BICEPS: Top 10 “S-Tier” Exercises

Don’t waste your time with silly BICEPS exercises you see on Instagram and TikTok. If you want growth you need to focus on the movements that will allow you to progressively overload with as much weight as possible for 8 - 10 reps. 

Here are my top 10 exercises for BIGGER Biceps.

Now these first few exercises target both biceps heads really hard.  So Keep your focus here if you’re new to training and go as heavy as you can for 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps.

1. Barbell Curl

Use a shoulder width grip, keep your elbows in-front of your hips and curl the barbell to the top of your chest.  Be sure to fully extend your elbows at the bottom of every repetition before completing your next rep.

You can also use a cable machine if available.

2. Alternating Dumbbell Curl

To start the movement, make sure your palms are facing forward and your elbows are slightly in-front of your hips at the bottom of the movement.  From here, alternate curling each dumbbell up to the top of your chest and fully extend your elbows at the bottom of every repetition before completing your next rep.

3. HAMMER CURL / REVERSE CURL
I’d also bring in a Dumbbell Hammer Curl or Reverse Curl even if new to training. These exercises help place more emphasis on the brachialis and brachioradialis and are essential for a well-rounded arm workout.

To perform a Hammer Curl, stand while holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing toward your hips.  From here, alternate curling each dumbbell to the top of your chest while keeping your elbows slightly in-front of your hips throughout the entire repetition and repeat for reps.


For the seated variation, bend over slightly and hold the dumbbells so that they are pressing into each other.  From here, curl the dumbbells to the top of your chest and fully extend your elbows at the bottom of each repetition.

For the Reverse Curl, hold an EZ-Curl bar with your palms facing down while slightly leaning forward.  From here, curl the weight up to the top of your chest while keeping your elbows slightly in front of your hips.  Fully extend your elbows at the bottom of the movement and repeat for reps.

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Stick to these basic exercises until you see solid growth. Then, and ONLY then, it will be time to introduce variations of biceps curls to place more emphasis on either the LONG or SHORT head.
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Let’s start with exercises that focus on the LONG HEAD first. This is the outside head or PEAK of your biceps and again 3-4 sets of  8-10 reps for each exercise.

4. Incline Dumbbell Curl / Bayesian Curl

To perform an incline dumbbell curl, use an incline similar to when performing an incline bench press.  Hold a dumbbell in each hand and drive your elbows BACK with your palms facing forward to start the movement.  Curl each dumbbell to the top of your chest, while keeping your elbows back, and fully extend your elbows at the bottom of each repetition.

A great alternative exercise, if you have access to a cable machine, would be a Bayesian Curl.  This exercise is performed standing, but you will use a forward leaning angle as well as the weight of the cables to pull your elbows back to the same starting position.  From here, curl the weight up to your chest while keeping your elbows pinned behind your back.

5. Barbell Drag Curl

Don’t be surprised if you have a hard time going heavy with this exercise.  The main goal here is to drive your elbows BACK and curl as high as you can. Expect to only be able to bring the barbell to about your mid-chest and be sure to fully extend your elbows at the bottom of every repetition.

6. Close-Grip Curl

For this exercise you can use an EZ-Curl bar or cable machine.  Just be sure to keep your elbows in-front of your hips and make a mental note to flex your triceps at the bottom of every repetition to ensure you are fully extending your elbows.

Cable Machine Variation

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Before we move on, if you’d like more in-depth tutorials on these exercises be sure to check out my exercise database! 

It’s as easy as clicking BICEPS and all my tutorials will pop-up in one place organized by difficulty level and equipment needed.

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Now let’s take a look at the best exercises to target the SHORT HEAD of the biceps, or inside head, and once again be sure to stick to 3-4 sets of  8-10 reps.

7. Wide-Grip Barbell Curl

This exercise will feel awkward at first and it’s easy to forget to keep your elbows in front of your hips throughout the movement.  So start light and gradually increase the weight.

You will use the same form as a traditional barbell curl as mentioned above, the only difference being that your grip is well outside of shoulder width.

8. Spider Curl

This exercise can be performed on an incline bench or standing with a slight lean forward. 

All that matters most is that you keep your upper arm vertical as you curl the weight up and your elbows DO NOT track backwards on the way down. 

9. Single-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl

For Single-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls you don’t need a preacher curl station.  Just use an incline bench and maybe tuck something under your upper arm if you’re worried about the DB hitting the bench at the bottom of the movement.

Be sure to curl the dumbbell all the way up at the top and get a full extension of the elbow at the bottom of each repetition.

Traditional Preacher Curls are a great exercise as well if you have access to a preacher curl station.  The form is the same and I would use an EZ-Curl bar to take pressure off the wrists as you perform the movement.

However, you may notice in this image that I’m using my GRONK Leg Curl/Leg Extension machine because I do not have a preacher curl station in my home gym. 

The upper pad actually worked out great for an at-home preacher curl station!

10. Dumbbell Curl with Internal Rotation

The Dumbbell Curl w/ Internal Rotation isn’t “the best” for the short head, but it’s worth mentioning because it’s a cool technique you can incorporate with dumbbell curls in general. 

To perform the movement make sure you are holding the handle of the dumbbell closer to the outside and as you curl the dumbbell up, do your best to internally rotate the dumbbell toward your face and SQUEEZE your biceps as hard as you can.

ONE FINAL TIP!
To maximize how much weight you can lift on each exercise, here is what you want to do. Flex your glutes hard for stability if performing an exercise while standing. Then, whether standing or sitting, be sure to flex your core to stabilize your torso as you curl.

I also recommend squeezing the barbell or dumbbell handle as hard as you can while performing any of the exercises for some additional forearm activation.

Don’t leave easy grip strength gains on the table just because you’re training biceps!

Your Next Arm Day

Pick 2 exercises from list 1, and at least 1 exercise from lists 2 and 3 and EXPERIMENT!

Try 3 sets per exercise or 4 sets per exercise.

Try 8 – 10 reps per set or 4 – 6 reps per set.

Try SUPERSETTING two exercises together.  Try heavy negatives, try forced reps, try DROP SETS.

Try absolutely everything you can to increase the intensity of your workouts as you continue to get stronger and of course if you have any questions just drop a comment below.

Now go train your biceps harder than ever!