With a Master of Science in Dietetics and Exercise Science, 11 years of experience in fitness, and 5 years in nutrition, Hollee Mohni is a professional dedicated to improving individuals' health and confidence through sustainable habits.
In the fast-paced hustle of modern life, finding the time to hit the gym while keeping a consistent routine can be challenging. Because of this, the desire to achieve a sculpted body often takes a backseat. But what if we told you that you can build biceps at home, without needing to sign up for expensive training or fancy gyms?
But first – let’s dissect the basics.
The bicep is the large, thick muscle on the upper arm between the elbow and shoulder that works to allow flexing at the elbow(4). Training them helps with many daily activities, especially those that include lifting and holding heavy items. Strong and muscular biceps can provide solid support in movement and stabilization. Keep reading to learn how to workout your biceps with minimal equipment but achieve maximum outcomes.
The best part about these workouts is that you don’t need to commute anywhere. You can achieve toned and powerful arms, right in the comfort of your home!
Training biceps at home isn’t as difficult as it might sound. It only requires a little motivation and of course determination. Persistence is something you should strive for. Also, choose the best at-home bicep workout that suits you and your body best. For instance, you can perform resistance training exercises using your body weight as the sole resistance.
Some examples of bicep exercises at home for beginners include chin-ups, ITYW’s, reverse snow angels, wall handstands, etc. You can also use a dumbbell and practice different curls, like hammer curls, and wide-lifted curls to train your biceps more efficiently.
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Those who wish to build and train stronger muscles, but also want to save time by not going to the gym at the same time, ultimately turn to at-home bicep workouts. The most used and convenient weight equipment used for bicep workouts is a dumbbell.
There are various bicep workouts with dumbbells, and among them, the easiest and the most common are bicep curls. As mentioned, there are many other curls, but these solely target the biceps and not multiple muscle groups (5).
To perform bicep curls:
With time, many new machines and equipment have been introduced to provide resistance in strength training and muscle-building workouts. But, dumbbells still remain the most affordable and basic-weight equipment.
The purpose of using dumbbells is to enhance strength training and tone arm muscles. They are versatile and can be used in several exercises. Such exercises target and train many muscle groups like biceps, triceps, forearms and shoulders.
Therefore, if you want to grow and strengthen your biceps, fret not, just grab a pair of dumbbells and kickstart your at-home bicep workouts using dumbbells.
At-home bicep workouts can also be done without weight equipment like dumbbells although it can be more challenging to see results without any added resistance. In this case, use your own body weight as resistance for strength training. This kind of workout can be considered a calisthenics bicep workout because calisthenics is based on the principle of toning and strengthening muscles using only body weight as resistance.
The exercises are designed to yield a similar result when working with weight equipment. They help to train and strengthen various muscle groups, including biceps. However, they are comparatively more convenient as they can be done at home without equipment. These include isometric bicep holds, ITYW, superman, reverse snow angels, and chin-ups (9).
Apart from this you can use simple household stuff such as weight for strength training when doing at-home bicep workouts.
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Just as building biceps is possible with no weights, in the same way, it can also be achieved with lighter weights. It is recommended not to go with too heavy of weights. Also, bicep workouts at home for ladies, beginners and those with an injury should begin with lighter weights.
In addition, studies have also shown that you only need a minimum of 60% of your one rep max (the maximum weight a person can lift). This is found by performing a one-repetition maximum test for effective muscle building and training (10) (6).
With lighter weights you can just increase the volume and duration of your workout. Meanwhile, keep check on your calories and nutrition. Train more often, and design your workout such that you take more time in lifting the weights. This may increase your muscle’s time under tension and will provide better results.
In short, being consistent in your workout routine and increasing the number of reps until your muscles feel fatigued will let you enjoy the same benefit as with heavier weights.
If you are doing an at-home bicep workout, you can use other items for your weights from among the basic household stuff like filled water bottles (7). Obviously, things not designed to be exercise equipment might not be as convenient. Instead, weight bands can be a great alternative to dumbbells if needed.
Progressive overload is a key principle of a strength training and muscle-building workout. Commonly, it is understood in the sense that you need to increase the weight and resistance, gradually, in your workout.
This phenomenon only means increasing muscle tension and the intensity of your exercise. This does not necessarily mean that you need to increase the weight. Instead, the principle of progressive overload can also be practiced while using the same weight throughout all the workouts.
