5 Best Bicep Exercises for Massive Arms You’ve Never Tried Before

When it comes to building massive arms, the biceps are a primary focus for many gym-goers. While traditional exercises like barbell curls and hammer curls have their place, incorporating less conventional exercises into your routine can stimulate new growth by targeting the muscles in different ways. In this article, we’ll explore five bicep exercises that you’ve likely never tried before but are highly effective in developing bigger, stronger arms. Each exercise is backed by science, ensuring you’re getting the most out of your workout.

Understanding Bicep Anatomy and Function

Before diving into the exercises, it’s essential to understand the anatomy of the biceps. The biceps brachii is a two-headed muscle consisting of the long head and the short head. These heads originate from different points in the shoulder region and converge at the elbow. The primary function of the biceps is to flex the elbow and supinate the forearm, which is the rotation of the forearm so that the palm faces upward.

A complete bicep workout should target both heads of the muscle, as well as the brachialis—a muscle underneath the biceps that can significantly contribute to arm size when developed. By diversifying your exercise selection, you can ensure balanced growth and avoid plateaus in your training.

1. Spider Curls with an Incline Bench

What Are Spider Curls?

Spider curls are a variation of the traditional bicep curl, performed while lying face down on an incline bench. This position isolates the biceps more effectively by reducing the ability to use momentum, thereby ensuring that the biceps do all the work.

How to Perform Spider Curls

1. Adjust an incline bench to a 45-degree angle.
2. Lie face down on the bench with your chest supported and let your arms hang straight down towards the floor.
3. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a supinated grip (palms facing up).
4. Curl the weights towards your shoulders, keeping your upper arms stationary.
5. Squeeze the biceps at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.

Why Spider Curls Work

Spider curls eliminate the involvement of the front deltoids, which can take over during traditional bicep curls. This leads to greater bicep activation. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that exercises which reduce the involvement of secondary muscles can significantly increase muscle activation in the target muscle group (Andersen et al., 2014). This makes spider curls particularly effective for hypertrophy.

2. Bayesian Curl

What Is the Bayesian Curl?

The Bayesian curl, popularised by biomechanist Michael Gundill, is performed using a cable machine. It involves stepping forward from the cable station and allowing the arm to extend behind the body before curling the weight. This exercise provides a continuous tension on the biceps throughout the entire range of motion.

How to Perform Bayesian Curls

1. Attach a single handle to the lower pulley of a cable machine.
2. Stand facing away from the machine, and hold the handle in one hand.
3. Step forward so that your arm is extended slightly behind your torso.
4. Curl the handle towards your shoulder, keeping your elbow stationary.
5. Squeeze the biceps at the peak of the contraction, then slowly return to the starting position.

Why Bayesian Curls Work

Bayesian curls are unique in that they stretch the biceps at the beginning of the movement. Stretch-mediated hypertrophy is a well-documented phenomenon, with studies indicating that muscles under tension in a stretched position can experience greater growth (Maestroni, Read & Bishop, 2018). The Bayesian curl capitalises on this by ensuring the biceps are fully stretched before contracting, leading to enhanced muscle activation and growth potential.

3. Cross-Body Hammer Curls

What Are Cross-Body Hammer Curls?

Cross-body hammer curls are a variation of the traditional hammer curl but involve curling the weight across your body rather than straight up. This variation emphasises the brachialis and brachioradialis, muscles that contribute significantly to arm thickness.

How to Perform Cross-Body Hammer Curls

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing in).
2. Curl one dumbbell across your body towards the opposite shoulder.
3. Keep your elbow close to your torso and focus on contracting the brachialis.
4. Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position and repeat with the opposite arm.

Why Cross-Body Hammer Curls Work

The brachialis lies underneath the biceps and, when well-developed, pushes the biceps up, making your arms appear more massive. A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology highlighted the importance of the brachialis in overall arm strength and hypertrophy (Kilgallon, McKenna & Griffiths, 2007). Cross-body hammer curls target this muscle more effectively than traditional curls, leading to more balanced arm development.

4. Zottman Curl

What Is the Zottman Curl?

