Complete List of Bicep Exercises Names

Training your biceps muscles is important if you want your arms to get bigger or stronger.

As a beginner, you may not know the names of many biceps exercises, and without knowing the terminology, It can be difficult to research new exercises or make sense of online workouts.

Terms like “hammer curls” and “preacher curls” may sound advanced when you start building your biceps.

Don’t worry! This blog post will provide a clear overview of 60+ standard biceps exercises for beginners, using easy-to-understand names and descriptions.

Our extensive biceps glossary provides clear images and simple details to help you understand bicep anatomy exercises.

You must bookmark this reference guide.

Barbell Bicep Exercises Names

The barbell lets you do some serious lifting and push yourself to the limit to build up some serious biceps.

This section will list over 15 popular barbell bicep exercises paired with descriptions and illustrations.

Moves will include barbell curls (wide, narrow, standard grip), reverse barbell curls, incline curls, 21s, and more.

1. Barbell Bicep Curl

The barbell curl is a highly recognisable biceps exercise that builds biceps muscle mass. It’s a great exercise for seeing results in strength and definition.

A barbell curl is a pull-type isolation exercise that works primarily on your biceps and also trains the muscles in your forearms.

• A wide grip focuses effort on the inner biceps (short head),
• whereas a narrow grip arks the outer biceps (long head)

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2. Barbell Preacher Curl

The Preacher curl is another great exercise for your barbell bicep workout. This time-tested bicep blaster stands out among the many bicep workouts.

It is the best exercise for building a long head of biceps. By giving your arms a complete look, you can get fullness in this crucial area.

3. Barbell Spider Curl

If you’re looking for a way to get more creative with your barbell biceps workout, why not try the barbell Spider Curl?

Barbell spider curls train your biceps in a shortened (that is, maximally contracted) muscle position. This results in a powerful muscle pump that makes your arms appear more vascular, which can also lead to significant hypertrophy.

Spider bicep curls are typically done with a barbell. However, you can also use an EZ bar or dumbbell.

4. Barbell Drag Curl

This barbell exercise is another great option for targeting the biceps and growing your arms. While less popular than the standard barbell bicep curl exercises, the barbell drag curl is an extremely effective bicep exercise. 

It is performed by holding a barbell close to the body, dragging and curling it towards the shoulder in a smooth, controlled motion.

5. EZ Bar Curl

The EZ bar is a curved barbell with a more ergonomic grip than a straight barbell. This makes it a more comfortable exercise to perform, especially for people with wrist pain.

The straight bar version of this exercise is excellent, too. However, it can cause wrist and forearm discomfort for many lifters due to the need for a fully supinated grip.

Due to the semi-pronated grip, the brachioradialis has slightly increased engagement in the forearm.

Note: In the study conducted, they found that the EZ barbell curl showed the highest overall electromyography (EMG) activity in the biceps brachii (BB) and brachioradialis (BR) muscles compared to the dumbbell curl (DC) and barbell curl (BC) variants.

6. Barbell Reverse Curl

The barbell reverse curl is a non-negotiable component of arms training. While a standard barbell curl will still work the same muscles, a reverse curl variation hits certain muscles a little better.

While the standard curl primarily targets the biceps brachii, the reverse curl emphasises other forearm and arm muscles, thanks to the overhand (pronated) grip.

7. Barbell Hammer Curl

Using a barbell allows you to lift heavier weights than dumbbells, leading to greater strength and muscle development in the biceps, brachialis, and forearms.

Holding a barbell with an overhand grip challenges your grip strength, promoting improved forearm and hand grip capabilities.

8. EZ Bar Seated Concentration Curl

This barbell biceps exercise can be performed standing with the torso bent forward and the arm in front of you.

In this case, no leg support is used for the back of your arm, so you will need to make extra effort to ensure no movement of the upper arms.

9. EZ Bar Reverse Grip Preacher Curl

If you’re looking for a way to get more creative with your reverse biceps curls, why not try the EZ bar reverse preacher curl? It is great for building both the forearm and the upper arm.

