The Most Effective Exercises for Arm Muscles
Laura Schneider
2026-03-18
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In this article, you will find the most effective exercises for the arm muscles, which allow for comprehensive strengthening of both the long and short heads of the biceps. Additionally, these exercises engage the forearm muscles that lie beneath the biceps. Although they are smaller muscles, their development contributes to an increase in arm circumference.
Elbow exercises for biceps using dumbbells
The exercise of bending the forearms with dumbbells in a lying position on the back on a sloping bench using a hammer grip is a typical way to maximize the engagement of the short head of the biceps. Lying on a positive bench allows for an increase in the degree of stretching of the biceps, while the hammer grip increases the load on the arm muscles. However, this grip also forces considerable tension in the double-headed arm muscle, which prevents it from reaching its maximum stretch. In this exercise, the dumbbells are usually held with an underhand grip, but sometimes it is worth making a modification.
Exercise for the biceps – bending the lower arms with the pole standing
Bending the lower arms with the pole standing – in this exercise, both heads of the biceps are involved, but at the end of the concentric phase, the long head works more. It's worth doing it with a broken pole. Many people think that this pole is more comfortable than usual. It removes some of the load from the wrists and transfers it to the knee flexor muscles.
Exercises for the biceps brachii muscles – bending the forearms with the bar in standing position with wide grip
Bending the forearms with the bar in standing position, using a wide grip – wider than usual grip, forces the execution of the external rotation of the arm without changing the position of the humerus bone. This favors greater involvement of the biceps brachii muscle in the exercise. It is of utmost importance (not only in this exercise) not to lean back. Although it helps to perform a larger number of repetitions, such a deception does not affect the size of the biceps in any way.
Two-headed arm muscle training – Zottman forearm pull with dumbbells standing
We commence the exercise by holding the dumbbells with the underhand grip, before extending the forearms, we perform a rotation of the wrist and return, holding the dumbbells with the overhand grip. Besides the two-headed arm muscles, all muscles that flex the elbow will be involved, of course, the biceps muscles as well. Rotation is executed during the pull of the forearm. Certain elbow flexor muscles will then function as supinators, and at the end, there will be an additional supination of the wrist.
Exercise for the biceps muscles – bending the forearm using the ribs standing
Bending the forearm using the ribs standing works both heads as when training with a barbell, but at the end of the concentric phase, the long head is more engaged. Training with the ribs is more challenging, as there is also wrist supination and the ribs have three planes of motion and can be moved independently. Of course, one can perform the exercise without supination.
Performing exercises on the biceps muscles using the upper pulls to bend the forearms
Bending the forearms using the upper pulls is an exercise that optimally engages the biceps muscles due to the high lifting of the arms. In this position, the shoulder joints are maximally involved. The higher the elbows are raised, the greater the range of motion in the shoulder joint. It is also possible to perform this exercise one-handed. In this case, the free hand is at the top of the head.
Working the biceps muscles - bending the forearms in the descent of the chest
During the bending of the forearms in the descent of the chest, the long head of the biceps muscle performs the greatest exertion. The hand should be in front of the chest. The exercise also activates the shoulder joint and has a positive impact on increasing the volume of the biceps muscles. This exercise can also be performed by holding dumbbells with a hammer grip.
Biceps exercises – pull on the rod with the lower grip
Pulling on the rod with the lower grip activates both heads of the biceps and also the lower inner sections of the broadest back muscles. With the appropriate technique, this is a highly effective exercise. The upward motion should conclude when we touch the submental line of the palm, and the downward motion until the eyes are more or less at the level of the elbows. Let us remember that the pull should be smooth, without jerking and without body swaying.
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