10 Best Brachialis Exercises To Build Bigger and Stronger Arms

Having bigger, stronger arms can give you a feeling of confidence. Furthermore, muscular arms can also convey a sense of athleticism and strength.

Unlock the secret to fuller, more defined arms with targeted brachialis exercises. Often overshadowed by its showy neighbor, the biceps, the brachialis muscle plays a pivotal role in your arm’s strength and aesthetics.

To develop an impressive set of biceps, you need to target the muscles from every angle. That’s right, we said all muscles including the biceps brachii (long and short heads), as well as the Brachialis and brachioradialis (forearm).

In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the brachialis:

• What it is and why it’s important to train
• The best brachialis exercises for size and strength
• Proper form, and techniques
• Common mistakes that limit gains
• A complete brachialis workout routine

Why Should You Train the Brachialis Muscle?

Gym-bros typically place a high emphasis on training the Biceps as they are considered the most significant arm muscle, but if really you want to improve the shape and size of your arms, you might start working on your brachialis.

If you start indulging in exercises that will target your brachialis, you will be able to witness the projection of a massive arm.

Since the Brachialis is underneath the Biceps, growing them will make your arms look bigger. The Brachialis muscle makes the Arms look bigger and thicker from the front because it’s visible from the side, next to the Biceps muscles.

As the Brachialis grows, this will widen out the arms, making your arms look bigger from all angles.

To build the bigger and impressive arms first, we needed to understand the anatomy and functionality of the brachialis muscle, training principles and the best brachialis exercises which help to perform the brachialis workout at the best level.

What is the Brachialis Muscle?

There are three muscles on the upper arm that are parallel to the long axis of the humerus, the biceps brachii, the brachialis, and the triceps brachii.

Bicep Brachii

The biceps brachii muscle (biceps) is a large, thick muscle of the upper arm. The Biceps Brachii is attached to the forearm bone called the radius and originates at the scapula in two heads (short and Long Head).

Brachialis

The brachialis lies underneath the biceps brachii. It’s situated in the front part of the upper arm, between the humerus (the bone of the upper arm) and the ulna (one of the bones of the forearm).

Brachialis Function

Its primary function is to flex the elbow joint. This means it’s responsible for bending the arm at the elbow.

While the biceps brachii is also involved in this motion, the brachialis is a pure elbow flexor and doesn’t have other actions like the biceps does (e.g., forearm supination).

How To Build a Bigger Brachialis

Training the Brachialis is essential for building bigger arms and for producing powerful pulling movements like chin-ups and rows.

If you are trying to build your brachialis, you’ll have to focus on your brachialis muscles present in the upper arm. Develop enough strength and keep working on it continuously.

For those of you who have been attempting to achieve stunning biceps, it is highly recommended to start performing the brachialis exercises, set out to learn the best Brachialis exercises and techniques to perform that exercises.

Learn how to keep the proper posture and how you can increase the weights at a slow and steady pace to flex your muscles only up to what is sufficiently required for you.

There are many exercises that emphasize the brachialis of the bicep. Many of them you probably already know, but maybe you didn’t realize they are best for the brachialis.

If you want to emphasize the brachialis during training, four main techniques can help you achieve that:

• Brachialis is most strongly recruited when you use a pronated or overhand grip
• Use a neutral grip, aka hammer grip: The neutral grip is probably best for recruiting the brachioradialis muscle
• The brachialis is composed primarily of fast-twitch muscle fibers: As a general rule of thumb, train in the 4-8 rep range when training the brachialis for hypertrophy and in the 1-5 rep range when training the brachialis for strength.
• The Brachialis responds well to slower eccentric muscular contractions: As a rule of thumb, 2-5 seconds on the eccentric phase is a good place to start.

Best Brachialis Exercises For Bigger Arm

Have a look at the brachialis exercises mentioned below that will help you understand how to work out brachialis better.

