Biceps Workout Chart: Pro Guide to Building Bigger Arms Fast

A biceps workout chart is a simple guide that shows you the best exercises, sets, and reps to grow your arms. It makes training easier to follow and helps you stay consistent.

In this article, you’ll find sample biceps workout charts with effective biceps exercises for your goals. Think of these charts as your personal guide to effectively working your biceps and helping you reach your fitness goals faster.

[Related] Back Workout Chart with Exercises, Reps, and Sets (Full Guide)

Quick Summary

• Understanding Biceps Anatomy: Learn the muscles that make up your biceps and how they work together to create arm strength and size.
• What is a Biceps Workout Chart? A simple guide that shows you exercises, sets, and reps to build bigger and stronger arms.
• Benefits of a Biceps Chart: Helps you stay consistent, track progress, and target your biceps more effectively.
• The Ultimate Biceps Workout Charts: Follow our easy-to-read charts with the best exercises, sets, and reps to maximize your biceps growth and strength.
• Home Workout Options: Sample biceps charts you can use at home with dumbbells, resistance bands, or bodyweight.
• Boost Your Biceps Gains with Anafuse: To further support your biceps growth, strength, and recovery, consider Anafuse. This supplement is specifically formulated to naturally enhance your training results.

Why Use a Biceps Workout Chart?

• It Provides a Clear Plan: A chart gives you a clear list of exercises, telling you exactly how many sets and reps to perform. This saves you time and mental energy, so you can focus all your effort on lifting.
  
  
• It Ensures Consistency: By following a structured plan, you can stay on track and build the habit of consistent training. This regularity is key to long-term muscle growth.
  
  
• It Builds Balanced Muscle: Your biceps aren't just one simple muscle. A good workout chart includes different exercises that target every part of the biceps (the peak, the thickness, etc.). By following a chart, you make sure you’re not just doing the same movement over and over. This leads to stronger, more well-shaped arms.
  
  
• It Maximizes Efficiency: The chart is designed to help you get the most out of every gym session. By doing the right exercises with the right volume, you'll stimulate muscle growth more effectively.
  
  
• It Helps You Track Progress: With a clear roadmap, you can easily record your workouts and track your improvements over time, which keeps you motivated and helps you see how far you've come.
  
  
• It Prevents Mistakes: A well-designed chart helps you avoid common training errors, such as overtraining or using the wrong exercises, ensuring your efforts lead to real results and not injury.
  
  
• It Keeps You Safe and Prevents Injury: When you're tired, it's easy to get lazy and use bad form—like swinging your body to curl a weight that's too heavy. A chart recommends a suitable number of sets and reps, which helps you choose a weight you can control with proper technique. This protects you from injuries that can set your progress back.

Understanding Biceps Muscles

• The Biceps Brachii: This is the classic muscle we all picture when we think of "the biceps" and is the primary muscle responsible for elbow flexion. It's actually made up of two parts:

  • Long Head: This part runs along the outside of your arm. It's what gives your biceps that sought-after peak when you flex.

  • Short Head: This part runs along the inside of your arm. It's responsible for adding thickness and overall mass.

• The Brachialis: This is the unsung hero of bigger biceps! It's a flat muscle that sits underneath your biceps brachii. Why does it matter? Because when you build the brachialis, it pushes your biceps up, making your entire arm look thicker and more impressive from every angle.
• The Brachioradialis: This muscle runs from your upper arm down into your forearm. While it's technically a forearm muscle, it gets a great workout during many biceps exercises (like Hammer Curls). Building it adds to overall arm strength and creates a powerful, complete look.

Best Biceps Exercises for Your Workout Chart

To build a complete biceps workout chart, you need effective exercises. The following movements are proven to build strength and muscle. Including a mix of them in your routine will ensure you target every part of your biceps for balanced growth.

1. Barbell Biceps Curl

The barbell biceps curl is a classic exercise for building arm size and strength. It allows you to lift heavier weights compared to dumbbells, which helps increase overall muscle growth.

