9 Best Bicep Peak Exercises (Develop Massive Arms)

The drag curl is a variation that modifies the range of motion you'll exercise to increase the stretch to your biceps, resulting in more muscular growth.

How to perform: 

1. Set yourself up with two dumbbells as though completing a standard curl. Use a lofty kneeling stance on the floor to strengthen your form even more.
2. Curl your arms up at the same time. Raise your elbows behind your body aggressively as you lift.
3. Maintain your hands close to your torso, as if you were hauling the weight up.
4. At the apex of the lift, squeeze your biceps.
5. Drop the weight back down, maintaining your elbows behind your torso.
6. Repeat for reps.

3. Dumbbell Hammer Curl

The dumbbell hammer curl focuses the long head of the biceps because the lifter uses a neutral grip (palms facing the torso).

This positioning and holding the elbows back when performing a hammer curl can aid in developing larger peaks.

How to perform:

1. Start by holding a pair of dumbbells and standing upright with them by your sides.
2. You should use a neutral grip, with your hands towards your body.
3. Bend the arms slightly to increase biceps tension.
4. Gradually curl the dumbbells up constantly while keeping your torso stable and your elbows at your sides.
5. At the apex of the action, squeeze the biceps and then slowly drop the weight to return to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

The EZ bar curl is a very popular biceps workout and a favorite among my clients. It is usually done for moderate to high repetitions as part of an arm or upper body exercise.

This movement can also be performed using an E-Z connection attached to a low pulley. This version produces an excellent contraction at the peak of the action.

How to perform:

1. With an underhand grip, grab an EZ bar about shoulder width apart (palms facing up).
2. Stand tall, feet together (you may find it more comfortable to put one leg back for support), back straight, and arms fully stretched. The bar should not come into contact with your body.
3. Slowly curl the EZ bar up while keeping your gaze ahead, the elbows tucked down at your sides, and your body still.
4. Squeeze your biceps firmly at the top of the action, then gradually drop them down to the beginning position.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

5. Preacher Curl

The preacher curl is a variant of the biceps curl that I've found to be highly effective in isolating the biceps.

It is a bicep peak workout in which you perfect your lifting technique with a regulated movement aided by a preacher bench.

Preacher bicep curls are performed by sitting on a bench with the armpits over the armpad.

How to perform: 

1. Sit on the preacher bench and set the seat height so your chest and upper arms are in contact with the pad.
2. Lean forward and take an underhand hold on the EZ bar before you.
3. Tuck the chin in and keep your arms stretched with a neutral wrist.
4. Squeeze your biceps, bend your elbows, then curl until the EZ bar is at shoulder width.
5. Keep your upper arms in touch with the pad throughout the workout.
6. Gradually lower your arms to the starting position, reset, and repeat.

The concentration curl isolates your biceps more efficiently than other bicep peak workout variations.

Your posture causes you to move just at the elbow joint, enabling you to focus muscular contraction without the assistance of your shoulders or momentum.

Because you can truly focus on that contraction, the workout also targets the biceps peak.

I find the position of this exercise is excellent for assisting frazzled lifters in slowing down and emphasizing the form and technique of a curl.

"The main goal should be to generate that muscular contraction, but the position on the bench should be perfect to reap the benefits."

- Ebenezer Samuel, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist

How to perform: 

1. Sit on a flat bench with your back straight and a dumbbell in your hand.
2. Place your feet level on the ground and slightly spread your knees to make a "V" with your legs.
3. Hinge forward and place your elbow on the inside of your thigh.
4. To balance your body, place the free hand on the opposite knee.
5. Curl the dumbbell up to shoulder height.
6. At the peak, pause and tighten your biceps.
7. Resume the starting position.
8. Repeat for reps.

7. Chin-ups

The chin-up is a pull-up variant designed to strengthen the back muscles, notably the lats.

The chin-up varies from pull-ups because it allows for more bicep engagement during the pulling motion.

Vertical pull exercises, like the chin-up, are essential for developing a well-balanced and influential body.

How to perform:

1. Grab the bar with a supinated and shoulder-width hold.
2. Breathe deeply, clench your glutes, and brace your core.
3. By engaging the lats, depress the shoulder blades and push the elbows to the floor.
4. Lift your chin towards the bar until your lats are fully tensed, then slowly bring yourself back to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

The spider curl is an arm muscle isolation workout that targets your biceps.

Spider curls are performed by resting your body on a 45-degree incline bench, or a spider curl bench explicitly made for this sort of biceps workout.

Spider curls, like concentration curls, demand a slow, controlled motion from start to finish.