1. Barbell Reverse Curl

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

The pronated grip you are using will work the brachialis muscles, so you can move the weight during exercises.

You can execute the reverse grip bicep curl in many variations, you can do it with a straight barbell, EZ Bar, dumbbells, or cable reverse curl.

How To Do

1. Grab the bar with a shoulder width grip with your hands on top of the bar (pronated grip)
2. Place your feet shoulder width apart and establish a slight bend in the knees
3. Stand tall, straighten your arms, and have the bar rest against your thighs.
4. Curl the bar up to shoulder level by bending your elbows.
5. Pause at the top of the movement and squeeze the biceps as hard as you can at the top of the range of motion.
6. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
7. Repeat for desired reps.

Tips

• Your body should remain fixed. Only your biceps should be used to move the weight.
• The motion should occur at the elbow.
• Ensure that your elbows are kept close to your sides with your knees slightly bent, and your hands gripped tightly to the bar.

2. Hammer Curl

The Hammer Curl is a classic weightlifting exercise that targets the biceps and brachialis.

It is different from the regular bicep curl as it involves an overhand grip with a pronated wrist, instead of an underhand grip.

When it comes to building muscular hypertrophy and strength, the hammer curl exercise is one of the most popular brachialis exercises among bodybuilders and regular weightlifters.

They also work the brachioradialis muscle, which is important for grip strength and forearm size.

• Other Variations: Cable Hammer Curl

How To Do

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
2. Hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands with your palms facing towards your body.
3. Keeping your elbows close to your body, slowly curl the dumbbell up to your shoulders.
4. At the top of the lift, pause for a second and squeeze your brachialis, then lower the weights under control.

Tips

• Raise and lower the dumbbell slowly. Keep in control by using your own strength, not using momentum or gravity.
• Neither lean back as you lift the weight nor lean forward as you lower it.

Related Posts: 15 Best Biceps Exercises With Dumbbells For Mass & Strength

3. Chin Up

Chin ups and pull-ups are often used interchangeably, however they do have some differences. Chin-ups place more emphasis on the biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis. This grip targets the biceps, brachailis more than the back and shoulders.

The chin-up is a bodyweight exercise that can induce serious muscle growth of the biceps and back.

In this exercise, the palms are faced towards the body. Since the lifter is pulling their own bodyweight, the biceps and brachialis are usually exposed to loads heavier than what one can lift with a barbell.

How To Do

1. Grasp a pull-up bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower.
2. Straighten your arms, keep your knees bent and cross your lower legs.
3. Retract your shoulder blades and pull your body up until your chin becomes aligned with the bar.
4. Pause for one to two seconds at the top, with the brachialis under maximum tension. Slowly lower to the start position.

Tips

• Don’t get in the habit of doing half reps and chasing numbers.
• Lower to almost full extension of the elbow but avoid locking out completely.

4. Close Grip Pull Up

The close grip pull up is an excellent brachialis exercise that also challenges the lats, biceps and forearms.

This exercise isn’t just for your bicep like the others, but it’s good for your brachialis muscles because it uses compound movements.

This exercise involves gripping a pull-up bar with hands placed close together, typically closer than shoulder-width apart or using a V-bar or towel.

How To Do

1. Grasp the double pull-up bars and hang with your arms and shoulders fully extended.
2. You can cross your feet, keep your legs straight, or bend your knees.
3. Exhale as you pull your body up until your chin rises above the bars. Hold for a count of two.
4. Inhale as you lower your body until your arms and shoulders are fully extended.
5. Do 3-4 sets of 6-10 repetitions, resting 60-90 seconds between sets.

Tips

• Don’t get in the habit of doing half reps and chasing numbers.
• Lower to almost full extension of the elbow, but avoid locking out completely.

5. Zottman Curl

If you’re not already doing zottman dumbbell curls, you’re missing out on some serious gains.

But what sets Zottman curls apart from other bicep curl variations? Zottman curls work not only the bicep muscles, but also the brachialis and forearm muscles.

