Biceps Workouts Without Using Forearms

While many biceps exercises are classified as isolations, meaning they only work one muscle, no exercise truly just works one specific part. Even though certain exercises may focus on your biceps, it's almost impossible to train the biceps without the forearms becoming involved a little. That being said, picking the right moves can minimize forearm muscle recruitment while still giving your biceps a good workout.

  1. Firing the Forearms

    • Despite your best efforts, you can't take your forearms out of the equation entirely. The forearms muscles work to flex, extend, pronate, supinate and stabilize your wrist and elbow joint, so are vital when performing any type of pulling or biceps isolation move. One way you can ensure the forearms do minimal work however is to keep your wrists cocked back and avoid flexing them as you perform biceps exercises, writes coach Charles Poliquin in "Bigger, Stronger Arms - The Poliquin Way."

    Get a Grip

    • Curls are a classic biceps exercise, performed simply by flexing your elbow joint while holding a weight. You can perform curls with a supinated, or palms-up, grip, as well as a pronated grip with palms down. When looking to work your forearms, trainer and bodybuilder John Hansen recommends curls with a pronated grip, or a hammer grip, where your palms face inward. So to keep stress off the forearms, stick with a supinated grip -- your palms turned upward -- when curling.

    Building the Brachialis

    • The brachialis muscle is key in developing your biceps peak. It sits on the side of your upper arm and makes your biceps look much more developed. The best exercises for building the brachialis are preacher curls, with your triceps resting on a bench, and overhead curls on a cable machine, according to coach Eric Broser. Both of these exercises concentrate on the brachialis rather than the forearms, so make them staple moves in your routine, along with regular supinated dumbbell curls and concentration curls, performed sitting down with your elbow resting on your knee.

    Compounding the Issue

    • Your biceps don't only work when you do curls; they also have a role in pulling exercises, like chin-ups and dumbbell rows. One mistake people often make when trying to build a better grip and bigger forearms is always wearing wrist wraps when performing these exercises, notes personal trainer Nick Nilsson. While this may be a disadvantage for many, if you're trying to eliminate forearm activation, wearing wrist wraps on your pulling exercises is actually a good idea, so keep a pair handy for when you do pull-downs and pull-ups, shrugs and rows.