During this exercise, the long head of the biceps brachii is activated more than the short head. The long head is stretched out more in this position, which means it can contribute more to the curl.

10. Close Grip Barbell Curl

The close-grip barbell curl is a highly recognizable biceps exercise that builds biceps Peak. It’s great for seeing results in strength and definition.

It is a great all-around bicep exercise. This simple yet effective exercise targets your biceps, resulting in bigger and stronger guns.

11. Wide Grip Ez Bar

This is a great exercise if you want to target your inner biceps. As your hands are wider apart during the movement, you may find it easier to focus on the short head.

The straight bar version of this exercise is excellent, too. However, it can cause wrist and forearm discomfort for many lifters due to the need for a fully supinated grip.

12. Standing Barbell Preacher Curl

As the name implies, the standing preacher curl is the standing version of the basic seated preacher curl. You may also stand on the reverse side of the bench to execute the movement, similar to a spider curl.

The body should be positioned so that the armpit rests near the top of the pad. The back of the upper arm should remain on the pad throughout the movement.

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13. 21s Barbell Bicep Curl

The 21-barbell bicep curl is named because it consists of 3 sets of 7 repetitions, totalling 21 reps. This exercise has three parts: the bottom portion, the middle portion, and the top portion.

• 7 Lower-Range Curls: Start with the barbell at your thighs and curl it up only halfway. Perform 7 reps of this partial movement.
• 7 Upper-Range Curls: Begin with your forearms parallel to the ground and curl the barbell up to your shoulders, then back down to the halfway point. Again, do 7 reps.
• 7 Full-Range Curls: Perform 7 full-range curls starting from your thighs and curling all the way up to your shoulders, then back down.

14. Barbell Curl on an Arm Blaster

It is a great exercise for isolating and strengthening the biceps brachii muscles.

An arm blaster is a piece of exercise equipment that is a harness-like device with a metal plate. It is worn around the neck and rests against the upper part of the stomach. It helps keep the arms together with the body.

Using an arm blaster with a barbell eliminates swing and builds stronger bicep contractions.

Dumbbell Bicep Exercises Names

Dumbbells are a great way to work your biceps using all kinds of creative moves and angles.

Because dumbbells work one arm at a time and help prevent muscular imbalances.

This list has more than 20 exercises for your popular biceps. The brief explanations and illustrations for concentration curls, hammer curls, incline curls, spider curls, and other dumbbell exercises will help you build a bigger bicep.

15. Standing Dumbbell Curl

The dumbbell bicep curl is one of the most common and effective exercises for building bigger, stronger bicep muscles.

This exercise is a staple in arm-strengthening routines and is renowned for its simplicity and effectiveness.

16. Dumbbell Hammer Curl

The hammer curl is a variation on the bicep curl. In it, you hold dumbbells with a neutral grip and push them towards your shoulders. 

When it comes to building massive biceps and forearms at home, the hammer curl is an effective isolation workout that targets the bicep, brachialis, and brachioradialis.

The hammer curl is one of the most popular exercises among bodybuilders and regular weightlifters.

17. Dumbbell Reverse Curl

Unlike the traditional bicep curl, which involves palms facing upwards, the reverse curl involves palms facing downwards. This shift in grip places more emphasis on the brachialis.

It is great for building the bicep and brachialis muscles (upper arms) and stimulating the brachioradialis muscle (lower arm).

18. Zottman Curl

The Zottman Curl is a unique variation of the traditional dumbbell curl that combines a regular bicep curl with a reverse curl.

This exercise targets not only the biceps but also the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles in the forearms.

Due to the rotation involved, this exercise also helps improve grip strength.

19. Concentration Curl

The concentration curl is a highly effective isolation exercise that targets the biceps, offering unique benefits for arm strength and definition.

According to the ACE study, the concentration curl activated the biceps more than standard curls. It maximizes biceps tension through a full range of motion by bracing the arm and reducing body movement.

