The 10 Best Bodyweight Exercises for Biceps

Bodyweight exercises offer an effective way to strengthen and tone your biceps without needing any equipment. In this article, you'll find the ten best bodyweight exercises for targeting your biceps, along with the benefits of bodyweight training. By incorporating these exercises into your routine, you can expect improved endurance and upper body control. Ready to take your bicep training to the next level? Let’s get started!

Advantages of Bodyweight Exercises

1. Improving Heart Function and Physical Endurance: Regular exercise strengthens the heart, making it more efficient at pumping blood and improving endurance. This allows you to perform activities longer without tiring, boosting overall cardiovascular health and stamina.

2. Promoting Muscle Growth and Improving Strength: Any type of strength training exercises will help muscles grow and improve in overall strength. Much like weights, utilizing the TRX Bodyweight method in your routine can enhance muscle mass and make physical tasks easier to handle, especially when paired with a protein-rich diet and proper recovery.

3. Promoting Better Brain Function and Focus: Exercise improves blood flow to the brain, boosting cognitive abilities like focus and memory. It also releases mood-enhancing chemicals, helping you stay mentally sharp and reducing stress.

4. Enhancing Core Strength and Improving Joint Support: Strengthening your core muscles using bodyweight exercises improves balance and stability while supporting your joints. A strong core reduces strain on the knees and hips, promoting better posture and reducing injury risk during physical activities.

The Significance of Strong Arms

Upper body strength plays a vital role in overall fitness and well-being. Building strong arms can provide numerous advantages, including:

• Minimizing the likelihood of age-related muscle deterioration.

• Boosting effectiveness in additional fitness routines and athletic activities.

• Simplifying routine tasks and making them more manageable.

• Elevating the proficiency of executing movements smoothly and effectively.

Building strong arms enhances functional strength, making everyday tasks easier. Incorporating a TRX arm workout into your routine can further improve upper body strength and stability while effectively targeting the biceps and triceps.

10 Best Bodyweight Exercises for Biceps

1. Bodyweight Curls

Bodyweight curls are a biceps-targeting exercise that involves using your body weight for resistance. This exercise effectively isolates the biceps, promoting muscle growth, strength, and endurance without the need for weights, making it an excellent bicep workout at home. It's also ideal for improving upper body control and can be done almost anywhere, adding versatility to any workout routine.

Here’s how to do Bodyweight Curls:

1. Find a sturdy horizontal bar or low railing at a comfortable height.

2. Stand facing the bar and grip it with an underhand grip at shoulder-width. Walk your feet forward so your body is at a slight angle.

3. Keep your body in a plank position from head to heels and engage your core.

4. Bend your elbows and pull your body toward the bar, squeezing your biceps.

5. Pull up until your chin is at or above the bar and hold for a moment.

6. Slowly lower your body back to the starting position while maintaining control.

7. Perform the desired number of repetitions, focusing on form.

2. Curls

Curls are a classic biceps exercise that involves lifting weights, such as dumbbells or barbells, by bending the elbow to bring the weight toward the shoulders. This movement specifically targets the biceps muscles, helping to build strength, size, and definition in the arms. Regularly performing curls improves muscle endurance and enhances the aesthetics of the upper arms, making them a key exercise for arm development.

Here’s how to do Curls:

1. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides.

2. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight.

3. Bend your elbows and lift the dumbbells toward your shoulders, squeezing your biceps.

4. Bring the dumbbells up until they reach shoulder height and hold briefly.

5. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, keeping control.

6. Perform the desired number of repetitions while maintaining good form and resisting the elbow from swinging forward and back..

3. Isometric Bicep Hold

The isometric bicep hold involves holding a weight or maintaining a flexed arm position without movement, engaging the biceps in a static contraction. This exercise targets the biceps by maintaining constant tension, promoting muscle endurance and strength. It is particularly effective for improving muscle stability and control, making it a valuable addition to any strength routine.

Here’s how to do Isometric Bicep Hold:

1. Stand or sit with a dumbbell in one hand, arm at your side.

2. Bend your elbow to a 90-degree angle, keeping your upper arm close to your body.

3. Maintain the 90-degree angle, holding the dumbbell in place. Engage your biceps and core.

4. Hold the position for 20-30 seconds, focusing on keeping your muscles contracted.

5. Lower the weight, switch arms, and repeat the hold on the other side.

4. Pull-Ups

Pull-ups are a compound exercise that primarily targets the back but also significantly engages the biceps as you pull your body up toward a bar. This movement builds upper body strength, particularly enhancing biceps size and endurance. It’s a versatile, bodyweight exercise that also improves grip strength and overall upper-body coordination.

Here’s how to do Pull-Ups:

1. Find a sturdy pull-up bar that can support your weight.

2. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

3. Let your body hang with arms fully extended and legs straight or slightly bent.

4. Engage your core and pull your body upward by bending your elbows and driving your chin above the bar.

5. Hold briefly at the top of the movement, with your chin above the bar.

6. Slowly lower your body back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.

7. Perform the desired number of repetitions, maintaining good form throughout.

5. Chin Ups

Chin-ups are a bodyweight exercise where you pull yourself up to a bar with an underhand grip, emphasizing the biceps and upper back. This exercise effectively builds bicep strength, size, and endurance while also engaging the shoulders and core. Chin-ups are highly efficient for improving upper body power and overall muscle coordination.

Here’s how to do Chin Ups:

1. Find a sturdy pull-up bar that can support your weight.

2. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.

