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Curls are the quintessential gym movement, and nothing beats a powerful bicep flex to show off your strength. But do the types of curls really matter? Are there other effective exercises that don’t involve curls to build those guns? Let's dive into the details.
Understanding the Biceps and Their Function
When we talk about the biceps, we're usually referring to the muscle in the upper arm that helps bend your elbow. This muscle is officially called the biceps brachii, meaning 'two-headed muscle of the arm.' (There’s also a biceps femoris, part of the hamstrings, which is related to the thigh, while 'brachii' pertains to the arm.) I'll stick to 'biceps' here, and though the correct term is 'biceps' in the singular, gym-goers commonly use 'bicep.'
The bicep is a two-headed muscle because it begins at two separate points on the shoulder. The short head starts at the coracoid process of the scapula, and the long head originates at the supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula. Yes, both parts of this muscle actually begin on your shoulder blade. Pretty strange, right?
These two parts of the bicep meet somewhere along the arm. (Some people may notice a groove between the two heads, but for most of us, it just looks like a single muscle bulge.) This muscle attaches to one spot on the forearm: the radius, one of the two bones in your forearm.
The bicep not only flexes the elbow but also helps to supinate the hand (turn the palm upward) by pulling on one forearm bone without affecting the other. While it does assist with raising the arm at the shoulder, other muscles are better suited for that. Essentially, the bicep is primarily a forearm supinator, secondarily an elbow flexor, and also aids in shoulder stabilization.
Bicep-focused exercises don’t just target the biceps; there’s also a muscle called the brachialis, located underneath the biceps, that helps bend the elbow. In fact, the brachialis is the largest muscle for elbow flexion. But working it still leads to bigger arms, as both muscles are stacked together. So, don’t worry about distinguishing them—just work your elbows, and you’ll get bigger guns.
The most effective bicep exercises to kickstart your routine: curls
Curls are timeless for a reason. Regardless of the curl variation, all you do is hold a weight and bend your elbow, lifting your hand toward your shoulder. That's the essence of a curl.
Of course, there’s more than one way to curl. You can use different weights or types of resistance (like cables or bands), and change your position for variety. In this section, I’ll go over the basic types, but don’t hesitate to ask around—everyone has their favorite variation.
Dumbbell curls: Grab a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forward. Curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders. You can alternate arms or do both at once. Keep a neutral grip (hammer curls), cross the weight in front of your body (cross-body curls), or even turn your palms downward (reverse grip curls). The most common variations are the supinated and hammer curls.
Barbell curls: Hold a barbell with both hands and curl it up. This can strain your wrists, so experiment with narrow or wide hand placements to find what feels best. If that’s tricky, try an EZ-curl bar, which has a more ergonomic handle.
Cable curls: Use a cable machine with the pulley set low. You can choose any attachment, but the rope is my go-to for a hammer curl grip. The EZ-bar attachment works well too.
The most “optimal” bicep exercise: Bayesian curls
As I’ve mentioned before, optimal is optional—getting caught up in the fine details of exercises doesn’t always lead to better results. But it can be fun to theorize and test out what might be the best exercise, just for the challenge.
If this appeals to you, I’d recommend Bayesian curls. This is a type of cable curl that stretches the bicep muscle at the shoulder. You set up with the cable machine behind you, so that you feel a slight stretch at the shoulder at the bottom of the movement. Curl the cable handle upwards, and to really commit to the movement, lean your torso forward as you get to the top of the curl. Here’s a video where Menno Henselmans explains the movement and shows a few examples:
This setup lets you train the bicep at a long muscle length (i.e., when it’s stretched) and arguably puts the most tension on the muscle, giving it the greatest stimulus for growth. Now, is this going to matter very much in the long run? Eh, maybe, maybe not. But it looks cool and gives you a new option besides the same old dumbbell and barbell curls.
The best bicep exercise for people who don’t have time for bicep exercises: chinups
Biceps are small muscles, and so most of the targeted work we give them will be isolations. But they’re also involved in compound pulling movements. Most rowing and pulling motions will use your biceps at least a little, so you can get a lot done just by making sure to include these in your routine.
If I had to choose one compound for biceps, it would be chinups. (There are plenty of internet arguments about chinups versus pullups, in all their variations; in truth the differences are not huge.) But you’ll feel the chinups in your biceps more, and that’s often what we’re looking for so that we can leave the gym feeling like we got a good arm workout in.
Chin-ups are performed by gripping a bar with your palms facing toward you, hanging from it, and pulling your body upward until your chin clears the bar. Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart or slightly closer. If you can’t manage chin-ups with just your body weight, it’s fine to use a band or a box to help lift you. For those who find chin-ups easy, try adding extra weight using a dip belt! To make them even more challenging, hold each rep at the top for a few seconds.
