You might think the only way to give your biceps a good workout is to hit the gym. Not true!
You can build strong biceps while also enjoying the comfort and privacy of your own home. Here are ten exercises to help you get started.
The ultimate home workout for biceps:
1. Diamond Push-Ups
Traditional push-ups target your chest, shoulders, triceps, and abs. But making a few tweaks to your push-up form will let you target your biceps. Diamond push-ups get their name from the shape your hands take during the exercise and force your arms closer together to help you train your biceps.
How to Do a Diamond Push-Up
- Start in standard push-up position. Your back should be flat and parallel to the floor.
- Place your hands together and keep your arms straight.
- Rotate your hands inward about 45 degrees and extend your thumbs—the open space between your thumbs and pointer fingers should look like a diamond.
- Engage your core.
- Slowly lower yourself until your chest almost touches the ground.
- Hold the position for two seconds before pushing yourself back up.
- Repeat steps 4 to 6 for each rep.
2. Reverse Hand Push-Ups
Reverse hand push-ups put even more emphasis on your biceps than diamond push-ups, so get ready!
How to Do a Reverse Hand Push-Up
- Start in standard push-up position.
- Slowly rotate your arms outward until your fingers are pointed toward your toes.
- Move your hands a few inches toward your feet into a comfortable position, but keep your arms straight.
- Engage your core.
- Slowly lower yourself toward the ground. Your wrists and forearms might not be flexible enough yet, so don't force yourself to go lower than what feels comfortable.
- Hold the position for two seconds, then push yourself up.
- Repeat steps 4 to 6 for each rep.
3. One Arm Push-Ups
One arm push-ups force your biceps to compensate for missing support.
How to Do a One Arm Push-Up
- Start in standard push-up position.
- Take one arm and place it behind your back.
- Engage your core.
- Slowly lower yourself until your chest almost touches the ground. Be sure to keep your back straight and your body parallel to the ground.
- Hold the position for two seconds, then push yourself up.
- Repeat steps 3 to 5 for each rep.
- Switch arms when you complete one set for one arm.
4. Side Plank
Like push-ups, the plank is another exercise with variations that challenge your biceps.
How to Do a Side Plank
- Start in standard push-up position.
- Slowly turn your body to one side, raising one arm until it points straight upwards.
- Keep both arms straight, aligned, and nearly perpendicular to the ground. Stay in this position for 30 seconds.
- Lower yourself to traditional plank position, then repeat the exercise on your other side.
5. Plank Up-Down
The plank up-down trains your biceps and also provides quite a decent cardio workout if you do it quickly.
How to Do a Plank Up-Down
- Begin in lowered plank position—your weight should be on your forearms.
- Straighten one arm, so your palm is flat on the floor.
- Straighten the other arm. Now both palms should be flat on the floor and you should be in normal push-up position.
- Lower one arm, so your forearm is on the floor.
- Lower the other arm, so both forearms are on the floor. You should be back in lowered plank position.
- Repeat steps 2 to 5 to cycle through lowered plank position and normal push-up position.
6. Pull-Ups
If you have a pull-up bar, resistance bands, or even a towel to hang around a door, you can use pull-ups to build powerful forearms, back muscles, and biceps. We recommend also reading 7 Reasons to do Pullups Every Day.
How to Do a Pull-Up
- Grab your pull-up bar. Grip it with your hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing forward.
- Hang on the bar with your core engaged.
- Pull yourself up by pulling your elbows down and moving your upper back muscles closer together.
- Pull until your chin passes the bar.
- Hold for two seconds before slowly lowering yourself until your arms are straight.
- Repeat steps 2 to 5 for each rep.
7. Chin-Ups
Chin-ups are a variation of pull-ups that work more on your biceps than they do on your forearms.
How to Do a Chin-Up
- Grab your pull-up bar. Grip it with your hands slightly closer than shoulder-width apart and palms facing backward.
- Hang on the bar with your core engaged.
- Pull yourself up by pulling your elbows down and tightening your biceps.
- Pull until your chin passes the bar.
- Hold for two seconds before slowly lowering yourself until your arms are straight.
- Repeat steps 2 to 5 for each rep.
8. Curls
Curls are the classic bicep building exercise. You can use dumbbells or a home alternative like a gallon of water, a small toolbox, or even a brick.
How to Do a Curl
- Stand up straight with your head facing forward.
- Hold your dumbbells or improvised weighted objects in your hands with your arms hanging straight down and palms facing forward.
- Engage your core.
- Curl your arms upward. Bring your right hand to your right shoulder and your left hand to your left shoulder. Keep your back straight and do not engage your hips.
- Extend your arms downward again.
- Repeat steps 2 to 5 for each rep.
9. The Breakdancer
Ready for a challenge? The breakdancer is a neat exercise that will target your biceps and shred your abs.
How to Do a Breakdancer
- Sit on the floor with your legs out in front of you and your arms straight by your side, palms on the ground.
- Press down with your palms to lift your body off the floor as high as you can.
- Swing your legs around to one side. Lift your palm on that side to let your legs pass—they should now be behind you.
- Swing your legs around the other side, lifting your palm on that side to let them pass. Now your legs should be back in front of you.
- Repeat steps 2 to 5 as fast as you can. Your legs should move in a circular motion while your arms hold your body up.
10. Wall Handstand
The handstand is another challenging move that helps you build your biceps.
How to Do a Wall Handstand
- Stand a few feet away from a wall.
- Bend at the waist and plant your arms shoulder-width apart on the ground.
- Plant your feet on the wall.
- Walk up the wall—keep your arms and back straight as you use your hands to push yourself against the floor and your legs to walk up on the wall.
- Move until your arms are straight above your head with your hands pushing against the floor and your toes touching the wall.
- Challenge yourself to see how long you can hold this position.
Complete Home Full Body Dumbbell Workout Kit
Remember, if you ever have questions about your workout, your G&G Fitness Equipment Consultant is here to help! We are always available to help you make the most out of your fitness equipment. Have a question about fitness? Stop in to your local G&G Showroom or give us a call.
Conclusion
You don’t have to go to the gym to stay fit. These ten killer exercises will help you build strong biceps and keep you in shape. But if you want to take your home workouts to the next level, take a look at the TRX Home Suspension Trainer Kit. The TRX Home system allows you to perform a variety of body-weight workouts that target muscles throughout your entire body.
7 comments
I’ve been lifting more during quarantine and this article was extremely helpful! Thank you!