This exercise mainly targets the biceps brachii and gives both heads of the muscle a strong workout. It is simple to learn, making it a staple for beginners and advanced lifters alike.

How to Do It:

• Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with an underhand grip (palms facing up).
• Keep your elbows pinned close to your sides and your upper arms completely still.
• Curl the bar up towards your shoulders by contracting your biceps. Do not swing your body for momentum.
• Squeeze your biceps hard at the top of the movement.
• Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.

Muscles Worked: Biceps Brachii (long and short heads), Brachialis, Forearm Flexors.

Other Bicep Curl Variations:

• EZ Bar Curls: This uses a zig-zag-shaped bar, which can reduce wrist strain and is great for people who experience discomfort with a straight bar.
• Wide-Grip Barbell Curls: Holding the bar with a wider grip places more emphasis on the short head of the biceps.
• Close-Grip Barbell Curls: Using a closer grip shifts more focus to the long head of the biceps.

2. Dumbbell Hammer Curls

Hammer curls target both the biceps brachii and the brachialis muscle, helping to build thicker arms. The neutral grip used in this exercise also works the brachioradialis in the forearm.

It is a great exercise for overall arm development and is less stressful on the wrist joints. Hammer curls support grip strength and forearm size alongside biceps growth, with the added benefit of being easier on the wrists than traditional curls.

How to Do It:

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your body.
• Keep your upper arms stationary and your elbows tucked at your sides.
• Curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders, keeping your palms facing each other throughout the movement.
• Squeeze your muscles at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back down.

Muscles Worked: Brachialis, Brachioradialis (forearms), Biceps Brachii.

Variations:

• Alternating Hammer Curls: You can curl one arm at a time, which helps you focus on the mind-muscle connection for each side.
• Cross-Body Hammer Curl: Curl dumbbells across the chest to emphasize the brachialis.
• Rope Hammer Curl (Cable): Keeps constant tension on the biceps.
• Seated Hammer Curl: Sitting down eliminates the possibility of using body momentum, forcing your muscles to do all the work.

3. Preacher Curls

The preacher curl is an isolation exercise that targets the biceps brachii while minimizing the use of other muscles. It is performed on a sloped preacher bench, which supports the arms and ensures strict form.

This exercise helps reduce cheating and swinging, leading to better muscle activation. It is excellent for building the biceps peak and improving muscle definition.

How to Do It:

• Sit on a preacher curl bench and rest your upper arms firmly on the pad.
• Hold a barbell or EZ bar with an underhand grip.
• Curl the weight up towards your shoulders until your biceps are fully contracted.
• Slowly lower the weight all the way down until your arms are fully extended.

Muscles Worked: Biceps Brachii (primarily the short head), Brachialis.

Variations:

• Dumbbell Preacher Curls: Using a single dumbbell at a time allows you to train each arm independently, correcting any strength imbalances.
• Reverse-Grip Preacher Curls: Holding the bar with an overhand grip (palms down) shifts the focus to your forearms and brachialis.

4. Concentration Curls

Concentration curls are perfect for isolating the biceps and putting a spotlight on the mind-muscle connection. By sitting down and resting your elbow on your inner thigh, you prevent any body movement and force all the effort into your bicep.

This exercise is often used at the end of a workout to fully exhaust the muscle fibers, promoting maximum growth and a great "pump."

How to Do It:

• Sit on a bench with your legs spread apart.
• Hold a dumbbell in one hand and rest the elbow of that arm on your inner thigh.
• Let the dumbbell hang down and begin to curl it up towards your shoulder height.
• Squeeze your biceps hard at the peak of the movement, then slowly lower the weight.

Muscles Worked: Biceps Brachii (peak contraction), Brachialis.

Variations:

• Standing Concentration Curls: You can perform this exercise while standing by leaning over and resting your non-working arm on a bench.

