Top 15 Biceps Exercises: Complexes and Training Programs * Crossfit

Every man who comes to the gym thinks about powerful arm muscles. And first of all, he pays attention to the development of the biceps flexor muscle of the arm - the biceps. How to train it correctly and what are the most effective biceps exercises? Read about it in our article.

A little about the anatomy of the biceps

Before considering exercises for pumping biceps, let's refresh the anatomical knowledge. The biceps is a small muscle group that is involved in flexing the arm at the elbow joint. It has a lever structure - this means, the closer the weight is to the hand, the harder you need to strain to pump.

Another important feature is that the biceps is not one muscle, but a complex of closely intertwined muscle groups:

Short biceps head. Responsible for the most natural weight lifting for the body with the hands turned towards the athlete (with supination).
Long biceps head. The main muscle head giving biceps mass and strength. The functions are the same. The emphasis on the head depends on the width of the grip (narrow - long, wide - short).
Brachialis. Another name is the brachial muscle, located under the biceps, is responsible for lifting weights with a neutral and reverse grip.

Note: in fact, the brachialis does not belong to the biceps muscle, but it perfectly increases the volume of the arm, as if pushing the biceps.

Training principles

To correctly form a complex for biceps, remember the simple principles of its training:

Despite the almost complete lack of basic exercises for working out the biceps flexor muscle, it works great in all back exercises. That is why it is usually placed on the day of the back, finishing it in 2-3 isolation exercises.
To pump the biceps, it is enough to use one shell. But you can also alternate, muscles love new exercises and unusual angles of movement.
The biceps are a small muscle group not designed for intense, prolonged work. Therefore, just one arm flexor workout per week in 2-4 exercises is enough.

Exercises

Consider the basic exercises for pumping biceps.

Basic

The only basic exercise for the biceps is the pull-up on the horizontal bar with a narrow reverse grip. Despite the fact that the back is also involved in this movement, you can shift the emphasis to the biceps brachii without extending the elbows to the end and concentrating on lifting by bending the arms.

Different bent over rows and pulleys are also basic, but for the back muscles. The biceps work here to a lesser extent. Therefore, almost all training for this muscle group consists of isolation.

Insulating

Due to the small volume, the easiest way to develop biceps is with a complex with predominantly isolating exercises. They all have a similar technique and differ only in the position of the hand and body. Therefore, we will consider them in groups.

Standing barbell / dumbbell biceps curl

This exercise is considered easy enough to learn and provides basic bicep strength. It must be performed in compliance with the amplitude and the number of repetitions of 8-12. You do not need to cheat and swing the body, it is better to take less weight and work clearly according to the technique:

Take a shell. The barbell can be made with a straight or curved bar. The only difference is the convenience for your brushes. The grip is shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower. The dumbbells can be immediately deployed with a grip away from you, or you can rotate the hand from a neutral grip when lifting. If you do not rotate the dumbbell, but continue to lift it without supination, you get a hammer-style exercise. It develops the brachialis and forearm muscles well. Doing both dumbbells at once or alternately is not so important, the main thing is technique.
Slowly raise the projectile to its peak state, without jerking or moving your back. Try not to bring your elbows forward.
Keep it in this state for 2-3 seconds.
Lower it down as slowly as possible, not fully unbending the arms at the elbows.

Extension of the arms at the elbows increases the load upon repeated lifting, shifting it from muscles to tendons, which does not allow working harder and threatens injuries when working with large weights.

Seated dumbbell lifting

A biceps exercise program often includes seated variations of the previous exercise. They are more effective, since even in the initial position, the biceps brachii is stretched and tense. In addition, cheating is excluded by fixing the body.

The technique is completely identical to the previous version.

Lifting the bar / dumbbells in the Scott bench

If you don't know how to do biceps exercises correctly and do not want to ask the instructor about it, use the Scott bench. The design features of the simulator allow you to completely turn off not only the back muscles, but also the deltas from work, thanks to which you will receive a concentrated biceps workout. It will be difficult to make a mistake with the technique here.

It is preferable to train with a W-bar to reduce the strain on the wrists. If you are doing a dumbbell exercise, it is best to do it alternately with each hand.

