Biceps & Forearms

The biceps are a classic muscle to build, a symbolic display of strength and fitness. I've included forearm muscles in this page. It makes sense to train the forearms in the same workout as biceps, as bicep training warms up your forearms nicely. For best results train with a gym buddy or personal trainer.

There are 2 bicep muscles: biceps brachii and brachialis.

The biceps brachii completely straddles the humerus (upper arm bone), as its origin is at the scapula near the top of the humerus, and its insertion is at the radius (one of the bones of the forearm) just below the elbow. This muscle enables you to flex your forearm, and also to supinate it (twist it so that your palm faces upwards).

The brachialis has very different origin and insertion. The origin is half way down the humerus, and the insertion is at the other forearm bone, the ulna, just below the elbow. This muscle simply enables you to flex your forearm.

Biceps Brachii

Here are the best exercises:

Barbell Row (standing with shoulder wide grip of barbell)

Dumbbell curls (You can do this seated at different angles, or standing. You can perform alternate arms, or together. And you can vary the movement - straight curls, or with a twist, or hammer curls).

Preacher Curls (with EZ bar, barbell, or dumbbells)

Cable bicep curls with a straight bar

Brachialis

All the above exercises will work the brachialis, but also add reverse curls with barbell (with a reverse grip), with lighter weights than normal curls.

Forearm muscles: Flexors and Extensors

Some of the flexors help you to flex your forearm and others enable you to flex your wrist. Some of the extensors help you to straighten your forearm, and the other extensors enable you to straighten your wrist.

Best exercises for the forearm flexors

Barbell wrist curl - palms up: seated on a bench, rest your forearms on the bench, and curl a light barbell up and down at the wrist, palms up. You'll soon feel the burn! Another great exercise is to stand up, and hold two heavy dumbbells for as long as possible. I had a personal trainer in North London who introduced me to this one, and it's very effective.

Dumbbell hammer curls (trains both biceps, and upper forearms)

Best exercises for the forearm extensors

Barbell wrist curl - palms down: seated on bench, rest your forearms on your knees, and curl a light barbell up and down at the wrist.

For the forearm muscles near the wrist and fingers, a workout you can do while watching TV is to squeeze a tennis ball. Another great forearm strengthener is to wring out a wet towel. This will give you strong hands and wrists.

I had a personal trainer in north London who put together some gruelling arm workouts for me, which began with the biceps, then triceps, and finally the forearms. My arms were so pumped up at the end, gorged with blood, that the veins showed prominently. Nice! It's a great feeling to work the arms to failure, and you'll find that it's easier to reach this peak of intensity if you train with a fitness buddy or personal trainer, for the moral support as well as some timely help with certain portions of each rep.