The 8 Greatest Lengthy Head Bicep Workouts for Bulging Peaks

Lengthy head biceps workout routines prepare the parts of your “bis” that give your higher arms their “peak.”

On this article, you’ll uncover precisely what the biceps lengthy head is, why coaching it can be crucial, how you can goal your lengthy head with weight coaching, one of the best lengthy head biceps workout routines to incorporate in your exercises, an instance exercise for the lengthy head of your biceps, and extra. 

What Is the Lengthy Head of the Biceps?

The biceps brachii, or “biceps,” is the muscle group positioned on the entrance of the higher arm between the shoulder and elbow.

It has two heads:

• The lengthy head: The biceps lengthy head is positioned in direction of the skin of the higher arm and provides the looks of a “peak” when flexed. It flexes the elbow (bends the elbow to deliver the hand to the shoulder), supinates the forearm (twists the forearm to face the palm upward), and assists shoulder flexion (elevating the arm from the aspect overhead).
• The brief head: The brief head of the biceps is on the within of the higher arm and contributes extra to biceps width and “thickness” than the lengthy head. Not like the lengthy head, it doesn’t “cross” the shoulder joint, so it doesn’t help motion on the shoulder. As an alternative, its main capabilities are elbow flexion and wrist supination. 

Right here’s how the biceps look in your physique:

Why Ought to You Prepare the Lengthy Head of the Biceps?

Coaching the lengthy head of the biceps is vital for just a few causes. 

First, the biceps lengthy head contributes most to your biceps peak. That’s, a well-developed biceps lengthy head might help to make your biceps rise greater out of your arm when flexed. 

Second, doing efficient biceps lengthy head workout routines strengthens your arms, which may increase your efficiency on key workout routines, such because the pull-up, chin-up, and barbell, dumbbell, and cable row. 

And third, a robust lengthy head helps the shoulder joint, which might help forestall harm.

Which Workouts Are for the Biceps Lengthy Head?

Whereas fully isolating the lengthy head of the biceps isn’t potential, sure workout routines goal the lengthy head greater than others.

The lengthy head “crosses” the shoulder joint, so workout routines beginning together with your arms behind your physique, just like the incline curl, cable curl, and drag curl, are usually the greatest lengthy head biceps workout routines.

Equally, analysis means that the lengthy head of the biceps is most lively throughout workout routines the place you supinate your wrists (flip your palms upward), such because the dumbbell curl, barbell curl, and chin-up.

Many bodybuilders additionally consider utilizing a slender grip for biceps workout routines emphasizes the lengthy head. Whereas science is but to help this principle, it’s a low-risk technique price making an attempt, supplied it doesn’t trigger elbow or wrist discomfort or forestall you from utilizing a full vary of movement.

The ultimate kind of train meriting point out is neutral-grip biceps workout routines. These workout routines don’t prepare your lengthy heads particularly however emphasize the biceps brachialis, a small muscle that helps to “push” your biceps peak greater. 

In different phrases, neutral-grip biceps workout routines aren’t lengthy head biceps workout routines per se, however they develop muscle tissue that enhance the looks of your biceps’ lengthy heads, so that they’re a very good addition to any lengthy head biceps exercise.

The Greatest Lengthy Head Biceps Workouts

These are one of the best bicep lengthy head workout routines for including dimension to your bis.

1. Chin-up

Why: The chin-up trains your total biceps to a excessive diploma. Furthermore, as a result of it’s a compound train, it means that you can elevate heavy weights safely and progress frequently, making it an excellent train for the biceps lengthy head.

How one can Do the Chin-up:

1. Seize a pull-up bar together with your fingers round shoulder-width aside and your palms going through you.
2. Elevate your toes so that you simply’re hanging together with your arms straight.
3. Pull your physique up till your chin is above the bar.
4. As soon as your chin has handed the bar, decrease your self beneath management to the beginning place.

2. Impartial-Grip Pull-up

Why: Equally to the chin-up, the impartial grip pull-up is a confirmed biceps builder. As a result of it includes a impartial grip, it additionally emphasizes the brachialis, which might help to “elevate” your biceps and create the next peak. 

How one can Do the Impartial-Grip Pull-up:

1. Seize a pull-up bar together with your fingers round shoulder-width aside and your palms going through one another.
2. Elevate your toes so that you simply’re hanging together with your arms straight.
3. Pull your physique up till your chin is above the bar.
4. As soon as your chin has handed the bar, decrease your self beneath management to the beginning place.

3. Incline Dumbbell Curl

Why: The incline dumbbell curl trains your biceps once they’re behind your torso, which emphasizes the lengthy head. It additionally locations excessive stress on the biceps all through your entire vary of movement, which is vital for creating balanced dimension and power.

