Biceps exercises to build your muscles

If you're just as focused on your appearance as building strength and mass—and there's nothing wrong with that—there's no better place to start than your biceps. The muscles are composed of a long and short head, which team up to handle movements like flexing, and curling, that make your arms pop.

The biceps take up a ton of prime real estate on the front of your arm, and they're probably the easiest part of your body to show off no matter the situation, or who you're trying to impress. Whether you rock a dress shirt or a tank top, a strong set of guns are sure to make waves.

To help you hone those arms, we created this list of 20 go-to moves to work your biceps. Some of these are classics; some are new. Some are a grind; some are fun. Some hit the long head of the muscle; some focus on the short head.

Pick the ones you like (and maybe some that you don’t), and use them to pump up your arms—and fill out your sleeves.

1. STANDING BARBELL CURL

This is as basic as it gets. You've probably heard serious lifters carrying on about oblivious meatheads taking up space in squat racks to do bicep curls, so be mindful when and where you load up a barbell — but that shouldn't be an excuse to skip out on the move entirely. Barbells allow you to work both arms simultaneously and evenly, and the position of your grip can allow you to home in on different parts of the muscle.

How to do it: Grab the barbell with an underhand grip, with your your hands positioned about as wide as your hips. To emphasize the inner portion of the bicep, take a wider grip; to target the outer part of the muscle, bring your hands closer together. Start holding the bar at hip height, then squeeze your core and contract your biceps to curl the bar up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position, controlling the weight through the eccentric movement. Make sure to keep your feet solidly planted throughout the exercise, and don't use your hips to lift the weight.

2. CONCENTRATION CURL

The concentration curl is a biceps isolating standard that you've undoubtedly seen performed in just about any gym. You can rip through reps for volume, or take a cue from the name and focus on the eccentric portion of the move for even better results.

How to do it: You'll need a dumbbell and a bench to start. Sit on the bench, spreading your legs. Rest your arm holding the dumbbell on the same side leg, just below the knee, so that the weight hangs down between your legs. Keep your torso upright by stabilizing your off-hand on your thigh. Curl the weight up, focusing on squeezing the bicep, pause at the top, then lower back into the original position.

3. STANDING RESISTANCE BAND HAMMER CURL

Leave the weights on the rack and give resistance bands a shot to really reap some bicep gains. The bands allow you to work through the full range of the motion by offering resistance (get it?) through the eccentric (lowering) part of the exercise, along with the concentric (curl) lift. The hammer grip, meanwhile, shifts the focus of the work to the brachialis, a lower muscle that can really make your arms look thick.

How to do it: Step on the center of a resistance band, gripping one end of the implement in each hand. Hold the band with your palms parallel to each other. Curl your hands toward your shoulders, maintaining the position of your palms. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement before lowering your hands back down to your sides, maintaining constant tension on the band. Keep your elbows stable and in position at your sides throughout the movement.

4. STANDING DUMBBELL CURL

In a biceps-focused list like this, you can’t leave out the classic dumbbell curl. So we didn’t.

But we would ask that you use a weight that makes sense: If you’re swaying back wildly and contorting your body—especially excessively arching your lower back—to lift the load, you should probably get a lighter pair of dumbbells.

How to do it: Grab a pair of dumbbells and let them hang at arm’s length next to your sides. Turn your arms so your palms face forward. Without moving your upper arms, bend your elbows and curl the dumbbells as close to your shoulders as you can. Pause, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Each time you return to the starting position, completely straighten your arms.

5. SPIDER CURL

This biceps move uses smart positioning to blow up your arms. According to Men's Health Fitness Director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., the exercise is so effective because you'll eliminate most of the cheating that happens with other, standing curls, which allow you to use body English to lift up the weights. Samuel recommends that you pick a weight in the lighter end of what you might typically work with, so you can handle the full challenge.

How to do it: Grab a dumbbell and sit facing forward on an incline bench. Moving only at the elbow, squeeze you bicep to curl the dumbbell way up with clean form. Make sure to keep your shoulder out of the equation by keeping your back live and engaged.