With January almost over, I hope you’re well on your way to achieving your fitness based New Year goals. So far this month I’ve given you a selection of dumbbell based chest exercises, tricep exercises and upper back exercises. Today I’m going to be expanding on this and providing you with 4 Effective Dumbbell Bicep Exercises To Try This New Year.
If you enjoy using dumbbells as part of your workouts and want to build bigger arms this New Year, then you’ll love these four effective dumbbell bicep exercises. The only equipment you need to perform these exercises is a regular bench, a preacher curl bench and a pair of dumbbells which means you can do them all at your local gym or alternatively purchase the equipment and do them at home.
To get the best results from these dumbbell biecep exercises, try to do 3-5 sets of 8-12 repetitions. I find one warm up set with lighter weights followed by three full sets with heavier weights works best for me. During the full sets, I try and do 12 repetitions and ensure that I can do a minimum of eight. If I can’t push out eight repetitions, I lower my weight and if I can push out 12 repetitions with ease, I increase it.
Exercise 1 – Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curl
The dumbbell bicep curl is one of the most popular exercises around and does a great job of working your biceps. It also gives your forearms a secondary workout.
Equipment Required:
– 2 Dumbbells
Instructions:
1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand, hold them by your side with your palms facing forwards and stand up straight with your feet a shoulder width apart.
2. Slowly bend your left elbow and curl the dumbbell in your left hand towards your chest, stopping when your bicep is fully flexed.
3. Slowly straighten your left elbow and lower the dumbbell in your left hand back down to the starting position.
4. Slowly bend your right elbow and curl the dumbbell in your right hand towards your chest, stopping when your bicep is fully flexed.
5. Slowly straighten your right elbow and lower the dumbbell in your right hand back down to the starting position.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 for 8-12 repetitions.
7. After your last repetition, put the dumbbells on the floor.
8. Rest for 1 minute and then repeat steps 1-7 for the desired number of sets.
9. If you’re working out in a gym and you no longer require the dumbbells after your final set, make sure you put them away.
Variations:
– Seated Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curl:- Grab a bench, sit on it and perform the exercise as described above from a seated position. By sitting on a bench, you don’t have to focus on your balance or core stability and instead you can fully concentrate on the bicep curls.
– Incline Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curl:- Grab a bench, adjust it so that it’s at an incline angle, lie back and then perform the exercise as described above. By performing the bicep curls at an incline, you get a deeper curl and give your biceps a more effective workout.
– Lying Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curl:- Grab a bench, lie down flat on it and then perform the exercise as described above. By performing the bicep curls while lying flat, you get the deepest curl possible and give your biceps a really intense workout.
Video Demonstration:
Exercise 2 – Dumbbell Hammer Curl
The dumbbell hammer curl is similar to a regular dumbbell bicep curl except you turn your palms inwards and hold the dumbbells like hammers. This exercise still primarily work your biceps but the hammer grip places a greater emphasis on your forearms than regular dumbbell bicep curls.
Equipment Required:
– 2 Dumbbells
Instructions:
1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand, hold them by your side with your palms facing inwards and stand up straight with your feet a shoulder width apart.
2. Slowly bend your elbows and curl the dumbbells towards your chest, stopping when your biceps are fully flexed.
3. Slowly straighten your elbows and lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 for 8-12 repetitions.
5. After your last repetition, put the dumbbells on the floor.
6. Rest for 1 minute and then repeat steps 1-5 for the desired number of sets.
7. If you’re working out in a gym and you no longer require the dumbbells after your final set, make sure you put them away.
Variations:
– Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curl:- Grab a bench, sit on it and perform the exercise as described above from a seated position. By sitting on a bench, you don’t have to focus on your balance or core stability and instead you can fully concentrate on the hammer curls.
– Incline Dumbbell Hammer Curl:- Grab a bench, adjust it so that it’s at an incline angle, lie back and then perform the exercise as described above. By performing the hammer curls at an incline, you get a deeper curl and give your biceps a more effective workout.