This isolation makes it uniquely effective for building biceps peak contraction and muscle growth.

20. Cross-Body Hammer Curl

The cross-body hammer curl is a dumbbell exercise that targets the biceps, brachialis, and forearm muscles. Rather than lifting the weights directly in front of the body, you lift them across the torso.

By lifting the weight across your body, you immediately place the long head of your biceps under more tension, naturally making it an excellent outer bicep curl if your long head is lagging.

21. Incline Dumbbell Curls

Incline dumbbell curl is one of the best long-head bicep exercises. It trains the long head of the biceps by stretching it at the bottom of the movement and placing it in a position of maximal force production at the top of the movement.

The study found that incline dumbbell curls resulted in the highest EMG activity in the long head of the biceps throughout the entire range of motion.

It is a highly effective full-range exercise that can be utilised to develop a massive, peaked bicep.

22. Dumbbell Spider Curl

Spider curls are a remarkable exercise for building the biceps because they produce an intense muscle contraction on every single rep.

That is why it is one of the best bicep exercises to incorporate into your training regime if you want a bulging short-head bicep.

This is a good exercise to change things up and keep your biceps working hard, especially the short head, which must do most of the work.

23. Incline Hammer Curl

Hammer curls involve sitting on an incline bench, typically set at a 45-degree angle, while performing hammer curls.

It’s important to know that the bench’s angle helps your arms stay in place and works your muscles better than regular hammer curls.

24. Spider Hammer Curl

If you like hammer curls, the dumbbell spider hammer curl may be the right choice for you.

We’ve discussed a few different spider curl variations that focus on the biceps or isolate the brachialis and brachioradialis.

However, the neutral grip variation forces all three muscles to work simultaneously, so this exercise can provide a little extra boost.

25. Dumbbell Reverse Bicep Preacher Curl

The dumbbell reverse preacher curl is a variation of the standard preacher curl targeting your brachialis muscle, which lies deeper than your biceps brachii in the upper arm.

A barbell, dumbbells, or EZ-curl bar may be used to perform the reverse bicep preacher curl. However, the dumbbell reverse grip preacher curl provides stability and the full range of motion.

26. Dumbbell Reverse Grip Concentration Curl

This is one of the best reverse bicep curl variations you can do during your arm workout.

The dumbbell reverse-grip concentration curl is an isolation exercise that targets the biceps brachii and brachioradialis muscles.

27. Dumbbell Hammer Preacher Curl

The dumbbell hammer preacher curl is a very effective exercise that targets the brachioradialis, brachialis, and bicep muscles.

Using a hammer/neutral grip targets more of the brachioradialis and brachialis than the biceps. It is a great variation of the preacher’s curl.

28. Dumbbell Drag Curl

The dumbbell drag curl is a unique bicep curl variation in which you don’t completely bring the weight in front of your body. Thus, you have difficulty swinging and using momentum to get the weight up.

The long head of the bicep is emphasized the most due to the elbow positioning. As you curl up, your elbows pull back behind you, stretching the long head and activating it to a very high degree.

29. Inner Biceps Curl

As the name suggests, the standing inner bicep curl works the short head of the biceps.

The inner biceps curl is similar to a wide-grip barbell curl, but it’s easier because the wrist position doesn’t make it uncomfortable or unstable.

This exercise makes your shoulder rotate more outside, which helps the short head of your biceps work better.

30. One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl

The one-arm dumbbell preacher curl is a variation of the preacher curl exercise. It uses dumbbells and single-arm movements to better control and target the bicep muscles.

It is a great exercise for the short head of your bicep because it positions your elbow out in front of your body, which stimulates the short head more.

31. Waiter Curl

The waiter curl is a unique bicep exercise that has gained popularity for effectively isolating and engaging the biceps.

Unlike traditional bicep curls, the waiter curl requires a different grip, which focuses the tension on the biceps and helps build arm muscles.

