When starting on a muscle-building program, one of the key body parts that many people want to place a large focus on are the biceps. The biceps tend to be a highly noticed muscle group by others, so if you have nicely developed arms, people are going to know you're on top of your workout game.
However, it is important to keep in mind that in actuality the triceps muscle comprises a very large component of the arm, so you must not neglect your triceps work either, which will then give you the perfect balance of what you need to see optimal results.
When you are aiming for maximum size, another important point to note is that lifting heavy must be placed as a priority. Since building more size is a combination of a heavy surplus, enough volume, and plenty of calories, it's a wise decision to focus on exercises that will allow you to lift the heaviest weight possible. Usually for most people this will be exercises such as rows and pull ups/chin ups/lat pulldown's, both of which target the biceps muscles as well. If you are including these regularly with your workout program and then adding in other exercises that are specifically targeted towards the biceps muscles you will be right on track for developing the best arms you can.
So here are the top 5 exercises you should be doing if you want those mountain peak biceps!
#1 BARBELL CURL: One of the simplest, but definitely one of the most effective! It will allow you to overload those biceps with a heavy weight.
Stand up with your torso upright while holding a barbell at a shoulder-width grip.
While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out.
Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level.
#2 INCLINE DUMBBELL CURL: This exercise is one of the best to help prevent that momentum issue from happening as we just discussed, since it essentially restricts the movement of the back.
Sit back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand held at arms length.
While holding the upper arm stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out.
Slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back to starting position as your breathe in.
#3 PREACHER CURL: You can do these with Barbells, Dumbbells, or use the Preacher Curl Machine. This really focuses on forming the peak of the bicep.
When done while sitting, these will also limit the degree momentum plays in the execution of the exercise and place all the emphasis right on the biceps muscle. There will be no helper muscles called into play when doing preacher curls/concentration curls (when done properly), so this is a good one to add in at the very end of your workout when you're really looking to finish off the biceps and fully exhaust them.
#4 HAMMER CURLS: While a significant amount of focus is given to the bicep, some of the muscle groups within the forearm will be working as well. Because the focus here is on a rotated curl there is a lot of emphasis on the brachialis and brachioradialis of the forearm.
The starting position for this curl is identical to the alternating curl, where the palms face in toward the body. Your elbows remain tucked in with your body and upper arms remaining stationary. Lift the weight, curling it upward without rotating the weight or forearm to the point where the weight is almost touching the shoulder of your lifting arm. Think of the motion of swinging a hammer – this is also where the bicep exercise got its name.
#5 CHIN UPS: Now I know what you're thinking, aren't chin ups a back exercise? You're absolutely right. However, if you take a closer, underhand grip on the pull up bar, you will give greater emphasis to those biceps. Whenever you are working your back, such as pull ups, pull downs, and rows, your biceps are getting hit as well since they are a secondary muscle. Chin Ups are a great mass builder for those biceps!
BONUS EXERCISE:
UNDERHAND BARBELL ROWS: Now once again, the barbell row is mainly done for the Back, but if you take an underhand grip on the bar, and row it up to the lower abs area. These are going to place a slightly greater stress on the biceps muscles as opposed to straight rows, so they will be a better exercise for strictly targeting the biceps. Interchange this mass builder with the chin up.