– Lying Dumbbell Hammer Curl:- Grab a bench, lie down flat on it and then perform the exercise as described above. By performing the hammer curls while lying flat, you get the deepest curl possible and give your biceps a really intense workout.
Video Demonstration:
Exercise 3 – Reverse Dumbbell Bicep Curl
The reverse dumbbell bicep curl is similar to the two curl exercises described above but requires you to have your palms facing backwards. By doing this, you place even more emphasis on your forearms than with hammer curls.
Equipment Required:
– 2 Dumbbells
Instructions:
1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand, hold them by your side with your palms facing backwards and stand up straight with your feet a shoulder width apart.
2. Slowly bend your elbows and curl the dumbbells towards your chest, stopping when your biceps are fully flexed.
3. Slowly straighten your elbows and lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 for 8-12 repetitions.
5. After your last repetition, put the dumbbells on the floor.
6. Rest for 1 minute and then repeat steps 1-5 for the desired number of sets.
7. If you’re working out in a gym and you no longer require the dumbbells after your final set, make sure you put them away.
Variations:
– Seated Reverse Dumbbell Bicep Curl:- Grab a bench, sit on it and perform the exercise as described above from a seated position. By sitting on a bench, you don’t have to focus on your balance or core stability and instead you can fully concentrate on the reverse dumbbell bicep curls.
– Incline Reverse Dumbbell Bicep Curl:- Grab a bench, adjust it so that it’s at an incline angle, lie back and then perform the exercise as described above. By performing the reverse dumbbell bicep curls at an incline, you get a deeper curl and give your biceps a more effective workout.
– Lying Reverse Dumbbell Bicep Curl:- Grab a bench, lie down flat on it and then perform the exercise as described above. By performing the reverse dumbbell bicep curls while lying flat, you get the deepest curl possible and give your biceps a really intense workout.
Video Demonstration:
Exercise 4 – Dumbbell Preacher Curl
The dumbbell preacher curl is a unique bicep exercise that uses a special type of bench which supports the back of your arms as you perform the exercise and ensures that your biceps are doing all the work. As a result, it’s the toughest dumbbell bicep exercise on this list and gives your biceps a highly effective workout.
Equipment Required:
– 2 Dumbbells
– 1 Preacher Bench
Instructions:
1. Adjust the preacher bench so that the seat is at a height where the arm pad touches the bottom of your armpits.
2. Grab a dumbbell in each hand, sit down on the preacher bench and rest your arms on the arm pad while keeping your elbows bent.
3. Slowly straighten your elbows and lower the dumbbells down towards the floor, stopping just before your elbows lock.
4. Slowly bend your elbows and curl the dumbbells towards your chest, stopping when your biceps are fully flexed.
5. Repeat steps 3-4 for 8-12 repetitions.
6. After your last repetition, stand up, come away from the preacher bench and put the dumbbells on the floor.
7. Rest for 1 minute and then repeat steps 2-6 for the desired number of sets.
8. If you’re working out in a gym and you no longer require the equipment after your final set, make sure you wipe down the bench with a towel and put the dumbbell away.
Variations:
– Dumbbell Hammer Preacher Curl:- Perform the exercise as described above except instead of having your palms facing forwards, have them facing inwards. This places a greater emphasis on your forearms than regular dumbbell preacher curls.
– Dumbbell Hammer Reverse Curl:- Perform the exercise as described above except instead of having your palms facing forwards, have them facing backwards. This places even more emphasis on your forearms than the variation described above.
Video Demonstration:
Summary
Strong biceps are a fitness goal desired by many but achieved by very few. However, if you incorporate the exercises listed above into your workout routine, you’ll be well on your way to setting yourself apart from the crowd and building bigger biceps this New Year. So give them a try, make them part of your weekly workouts and start strengthening your arms today.
What do you guys think? Are you a fan of training your biceps with dumbbells? Do you have a favourite dumbbell bicep exercise that’s missing from this article? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. Also, if you found these exercises useful, please Like, +1, Pin and Tweet this post, so that as many people as possible can benefit from them this New Year.