Just like a waiter balances a tray on his palm, the flat end of a dumbbell is used to do the same thing. That’s why the exercise got its name. 

32. Incline Zottman Curl

The incline Zottman curl engages multiple muscles in the upper arm, including the biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis. This leads to a more comprehensive and balanced development of the entire arm.

It targets different regions of the arm by using both supinated and pronated grips.

• A supinated grip works the bicep and brachialis muscles during the concentric phase.
• During the eccentric phase, the pronated grip emphasizes the brachioradialis and forearm muscles, improving forearm size and grip strength.

33. Preacher Zottman Curl

The Preacher Zottman curl works the biceps brachii muscles better than standing variations.

If you rest your arms on the preacher curl bench, you minimise the involvement of other muscle groups, such as the deltoids or upper back. This allows for a more focused and intense contraction of the biceps.

It also emphasizes the forearm muscles, including the brachioradialis and wrist flexors. This can enhance the strength, stability, and size of your forearm.

34. Arm Blaster Hammer Curl

Doing hammer curls with an arm blaster is a different way to do hammer curls. It works the biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis muscles in the upper arm and forearm.

The arm blaster helps stabilise the arms and isolate the biceps by restricting unnecessary movement.

With the arms locked into place, you can better focus on the muscle contraction and mind-muscle connection.

35. Dumbbell High Curl

The dumbbell high curl, sometimes known as a dumbbell high pull, is an exercise that targets the upper body muscles, including the biceps, shoulders, and traps.

To perform the dumbbell high curl, stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand. Bring your arms to shoulder level and spread them out in front of you. Then, curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders.

Name Of Cable Bicep Exercises

The cables keep the tension constant throughout the entire curl. Cables can be used in many ways to work the biceps, with different angles, grips, and handles.

This cable bicep exercise name glossary will provide an overview of 10 effective moves to add to your regimen.

36. One Arm High Cable Curl

The High cable curl exercise is a great option for targeting the biceps and building the width and thickness of the bicep muscle.

The high cable curl has two main versions: one-arm and two-arm. Both variations are effective, but the one-arm version allows you to use more relative weight for potentially greater gains in biceps size and strength.

37. Cable Hammer Curl

The cable hammer curl is one of the best exercises that you can do to build your arm muscles.

When it comes to building massive biceps and forearms, the rope hammer curl is an effective isolation workout that targets the brachialis and brachioradialis.

38. Behind The Back Cable Curl (Bayesian Curl)

The Behind The Back Cable Curl, aka Bayesian curl, is the same concept as the incline dumbbell curl. Your arms will be curling with your elbows behind you, which emphasises the long head. Remember the name of the bicep workout you’re doing.

When you do cable curls behind your body, you focus on your outer biceps and reduce the chance of having muscle imbalances that look bad.

39. Close-Grip Cable Curl

Unlike barbell or dumbbell curls, where the resistance varies during the lift, the cable pulley provides a uniform resistance throughout the movement.

The close-grip bicep cable curl is one of the best isolation exercises for the long head of the bicep.

40. Cable Reverse Curl

The cable reverse curl, also known as the reverse cable curl, is an exercise that targets the brachioradialis muscle in the forearms and the biceps and other forearm muscles.

It helps to balance arm development by targeting the less often targeted muscles of the forearms and brachialis. This can lead to a more proportional and aesthetic arm.

41. Cable Drag Curl

If you’re looking for a new and challenging exercise to grow your bicep, look no further than the cable drag curl. This variation of the classic bicep curl is less well-known, but it’s still a powerful exercise.

It takes your bicep development to the next level and gives your forearms a unique challenge.

The elbow positioning emphasizes the long head of the bicep the most. As you curl up, your elbows pull back behind you, stretching the long head and activating it to a very high degree.

42. Cable Rope Hammer Preacher Curl

It is a single-joint arm exercise that builds strength and size in the biceps using a cable stack, a preacher bench, and a rope grip.

