1 Hour Biceps Workout

The biceps are a small two-headed muscle group at the front-side of your upper arms. Since these are small muscles, you can effectively work them out in as little as one hour, performing four exercises per session. You need to do exercises that work the biceps as a whole, along with exercises that emphasize each head of the biceps. Following this recommendation will allow for the most arm growth and strengthening.

  1. Biceps 101

    • The biceps brachii, meaning biceps of the arms, function as flexors of the elbows and supinators of the forearms. Flexion translates to the bending of your arms, while supination simply refers to external rotation of your forearms. The biceps have a short head and a long head. The shorter head is located in the inner upper-arm region, while the long head is located at the outer region.

    Overall Biceps Exercises

    • To work the biceps as whole, meaning you are targeting both heads relatively evenly, perform the barbell and the dumbbell curl in a standing position. You need to use a supinated hand-grip in both exercises to maximize the work of your biceps. So, stand holding the barbell in front of your thighs, or the dumbbells by your sides, and then bend your elbows to raise the weight close to your front shoulders. Keep the top contracted position for a second or two and then return the weights down to the initial position.

    Inner Biceps Exercises

    • Emphasizing the inner part of the biceps requires you have access to an incline bench between 45 and 55 degrees. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand using an underhand grip and lie face-up on the incline bench with your arms by your sides. Bend your elbows to bring the dumbbells up towards your front shoulders, hold for 1 to 2 seconds and then lower the dumbbells to the starting position. You can also do this exercise using a cable-pulley machine.

    Outer Biceps Exercises

    • To emphasize your outer biceps, perform the concentration curl. To do so, hold a dumbbell in your right hand with an underhanded grip, lean forward at the waist, move your feet apart so you are in a wide stance and put your right elbow over your right inner thigh. Then, bend your right elbow until the dumbbell is close to your right shoulder, hold for 1 to 2 seconds and then lower the dumbbell to the starting position. Repeat the next set with your left arm. You can also do this exercise using a cable pulley.

    Sets, Reps and Tips

    • Perform three sets per exercise and 10 to 12 repetitions per set. In between each set, take a 2 to 3-minute rest period to allow your biceps to recharge prior to the next set. In addition to your exercises, start off with a 5 to 10-minute warm-up and end your sessions with a 5 to 10-minute cooldown for safety purposes. You can do a jog on a treadmill for the warm-up phase and a light walk for the cooldown phase.