Different hand positions on different parts of the lift.

• The first upward portion: the regular curl, focuses on bicep strength.
• The second lowering portion: the dumbbell reverse curl allows you to overload the forearms.

How To Do

1. Hold a pair of dumbbells to your sides.
2. Keep your palms facing up as you curl the weights up to your shoulders. Pause at the top of the movement.
3. Slowly rotate your grip, so your palms are facing downwards.
4. Lower the dumbbells slowly back to the starting position using an overhand grip.
5. When the dumbbells are close to your thighs, again turn your hands while returning to the starting position.

Tips

• Perform this exercise in a slow, controlled manner for best results.
• Don’t go heavy. Choose a lighter weight and focus on perfecting your form.

Best Exercises For Brachialis To Build Bigger Arms

6. 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, which naturally makes it an excellent outer bicep and brachialis curl. Must add these brachialis exercises in your workout arsenal.

How To Do

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
2. Hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands with your palms facing towards your body.
3. Keeping your elbows close to your body, slowly curl the left dumbbell upward, across your body, and toward your left shoulder.
4. Pause for a second at the top of the lift, squeeze your brachialis, then slowly lower the weights under control.
5. Repeat with your right arm and continuously do alternating arms.

Tips

• Raise and lower the dumbbell slowly. Keep in control of using your own strength, not using momentum or gravity.
• Neither lean back as you lift the weight nor lean forward as you lower it.
• Throughout each rep, the wrists remain neutral.

7. Dumbbell Reverse Grip Concentration Curl

The Reverse Grip Dumbbell Concentration Curl is a great basic move. When done correctly, it can effectively target your arms, forearms muscles.

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

How To Do

1. Sit on a bench with your legs apart, grab a dumbbell in one hand (say left hand).
2. With your left arm almost fully extended, rest your elbow against the inside of your left thigh.
3. Pronate your wrist so that your palm faces backward.
4. Exhale as you curl the dumbbell up towards your shoulder. Hold and squeeze your biceps for a count of two.
5. Inhale as you slowly lower the dumbbell to the starting position.
6. Repeat with your right arm.

Tips

• Don’t lockout at the bottom of the exercise.
• Keep your back straight and your upper arm still.

8. Dumbbell Hammer Preacher Curl

The dumbbell hammer preacher curl is a very effective exercise that targets the brachioradialis, brachialis, and bicep muscles. When you use a neutral grip, your brachialis muscle becomes considerably more active.

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 that targets the brachialis muscle.

How To Do

1. Adjust the preacher bench seat so that your arms are level with the top of the bench.
2. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral/hammer grip and rest your arm against the bench with your arm extended fully down.
3. Slowly curl the dumbbells up towards your head. keep your arms on the bench at all times until you reach the top position.
4. Hold for a count, squeeze and isolate your brachialis.
5. Repeat the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

• Perform this exercise in a slow controlled manner for best results.
• Do not lock out your elbows to prevent a bicep tear.

9. Dumbbell Reverse Preacher Curl

The 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.

The reverse bicep preacher curl may be performed by a barbell, dumbbells, or EZ-curl bar. But Dumbbell Reverse curl better provides stability and the full range of motion.

How To Do

1. Adjust the preacher bench seat so that your arms are level with the top of the bench.
2. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with a pronated (palms down) grip and rest your arm against the bench with your arm extended fully down.
3. Slowly raise the dumbbells towards your head, ensuring that your arms remain on the bench at all times.
4. Hold for a count, squeeze and isolate your brachialis.
5. Repeat the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

• Make sure that you perform the movement slowly with controlled repetition timing.
• Do not lock out your elbows at the bottom of the reverse curl, as this can cause a torn bicep and takes tension off the muscle.
• Try to use a lighter to moderate weight.

10. EZ Bar Reverse Curl

EZ bar reverse grip curls can be a secret weapon in your quest to build bigger forearms and upper arm. This change in grip puts more emphasis on the forearms and less on the biceps, compared to traditional barbell curls.

