Understand the basics of beginner bicep training
If you are just starting strength training, bicep workouts for beginners can feel confusing. One video tells you to lock your elbows in place. Another trainer lets their shoulders move. You might wonder if you are doing curls “wrong” before you even pick up a weight.
Here is the good news. Several styles of bicep curls can work, as a 2023 Reddit discussion pointed out, and you do not need a complicated routine to see progress. You do, however, need a few essentials:
- Solid form that protects your joints
- A small set of simple exercises
- A realistic schedule you can stick with
According to Mayo Clinic expert Edward R. Laskowski, M.D., the basic biceps curl is already an effective way to build the muscles at the front of your upper arm when done with control and proper technique. From there, you can add variety as you become more confident.
Learn why bicep workouts matter
Bicep workouts for beginners do more than help you fill out a T-shirt. Consistent arm training supports everyday movement and overall health.
Everyday benefits you will notice
Beginner bicep workouts can help you:
- Lift and carry things more easily, like groceries or laundry
- Pick up kids, pets, or heavy bags without straining
- Improve elbow flexibility and range of motion
- Reduce the risk of shoulder issues, since stronger arms support upper body movement
- Increase bone density in your arms through weight-bearing exercise
Planet Fitness highlights that basic bicep exercises engage not only your biceps brachii, the large muscle on the front of your upper arm, but also smaller muscles near the shoulder and in your forearms, which help with grip and wrist stability.
Muscles you are actually training
When you perform bicep curls and related moves, you primarily work:
- Biceps brachii
The main “show” muscle at the front of the upper arm, responsible for bending the elbow. - Brachialis and brachioradialis
Smaller muscles that sit under and around the biceps and help with elbow flexion. - Forearm muscles
Support grip strength and keep your wrist steady.
Understanding this helps you see why variety matters. Different curl angles emphasize different parts of the muscle group, which leads to more balanced development over time.
Get clear on form and safety
Before you worry about how much weight to use, you need reliable instructions for basic biceps curls. This is where some of the online confusion comes in, especially around how much your elbows and shoulders should move.
Classic dumbbell curl form
According to Mayo Clinic, you can build strong biceps with a straightforward dumbbell curl. Here is a simple version you can use as your “default”:
- Stand or sit tall with a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides, palms facing forward.
- Keep your elbows close to your torso.
- Bend your elbows and slowly curl the weights toward your shoulders.
- Pause briefly at the top, then lower the weights back to the starting position in a controlled way.
- Keep your wrists straight and avoid swinging your arms.
Mayo Clinic emphasizes not swinging your arm or elbow and keeping the wrist straight and rigid to effectively target the biceps and protect your elbow joint.
That makes this version especially useful if you are brand new or returning after a long break.
What about elbow and shoulder movement?
If you have watched several tutorials, you have probably seen two different approaches:
- Elbows locked at your sides with minimal shoulder involvement
- Elbows allowed to move slightly and some shoulder motion as the weight rises
A 2023 Reddit thread highlighted this exact disagreement. A YouTube video shared in the discussion suggested stopping the curl at about the midpoint to avoid shoulder activation, which matches the traditional beginner guideline. However, several commenters and a professional trainer pointed out that curls with some elbow and shoulder movement can also be effective.
The practical takeaway:
- As a beginner, start with stricter form, elbows mostly fixed by your sides.
- Once you have control and no joint discomfort, you can experiment with small, intentional elbow movement on some sets.
This keeps things simple at first without locking you into one “correct” style forever.
Slow your reps for better results
One mistake beginners often make is racing through reps. Jeff Cavaliere of Athlean-X suggests slowing biceps curl repetitions to about four seconds on both the lifting and lowering phases to improve muscle activation and reduce injury risk. Slower reps help you:
- Feel the muscle working
- Avoid using momentum
- Maintain better posture and alignment
You do not need to count perfectly, but aim for a smooth, unhurried tempo where you are in control of the weight the entire time.
Wrist position and grip tips
There is some nuance around wrist position too. While Mayo Clinic advises keeping your wrist straight during curls to protect the joint, Cavaliere notes that the wrist is naturally strong in a slightly extended position and that beginners should not force an overly rigid, uncomfortable posture.