The neutral or “hammer” grip amplifies activation of both the grip and the brachialis muscles, building arm thickness. The bench’s angle effectively removes the shoulders from the movement, largely isolating the biceps.

43. Cable One Arm Curl

You can add plenty of single-arm exercises to correct potential imbalances when doing a bicep workout with a cable machine.

If there’s an imbalance between your left and right biceps, cable one-arm curls can help correct it. Each arm works differently so that you can see and fix the differences in their strength on each side.

44. Cable Squatting Curl

The squatting cable curl is a great exercise that allows you to isolate the biceps.

You can set up for the exercise by attaching a straight bar to the low pulley cable and selecting the weight you want to use on the stack.

The study has shown that the concentration curl had the greatest EMG activity, followed by the hammer curl and the preacher curl.

45. Lying Cable Curl

If you’re looking for a way to get more creative with your biceps curls, why not try lying (supine) cable curls?

The point of lying on your back for the lying cable curl is to eliminate all body momentum. Therefore, it prevents cheating and better isolates your elbow flexors.

It is performed lying on the back, either on a bench or the ground, with the feet facing toward a cable stack.

Machine Bicep Exercises With Names

Machines provide stabilized forms of resistance to isolate biceps through fixed planes of motion. This allows for heavier lifting with less risk of injury.

This list will explain over 5 popular machine biceps exercises paired with names, descriptions, and illustrations.

46. Machine Preacher Curl

The preacher curl machine is a great way to achieve a peak contraction of the biceps muscles. The machine’s design forces your arms to remain in a fixed position, which helps isolate and target the biceps.

Additionally, the machine allows you to use a heavier weight than you could with free weights, which can lead to greater muscle growth.

With a preacher curl, you get many benefits that don’t come with regular bicep curls. Do preacher curls with a slightly wider grip to impart more load on the short-head biceps.

47. Machine-Assisted Chin Up

Chin-up and Pull-ups are some of the best bodyweight exercises for building upper body strength, particularly in the back and biceps. 

However, they can be challenging for many people, especially those new to fitness or recovering from an injury. This is where the Assisted Pull-Up Machine comes into play.

48. Smith Machine Drag Curls Bicep Curls

Smith Machine Drag Curls are a different way to do the traditional bicep curl. They use a special machine called the Smith Machine, which is a barbell attached to steel bars that moves slowly.

As the bar path is controlled, one can concentrate more on the contraction and extension of the biceps without worrying about the bar balance.

You can vary your grip (wide, narrow, underhand, overhand) to target different parts of the biceps and arms.

49. Machine Bicep Curl

The bicep curl machine helps isolate the bicep brachii muscles, which means that you are not using any other muscles to help you perform the exercise.

This can help you more effectively target the biceps brachii muscles and build muscle.

Resistance Band Bicep Exercises

Resistance bands provide affordable, portable tension that can be used anywhere to pump up the biceps. Bands come in varying resistance levels to continue challenging your strength over time.

This list includes over 5 effective band biceps workouts to add to your routine. You can use bands for vacation workouts or at-home sculpting.

50. Resistance Band Curl

If you’re looking for straightforward bicep band exercises to add to your routine, bicep curls are a great staple exercise to get you started.

Resistance bands bicep curls keep the muscles in tension throughout the movement, activating more bicep muscles. This means that you will get more out of each repetition of the bicep exercise.

51. Band Hammer Curl

The band hammer curl is a variation of the traditional hammer curl that uses resistance bands instead of dumbbells.

When it comes to building massive biceps and forearms, the hammer curl is an effective isolation workout that targets the bicep, brachialis, and brachioradialis.

This exercise works the wrist and forearm muscles more than traditional bicep curls, which improve grip strength and forearm size

52. Band Concentration Curl

The concentration curl is well-known for its ability to focus on and isolate the biceps brachii muscle. It strengthens the mind-muscle connection, so you can focus on the biceps and make them work as hard as possible.

