If the gym had a most popular exercises list, dumbbell and barbell curls would be at the top.
What’s not to like?
It’s an exercise that pumps ups your arms, activates your veins, showcases an awesome muscle contraction, and you get to watch the whole vain display in the mirror.
No shame, gym bros, and sisters. I’m guilty, too.
But are bicep curls the best way to build big arms?
TRICEPS TRUMP BICEPS
In reality, we always think about big biceps when we think about big arms.
But that’s not the case.
Need a quick recap?
The biceps and triceps are muscles that make up your upper arm, the bicep being on the front side of the arm and the tricep on the back. The biceps muscle group has two heads and the triceps have three.
But the tricep muscles make up 2/3 of your arms!
You’ll see most bodybuilders and lifters putting more attention on building their biceps (I mean, that’s what’s front and center, right?) However, muscle imbalances can occur if you train your smaller biceps more than your triceps, leading to injury and further issues with your arms and shoulder.
To avoid injury, your training ratio should be 1:1, and if you’re going to do more than that, put a little bit more emphasis on your triceps.
So if you want bigger, stronger, healthier arms, triceps trump biceps.
But the biceps are still important, and so are your beloved bicep curls!
IN DEFENSE OF BICEP CURLS
ACE researchers wanted to find out which bicep exercises lead to the most growth. So they compiled a list of the top exercises, found a group of participants, and got to testing.
Here’s the order they found for the best bicep exercises:
Concentration Curls
Cable Curls
Chin-ups
Barbell Curls
EZ Curls (wide grip)
EZ Curls (narrow grip)
Incline Curl
Preacher Curl
So the good ol’ classic concentration curl proved to be the best bicep exercise!
John Porcari, Ph.D., explains the findings…
“When you look at it, the concentration curl was significantly better than anything else. And I think the reason is that you’re really isolating the biceps muscle more so than in any of the other exercises. Some of the other exercises called into play the anterior deltoid or the front of your shoulder more, and for a lot of those, it’s almost natural to just swing your whole arm or shoulder forward to stabilize before you lift.”
Scott Young, Sheperd of the study, gives good reasons for you to plant yourself in front of a mirror and admire yourself while doing biceps curls:
“Motivation-wise, it always helps when you can see results…when you look down and can see the muscle working it helps with your focus. Whether it’s subconscious encouragement or whatever, I think that helps.”
See? No shame, right?
THE KEY TO BIGGER ARMS
So bicep curls might not be the best way to build bigger arms, but they are the best way to build bigger biceps.
The key to building bigger arms is a combination of progressive overload training and proper nutrition.
If you’re lifting more volume each week, then your arms will grow!
Here’s how to do it right:
Focus on strict form. Quality over quantity my friends. I know, I know—that double-edged mirror is still in front of you, but focus on growth instead of vanity curls.
Do low-rep, heavyweight lifts. Don’t go so heavy that you have to sacrifice form, though. I find with barbell curls and dumbbell curls that the 6-8 rep range works well. For cable curls, the 8-10 rep range is more appropriate.
Measure progress. Progress can be more weight, more reps, more sets, shorter recovery time, improved form, etc.
Patience. Bigger arms take time. Especially if you’re not blessed with bodybuilding genes (you’re not alone). But put in the work and be patient. The bigger arms will come.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS THIS MUSCLE MYTH BUSTED? LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
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