Do you ever get tired of the same old biceps exercises? Maybe you’re not getting the results you want. If that’s the case, It’s Time You Tried These Biceps Exercises! There’s nothing like some new exercises to keep things interesting, right? Check ‘em out!
EZ-Bar Drag Curls
Drag curls were made popular back in the 60s by legendary bodybuilding coach Vince Gironda. With this exercise, you’re pulling your elbows back and literally dragging the bar up your body (the bar should be just shy of lightly touching your torso). It’s a great isolation exercise, and here's a great way to add them to your routine. Perform a normal set of EZ curls to failure, then immediately switch to drag curls for as many reps as possible. Take it even further by using the rest-pause technique to get even more reps.
Incline Dumbbell Curls, Rich-Style!
Most lifters begin this exercise with their arms hanging straight down. But Rich had a trick that magnified its effectiveness. Instead of allowing your arms to hang straight down, try pulling your arms behind you, then start the curl. This was one of Rich’s favorite exercises. Keep the weight moderate as you give these a try.
Seated EZ Curls
This biceps exercise is a partial movement. Since you’re sitting on the end of a bench when doing this, you’re mainly working the mid-range of the movement. Increase the difficulty by never allowing the bar to rest on or touch your legs.
Reverse-Grip Close Pulldown Curls
Here’s an exercise that mimics close-grip chins with an underhand grip, which is a great biceps exercise. Here, you’re grabbing a straight lat bar with the same underhand, or palms facing you, grip you’d use for close-grip chins. Your hands should be as close as possible. Don’t start the pull in your lats, start in your biceps. Keep your back straight and pull straight down.
21s
Here’s an old-school biceps blaster that takes intensity to a whole new level. 21s are less of an exercise and more of an extended-set technique. You can use them with any exercise. Arnold used these and might be the name most often associated with the technique. Using an EZ-bar curl (or dumbbell curls if you prefer), perform 7 half reps from the start position halfway up. Then, perform 7 half reps from the mid-level position to the top. Finally, perform 7 full reps. It’s important to not take steps to make this exercise easier. For example, use about 90% of your usual curling weight, and don’t rest in between. Also, perform these and all your reps slow and controlled with zero momentum, squeezing your biceps hard at the top of the exercise.
Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Rows
Here’s a rare exercise you might never see used, yet it’s great for the biceps. This is similar to a normal bent row, except you’re only leaning over at a 30-degree angle. You’re using an underhand grip, which puts much more tension on the biceps. You also want a close grip. To do this exercise, do not curl the bar, instead pull it into your midsection, squeeze your biceps, and lower slowly back to the start position.
Recap
You can use any of these exercises instead of the same old biceps movements. Feel free to rotate them, or create an entire routine using only these exercises. Of course, don’t forget your 5% Nutrition pre-workout, and All Day You May as an intra-workout. Don’t forget your Real Carbs and Shake Time post-workout! While you’re at it, optimize your results with our natural muscle builders. In the meantime, let’s blast those biceps!