5. Incline Dumbbell Curl

The Incline Dumbbell Curl is one of the best exercises for targeting the long head of the biceps, which is responsible for creating that coveted high peak. Lying back on an incline bench places your arms behind your body, forcing a deep and effective stretch at the bottom of the movement. This stretched position helps stimulate new muscle growth and provides a deep stretch.

How to Do It:

• Set an adjustable bench to an incline of about 45-60 degrees.
• Sit back on the bench with a dumbbell in each hand, letting your arms hang straight down.
• Keeping your upper arms still, curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders.
• Squeeze at the top, then slowly lower them back to the starting position.

Muscles Worked: Biceps Brachii (primarily the long head), Brachialis.

Variations:

• Alternating Incline Curls: Curl one arm at a time for a more focused contraction.
• Seated Dumbbell Curl: Sitting upright on a flat bench removes the stretch, but it is a great standard curling movement.

6. Cable Curls

Cable curls provide constant tension on the biceps throughout the entire movement, unlike free weights, where tension can decrease at the bottom of the lift. This continuous pressure forces your muscles to work harder from start to finish. The cable machine allows a smooth and controlled motion through a full range, with less risk of cheating.

How to Do It:

• Attach a straight bar or rope to the low pulley of a cable machine.
• Stand facing the machine, holding the bar with an underhand grip.
• Curl the bar up towards your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
• Slowly lower the bar back down, controlling the weight as it returns.

Muscles Worked: Biceps Brachii, Brachialis, Forearms.

Variations:

• Rope Cable Curls: Using a rope attachment can give you a better peak contraction by allowing you to twist your wrists at the top of the movement.
• Single-Arm Cable Curls: Performing the exercise one arm at a time helps you fix any strength imbalances.
• High-Cable Curls: High cable biceps curls are a variation where you stand between two high pulleys and curl the handles towards your head, creating constant tension and emphasizing the bicep's short head.

7. Chin-Ups (or Pull-Ups with a Reverse Grip)

While often considered a back exercise, the Chin-Up is a powerful bodyweight compound movement for the biceps. Using a supinated grip significantly increases biceps involvement as a major contributor while training the back. This exercise builds impressive functional strength and biceps mass, as it allows you to move a heavy load effectively.

How to Do It:

• Grab a pull-up bar with an underhand grip, palms facing you, about shoulder-width apart.
• Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and knees slightly bent if needed for clearance.
• Pull your body up until your chin is over the bar, squeezing your biceps as you lift yourself.
• Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.

Muscles Worked: Biceps Brachii, Latissimus Dorsi (Lats), Trapezius, Rear Deltoids.

Variations:

• Assisted Chin-Ups: Use an assisted machine or a resistance band to help you lift your body weight, which is great for beginners.
• Weighted Chin-Ups: Once you can do multiple chin-ups, you can add a weight belt to increase the challenge.

How to Structure a Biceps Workout Chart

Creating a biceps workout chart makes your training sessions organized and effective. A well-structured chart helps you know exactly which exercises to do, how many sets and reps to perform, and how to rest between exercises. It ensures balanced development of all parts of the biceps while preventing overtraining.

1. Choose Your Exercises Wisely

Don't just pick your favorites. A good chart includes a mix of exercises for balanced development.

• Include 3-4 exercises per session. Any more can lead to overtraining.
• Start with a heavy movement when you are freshest and strongest (e.g. Chin-Ups or regular barbell curls). This allows you to lift the most weight.
• Follow with isolation movements (like Preacher Curls or Concentration Curls) to focus on specific parts of the muscle and get a deep burn.

2. Get the Sets and Reps Right

The number of sets and reps you do determines whether you build for strength, size, or endurance.

• For Muscle Size (Hypertrophy): Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise. This is the most common and effective rep range for growth.
• Use a weight that makes the last two reps of each set feel very challenging to complete with good form.
• Total working sets: A good weekly goal is 10-14 total sets for your biceps, spread across your workouts. For example, 4 sets on one day and 3 sets on another.

3. Prioritize Rest and Recovery

Your muscles grow when you rest, not when you train.