In a reverse curl position, the wrist is in a unique position that can help improve wrist stability and reduce strain on the wrist. At the same time, they are still pronated enough to really target the brachialis. 

How To Do

1. Grab an EZ-Bar and place your hands on the angled grip.
2. Keeping your elbows in, bring the bar up to your chest by flexing the elbow.
3. Lower the bar back down to the arms’ extended position.
4. Repeat for desired reps.

How To Do

• Your body should remain fixed. Only your biceps should be used to move the weight.
• Pause at the top of the movement and squeeze your brachialis
• Ensure that your elbows are kept close to your sides with your knees slightly bent, and your hands gripped tightly to the bar.

Benefits of Strong Brachialis

This is rather surprising considering that properly training the brachialis is absolutely critical if you want big, strong, healthy arms.

1. Stronger And Bigger Arms: Consistently training the brachialis will definitely help you build stronger and bigger upper arms.
2. Improved Performance: Training your brachialis will profoundly affect your performance in general, as many movements require elbow flexion. No matter what sport you play, building strong brachialis muscles can give you that extra edge over your competition.
3. Improve your pulling strength: Having a strong Brachialis is vital if you partake in sports where pulling movements happen, like rowing, CrossFit, and mountain climbing.
4. Stronger Brachialis Will Decrease Injury: By increasing the strength of your brachialis, you will drastically mitigate the chance of any elbow injury.
5. Improved Aesthetics: These exercises are simple to learn, and they can help you improve the appearance of your arms in no time.

Brachialis Training Tips and Techniques

When setting up a training routine for your brachialis, you want to ensure you’re training them 2 or more times throughout the week.

Include both indirect and direct brachialis training. Compound exercises provide a strong mechanical stimulus due to lifting heavy amounts of weight.

But it isn’t sufficient for directly stimulating the Brachialis, so using isolation and single jointed exercise will ensure the Brachialis receives optimal stimuli for training.

1. Sets and Reps

The number of reps you should do depends on your goals, whether they are to increase strength or build muscle mass and endurance.

• For muscle growth, it is best to do for around 6–12 reps per set.
• For strength, around 3–8 reps per set are recommended.
• To build Muscle Endurance, do 15-20+ reps per set.

2. Slow down the eccentric component

To optimize brachialis activation, perform the eccentric component of the repetition more slowly. According to research, this enhances brachialis activity while reducing biceps brachii activity.

3. Incorporate a variety of rep ranges

For strengthening the brachialis muscles, it’s helpful to do different types of exercises, like doing heavy, slow flexion movements and doing 20 or more reps at a time.

4. Mind-Muscle Connection

Focus on the brachialis when performing exercises. This conscious effort to engage the muscle can make a significant difference in its development.

Add Brachialis Exercise Into Your Workout Routine

The brachialis exercises can be incorporated into your workout routine in a variety of ways. Here are some options:

1. As a standalone exercise: Do on 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
2. As part of a bicep workout: Do 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps along with other bicep exercises.
3. As part of a full-body workout: Do 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps of zottman curl along with other compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.

1. Standalone Brachialis Exercise

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (seconds)
Hammer Curls	3-4	8-12	60-90
Chin Up	3	8-10	60-90
Barbell Reverse Curl	4	10-12	60-90

2. Bicep and Brachialis Combined Workout

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (seconds)
Barbell Bicep Curl	3-4	8-12	60
Cable Reverse Curl	3-4	8-10	60
Dumbbell Drag Curl	3	10-12	60
Dumbbell Drag Curl	3	8-10	60

3. Full-body Workout with Brachialis Focus

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (seconds)
Squats	3	8-12	90
Deadlifts	3	5	90-120
Bench Press	3-4	8-12	90
Barbell Shoulder Press	4	8-10	90
Zottman Curls	3-4	8-12	60

Stretch Your Brachialis

Ensure you’re stretching your brachialis since a chronically tight brachialis will leave your arms in a bent position. This will also tighten the other elbow flexors because they are also left in a shorter position when you rest.

