The 10 Highest-Rated Bicep Exercises

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Best Biceps Exercises You Can Do

Biceps have been the symbol of strength and masculinity for a long time, ask anyone to hit a pose and they will likely flex their biceps, it is just human nature. Gym bros love training biceps and are one of the most often trained muscle groups, every day is arm day for some. You may catch some gym goers skipping their leg days, but it is a rarity to see someone skipping biceps. How else can you fill out your sleeves? While there are many different bicep exercises to choose from, what are the highest rated bicep exercises?

Let’s break down the top ten highest rated bicep exercises that you can do to really blow up your biceps.

Bicep Anatomy

Before we get into the highest rated bicep exercises, here is the bicep anatomy to help you better understand the muscles recruited while performing these exercises.

The biceps consist of both a short and long head which, when contracted, cause flexion to occur at the elbow joint (1). While the heads of the biceps run parallel with each other, the short head runs along the inside of the upper arm. By building size in the short head, the arm will look fuller when observed from the front, and by building up the long head, the bicep will look bigger from the side.

Now with that being said, no two bicep exercises are the same. You need to have a balance between hitting the long head of the biceps and the short head to really make them look complete. That being said, choosing exercises that hit both of these to ensure an overall development of your biceps, as there are two different parts to this muscle that need to be addressed and worked out properly. We will list the 10 highest rated bicep exercises of all time in this article.

highest rated bicep exercises

The Highest Rated Biceps Exercises

These are the 10 highest rated bicep exercises that you can do to really build them up.

Barbell Curls

Barbell curls are the gold standard when it comes to biceps training. Using a standard barbell on this lift will help you get the best results. Switching between the shoulder, narrow, and wide-grips will help you target your biceps from different angles, ensuring overall development.

Dumbbell Curls

Dumbbell curls help in building the peak (brachii) and the long head (brachialis) of your guns. Most people make the mistake of supinating their wrists at the bottom of the movement. You should rotate your wrist in the middle of the movement while curling the dumbbell.

Hammer Curls

Hammer curls work the long head (brachialis) and the brachioradialis which runs from your wrist across the inside portion of your elbow and into your upper arm bone. You can perform the hammer curls with your thumbs over the dumbbell handle to better recruit your brachioradialis muscle.

Zottman Curls

The Zottman curls are a complete bicep builder. Zottman curls have the same curling motion as the normal bicep curls but you have to rotate your wrists at the top of the movement so your palms are facing the floor while you perform the negative motion. The curling motion works the brachii while the negative motion works the brachialis and the brachioradialis.

EZ Bar Curls

EZ bar curls can be a lifesaver for people with wrist problems. The EZ bar takes off the tension from your wrists as you curl the bar. The EZ bar can also be used to focus on the long and short heads of your biceps.

bicep exercises

Machine Preacher Curls

Machine preacher curls can completely exhaust your pythons. You should maintain a full range of motion while performing the isolation exercises. Performing drop sets on these isolation exercises will fill your biceps with lactic acid and blood, making for an insane muscle pump!

Incline Bench Dumbbell Curls

Incline bench dumbbell curls are different as compared to the standard dumbbell curls as this exercise restricts you from using momentum to lift the dumbbells, meaning your biceps will be taking a brutal beating during this exercise. You’ll be able to lift lighter weights than you lift while performing the normal dumbbell curls.

Cable Bicep Curls

Incorporating cables into your workout routines is a great idea as they can completely smoke your muscles by putting constant tension on your muscles throughout the exercise. While using the cables, you will have tension on both the concentric and eccentric motions. On the other hand, you only have tension on the concentric movement while using dumbbells.

Concentration Dumbbell Curls

Isolation exercises primarily help you in building the peak and definition in your biceps, and this one was a favorite of the 7x Mr. Olympia champ, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The concentration curls work your brachii. Maintaining a mind-muscle connection and squeezing your pythons at the top of the movements is a must to get the best results.

Overhead Cable Curls

The front double bicep is the most common pose and the overhead cable curls help you in shaping your guns for this pose. Keep your elbows pinned at a place and squeeze the living hell out of your biceps at the top of the movement.

The Importance of Training Biceps

highest rated bicep exercises

You may think that training biceps is solely for the looks, but that is not true. Sure, having some perfectly peaked biceps is great for building a complete physique, but biceps are needed for a lot of other things as well. For starters, you use your biceps heavily during the deadlift exercise, meaning the stronger your biceps are, the better your deadlift.

The same goes with pulling things and picking things up, meaning the biceps are a functional muscle group that can help with every day tasks. That being said, training them with the highest rated bicep exercises is absolutely crucial!

Highest Rated Bicep Exercises Wrap Up

There you have it, those are the highest rated bicep exercises to really blast the biceps and create some great muscle and strength gains. Do you use any of these bicep exercises in your current workout routine?

Which is your favorite bicep exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.

Vidur Saini
Vidur is a fitness junky who likes staying up to date with the fitness industry and loves publishing his opinions for everyone to see. Subscribe to his YouTube Channel.