3. Let your body hang with arms fully extended and legs straight or slightly bent.

4. Engage your core and pull your body upward by bending your elbows and driving your chin above the bar.

5. Hold briefly at the top with your chin above the bar.

6. Slowly lower your body back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.

7. Perform the desired number of repetitions, focusing on form.

6. Negative Chin Ups

Negative chin-ups focus on the eccentric phase of the movement, where you slowly lower yourself from the top of a chin-up position. This exercise heavily targets the biceps by maintaining prolonged tension, which promotes muscle growth, strength, and control. It's especially useful for beginners building up to full chin-ups and for advanced lifters seeking increased muscle endurance and hypertrophy.

Here’s how to do Negative Chin Ups:

1. Find a sturdy pull-up bar that can support your weight.

2. Use a step or jump to get your chin above the bar, grasping it with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.

3. Start at the top position with your chin above the bar.

4. Slowly lower your body down in a controlled manner, extending your arms while maintaining tension in your biceps and back.

5. Reach the full extension at the bottom without dropping quickly.

6. Use a step or jump to return to the starting position.

7. Perform the desired number of repetitions, focusing on the controlled lowering.

7. Inverted Row

The inverted row is a bodyweight exercise where you pull yourself up to a bar while lying under it, with your body in a horizontal position. This movement targets the biceps, upper back, and shoulders, promoting both strength and muscle endurance. Inverted rows are ideal for building pulling strength, improving posture, and providing a low-impact alternative to pull-ups.

Here’s how to do Inverted Row:

1. Find a sturdy bar or suspension trainer set at waist height.

2. Lie underneath the bar and grasp it with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.

3. Extend your arms fully, keeping your body straight from head to heels.

4. Engage your core and pull your chest toward the bar by bending your elbows.

5. Bring your chest to the bar and hold for a moment.

6. Slowly lower your body back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.

7. Perform the desired number of repetitions, maintaining good form.

8. Negative Inverted Row

Negative inverted rows focus on the eccentric portion of the exercise, where you slowly lower your body from the top of the row position. This movement targets the biceps and upper back by maintaining muscle tension, helping to build strength, control, and endurance. It's a great exercise for improving muscle activation and working up to full inverted rows or pull-ups.

Here’s how to do Negative Inverted Row:

1. Find a sturdy bar or suspension trainer set at waist height.

2. Lie underneath the bar and grasp it with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.

3. Start in a fully extended position with your body straight from head to heels.

4. Use your legs or a step to pull your chest to the bar, getting to the top position.

5. Slowly lower your body back to the starting position, focusing on control and maintaining tension.

6. Once at the bottom, use your legs to return to the starting position.

7. Perform the desired number of repetitions, emphasizing the slow descent.

9. Side Plank

The side plank is primarily a core exercise, but it also engages the biceps by requiring them to stabilize the body when holding the position. While targeting the obliques, shoulders, and hips, the biceps play a supporting role in maintaining balance and control. This exercise improves overall core strength, stability, and upper body endurance, making it a functional move that benefits multiple muscle groups.

Here’s how to do Side Plank:

1. Lie on your side with your legs straight and stacked on top of each other.

2. Place your elbow directly under your shoulder, forming a 90-degree angle.

3. Engage your core and lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from head to heels.

4. Maintain this position, keeping your body straight and your hips elevated.

5. Hold for 20-30 seconds, breathing steadily.

6. Slowly lower your hips back to the ground to return to the starting position.

7. Repeat on the other side for the same duration.

10. Plank Up-Down

Plank up-downs are dynamic core exercises in which you transition from a forearm plank to a high plank, alternating arms. This movement targets the biceps, triceps, and shoulders as they work to support your body weight during each push-up motion. In addition to building upper body strength, plank up-downs improve core stability, endurance, and coordination.

Here’s how to do Plank Up-Down:

1. Start in a forearm plank position with your elbows under your shoulders and body in a straight line.

2. Engage your core and keep your feet shoulder-width apart for stability.

3. Push up onto your right hand, followed by your left, transitioning to a high plank position.

4. Lower back down to your forearms, starting with your right arm and then your left.

5. Alternate the leading arm for each repetition, maintaining a steady pace.

6. Continue for the desired number of repetitions or for a set time.

Tips for Bodyweight Exercise 

1. Concentrate on Your Form

Focusing on proper form is crucial when doing bodyweight exercises. Good form ensures you engage the right muscles and prevents strain or injury. Take your time with each movement, making sure to align your body correctly. Proper form improves the effectiveness of your workout, helps you progress faster, and reduces the risk of injury. Concentrating on technique is key to getting the most out of every exercise.

2. Nourish Your Body Well

To get the most out of bodyweight exercises, it’s important to nourish your body well. Eating balanced meals with enough protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates provides the energy needed for workouts and supports muscle recovery. Stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day, especially before and after exercise. Proper nutrition helps maintain stamina, boosts performance, and aids in muscle repair, making your bodyweight workouts more effective.

3. Proper Warm-Up and Cool-Down

A proper warm-up before bodyweight exercises boosts circulation and flexibility, helping prevent injury. Dynamic movements like arm swings and jumping jacks prepare your muscles. Afterward, cool down with gentle stretches or walking to relax muscles and promote recovery. This simple routine enhances performance and reduces soreness.

Conclusion

Incorporating bodyweight exercises for biceps into your workout routine is a practical and effective way to build strength and endurance without needing weights. These exercises engage multiple muscle groups while promoting upper body control and stability. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced lifter, they can be performed almost anywhere, making them a great option for enhancing your bicep training and overall fitness. Embrace these exercises to develop well-defined arms and improve your upper body strength efficiently.