• Passive Elbow Extension Stretch – Gently straighten your arm out in front of you and hold for 30 seconds. You can use your other arm to apply light pressure to extend the range of motion. Repeat 2-3 times on each arm.
• Doorway Stretch – Stand in a doorway with your arm extended and palm facing forward. Keep your arm straight, lean your body forward until you feel a stretch in the front of your elbow and upper arm. Hold for 20-30 seconds. Repeat on both arms.
• Foam Roller – Place a foam roller under your upper arm. Cross your other arm over to increase pressure. Slowly roll back and forth over the brachialis from your elbow crease to shoulder. Apply light pressure for 30 seconds.
• Arm out in front stretch: Take your arm out in front of you with your palm up and fingers pointing down. Use your other hand to pull the fingers backward. You’ll feel an awesome stretch across the inside of the elbow clear down into your forearm.

People Also Asked

What exercise works the brachialis?

There are many exercises that work the brachialis. If you want to focus on the brachialis during training, use a pronated and Use a neutral grip, aka hammer grip. Have a look at the brachialis exercises mentioned below that will help you build bigger and stronger forearm.

• Barbell Reverse Curl
• Hammer Curl
• Chin Up
• Zottman Curl
• Dumbbell Reverse Grip Concentration Curl

Does brachialis make your arm bigger?

When you train the brachialis for muscle hypertrophy, you will increase the arm size. The Brachialis is underneath the Biceps, growing them will push the biceps up and out further, making your arms look bigger arms.

Should I workout the brachialis?

To build bigger and impressive arms, we need to workout the biceps and brachialis. Increasing brachialis size will make your upper arm appear thicker from the front, and it will also make your biceps appear more significant. It is also an important muscle for any pulling motions, like climbing.

Do hammer curls work the brachialis?

Hammer curls are one of the best exercises to train the brachialis. Hammer curls are more effective than traditional curls because they use a neutral grip, which is better than a regular curl, which uses a supinated grip. With your palms facing inward, you are able to place more emphasis on the brachialis.

Do pull-ups work the brachialis?

The pull-up and chin-up are great exercises that work the brachialis. The pull-up is the obvious choice if you want to train your brachialis.

Chin up and pull-up are usually done slowly because you are lifting a lot of weight, especially at the bottom of the movement, which will make the brachialis work harder.

How do you hit a brachialis with dumbbells?

There are many dumbbell exercises that work the brachialis, such as the Hammer Curl, Zottman Curl, and Dumbbell Reverse Grip Concentration Curl. When done correctly, it can effectively target your arms and forearms.

Do reverse curls work in brachialis?

Reverse curls are one of the best exercises to train the brachialis. Reverse curls are more effective than traditional curls because they use a pronated or overhand grip, which is better than a regular curl, which uses a supinated grip. With your palms facing downward, you are able to place more emphasis on the brachialis.

Takeaways

Exercises like the hammer curl, reverse curl, and Zottman curl allow you to lift with your forearms turned inward, which is the best way to target this underrated muscle.

These moves take your biceps out of the picture, putting more strain on your brachialis and making them more prominent.

If done correctly, these brachialis exercises should help you build up that impressive arms.

References

• BASMAJIAN JV, LATIF A. Integrated actions and functions of the chief flexors of the elbow: a detailed electromyographic analysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1957 Oct;39-A(5):1106-18. PMID: 13475410.
• Yu B, Zhang X, Cheng Y, Liu L, YanJiang, Wang J, Lu X. The Effects of the Biceps Brachii and Brachioradialis on Elbow Flexor Muscle Strength and Spasticity in Stroke Patients. Neural Plast. 2022 Mar 2;2022:1295908. doi: 10.1155/2022/1295908. PMID: 35283993; PMCID: PMC8906960.