How one can Do the Incline Dumbbell Curl: 

1. Whereas holding a dumbbell in every hand, sit again on an incline bench set to 45 levels and let your arms hold straight down together with your palms going through one another.
2. Bend your proper elbow to curl the burden towards your proper shoulder, rotating your wrist so your palm faces your shoulder on the high of the rep. 
3. Decrease the dumbbell to the beginning place, then repeat the sample together with your left hand to finish one full rep.

4. Alternating Dumbbell Curl

Why: Dumbbell curls are a staple in any biceps coaching routine for a easy purpose: They’re one of many very best workout routines for coaching your entire biceps by way of a full vary of movement. Additionally they can help you absolutely supinate your wrists, which can maximize biceps lengthy head involvement.

How one can Do the Alternating Dumbbell Curl: 

1. Stand together with your toes shoulder-width aside, holding a dumbbell in every hand at your sides and your palms going through your thighs.
2. Bend your proper elbow to curve your proper hand towards your proper shoulder, rotating your wrist so your palm faces your shoulder on the high of the rep. 
3. Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place, then repeat the sample together with your left hand to finish one full rep.

5. Hammer Curl

Why: The hammer curl emphasizes the brachialis, a small muscle that may assist to push up the biceps brachii, making your higher arms look larger and bettering the looks of your biceps lengthy heads.

How one can Do the Hammer Curl: 

1. Stand together with your toes shoulder-width aside, holding a dumbbell in every hand at your sides and your palms going through your thighs.
2. With out twisting your wrist, bend your proper elbow to curve your proper hand towards your proper shoulder.
3. Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place, then repeat the sample together with your left hand to finish one full rep.

6. Barbell Curl

Why: The barbell curl is the simplest barbell lengthy head bicep train as a result of it means that you can use maximally heavy weights, which is useful for gaining power and muscle. It additionally means that you can experiment with a barely narrower grip, which can enhance biceps lengthy head involvement.

How one can Do the Barbell Curl:

1. Whereas standing up straight, maintain a barbell together with your palms shoulder-width aside and going through away from you. Your arms needs to be straight, and the bar needs to be resting in opposition to your thighs. 
2. Deliver the bar as much as shoulder peak by bending on the elbow.
3. Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.

7. Drag Curl

Why: By “dragging” the barbell up your torso, you progress your higher arms behind your physique, maximizing how a lot the biceps lengthy head contributes to the train. Equally to the barbell curl, taking a barely narrower grip than normal could enhance how a lot your biceps’ lengthy heads contribute. 

How one can Do the Drag Curl:

1. Whereas standing up straight, maintain a barbell together with your palms shoulder-width aside and going through away from you. Your arms needs to be straight, and the bar needs to be resting in opposition to your thighs. 
2. Drag the bar up your physique by bending your elbows and permitting them to maneuver backward till it’s barely under nipple peak.
3. Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.

8. Bayesian Cable Curl

Why: The advantages of the Bayesian curl are that it trains your biceps lengthy head in a stretched place and retains fixed stress in your biceps, each of which profit progress.

How one can Do the Bayesian Cable Curl:

1. Set the pulley on a cable machine to the bottom setting and connect a single deal with attachment. 
2. Seize the deal with together with your proper hand, flip away from the pulley, and take 1-to-2 steps ahead so the cable pulls your arm barely behind your physique and is taut. 
3. Stagger your stance, then bend your elbow to curve the deal with to your proper shoulder. As you curl the burden, lean barely ahead.
4. Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place. When you’ve accomplished the specified variety of reps, repeat the method together with your left arm.

The Greatest Exercise for the Lengthy Head Biceps

The next exercise for the lengthy head of the biceps accommodates all of the greatest lengthy head biceps workout routines and the proper quantity of quantity and depth to spur progress. 

Do it as soon as weekly for 8-to-10 weeks, and it’s best to see a big enchancment in your biceps lengthy head dimension and power:

• Chin-up: 3 units of 4-to-6 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation
• Incline Dumbbell Curl: 3 units of 6-to-8 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation
• Barbell Curl: 3 units of 6-to-8 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation
• Hammer Curl: 3 units of 6-to-8 reps with 2-to-3 min relaxation

Lengthy Head Biceps Exercise Ideas

1. Finish each set 1-to-3 reps shy of muscle failure.

As I clarify in my health books for males and girls, to maximise your outcomes, you need to take most units of lengthy head biceps workout routines to inside a rep or two of failure.

Ask your self on the finish of every set, “If I needed to, what number of extra reps may I’ve gotten with good kind?” If the reply is greater than two, enhance the burden or reps to make your subsequent set tougher.