Execution technique:

Sit on a bench, press your body against a special pillow, on which you need to put your hands on top.
Take the projectile from the racks of the simulator, you can rise slightly if you do not reach them. If you are exercising with a partner or coach, he can give you a barbell.
Raise the projectile in a smooth motion.
Keep it at its peak for 2-3 seconds.
Lower it down as slowly as possible, not fully unbending the arm at the elbows.

Bent over biceps curls

There are several options for performing this movement. What they have in common is that the body is tilted to the floor, the hand is hanging (strictly perpendicular to the ground), but the elbow should not move, like the body itself. It turns out a very precise study of the biceps, provided that the weight is correctly selected.

Of the most common variations of movement, bending with a barbell while lying on an incline bench can be distinguished:

Also a common option is to bend the arm with a dumbbell in an incline, with the other hand resting on the thigh. More often it is performed while standing, but it is also possible while sitting:

This also includes concentrated curls with dumbbells. Here the working hand rests on the thigh, but the meaning is the same:

These exercises should be put at the very end of the workout.

Lifting on the block and in simulators

There are many different biceps machines in modern fitness clubs. It is worth trying all of them and choosing the one on which you feel the work of the muscle being worked out as well as possible. You don't need to put them at the beginning of your arm workout, but you can use them towards the end to "finish off" the biceps. One of the most common options is a simulator that simulates a Scott bench:

It is also possible to perform several different flexions on the lower block and in the crossover. Using the lower block, you can make lifts with a straight or slightly curved handle, with a rope without supination (analogue of "hammers") or with one hand:

It is most convenient to work from the upper block in the crossover, at the same time bending the arms raised to the level of the shoulders, or bend the arms without supination with the rope (working out the brachialis):

How to train?

How many biceps exercises to do in one workout? The answer to this question depends on the type of activity itself.

If you are profiling in biceps training (when it lags behind) and want to speed up your result, select a separate arm day in the split, and also pump it on the back day:

On the day of the hands, there is an alternation: exercise for biceps - exercise for triceps.
In total, on this day, it will be enough to perform 4 exercises: three for biceps and one for brachialis. And 3-4 for triceps.
The first should always be a pull-up with a reverse grip, a barbell lifting for biceps while standing or sitting dumbbells.
The second is another exercise from the same list or flexion on the Scott bench.
The third is best to put one of the lifts in the slope or on the block.
After a day of back, it is enough to do two pump-style exercises for 15-20 reps in 3 sets.

If we consider the general program for weight / drying in the framework of the split, it is reasonable to combine the biceps with the back. Then two, maximum three exercises are enough.

Effective training program

To effectively work the biceps flexor muscle, use classic programs ^

Program	How often	Incoming exercises
Biceps arm day	Once a week + once more 1-2 pump-style biceps exercises after the back	Curl with a barbell 4x10 Bench press with a narrow grip 4x10 Scott Bench Curl 3x12 French bench press 3x12 Rises on the lower block with a straight handle 3x12-15 Extension of arms from behind the head with a rope on a block 3x12 Lifting dumbbells on an incline bench with a neutral grip 4x10-12 Extension of arms with a rope on the upper block 3x15
Split back + biceps	No more than once a week, evenly distributed with other training days	Pull-ups with a wide grip 4x10-12 Deadlift 4x10 Bent over row 3x10 Row of the upper block with a wide grip to the chest 3x10 Lifting the bar for biceps while standing 4x10-12 Lifting dumbbells while sitting on an incline bench 4x10
Home	Two times a week	Reverse grip pull-ups 4x12-15 Lifting dumbbells for biceps while standing alternately 3 * 10-12 Concentrated sitting dumbbell lift 3 * 10-12 Hammers with dumbbells standing 4x12

Outcome

Biceps training for many athletes is the main goal in the gym before the summer season. But for the muscle to be really big, do not forget about basic exercises for the back and legs. Despite the presence of specialization, up to a certain point, the muscles will grow along with the total mass, which is developed precisely by the classic base: deadlift, barbell presses, pull-ups, heavy squat, etc.