Biceps · Barbell · 16 exercises

Bicep workouts with a barbell

A barbell bicep workout: heavy straight-bar curls, drag curls and preacher curls.

Curls are the whole story for the biceps, but not every curl does the same job. Curls with your arms behind your body (incline curls) train the biceps at a long stretch, curls in front of it (preacher and concentration curls) load the bottom of the movement, and hammer curls bring in the brachialis and forearm.

A barbell lets you lift the most weight and add it in small, measurable jumps, which makes it the easiest tool for getting stronger over time. Most of these lifts need a rack, and pressing needs a bench and, ideally, safety pins.

Barbell bicep workout

The straight bar lets you curl the most weight.

Barbell Curl
Sets
4
Reps
6–10
Rest
90 s
Barbell Drag CurlDrag the bar up your body, elbows going back.
Sets
3
Reps
10
Rest
60 s
Preacher Curl (Barbell)
Sets
3
Reps
10
Rest
60 s
Barbell Standing Reverse Grip Curl
Sets
2
Reps
12
Rest
60 s

Can’t do one of these?

Machine taken or training somewhere else? Each of these has substitutes that work the same muscles.

Tips

Keep your elbows still. If they drift forward, the shoulders start lifting the weight.
Take two to three seconds to lower each rep. The lowering half is where much of the growth stimulus is, and it’s the part people rush.
Train the biceps after your back, not before. Rows and pull-ups need the biceps fresh to pull heavy.
Use the plate calculator and add the smallest jump your gym allows. Small, regular increases beat big jumps you can’t hold.

Run this workout in SPLYT

Every exercise here is in SPLYT’s library. Save the workout as a template, log your sets on iPhone or Apple Watch, and next time your weights are already filled in from what you lifted.

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16 biceps exercises with a barbell

Every one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration. Swap any of them into the workouts above.

All biceps exercises →

Questions

How many biceps exercises can you do with barbell?

SPLYT’s exercise library has 16 biceps exercises you can do with barbell, including Barbell Curl, Barbell Drag Curl and Preacher Curl (Barbell). Each one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration.

How many times a week should I train biceps?

Two or three times a week, with six to ten direct sets in total. Pulling on back days already trains them, so they don’t need a huge amount of extra work.

Do hammer curls work the biceps?

Yes, though they shift more of the work to the brachialis, under the biceps, and to the forearm. Doing both kinds of curl builds a thicker arm.

Do I need a squat rack for barbell workouts?

For squats and pressing, yes: a rack with safety pins lets you train close to failure safely. Deadlifts, rows, curls and Romanian deadlifts start from the floor and don’t need one.