The 3 Best Bicep Exercises on Planet Earth

A bicep is one of the most recognizable muscles in the world, and as a result, there are literally dozens of different exercises which focus on these two small muscles.

Working your bicep is very simple, and anything that brings your forearm and upper arm closer together involves the bicep. Not all bicep workouts were born equal however, and some are much more effective than others.

The Wrong Way 

Many people tend to over-work the bicep by doing many different isolation exercises in a row. An isolation exercise is an exercise that workout only one muscle group, while using only one joint. There is a place and time for isolation exercises when it comes to building the biceps, but if you’re looking for maximum muscle in your biceps and elsewhere, you’re better off incorporating at least one compound movement into your bicep workout.

The Right Way

Compound exercises are those that work multiple muscles in the body. These are better able to achieve a state of hypertrophy (enlargement) in your muscles than isolation exercises. Also, by working more muscle groups in the body, you produce a greater amount muscle-building hormones, like testosterone. This will do more for you in terms of muscle gain than doing endless amount of isolation exercises which don’t effectively stimulate muscle growth alone.

The Best Bicep Exercises 

Without further ado, let me present you with the top 3 best muscle building exercises. If your bicep workout had to consist of 3 exercises, it should be these ones, in this order.

The Close-Grip Chin-Up

• This exercise is second to none in terms of it’s mass-building effect on the biceps. It’s also a closed-chain exercise. Closed-chain exercises have been scientifically proven to be the most effective for stimulating hypertrophy within the muscle.

Sets: 3

Reps: 6-10

Here’s a quick little video showing this exercise at work:

The Barbell Curl

• This is a free-weight exercise that does a great job stimulating your biceps. The keys to getting maximum benefits from this exercise are to hold your body still like a statue, and to keep your arms and wrists perfectly straight through the range of motion. The only movement should be at the elbows.

Sets: 2

Reps: 6-10

Here’s a great example of barbell curls in action:

Cable Bicep Curls

• This is strictly an isolation exercise, but after doing the first two exercises listed above, it’s a perfect way to finish off your bicep workout. You’ve already activated a huge amount of muscle with the other exercises, and this is a nice way to really hit the bicep hard before you take the rest of the day off. Just remember, this exercise is not terribly effective for mass gaining on it’s own, always pair it with a compound exercise that focusses heavily on the biceps.
• While some people may argue that free weights are superior to cable exercises, these are great because they maintain tension on the muscle through the entire range of motion. You’ll really feel it at the top of the lift when you have to squeeze your muscles harder than you would with barbell curls.

Sets: 2

Reps: 8-10

Here’s an example of cable bicep curls:

And that’s all there is to it! Remember, the biceps are a relatively small muscle group. Don’t spend too much time on them, as it’s easy to overtrain them. Work them only once per week, and remember that when it comes to biceps, less is more.