Muscle group

Biceps: how to train them with your gym equipment

Your biceps work every time you bend your arms to bring something toward you, like a bar or a dumbbell. You can train them with chin-ups, barbell curls, dumbbell curls, machines or cable work. This page groups these options so you can pick what fits your level and the equipment in your gym.

8 machines · 16 exercises

Front

Back

Coach tips

Start with a more compound move like chin-up, assisted chin-up or underhand lat pulldown to load the biceps heavier, then follow with more isolated curls.
Combine a two-arm exercise (like barbell curl or machine biceps curl) with a single-arm move (such as concentration curl or single-arm machine biceps curl) to make sure each side works well.
Use different grips: supinated with dumbbell curl or cable biceps curl, neutral with dumbbell hammer curl or rope hammer curl, and pronated with barbell reverse curl to change how the tension feels.
Keep strict control: lift in about 1–2 seconds and lower in 2–3 seconds without swinging or dropping the weight, especially on preacher curls and incline dumbbell curls.

Machines

Exercises

These also work this muscle

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Common questions

What are good beginner exercises for biceps?

If you’re starting out, machine biceps curl or cable biceps curl are good options because the movement is guided and more stable. Then you can add dumbbell curl or barbell curl once you’re comfortable controlling your back and shoulders.

How do I choose between barbell and dumbbells for biceps?

Barbell curl usually lets you go heavier and work both arms together. Dumbbells, like dumbbell curl or concentration curl, let each arm move on its own path and can help if one side feels weaker or less comfortable.

What’s the point of using a preacher setup for biceps?

Preacher setups on a bench or machine (barbell preacher curl, dumbbell preacher curl, preacher curl machine) lock your arm in place. That cuts down on momentum from your back and shoulders and puts more load on the biceps, especially at the bottom of the rep.

How can I use chin-ups to train my biceps?

Chin-ups and assisted chin-ups with a supinated grip work your biceps hard along with your upper back. You can put them at the start of your workout, then finish with curls like barbell curl, dumbbell curl or cable biceps curl to target the biceps even more.