Beginner Bicep Workout: Build Your First Curl Strength
This workout is for you if you are brand new to training your biceps — the muscles on the front of your upper arms. It walks you through five simple curling movements that build strength and muscle from the ground up, using weights you can control safely. Stick with this and you will start to feel and see the difference in your arms sooner than you might think.
What the research says
A few things the research tells us are worth knowing before you start. First, people are often working harder than they realize when they do exercises like bicep curls — meaning the weight they thought was easy enough to handle turns out to push them right to their limit. That is actually good news for you as a beginner, because it means even modest effort counts. Second, both dumbbells and machines can grow your bicep muscle — an eight-week study found both approaches led to clear bicep size increases, so the tools matter less than showing up and doing the work. Third, a study on training formats found that pairing exercises back-to-back (like a bicep move followed immediately by a tricep move) let people complete more total work in the same amount of time, compared to doing all sets of one exercise before moving on. That is worth keeping in mind as you get more experienced. Finally, early research on using real-time feedback tools — like wearable sensors — during bicep and tricep training found that people who got that live feedback stuck more closely to their target speed and rep counts, and showed measurable strength improvements over four weeks compared to a group without feedback.
Moderate — the findings come from real controlled studies with clear results, but several used small groups or short timeframes, so treat them as solid starting points rather than final answers.
A study of 53 healthy young adults found that, for the biceps curl, both men and women performed more than 8–12 repetitions with the weight they reported as their usual 10-rep load — meaning they underestimated how much they could actually do with that weight.
View study →An eight-week study of 46 subjects found that biceps muscle thickness increased significantly (p < 0.01) in both a free-weight training group and a machine training group, with no significant difference in biceps growth between the two groups.
View study →A study of 22 trained men comparing four training formats found that total volume (kg lifted) was significantly greater in the superset (SS) format compared to the traditional set (TS) format. Total repetitions completed were significantly greater for both the superset (SS) and circuit training (CT) formats compared to the traditional set (TS) format.
View study →A four-week comparative study found that a gamified resistance training program using wearable sensors significantly enhanced adherence to prescribed tempo and repetition targets compared to a conventional resistance training control group. Participants in the gamified group showed measurable improvements in upper-body strength in the biceps and triceps compared to the control group; however, the abstract does not report that these strength improvements were statistically significant versus the control.
View study →The routine
Main
Stand up with your torso upright and a dumbbell in each hand being held at arms length. The elbows should be close to the torso. The palms of the hands should be facing your torso. This will be your starting position. While holding the upper arm stationary, curl the right weight forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Continue the movement until your biceps is fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second as you squeeze the biceps. Tip: Only the forearms should move. Slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back to starting position as your breathe in. Repeat the movement with the left hand. This equals one repetition. Continue alternating in this manner for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Sit down on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand being held at arms length. Tip: Keep the elbows close to the torso.This will be your starting position. While holding the upper arm stationary, curl the right weight forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. As you do so, rotate the hand so that the palm is facing up. Continue the movement until your biceps is fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second as you squeeze the biceps. Tip: Only the forearms should move. Slowly begin to bring the dumbbell back to starting position as your breathe in. Repeat the movement with the left hand. This equals one repetition. Continue alternating in this manner for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Stand up with your torso upright while holding a barbell at a shoulder-width grip. The palm of your hands should be facing forward and the elbows should be close to the torso. This will be your starting position. While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Tip: Only the forearms should move. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second and squeeze the biceps hard. Slowly begin to bring the bar back to starting position as your breathe in. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Lie against an incline bench, with your arms holding a barbell and hanging down in a horizontal line. This will be your starting position. While keeping the upper arms stationary, curl the weight up as high as you can while squeezing the biceps. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Only the forearms should move. Do not swing the arms. After a second contraction, slowly go back to the starting position as you inhale. Tip: Make sure that you go all of the way down. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Attach a rope attachment to a low pulley and stand facing the machine about 12 inches away from it. Grasp the rope with a neutral (palms-in) grip and stand straight up keeping the natural arch of the back and your torso stationary. Put your elbows in by your side and keep them there stationary during the entire movement. Tip: Only the forearms should move; not your upper arms. This will be your starting position. Using your biceps, pull your arms up as you exhale until your biceps touch your forearms. Tip: Remember to keep the elbows in and your upper arms stationary. After a 1 second contraction where you squeeze your biceps, slowly start to bring the weight back to the original position. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Cooldown
Lie on your side, with your upper arm against the foam roller. The upper arm should be more or less aligned with your body, with the outside of the bicep pressed against the foam roller. Raise your hips off of the floor, supporting your weight on your arm and on your feet. Hold for 10-30 seconds, and then switch sides.
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your partner standing behind you. Extend your arms straight behind you with your palms facing each other. Your partner will hold your wrists for you. This will be the starting position. Attempt to flex your elbows, while your partner prevents any actual movement. After 10-20 seconds, relax your arms while your partner gently pulls your wrists up to stretch your biceps. Be sure to let your partner know when the stretch is appropriate to prevent injury or overstretching.
This entry is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice — if you have any pain in your elbows, wrists, or shoulders during any movement, stop and speak with a qualified health professional before continuing.