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Top 6 Exercises for Rapid Bicep Growth

So, you want to know how you can quickly grow the muscles of your biceps? Well, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will discuss what the top 6 exercises for rapid bicep growth are.

Man with EZ curl bar at gym doing bicep curls to quickly grow bicep muscles

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Top 6 Exercises for Rapid Bicep Growth

Many people find it difficult to grow the bicep muscles as fast as other muscles in the body, and that may be because they don't know how to train the biceps properly. When training this muscle, you must focus on both heads of the biceps: the short head and the long head. However, many don't know which exercises to do to specifically target each head of the bicep muscles. That's why we have put together this simple list of the top six bicep exercises.



Short Head

Firstly, we will go over the top three bicep exercises for the short head of the bicep muscles.


Spider Curls

GIF of muscular man in black tank top doing dumbbell spider curls on 45° angle weight bench at gym with correct technique

The first exercise we will go over for growing the short head of the bicep muscles is dumbbell spider curls, a common exercise utilised for training this particular bicep head. This exercise is an isolation exercise, meaning it solely works the short head of the biceps, and very slightly works other supporting muscles.


For this exercise, it is best that you ensure the bench is set to a 45° angle in order to feel it more in your biceps. Also, it is vital that you keep your upper arms stationary, only bending your elbows and holding the top of the movement before slowly lowering the weight back down. I would recommend that you aim to complete 6-12 reps for 3 sets to get the most out of this excellent exercise.


How to do Dumbbell Spider Curls:
  1. Set an incline bench to a 45-degree angle, get into a prone position by pushing your upper chest and shoulders into the back pad (with your head peeking over the top), and hold your dumbbells using a shoulder-width supinated (palms facing up) grip

  2. Keeping your chest and upper arms stationary, bend your elbows to curl the weight toward your shoulders

  3. Pause and squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement

  4. Slowly extend your elbows to return to the starting position

  5. Reset and repeat for desired number of reps.


 

Concentration Curls

GIF of strong male doing dumbbell concentration curls on weight gym bench with perfect form at gym workout to grow biceps short head fast

Next, we will be discussing concentration curls, also a very good gym exercise that is commonly utilised to grow the muscles of the biceps. This exercise is an isolation movement, meaning it primarily focuses on the biceps - particularly the short head - and very slightly works other muscles that support the range of motion.


For this exercise, when curling the weight up, you should push your elbow into your thigh to keep it secure as this will help you during the movement. Also, it is vital that you focus on lowering the weight back down in a slow and controlled manner because this will optimise the exercise for better bicep muscle growth. I would recommend that you do 8-12 reps for 3 sets and, if you are up for a challenge, add a dropset and complete as many reps as you possibly can.


How to do Concentration Curls:

  1. Grab the dumbbell with one hand, then place your upper arm (your triceps) against your thigh. Ensure that you keep your arm perpendicular to the ground throughout the whole movement

  2. Tighten your core and engage your shoulder blades to create tension and reinforce posture

  3. Make a fist with your off hand and extend your non-working arm out to the side, which allows you to use your core to balance and remove any leverage that would take away from biceps engagement

  4. Curl the weight up with control, keeping the wrist in a neutral position. Emphasize the squeeze at the top of the rep; avoid any backwards lean or shoulder movement, keeping the focus on the biceps

  5. Repeat for desired number of reps and sets, ensuring that you exercise both arms.


 

Wide-Grip Barbell Curls

GIF of healthy man doing wide-grip barbell curls at gym with correct technique to grow short head of the bicep muscles rapidly

The final short head bicep exercise we will mention is wide-grip barbell curls, an exercise that is not commonly found in the gym. This exercise is an isolation bicep exercise, which means it mainly targets the short head of the biceps, but slightly uses other muscles to support the movement.


For this exercise, it is better to position your hands just outside hip-width apart. It is also suggested by experts that you should grip the barbell hard as this is proven to help keeps things nice and tight during the movement. What's more, it is a good tip to maintain proper posture throughout the entire movement, keeping your back straight and not relying on momentum to get the weight up. I would recommend that you do 10-12 reps for 3 sets, as this has shown to be the most effective for bicep growth when it comes to wide-grip barbell curls.