How to perform:

1. Set a flat bench at a 45-degree angle.
2. Put your chin on the bench and your legs on the floor. Your feet should be long and straight, with a slight knee bend. Your weight must be distributed evenly across your feet.
3. With your palms facing outward, grasp the dumbbells.
4. Turn the shoulders outward to activate your lats, and hang your arms with a slight bend in your elbows.
5. Throughout the action, keep your chin tucked. Activate your core. All reps should start from here.
6. Squeeze your biceps and bend the elbows until the lower arms touch your upper arms while maintaining the upper arms still. The dumbbells should come near the shoulders without touching them.
7. Squeeze your biceps and come to a halt at the peak of the exercise.
8. Return to the beginning posture by slowly straightening your elbows.
9. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Also Read: How to Do Spider Curls Effectively

The cable curl is among the most effective workouts for activating the biceps.

This move will require the use of a cable machine.

How to perform: 

1. Connect a straight bar to the pulley and place it on the bottom rung nearest the ground.
2. Take an underhand grip on the bar and stretch your arms, stepping back from the pulley. Maintain a shoulder-width distance between your feet and the bar between your thighs.
3. Engage your core and use your biceps muscles to lift the bar toward your shoulders, bending the arms at the elbow as you go. Throughout the action, keep the elbows tucked into the sides.
4. Stop at the top, then slowly and deliberately return the bar to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Biceps brachii has a short and long head. The short head starts at the front of the scapula and inserts at the top of your radius (the bone that extends near your thumb).

The long head also begins at the front of the scapula but follows a longer path to insert into the radius [3].

Concentrate on the long head to grow bigger arms and increase your biceps peak.

The long head is the most visible muscle in a back double biceps stance or while gazing at the biceps from the side.

4. The Biceps Long Head

The long head is a vital muscle head for both strength and appearance. It is the muscle located on the outside of your upper arm.

A well-developed, long-head bicep will always set you apart. Exercising the long head is vital while striving to increase biceps strength.

The long head may be felt and seen on the top and outside the region of the bicep. It gives your biceps the image of length and a prominent peak when you flex your arm.

Years of working on my arms have taught me that you should aim for 10-15 sets of biceps every week. If you're more proficient and your biceps aren't responding, aim for 15-20 sets weekly.

The number of sets within the aforementioned rep ranges may be split down as follows:

• 50% low reps, high load
• 25% of moderate repetitions with a medium load
• 25% high repetitions with a small load

3. Tempo

Tempo is defined as the rate at which you complete a rep. It may be divided into two phases: concentric (curling) and eccentric (uncurling).

Rep pace is not something that many people consider when developing their biceps. It does, however, influence how quickly you grow muscle.

The common consensus on rep tempo is that varying lift speed increases your chances of muscular growth.

You should practice with moderate tempos most of the time and rapid tempos on occasion.

"Generally, the longer time under strain, the better for development; therefore, a slow pace is helpful for muscle growth. But it's also a good idea to experiment with tempo to jolt the muscle in various ways."

- Kirsten Yovino, Certified Personal Trainer

You should practice with moderate tempos most of the time and rapid tempos on occasion.

The finest tempos to employ are:

• Rapid concentric, stop at the peak, and squeeze.
• Slow concentric and slow eccentric.

The eccentric phase (negative) should always be performed slowly. In the concentric phase, though, you can experiment with explosive sets. Remember that your bicep is a rapid twitch muscle that reacts well to intense bursts.

Over the years, I've learned that the rest duration is another component that influences muscle development.

According to research from PubMed, the rest period between sets is a critical component influencing acute and chronic responses to resistance training programs [4].

I'd like to categorize the rest break into three parts:

• Thirty seconds - short duration.
• 2 to 5 minutes - long duration.
• 60 seconds or more - moderate duration.

Long Rest Periods

An extended rest interval allows you to recover your breath and almost entirely regain your strength.

Maintaining stability at about the same level will enable you to lift a maximal weight, resulting in enormous muscular growth. Yet, there is a drawback to this.

The longer you rest your muscles, the more difficult it is to attain full exhaustion. Your muscles need fatigue (overload) to perform at their best.

You will become fatigued when doing muscle-building exercises. At this moment, you tend to save energy by resting. You give your muscles a brief rest by taking this rest for 30 seconds or less.

Yet, you may not allow yourself sufficient time to recover if you do this. I've found this to be an efficient way of depleting the muscle.

Because both rest durations mentioned above are shortfalls, it is critical to experiment with rest periods. The activity will always determine your rest duration and whether or not you are employing heavy loads.

In general terms:

• Lighter loads need shorter rest.
• Moderate workloads require moderate rest.
• Heavy loads demand more extended rest.

"If you aim to be in good shape by increasing your physical fitness or endurance, keeping rest times to a minimum is the preferable option."

- Ryan Rogers, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist

For most people who want to maintain their fitness and drop a few pounds, it is best to minimize rest by simply moving during exercises.

Read more: Best Shoulder and Bicep Workout