2. When you hit the highest of your rep vary for a set, transfer up in weight. 

In case your lengthy head biceps exercise requires 6-to-8 reps of the barbell curl and also you get 8 reps for a set, add 10 kilos to your subsequent set.

In case you handle 3 or fewer reps with the brand new weight, cut back the burden by 5 kilos to make sure you keep within the 6-to-8 rep vary. 

Observe this sample of making an attempt so as to add reps or weight to each train in each exercise.

3. Management the eccentric.

Analysis reveals that controlling the eccentric (decreasing) portion of a biceps curl is a extremely efficient approach to increase muscle progress.

As a basic rule, it’s best to take the identical time to elevate the burden as you do to decrease it to the beginning place—round one or two seconds for every is an efficient goal.

4. “Squeeze” your biceps on each rep.

Analysis reveals that utilizing “inside cues” (psychological mantras that draw your consideration towards what you’re doing together with your physique) whereas performing lengthy head biceps workout routines could increase biceps progress.

As an example, in a examine carried out by scientists at Lehman Faculty, members elevated biceps activation when the researchers reminded them to “squeeze the muscle” throughout units of biceps curls. 

What’s extra, members who used this cue skilled twice as a lot biceps progress over the 8-week examine as members who used a cue like “get the burden up.”

5. Take the correct dietary supplements.

These dietary supplements might help you get extra out of bicep lengthy head workout routines:

• Protein powder: Protein powder gives your physique with the vitamins wanted to construct muscle tissue and get well from exercises. If you’d like a clear and scrumptious protein powder, attempt Whey+or Casein+.
• Creatine: Creatine boosts muscle and power acquire, improves anaerobic endurance, and reduces muscle harm and soreness out of your exercises. For a pure supply of creatine that additionally consists of two different substances to boost muscle progress and enhance restoration, attempt Recharge.
• Pre-workout: A high-quality pre-workout enhances vitality, temper, and focus, will increase power and endurance, and reduces fatigue. For a top-tier pre-workout containing clinically efficient doses of 6 science-backed substances, attempt Pulse with caffeine or with out.

(In case you’d like much more particular recommendation about which dietary supplements it’s best to take to achieve your well being and health targets, take the Legion Complement Finder Quiz, and in lower than a minute, you’ll know precisely what dietary supplements are best for you. Click on right here to test it out.)

Frequent Lengthy Head Bicep Workouts Errors

1. Lifting an excessive amount of weight.

Making an attempt to elevate weights which are too heavy could cause your kind to interrupt down, decreasing the effectiveness of the train and growing the danger of harm.

Keep away from this by selecting a weight that means that you can full every rep with correct kind and deal with performing “clear” reps slightly than how a lot weight you elevate.

2. Permitting the burden to fall again to the beginning place.

Not controlling the burden through the eccentric part enormously reduces the train’s effectiveness. As an alternative of letting the burden “drop,” take the identical time to elevate the burden as you do to decrease it—a couple of second for every part works nicely. 

3. Utilizing momentum.

Counting on momentum to “hump” the burden up reduces the work your biceps do and, thus, how a lot muscle you acquire. To forestall your self from utilizing momentum, maintain your torso and hips nonetheless throughout every rep.

Biceps Lengthy Head Workouts: FAQs

FAQ #1: Do biceps curls work the lengthy head?

Sure, common biceps curls work the lengthy head of the biceps as a result of they prepare elbow flexion, which is among the biceps lengthy head’s main capabilities. You can also make the biceps curl an much more efficient lengthy head biceps train by performing it on an incline bench together with your arms behind your physique.

FAQ #2: What train works the lengthy head of the biceps?

All biceps workout routines prepare the biceps lengthy head. Nonetheless, to emphasise the lengthy head, do workout routines that begin together with your arms behind your physique and maintain your palms going through up. It might additionally assist to take a narrower grip than normal whereas performing barbell biceps lengthy head workout routines. 

Some examples of efficient workout routines for the biceps lengthy head are the incline dumbbell curl, drag curl, and Bayesian cable curl. 

FAQ #3: Are you able to isolate the biceps lengthy head?

Whilst you can’t fully isolate the lengthy head, workout routines that begin together with your arms behind your physique and maintain your palms going through up emphasize the biceps lengthy head greater than the brief head. 

FAQ #4: How do you hit all three bicep heads?

The biceps solely have two heads (lengthy and brief), although the brachialis is one other upper-arm muscle that contributes to your biceps’ total dimension. To coach all these areas of the biceps, carry out quite a lot of pulling and curling workout routines that contain completely different grip orientations and higher are positions.

FAQ #5: What’s one of the best lengthy head bicep train?

There’s no such factor because the “greatest” lengthy head bicep train, although workout routines that place your arms behind your physique and maintain your palms going through up are usually greatest for creating your biceps lengthy heads.