• Rest between sets: Take 60-90 seconds of rest between each set. This gives your muscles enough time to recover for the next set.
• Rest between workouts: Do not train biceps two days in a row. They are small muscles that need 48 hours to recover. Most people train them 1-2 times per week.

4. Track Your Progress

This is the most important part of using a chart. If you don't track, you can't progress.

• Write everything down: Your chart should have space to log the exercise, weight used, sets, and reps completed each workout.
• The goal of every session: Try to do a little more than last time. This is called progressive overload. Next workout, aim to:

  • Add one more rep.

  • Or add a little more weight (e.g., 2.5 kg / 5 lbs).

  • Or perform the same weight with better, stricter form.

Sample Biceps Workout Charts

Chart 1: Hypertrophy (Muscle Growth)

This chart is built to maximize muscle size by focusing on the ideal rep range and a variety of exercises to fatigue the muscle fibers and stimulate muscle tissue growth. The goal is to create a strong pump and stimulate growth.

Chart 2: Strength

This chart focuses on lifting heavier weights for fewer reps to build raw power and overall strength. The longer rest periods are crucial for allowing your muscles to fully recover for the next heavy lift.

Chart 3: Endurance

This chart is designed for high-volume training with lighter weights to improve muscle endurance and definition. The shorter rest times keep your heart rate up and blood flowing to the muscles.

Chart 4: Beginner Workout Chart

This chart is for those new to lifting. It focuses on foundational exercises with dumbbells to help you learn proper form and build a solid base of strength.

Chart 5: Intermediate Workout Chart

This chart is for lifters who have mastered the basics and are ready to increase intensity. It combines classic exercises with more advanced isolation movements and a slightly higher volume to promote continued growth.

Chart 6: Advanced Workout Chart

This chart is for experienced lifters looking to push their limits. It incorporates advanced techniques like heavier loads and compound movements to challenge the biceps in new ways and break through plateaus.

Chart 7: At-Home Workout Chart (Minimal Equipment)

This chart is designed for a home setting with just a pair of dumbbells. It uses different variations of the same exercises to target the biceps from multiple angles without needing a full gym setup.

Chart 8: Biceps Workout Chart for Those Short on Time

This chart is for when you're in a hurry but still want an effective workout. It uses compound and high-tension exercises to get the job done in a short amount of time.

How to Effectively Use These Charts

Pick the Right Chart for You: Don't just pick the hardest one. Be honest about your experience and goals.

• If you are new to lifting, start with the Beginner chart.
• If your main goal is to get bigger arms, use the Hypertrophy chart.
• If you only have dumbbells at home, use the Home Workout chart.
• Stick with your chosen chart for at least 6-8 weeks before switching to a different one. This gives your body time to adapt and grow.

Warm Up First: Never start with heavy weights on cold muscles. A simple warm-up helps prevent injuries and makes your workout better.

Focus on Form: Always use proper technique during each exercise. Good form protects your joints and helps target your biceps better.

Increase Intensity Gradually: As you get stronger, add more weight or do more reps to keep challenging your muscles. Avoid sudden jumps to prevent injury.

Write Everything Down: This is the superpower of using a chart. Your memory is not good enough.

• Track your workouts: Before you start, write down the exercises, sets, and reps you plan to do.
• Log your progress: During your workout, write down the exact weight you used for each set and how many reps you completed.
• Why this works: Next week, you can look at your chart and know exactly what to beat. Your goal is to either:

  • Add one more rep with the same weight.

  • Add a little more weight (even 2.5 lbs / 1 kg) for the same number of reps.

Rest and Recover: Give your muscles time to heal between workouts by resting at least 48 hours before training biceps again.

Be Consistent: Use the chart regularly. Consistency is key to building muscle and strength over time.

Benefits of Biceps Training

Improved Lifting and Carrying Strength: Your biceps are a key muscle for any pulling or lifting motion. Whether you’re carrying groceries, moving furniture, or lifting a child, strong biceps make these tasks easier and safer. They are essential for a wide range of daily activities.

