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The Best Biceps Exercises, Ranked

Seven curls that cover what the biceps need, in the order worth trying them, plus every other biceps exercise in the GymEvo library.

7 ranked picks23 exercises

By Jobri Fitness

The short answer

Most lifters do well with two biceps exercises: one curl you can load steadily, like the dumbbell or cable curl, and one that starts with your arm behind your body, like the incline or Bayesian curl. Pull ups and rows work your biceps on back day too.

The 7 best biceps exercises

  1. Biceps Curl

    Dumbbell

    The default biceps exercise. Easy to set up, easy to load in small steps, and easy to track from week to week.

    How to do it: Biceps Curl

    Also with: Machine, Cable, EZ bar, Barbell, Kettlebell

  2. Hammer Curl

    Dumbbell

    Your palms face each other, which brings the brachialis and the forearm muscles in alongside the biceps.

    How to do it: Hammer Curl

    Also with: Cable, Kettlebell

  3. Incline Curl

    Dumbbell

    Lying back on an incline bench lets your arms hang behind your body, so every rep starts with the biceps stretched.

    How to do it: Incline Curl

    Dumbbell only

  4. Bayesian Curl

    Cable

    You face away from the cable with your arm behind you: a stretched start, and the cable keeps tension on through the whole rep.

    How to do it: Bayesian Curl

    Cable only

  5. Preacher Curl

    EZ bar

    The pad locks your upper arm in place, so swinging the weight up stops working.

    How to do it: Preacher Curl

    Also with: Machine, Cable, Dumbbell

  6. Spider Curl

    Dumbbell

    Chest down on an incline bench with your arms hanging straight: hardest at the top, the opposite of the incline curl.

    How to do it: Spider Curl

    Also with: EZ bar

  7. Concentration Curl

    Dumbbell

    One arm at a time with your elbow braced against your thigh. Useful for evening out a weaker side.

    How to do it: Concentration Curl

    Also with: Cable

How these are ranked

The order favors curls that are easy to set up, easy to load in small steps and easy to progress, so the dumbbell curl comes first. After that, each pick adds something the ones above don't: a neutral grip, a stretched start, constant cable tension, or a fixed upper arm. If a lower pick suits your elbows or your gym better, use it.

How much biceps work you need

The number of hard sets you do each week matters more than which exercise you pick. How many sets per week to build muscle covers the numbers, and how to get bigger arms puts them into a plan. The training volume calculator counts your weekly sets per muscle, and the workout plan generator builds a week around them.

All 23 biceps exercises

  • Assisted Chin Up
  • Band Curl
  • Band-Assisted Chin Up
  • Bayesian Curl
  • Biceps Curl
  • Chin Up
  • Concentration Curl
  • Cross Body Hammer Curl
  • Drag Curl
  • Hammer Curl
  • Incline Curl
  • Incline Hammer Curl
  • Lying Biceps Curl
  • One Arm Biceps Curl
  • Overhead Curl
  • Preacher Curl
  • Reverse Biceps Curl
  • Reverse Lat Pulldown
  • Seated Biceps Curl
  • Seated Overhead Curl
  • Spider Curl
  • Weighted Chin Up
  • Zottman Curl

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