) before beginning the set. Your palms should face a bit inward as you begin the exercise. Lift the dumbbells, turning your palms out as they reach your shoulders. Emphasize the contraction in your biceps before slowly lowering the weight to accentuate the stretch. Hold your upper arms still throughout the set.
Purpose: This move forces you to hold your elbows behind your body throughout, providing a deep stretch at the top of the biceps from the beginning position, actuating growth from a different angle.
CATEGORIES: Shoulder positioner, unilateral
Courtesy of Kaged Muscle
HAMMER CURLS
Motion: Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides with your arms extended and your palms facing inward. With your upper arms tight at your sides curl up the dumbbells without allowing your upper arms to move, and then slowly lower the weights emphasizing a stretch. This move can be performed with both weights moving together or alternating.
Purpose: This move targets the brachialis, the muscle that lies beneath your biceps. By increasing size of your brachialis you’ll increase the overall size of your upper arms muscles and increase your biceps peak.
CATEGORIES: Detail, unilateral
DUMBBELL CONCENTRATION CURLS
Courtesy of Kaged Muscle
Motion: Sit on a bench and hold a dumbbell in one hand. Bend over a bit so that the back of your upper arm is braced against the inside of your thigh. Use the power of your biceps to curl the weight up toward your face. Slowly extend the weight to its starting position.
Purpose: This move allows you to focus fully on one arm, performing all reps for one side before the other. It also helps bring out detail and the peaks of your biceps.
CATEGORIES: Unilateral, detail
STANDING ALTERNATING DUMBBELL CURLS
Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides and extend your arms toward the floor with your palms facing inward. Keep your elbows at your sides through the set, and curl up one dumbbell while turning your hand palm up. At the top of the rep your palm should be near your face and turned slightly outward. Squeeze your biceps, and then slowly lower the weight back to your side. Perform a rep with the other arm and continue alternating until you’ve completed all reps.
Purpose: This unilateral move allows you to use heavy weights to build mass, and turning your palm outward at the top improves development on the insides of your biceps.
CATEGORIES: Unilateral, mass builder, inner biceps
OVERHEAD BICEPS CABLE CURLS
Courtesy of Kaged Muscle
Motion: Place handles at the top of a two-cable apparatus, and choose a light-to-moderate weight for this exercise. With a comfortable stance and a break at the knees, curl the handles toward your shoulders using only the power of your biceps and moving only your lower arms. Emphasize the stretch and contraction in your biceps as though you’re performing an overhead biceps pose.
Purpose: This move allows you to target specific aspects of your biceps, making it a great finishing move. Use your mind-muscle connection mirror to visualize biceps growth.
CATEGORIES: Inner biceps, cable, detail
Courtesy of Kaged Muscle
LOW CABLE CURLS
MOTION: Stand in front of a cable pulley with a straight bar attached to the bottom of the apparatus. With a shoulder-width or wider grip begin to curl the weight, making sure to use the power of your biceps while keeping your upper arms from moving throughout. At the top of the move emphasize a squeeze at the inner sides of the biceps (if your hand position allows for this). Lower the weight with control, feeling a stretch in your biceps.
Purpose: This move is highly adaptable to your needs. You can also use a cambered handle, or you can perform this move unilaterally.
CATEGORIES: Cable move, inner biceps, detail
MACHINE PREACHER CURLS
Courtesy of Kaged Muscle
Motion: Place your upper arms against the pad of a preacher curl machine and grasp the handles of the bar. You can use a Hammer Strength or other brand of equipment for this move. Curl the bar toward your shoulders, but don’t allow your upper arms to lift from the pad. Lower the weight, emphasizing a stretch, stopping just before full extension.
Purpose: This move provides a different feel from regular preacher curls, but it also hits your biceps in a similar way. You can also use this exercise as a burnout.
CATEGORIES: Shoulder positioner, outer biceps
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL PREACHER CURLS
Motion: Grasp a dumbbell in one hand; place the back of that upper arm against a preacher bench (or an incline bench at your desired height and angle). Stand with your weight-side somewhat closer to the bench with a slight break in your knees. Begin with the dumbbell near your shoulder and slowly lower the weight, feeling a biceps stretch. Stop just short of full extension and then raise the weight, squeezing your biceps at the top for a beat.
Purpose: This versatile move can be used to target the outer or inner sides of your biceps based on whether you curl to the outside or inside of your shoulder.
Motion: For this exercise attach a handle to a low cable apparatus. You can stand or squat and place your upper arm against the inside of your thigh. Curl the weight emphasizing the contraction in your biceps. Then slowly lower the weight, feeling the stretch.
Purpose: This move provides constant tension on one arm, allowing you to emphasize a specific aspect of your biceps for increased detail.
CATEGORIES: Detail move, unilateral
SPIDER CURLS
Motion: This extreme shoulder-positioning move begins when you place your upper arms against a pad or apparatus that allows your arms to hang vertically while holding any form of weight (barbell, dumbbells, or EZ-curl bar). Using only your biceps, curl the weight up to your shoulders and squeeze your target muscles, then lower the weight slowly, emphasizing the stretch.
Purpose: The first Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott, designed a bench for this move. It allows for a greater stretch in your biceps near your elbows while also emphasizing a greater contraction against gravity at the top of your biceps near your shoulders.