This can be done simply by increasing the duration of your workout, doing the lifting movements slowly, performing more strenuous exercises, and working your muscles until exhaustion (such that you cannot do any more reps). In this way you will be able to perform progressive overload, without increasing the weight and so grow and strengthen your biceps using the same weight.
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When performing a bicep workout with dumbbells, it is convenient to use moderate weights instead of complicated modern equipment. And, it is preferred that when beginners start with at-home bicep workouts, they should opt for lighter and easier exercises first, to let their body adapt to the sudden change.
Here are some common bicep exercises for beginners, using dumbbells:
This exercise is a type of bicep curl. The following are some steps to follow when performing a hammer curl:
This can be considered one of the best exercises for training upper arm muscles. It might take some time for your body to adjust to this one, as it has a range of motion for all the upper arm and forearm muscles.
Here are the steps to follow when performing a zottman curl:
The incline dumbbell curl is a variation of a dumbbell curl. It elongates the dumbbell curl and creates a stretch on the biceps muscle tissue.
For this type of bicep workout, you need to:
This inclined method helps increase the range of motion of your arm and this position exerts more stretch on your biceps (8).
According to a study, this is one of the most effective at-home bicep exercises to train and grow biceps (1). It stimulates the biceps the best, ensuring maximum range of motion. This exercise is done while sitting on a bench or chair so this increases stability and the whole focus of the nervous system is on the movements of the biceps and other muscles in the arm.
To perform concentration curls:
Read more: Indoor Exercise 101: Your Guide to Effective Workouts at Home
The fastest way to build up the biceps is with an adequate workout, performed regularly, with exercises specifically targeting the biceps. Such exercises can also include bicep curls, hammer curls and concentration curls.
Apart from the workout session, you should do weight-lifting activities more frequently, like lifting water gallons or bags of rice and grain. Don’t forget to eat a nutritionally balanced diet and follow a well-rounded sleeping pattern.
If you want to perform at-home bicep workouts but dumbbells are unavailable, then don’t feel you will lose on the gains. There are many workouts out there that can be done without dumbbells to train and grow biceps. Some examples are chin ups, bodyweight reverse flies, ITYW, isometric holds, etc.
Without dumbbells or any other weight, you can still build biceps by performing a calisthenics form of a bicep workout, which uses your body weight as resistance. You can also replace dumbbells with simple household stuff like water-filled plastic bottles, cans of paint, piles of books, sacks of sand or rice, etc.
Building muscles is a time-consuming process. The minimum time to notice a change in your arm muscles is four to eight weeks. Given this, it can be said that 2 weeks is a bit too rushed for growing biceps. It might become possible but that would require a lot of hard work.
You must follow a strict diet daily and have extra strenuous and lengthy workout sessions. Though there is some chance that this might change your biceps within 2 weeks, but it won’t be much. It has a high-risk of injury as a hasty change to the body is never beneficial. You might instead end up harming your body and damaging your muscles.
Some might think working out with your biceps daily would help build bigger biceps in a shorter time. Sadly, that is not the case. Having at least one to two rest days between two bicep workout periods is advised. This is because, if you overexert your biceps, you might instead end up losing strength and power.
Bulky upper arms and stronger biceps are a dream come true for many people, especially fitness freaks. This not only improves your physique but may help in many daily activities. Lifting heavy objects can become easier as all arm movements are stabilized and strengthened.
To train your biceps, there is no need to rush to the gym regularly. Rather, you can easily perform a bicep workout with minimal equipment. A consistent workout pattern at home can also yield similar results.
For a bicep workout, you can simply use dumbbells as weight. There are various types of dumbbell curl workouts out there. Each targets your biceps and upper arm muscles differently and aims to provide the desired outcomes.
If dumbbells are also unavailable at home, you can still do a bicep workout to strengthen and tone your muscles better. This can be done in two ways. You can do a calisthenic bicep workout, using your body weight as resistance for training muscles. Such exercises include chin up, isometric bicep holds (against a surface like wall or underside of table, ITYW, and bodyweight reverse flies. The other method uses basic household stuff for weight like water gallons, filled plastic bottles, bags of sand or rice or grain, books, resistance bands, etc.
Remember to prioritize proper form and consistency. Embrace the simplicity of these exercises and enjoy them as you become one step closer to your fitness goals!
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!