Enhanced Performance in Other Exercises: Strong biceps are a major component of many compound exercises. They play a supporting role in back workouts (rows, chin-ups) and help stabilize the elbow/shoulder during pressing movements when doing chest workouts. This means that focusing on your biceps can lead to stronger performance across your entire upper body routine.

Better Joint and Tendon Health: Consistent, proper biceps training strengthens the muscles, tendons, and ligaments around your elbow joint. This helps to stabilize the joint and can reduce the risk of injury, especially from repetitive lifting or pulling motions. Building biceps strength can protect your elbow and shoulder joints by providing better support during activities.

Increased Muscle Mass and Metabolism: Like any other form of resistance training, biceps workouts contribute to an increase in overall muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism is, which helps your body burn more calories even when you're at rest.

Improved Aesthetics and Confidence: Let’s be honest, well-defined biceps look great. Building them can boost your self-confidence and body image, serving as a visible sign of your dedication and hard work in the gym. This positive feedback can be a powerful motivator to keep you consistent with your fitness goals.

Best Supplements for Your Biceps Workout

1. Anafuse by Vital Alchemy

AnaFuse is a natural anabolic muscle-building supplement designed to help users add lean muscle mass while preserving gains. It works by modulating myostatin (a protein that limits muscle growth) and increasing protein synthesis to allow your muscles to grow beyond the body's natural genetic limits.

The formula boosts endurance, reduces muscle soreness, and accelerates recovery. Anafuse also promotes powerful muscle pumps by increasing blood flow to the muscles during workouts.

Key Benefits:

• Supports lean mass gains without water retention
• Aids in modulating myostatin to unlock greater muscle growth potential
• Enhances muscle endurance and exercise capacity
• Speeds muscle recovery and reduces soreness
• Increases muscle hardness and density
• Promotes intense muscle pumps
• All-natural multi-compound formula

Key Ingredients:

• Epicatechin
• Ajuga Turkestanica
• HICA
• Eriobotrya Japonica
• Vitamin D3
• Quercetin

Customer Reviews

Anafuse is legit

“If you're looking to get stronger and improve workouts try this”

-John D. 

Anafuse

“I have taken Anafuse before and it's great. This supplement has very little sides which was my favorite part. The value is also really nice as well. I ran Anafuse for 6 weeks and put on great lean mass along with increased endurance and vascularity. I would recommend to anyone who is serious about bodybuilding and taking their workouts to the next level”

-meadems

Stuff works great

“I have noticed being much leaner and just look toned since taking it..”

-Gary B.

2. Pepti-Bolic by SNS

Pepti-Bolic represents a next-generation approach to muscle building using AI-discovered natural anabolic peptides. Its key ingredients, PeptiStrong® (from fava beans) and DL185™ (a di-leucine peptide), work synergistically to significantly boost muscle protein synthesis and activate mTOR pathways.

Key Benefits:

• Stimulates muscle protein synthesis
• Supports faster muscle recovery
• Enhances nitrogen retention for muscle growth
• Promotes lean muscle mass gains
• May improve strength and workout performance
• Supports anabolic environment in the body
• Peptide-based natural formulation

Key Ingredients:

• PeptiStrong™
• DL185™ (Dileucine)

Customer Reviews

Loving it so far!

“So far so good! Waiting to try it out for a month to see results but feeling stronger and looking leaner: delivery was fast and exactly what I expected. Great communication”

-Agape M.

3. AlphaBulk by Olympus Labs

AlphaBulk is a cutting-edge supplement that targets a novel pathway—Olfactory Receptors (ORs) in muscle and fat cells—to dramatically boost cyclic-AMP (cAMP) levels. This mechanism potently drives protein synthesis and lipolysis (fat breakdown) simultaneously.

Its flagship ingredients, purified α-Cedrene and α-Ionone, are supported by Tectochrysin to create a powerful synergistic effect for lean mass gains and fat loss.