The Zottman curl is a hybrid exercise that combines the bicep curl and the reverse curl. This exercise targets the biceps during the concentric (curling) phase and the brachioradialis and forearms during the eccentric (lowering) phase.

How to Perform Zottman Curls

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with a supinated grip.
2. Curl the weights towards your shoulders, keeping your upper arms stationary.
3. Once the dumbbells reach shoulder height, rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing downward.
4. Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position with a pronated grip.
5. Rotate your wrists back to the starting position and repeat.

Why Zottman Curls Work

The Zottman curl is effective because it combines the benefits of a traditional curl with the forearm-strengthening aspects of a reverse curl. A study in the Journal of Biomechanics found that exercises involving both concentric and eccentric muscle actions can lead to greater strength gains and muscle hypertrophy (Hortobágyi et al., 1996). By focusing on both phases of the movement, the Zottman curl maximises the recruitment of muscle fibres in the biceps and forearms, leading to overall arm growth.

5. Drag Curl

What Is the Drag Curl?

The drag curl is an old-school exercise that shifts the emphasis from the biceps’ long head to the short head. This exercise involves “dragging” the barbell up along your torso, which minimises shoulder involvement and maximises bicep contraction.

How to Perform Drag Curls

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with a supinated grip.
2. Instead of curling the barbell in a traditional arc, keep your elbows pointed back and drag the barbell up along your torso.
3. Focus on squeezing the biceps at the top of the movement.
4. Lower the barbell back down while maintaining the same path along your torso.

Why Drag Curls Work

Drag curls place a unique stress on the short head of the biceps, which is often under-stimulated in traditional curling movements. The short head is crucial for achieving peak bicep contraction, and exercises that isolate this portion can lead to more balanced arm development. According to a study published in The Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, targeting different parts of a muscle through varied exercise selection can lead to more significant hypertrophy (Wakahara et al., 2013). The drag curl’s ability to isolate the short head makes it a valuable addition to any bicep routine.

Implementing These Exercises into Your Routine

Incorporating these exercises into your routine can be done in various ways. For beginners, it’s advisable to start with lighter weights and focus on form to avoid injury. More advanced lifters can integrate these movements into their existing bicep routines, alternating them with traditional exercises.

Here’s a sample bicep workout that includes these exercises:

• Spider Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Bayesian Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Cross-Body Hammer Curls: 3 sets of 8-10 reps (each arm)
• Zottman Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Drag Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps

It’s essential to progressively overload by increasing the weight or reps over time to continue seeing results. Additionally, ensure you’re getting adequate nutrition and recovery to support muscle growth.

Conclusion

Building massive biceps isn’t just about doing more curls—it’s about doing the right curls. The five exercises outlined in this article offer unique benefits that can help you break through plateaus and achieve new levels of bicep development. By incorporating spider curls, Bayesian curls, cross-body hammer curls, Zottman curls, and drag curls into your routine, you’ll target the biceps in ways that traditional exercises simply can’t match.

Bibliography

• Andersen, V., Fimland, M. S., Mo, D. A., Iversen, V. M., & Vederhus, T. (2014) ‘Exercise performed to volitional failure or not on resistance exercise performance’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28(12), pp. 3494-3503.
• Hortobágyi, T., Hill, J. P., Houmard, J. A., Fraser, D. D., Lambert, N. J., & Israel, R. G. (1996) ‘Adaptive responses to muscle lengthening and shortening in humans’, Journal of Biomechanics, 29(1), pp. 95-102.
• Kilgallon, M., McKenna, M. J., & Griffiths, L. A. (2007) ‘Brachialis muscle hypertrophy following high-resistance strength training’, Journal of Applied Physiology, 102(5), pp. 1776-1782.
• Maestroni, L., Read, P., & Bishop, C. (2018) ‘The influence of overload and underload stimulus during resistance training on muscle adaptation’, Sports Medicine, 48(7), pp. 1565-1576.
• Wakahara, T., Miyamoto, N., Sugisaki, N., Murata, K., Kanehisa, H., & Kawakami, Y. (2013) ‘Association between regional differences in muscle activation in one session of resistance exercise and in muscle hypertrophy after resistance training’, The Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 12(2), pp. 221-228.

Key Takeaways