You can blend these ideas:
- Avoid letting the wrist collapse forward under the weight.
- Do not crank the wrist into an extreme angle just to “feel it more.”
- Use a firm, comfortable grip that feels strong and stable.
Cavaliere also recommends emphasizing forearm supination, which is the outward twist of your lower arm that turns your palm up. Gripping the dumbbell closer to one end makes this supination more challenging and can increase biceps activation.
Build a simple beginner bicep routine
You do not need a long list of exercises to get started. A compact routine with two or three movements is enough to build strength and practice good form.
How often you should train biceps
There is no single perfect schedule, but research and coaching experience offer helpful ranges:
- Beginner guides suggest training biceps twice a week at first to build a base.
- For muscle size, training a muscle two to three times per week has been shown to produce more growth than once per week. A 2016 study by Brad Schoenfeld found roughly twice the muscle growth when training muscles twice a week compared to once a week (6.8 percent vs. 3.7 percent).
You can use that research-backed range without overcomplicating it. For most beginners:
- Aim for 2 bicep-focused sessions per week.
- Leave 24 to 48 hours of rest between sessions so your muscles can recover and grow.
How many sets and reps to start with
For most people, including beginners, Mayo Clinic notes that one set of 12 to 15 repetitions can be enough to build strength when the set is challenging by the last few reps. Many beginner strength plans use:
- 2 to 3 sets per exercise
- 8 to 15 reps per set
You can adjust within that range:
- Use 12 to 15 reps with lighter weights if you care more about control and endurance.
- Use 8 to 12 reps with a slightly heavier weight if building size is your main goal, as long as you can still move with good form.
A sample beginner bicep workout
Here is a straightforward routine that uses three core movements frequently recommended in beginner programs. Focus on mastering technique instead of loading the heaviest weight you can handle.
Warm up first
Spend 5 to 10 minutes preparing your joints and muscles. A recommended warm-up approach includes:
- Light pulling movements such as banded chin-ups or assisted pull-ups, but do not go to failure.
- Rotational dumbbell curls with very light weight.
- Simple core work such as an inverted plank.
- Gentle straight arm behind-the-back bicep stretches to open the front of the shoulder and upper arm.
Move through a comfortable range of motion and avoid anything that feels painful or unstable.
Main workout
- Seated dumbbell curls
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 10 to 12
- Setup: Sit on a nearly vertical bench, feet planted. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing forward.
- Focus: Do not let your elbows drift forward. Keep your upper arms pinned close to your sides and curl with slow, deliberate reps. This strict version reduces help from your shoulders and lower back, which makes your biceps do the work.
- Standing barbell curls
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 8 to 10
- Setup: Stand tall with a barbell in your hands, palms facing up, hands about shoulder width apart.
- Focus: Keep momentum to a minimum. As you tire, it is tempting to swing the weight, but that shifts stress to the front of your shoulders. Instead, brace your core, keep your upper arms close to your torso, and drive the bar up with your biceps. These are excellent for building overall mass when done under control.
- Single arm preacher curls
- Sets: 2 to 3
- Reps: 10 to 12 each arm
- Setup: Use a preacher bench or lean your upper arm over an incline bench so your elbow is slightly in front of your body. Curl one arm at a time.
- Focus: This position emphasizes the short head of the biceps and lets you isolate each arm. Keep the movement smooth and controlled, and use it to address any size or strength imbalances you notice between sides.
You can run this routine twice per week with at least one day between sessions.
Explore other beginner-friendly bicep exercises
Over time, it helps to rotate in other curl variations so you challenge your muscles from different angles. Planet Fitness highlights several options for bicep workouts for beginners, all with safety-focused form tips.
