The biceps are the most eye-catching muscles in the gym and are often the most appreciated. Arguably, they are also the most fun to train. However, a majority of people train them incorrectly, either by ego-lifting weights that are too heavy for them, or relying on repetitive exercises that only fatigue the muscle, which hinders growth. Over time, they hit a plateau, and their biceps stay the same. In reality, most people overcomplicate training their biceps, and a few simple changes can lead to a huge difference.
Your biceps have 2 heads: the short head and the long head. The short head is on the inner part of your arm and adds thickness and width, while the long head lies on the outer part, and gives the peak, which especially stands out when flexed. The short head is trained with your arms in front of you, with a supinated (palms up) grip, while the long head is trained in the stretched position, behind your torso.
Below both the heads is the brachialis, a muscle that isn’t technically part of the biceps but is just as important. When developed, it pushes your biceps out, giving that fuller, more defined look. Below the brachialis is the brachioradialis, a forearm muscle that is frequently trained along with the biceps.
A common mistake many new lifters make is adding redundant volume for the biceps. The biceps are a relatively small muscle group, and don’t need a large variety of exercises. I strongly believe you cannot bias different heads of the bicep. It’s a debated take, and while it is true that you can target separate heads with different exercises, you cannot fully bias one head. Your biceps work together as one unit, so doing multiple versions of the same exercise is usually redundant.
The only way to train your biceps is by doing a curl motion, where every curl variation will hit both heads to some degree.. All you need is one supinated curl (palms up) for your biceps, and some form of hammer curl (neutral grip) for your brachialis and brachioradialis. The preacher curl is the best bicep exercise, as it restricts momentum from your body, preventing you from “cheating” the reps. It stabilizes your arm, giving you a full stretch and range of motion, which lets you reach your maximum growth. Pair that with any hammer curl variation to build the brachialis and brachioradialis for a fuller, more defined arm. I recommend 2 sets of failure on both exercises, in the 8-12 rep range. If you feel you can recover well, then push one of the two exercises to 3 sets.
Remember that your recovery is just as important when it comes to lifting. Make sure you’re getting 7-8 hours of sleep and eating 0.8-1g of protein per pound of body weight, to support muscle growth. Stay consistent and stick to this approach, and your biceps will grow.
