10 Daily Biceps Exercises

While there is more to working out than arm exercises, there is no denying that a toned, firm, well-developed pair of arms looks great. Train your biceps by performing two or three different exercises a day and don't forget to take one or two days rest per week to let your muscles recover. For muscular balance, also include exercises for your other muscle groups in your workouts.

  1. Standing Barbell Curls

    • A classic biceps exercise, barbell curls might be old-school but that doesn't mean they aren't effective. Grab a barbell with an underhand, shoulder-width grip and, with your elbows tucked into your sides, bend your arms and curl the bar up to your shoulders. Lower it back down and repeat. Keep your torso upright and core braced throughout.

    Dumbbell Curls

    • Working one arm at a time, dumbbell curls can help identify and correct left-to-right strength imbalances. With a dumbbell in each hand, curl your left hand and then your right hand up to your shoulders. Avoid leaning side to side by watching your posture in a mirror.

    Concentration Curls

    • This exercise is so-called because you work one arm at a time and can focus all your mental effort on the biceps you are exercising. Sit down and, with a dumbbell in one hand, lean forward and rest your arm against your inner thigh. Curl the weight up and then slowly extend your arm back to full stretch. Perform the same number of repetitions on each arm.

    Resistance-Band Curls

    • Even if you don't have access to a well-equipped gym, you can still work your biceps. Stand in the middle of a resistance band with an end in each hand. Curl your hands up to your shoulders, either together or using an alternating arm action. Keep your chest up, shoulders back and abs braced throughout.

    Narrow-Grip Chin-Ups

    • Unlike barbell and dumbbell exercises where you stand still and curl a weight up to your shoulders, with narrow grip chin-ups, you curl yourself up to a stationary bar. Grasp a sturdy overhead bar with a narrow, underhand grip. Bend your arms and pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar. Lower yourself back to the starting position and repeat. This is an advanced exercise as you need to be able to lift your own body weight.

    Drag Curls

    • Drag curls were a favorite of golden-era bodybuilding guru Vince Gironda who prescribed them to his bodybuilders-in-training. Grasp a barbell with an underhand grip. Bend your arms, pull your elbows backward and pull the weight up the front of your body as high as you can. Do not let the bar drift away from you. Lower it back down and repeat.

    Zottman Curls

    • Zottman curls are two arm exercises rolled into one -- a dumbbell curl and a reverse dumbbell curl. The unusual action of this exercise gives your forearms as well as your biceps a good workout. With a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your palms facing forward and the weights outside of your thighs. Curl the weights up to your shoulders, rotate your hands into a palms down position and lower the weights to full arm extension. Turn your palms to face forward again and repeat.

    Preacher Curls

    • By pinning your upper arms against an inclined bench, preacher curls ensure you cannot use your back or shoulders to swing the weight up. Lean over the preacher bench and rest your upper arms on the inclined, padded surface. Using dumbbells or a barbell, curl the weight up until your arms are bent to 90 degrees and then lower the weights back down. Be careful not to overextend your elbows at the bottom of the movement.

    Incline Dumbbell Curls

    • By sitting and leaning back on a incline exercise bench, you place your biceps in a stretched position and increase the range of movement of this challenging biceps exercise. With your exercise bench set to around 45 degrees, let your arms hang straight down to the floor. Curl the weights up to your shoulders and then lower them again. Raise both weights simultaneously or alternately as preferred.

    Reverse Barbell Curls

    • Reverse barbell curls work your forearms along with your biceps and will also strengthen your grip. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. Place your thumbs on top of the bar rather than around it. With your elbows tucked into your sides, bend your arms and curl the bar up to your shoulders. Lower it back down and repeat.

    Considerations

    • If you are new to working out, have recently been sedentary, are significantly overweight or are suffering from any illness, consult your doctor before starting a new workout program. Begin your training using light weights and increase gradually week by week. Warm up your muscles before you workout with five to 10 minutes of light cardio, like walking.