Seven effective beginner bicep exercises
You do not need to use all of these at once. Think of them as a menu you can choose from:
-
Standard bicep curls
With dumbbells or a barbell. Great base movement. -
Hammer curls
Palms face each other, which emphasizes the brachialis and forearms and feels easier on some wrists. -
Incline dumbbell curls
Performed on a reclined bench, which stretches the long head of the biceps more and can create a strong contraction at the bottom of the rep. -
Preacher curls
As in the sample routine, your arm rests on an angled pad to reduce cheating and focus on the biceps. -
Concentration curls
Seated, with your elbow braced against the inside of your thigh. These encourage a strong mind-muscle connection since you are working one arm at a time in a stable position. -
Cable curls
Use a cable machine with a straight bar, EZ bar, or rope. Cables keep tension more consistent through the entire range of motion. -
Pull up variations
Especially chin-ups (palms facing you). These work your biceps along with your back and core. Assisted machines or resistance bands can make them more beginner friendly.
A common piece of advice from experienced coaches like Cavaliere is to avoid relying only on standing bilateral barbell curls. Dumbbells allow each arm to work independently, which can prevent strength imbalances from building up.
Avoid common beginner mistakes
Knowing what not to do can save you from frustration and plateaus.
Using too much weight and momentum
One of the most widespread issues is picking a weight that is too heavy, then swinging it up with your back and shoulders. This:
- Reduces tension on the biceps
- Increases strain on your front delts and lower back
- Makes it hard to feel a full contraction
Try this simple rule: if you cannot pause the weight briefly at the top of the rep without shaking or leaning back, the weight is probably too heavy for now.
Cheating too early in the set
There is a time and place for a small amount of “cheating” near the very end of a hard set, but many beginners start swinging from the first or second rep. You will likely make faster progress if you:
- Keep the first 6 to 8 reps extremely strict.
- Only allow a modest amount of body English on the final 1 or 2 reps, if at all.
This ensures the majority of your work meaningfully challenges your biceps.
Overtraining a small muscle group
Because the biceps are a relatively small muscle group, they can be overworked if you treat them like your lats or quads. Doing endless sets of curls every day will not necessarily mean faster growth and can even cause your progress to stall.
Stay within reasonable volume:
- 6 to 9 total sets of direct bicep work per week is plenty for most beginners, especially if you also do pulling exercises like rows or pull-ups.
Believing myths about “bicep peaks” and “lower biceps”
You might hear claims that:
- Preacher curls only build the “lower” part of your biceps.
- Concentration curls are the secret to a better “peak.”
In reality, you cannot truly isolate just the lower or upper portion of the biceps. Different angles can emphasize the two heads of the muscle to a degree, but overall arm shape is influenced by genetics and total muscle size, not one magic exercise. You will get further by:
- Picking a few good curls.
- Progressively getting stronger at them.
- Being patient with how your shape develops.
Ignoring recovery and stretching
Your muscles grow when you rest, not while you lift. Skipping recovery can quickly lead to sore elbows or shoulders and slower progress. Helpful habits include:
- Leaving at least 24 to 48 hours between bicep-focused sessions.
- Doing simple bicep and forearm stretches before and after training to maintain range of motion.
- Sleeping enough and staying hydrated so your body can rebuild.
Stretching before your workout can help you access a fuller range of motion, and post workout stretching supports relaxation and recovery.
Put it all together for steady progress
You do not need perfect knowledge to start bicep workouts for beginners. You only need a clear, modest plan:
-
Learn one solid curl technique
Use the Mayo Clinic dumbbell curl as your base and practice moving slowly without swinging. -
Train biceps 2 times per week
Run a simple routine of 2 to 3 exercises, 2 to 3 sets each, leaving at least one day off between sessions. -
Emphasize control over weight
Choose a load that lets you move through the full range of motion, with smooth four-second lifts and lowers when possible. -
Rotate variations as you grow
Gradually work in options like hammer curls, incline curls, and cable curls so you hit your biceps from fresh angles. -
Respect recovery
Give your arms time to rest, stretch regularly, and adjust volume if your elbows or shoulders feel overworked.
Start with one small step today. For example, pick up a pair of light dumbbells and practice two sets of slow, focused curls. As those sets begin to feel easy, you can add weight, add a new exercise, or add another weekly session. Over time, your strength, control, and confidence will build together.
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