The band concentration curl works only one arm at a time, so it is helpful to find and correct any differences in strength between your left and right arms.

53. Reverse Grip Resistance Band Curl

The reverse curl is an essential part of band bicep workouts. It is a variation of the traditional biceps reverse curl exercise that targets the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles and the biceps brachii.

It’s characterised by a unique hand position with your palms facing down (pronated grip) instead of the traditional palms-up grip. This exercise specifically targets the brachialis and the outer head of the biceps brachii.

54. Band Drag Curl

The drag curl is a unique variation of the traditional bicep curl. Instead of curling the resistance band up towards your shoulders, you drag it up your torso.

Band drag curls engage the biceps brachii muscle more than traditional bicep curls. This is because the band drag curl allows you to use more of the bicep muscle’s range of motion.

55. Seated Row With Resistance Bands

Seated Rows with Resistance Bands primarily target the traps, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, rear delts, and biceps. It will also work your erector spinae, as you need your lower back to stabilize your movement.

Resistance bands are easy to carry and use, so you can do seated rows almost anywhere.

Name Of Bodyweight Bicep Exercises

56. Chin Up

One of the best bodyweight exercises for your biceps is the chin-up. This bodyweight exercise can induce serious muscle growth in the back and biceps.

In this exercise, the palms are faced towards the body. Since the lifter is pulling its body weight, the biceps are usually exposed to loads heavier than one can lift with a barbell.

57. Inverted Row

The inverted row (bodyweight rows) creates a horizontal body position, making it easier to perform. It works the back and shoulder muscles from a different angle and improves upper body strength.

Most people use the Smith machine in the gym for this exercise. You can also do the inverted row at home by lying under a chair and pulling yourself up.

58. Renegade Row

The renegade row is a challenging compound exercise that combines elements of a plank and a dumbbell row.

It makes your core, back, shoulders, and biceps stronger.

It is a compound movement involving multiple muscle groups, so it can burn many calories and help lose weight.

59. Reverse Grip Push-Ups

The reverse grip push-up is a fun and great variation of the standard push-up. You do it with your fingers facing your feet (your palms outward).

Many consider it the “bicep push-up” because of the hand position; it emphasises your biceps a little more than the standard push-up.

You can do the Reverse Grip Push-Ups on the knee or the inclined surface for easier variation.

60. V-Grip Pull Up

The V-grip pull-up is a strength training exercise. This bodyweight exercise can induce serious muscle growth of the biceps and back.  Use a close grip to target your long-head biceps even more. 

While this isn’t a bicep-specific exercise like the previous ones, some of the best exercises for your biceps are compound movements like this.

We chose the neutral grip pull-up because when it comes to the biceps, it targets your long head best.

61. Bodyweight Bicep Curl

The bodyweight bicep curl is a very effective bodyweight isolation exercise for building Bicep size and strength. 

Sometimes, we don’t have access to equipment, but that’s not an issue with the bicep leg curl, as you only need your arms and legs.

62. Rope Climber

Rope climbs require you to use your arms and upper body strength to climb up a vertical rope. You also need your legs to support and balance you.

It is a full-body exercise that primarily targets the muscles in the upper body, including the forearms, back, and shoulders.

63. Clapping Push-Up

A clapping push-up is a variation of the traditional push-up that requires you to pull yourself off the ground and clap your hands together before landing back down. This exercise strengthens the fast-twitch muscle fibers in your chest, shoulders, and forearms.

Many athletes use them to improve their athletic performance by building strength, endurance, and speed.

Conclusion

With over 60 biceps exercises covered, it’s clear there is no shortage of ways to chisel, develop, and challenge your bicep muscles.

Numerous alternatives exist, from traditional barbell curls to more unconventional variations such as the dumbbell high curl and drag cur.

With so many creative bicep exercises to explore beyond just a traditional curl, your physique will have no choice but to expand to impressive new proportions!

Choose from the list and get ready to see your biceps grow.

Manish Kumar

Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.

Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.