Key Benefits:

• Promotes rapid muscle size and strength gains
• Enhances protein synthesis and muscle repair
• Supports fat loss while bulking
• Increases energy and reduces fatigue
• Improves workout stamina and endurance
• Includes natural anabolic ingredients
• Helps maintain lean muscle mass

Key Ingredients:

• α-Cedrene
• α-Ionone
• Tectochrysin PhytoFUSE
• Panax Ginseng Extract

Customer Reviews

Quality supplement

“I’m using this a in my pct and it’s been 3 weeks and I haven’t lost any weight.”

-DJ

Alpha Bulk

“I recently purchased Alpha Bulk two weeks ago and all I can say is WOW!!!! The only downside about the pills are the taste, I’m taking 3 pills daily on an empty stomach. I like to train that way. They give me more endurance and can get out an extra rep or two before failure. No size yet, I’m only two weeks in. I ordered 2 bottles to run so I’m hoping to get a bit vascular full size.”

-LaMichael W.

Stellar Pumps and Vascularity!

“About 3 weeks in and man the pumps in the gym are incredible. Feel like Alphabulk really is starting to bring out my physique. Noticing it feels better when I am in a caloric surplus. Also I am just now seeing the strength increases. Each week the weight and reps are going up on my bench and squat. Excited to see how 8 weeks treats me.”

-Tony H.

4. Animal Creatine HMB+ by Universal Nutrition

Animal Creatine HMB+ combines creatine monohydrate and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) to boost muscle growth and strength. Creatine enhances energy production in muscles for improved power output, while HMB reduces muscle breakdown and supports recovery.

This blend helps increase muscle size, strength, and endurance during training. It also improves muscle retention during calorie deficits, making it ideal for both bulking and cutting phases.

Key Benefits:

• Increases muscle strength and power
• Reduces muscle breakdown during workouts
• Supports faster muscle recovery
• Enhances muscle size and endurance
• Combines creatine and HMB for synergistic effects
• Helps preserve muscle during fat loss
• Improves overall workout performance

Key Ingredients:

• Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol)
• Creatine Monohydrate
• Calcium (from myHMB calcium β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate Monohydrate)
• Phosphorus
• Magnesium
• Sodium
• Potassium

5. Bio-Active Whey by Isatori

Bio Active Whey is a high-quality whey protein supplement that supports muscle growth and recovery. It contains fast-digesting whey protein isolates, hydrolysate and concentrates with added bioactive peptides to enhance muscle protein synthesis.

The formula also includes digestive enzymes to improve nutrient absorption for better muscle fueling. Ideal for post-workout nutrition, this whey supports lean muscle gains and reduces muscle soreness. It is low in sugar and fat, making it suitable for clean bulking.

Key Benefits:

• Combines concentrate, isolate, and hydrolysate for fast and sustained release.
• Provides fast-absorbing whey protein
• Enhances muscle protein synthesis
• Supports rapid muscle recovery
• Contains digestive enzymes for better absorption
• Low in sugar and fat for clean nutrition
• Promotes lean muscle mass gains
• Reduces post-workout muscle soreness

Key Ingredients:

• Whey Protein Blend including Isolate, Concentrate, and Hydrolysate
• Bio Active Peptides extracted from Colostrum
• MCTs

Customer Reviews

Great product!

“It's great tasting, super easy to digest, no bloating, easy to mix, and a great formula! I've been recommending it to all my friends, thanks!”

-JC

Great taste!

“Tastes good, easy to mix and no bloating.

And the price beats every other product out there with the same level of quality”

-TS

Final Thoughts

A well-planned biceps workout chart provides structure and clarity to arm workout routines. Including a variety of exercises ensures all parts of the biceps receive attention.

Different training goals, like muscle growth, strength, and endurance, each require specific focus within the chart. Using such charts helps track progress and ensures balanced development.

The sample charts offer options for beginners through advanced lifters, as well as those training at home or with limited time.