Bicep-Busting Techniques Every Lifter Should Use

Even if you’re an experienced lifter, there are many techniques you may not know about as you attempt to make bicep training more fun and rewarding. If simple variables such as sets, reps, weights, timing and hand position don’t help, we offer seven amazing techniques and their exercises to achieve more gains and bigger arms.

1. Technique: Time Under Tension

While it’s beneficial to use heavier weights, techniques are more important because they build great biceps form. To make sure you grow great biceps, use the concentric and eccentric strength equally and be sure to vary the speed of lift in order to maximise the strain.

Exercise: 5/2/5 Curls

Spend five seconds raising the arms to the final position, pause for two seconds, and then extend the negative to five seconds as you lower your arms to the start position.

2. Technique: Partial Rep Curls

Most people use this technique up to 21 reps. You need to start with seven reps, lifting a weight to the mid-rep point, then seven reps from the halfway point to the top point and end with seven full reps. But you can change the rep count to find what suits you best.

Exercise: Partial Rep Hammer Curls

Divide the rep count into three equal parts and into two ranges of motion. Then do an equal amount of reps for three different movements.

3. Technique: Back Against The Wall Curls

If you want to learn a biceps isolation technique, then steady your back against the wall when you do curls, because it isolates the biceps and keeps the core fully engaged throughout the movement. This technique also allows for minimal cheating opportunity.

Exercise: Back Against The Wall Dumbbell Alternating Biceps Curls

Lean your back against the wall, plant your feet in front of you and bend the knees slightly while keeping elbows close to the wall when doing curls.

4. Technique: Isometric Biceps Curls

Isometric training means holding weights in a position requiring the most muscle tension for a set period of time, a variation which can lead to increased power and size in any muscle group.

Exercise: Barbell Static Curls

Hold a dumbbell for 20-30 seconds, depending on weight, in the hardest to hold position. Then slowly release to trigger more growth.

5. Technique: Compound Set

A compound set consists of two different exercises that include the same muscle group and are completed back-to-back without rest. Remember these exercises should hit biceps from different angles.

Exercise: Incline Dumbbell Curl WITH High-Pulley Cable Curls

Complete a full set of incline dumbbell curls before moving straight into a high-pulley cable curl set—rest after the cable curls and repeat.

6. Technique: Negative Curls

Most people concentrate on lifting weights that develop concentric strength, but forget to focus on the negative movement which improves eccentric strength. When ignoring one side, fewer muscle fibers work in tandem and you see less improvement as a result.

Exercise: Preacher Curl Negatives

Do a low-rep set with more weight than you usually use and slowly lower the weight until the arms are in the fully-extended position. This is similar to that of Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty training method; two seconds on the concentric movement, ~5 seconds on the eccentric movement; or as long as you can possibly hold out for.

7. Technique: Drop Sets

Drop sets are amazing if you’re looking to make training more intense and exhausting. You can do drop sets at the end of training or, for the genuine badasses, for every set.

Exercise: Barbell Curl Drop Set

Do a set of barbell curls to failure, then decrease the weight by 20-30% and immediately blast through one more set of barbell curls in the same repetition range. Rinse and repeat until baby weight feels like pulling a bulldozer.