How to do Wide-Grip Barbell Curls:
  1. Start with using weights you can lift comfortably as opposed to a size that you are not used to

  2. Load the weights into a standard gym straight barbell. With the barbell loaded in front of you, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Slightly bend your knees while keeping your back straight and your spine neutral

  3. Tense your abs and engage your core. Grip the barbell with your palms facing upwards with your arms a few inches wider than shoulder-width or wider than your hips. Fully extend your arms downwards

  4. With the barbell in your hands, stand tall without changing form. Keep your shoulders straight, your head and neck in a neutral position

  5. Keep your chin tucked. To assume this position, pretend you are holding an egg underneath your chin

  6. For more balance, plant your feet firmly to the floor and disperse your body weight on your feet

  7. Keep your arms outstretched in front of you while maintaining a shoulder-width grip, with your shoulders bent slightly. Engage your core and shoulders

  8. Activate your biceps by squeezing them as you bend your elbows, bringing the barbell towards you. Do this until your lower arm meets your biceps and the barbell ends up close to your chin

  9. Hold this position of maximum contraction for a second and then straighten your elbows back out to the starting position

  10. Repeat for desired number of reps and sets.


 

Long Head

Now we will talk about three of the most effective exercises for the long head of the biceps.


Bayesian Cable Curls

GIF of fit man doing single-arm Bayesian cable curls with D-handle using cable machine at gym workout for bigger biceps growth with good form

Firstly for the biceps long head, we will be going over Bayesian cable curls, an exercise that most don't even know about. This exercise is an isolation exercise that solely works the long head of the bicep muscles, buy also barely engages other supporting muscles to assist the movement.


For this exercise, you should focus on keeping your elbow tight to your ribcage as this would allow for better bicep muscle activation, therefore meaning you will get a better workout in. Another great tip for Bayesian cable curls is to squeeze your bicep at the top of the movement, getting a better mind-muscle connection during your workout. I would recommend that you do 8-12 reps for 3 sets, which is the perfect amount of sets and reps to quickly grow your bicep long head muscle.


How to do Bayesian Cable Curls:
  1. Set a cable machine up so that the cable is at the lowest position possible, with a D-handle attachment

  2. Pull the cable away from the machine with one arm

  3. Face away from the cable with the handle in one hand, in a supinated position by your side

  4. Keeping your elbow tight to your ribcage, flex at the elbow as far as you can, squeezing your bicep at the top for a brief pause

  5. Slowly reverse the movement, controlling the weight on the way back to complete the rep

  6. Repeat for desired number of reps and set, ensuring you exercise both arms.


 

Hammer Curls

GIF of strong woman doing dumbbell hammer curls with neutral grip with the perfect technique at gym to build biceps long head muscles fast

The next exercise we will mention on this list is hammer curls, an extremely popular and effective dumbbell exercise for growing the bicep muscles fast. This exercise is a compound movement, which means it activates several muscle groups at the same time, primarily the biceps (long head) and the forearms, but also some other supporting muscles.


For this exercise, it is a great idea to avoid swinging your arms and using momentum to get the weight up - instead, focus on keeping your elbows stationary and controlling the dumbbells throughout the entire movement. I would recommend that you do 8-15 reps for 3 sets, as this has been proven to be the most effective for growing the biceps muscles.


How to do Hammer Curls:
  1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand up with the dumbbells by your sides

  2. With a neutral grip, bend your arms slightly to keep the tension on the biceps

  3. With your palms still facing your body, slowly curl the dumbbells up as far as possible

  4. Squeeze the biceps at the top of the movement, and then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position

  5. Repeat for desired number of reps and sets.


 

Close-Grip Barbell Curls

GIF of fit strong man at gym doing close-grip barbell curls to grow biceps long head very fast workout

The final exercise we will talk about on this list of the top bicep exercises for muscle gain is close-grip barbell curls, a brilliant method for quickly growing your biceps. This movement is an isolation exercise, meaning it only works the biceps long head, but does very slightly engage other supporting muscles to assist in moving the weight.


For this exercise, it is important that you avoid bending your back or using swinging motions as you lift the weight, as this can lead to a higher risk of injury and cause the exercise to become less effective. In addition, it is a good idea to slowly control the weight on the way down, and bring it back up as fast as you can in order to further bolster muscle gain in your bicep muscles. I would recommend that you do 8-15 reps for 3 sets as this has shown to be a great rep range and number of sets that will allow you to build muscle mass in your biceps fast.


How to do Close-Grip Barbell Curls:
  1. Stand upright with your arms fully extended, gripping the barbell shoulder-width apart with palms facing away from you

  2. Keeping your upper arms by your side, exhale and raise the barbell up towards your shoulders by flexing your arms. Avoid using your legs or back to lift

  3. Continue until your arms are fully flexed and the barbell cannot be curled any further

  4. Inhale and lower the barbell back down, returning to the starting position

  5. Repeat for desired number of reps and sets.


 

Summary

In this article, we have discussed which bicep exercises are the best at rapidly building the muscles of the biceps long head and short head. These exercises were:

I hope you have found the information in this article useful and I hope any questions you had have been answered. Thank you for reading, please come back soon.

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