Strengthen Your Biceps With These 5 Home Workouts

When it comes to strengthening and growing your biceps, there are several exercises you can do.

First, let's look at the purpose of the bicep muscle to fully understand its role in the human body.

Functions of the bicep

The bicep muscle is located in the upper arm area. It's responsible for lifting the forearm, rotating it inwards and outwards, flexing the elbow, and assisting with shoulder elevation.

So the bicep, as a functional muscle, helps us lift, carry, hold and reach. Without it, our arms wouldn't be able to do all of the things we need them for.

So now we've explored the function and location of the bicep... how can we learn to make them bigger and stronger? 

Continue reading to learn home workouts that will strengthen your biceps!

Home workouts for bigger and stronger bicep muscles

If you have your own personal equipment, that would be a massive advantage. But working out in your home can be an incredible luxury without the hassle of sharing your workout space! 

Let’s explore some exercises together to help get you bulk your biceps.

Exercise 1: Pull-ups or chin-ups

Pull-ups are an excellent exercise to build upper body strength, particularly for forearms, back muscles, and they work wonders on your biceps. 

Chin-ups are a variation of pull-ups that focus more on the biceps. You can do these at home with resistance bands, a pull-up bar, or you can even hang a towel around the top of your door - nice!

Here’s how you can do a pull-up

1. Grab your pull up bar, resistance band, or towel with your hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing forward
2. Make sure your core is engaged
3. Pull up with your back muscles and make sure your chin passes the bar
4. Hold for 1-2 seconds, then drop back down and repeat the rep again 

The main difference between a pull-up and a chin-up is that you hold the bar with your hands closer in as opposed to shoulder-width apart to work more of your biceps as opposed to your forearms.  

Complete this 8-12 times to finish 1 set. We encourage you to do 3 sets total.

Exercise 2: Wall Handstand

The wall handstand is a great at-home exercise you can do that doesn’t require any equipment at all, apart from a wall! This exercise is excellent for building bicep strength.

Here are the steps to performing a quality wall handstand

1. Stand away from a wall by just a few feet
2. Bend at the waist and place your hands on the ground about shoulder-width apart
3. Plant your feet on the wall and begin walking up into a handstand position
4. Make sure to end in a position where your hands and arms are straight above your head 
5. See how long you can maintain this handstand position

Exercise 3: Backpack Curl

A great at-home exercise for beginners who might not have any equipment but are eager to work on their biceps nonetheless!

The only equipment you need is a backpack or similar bag or purse. This exercise is super easy and a great way to motivate beginners to use dumbbells. 

Here are the steps for performing a backpack curl:

1. Grab the straps on your backpack (make sure it's empty) with one hand each, feet shoulder-width apart, and arms at your sides
2. Bend your elbows to bring the backpack up to your chest and make sure biceps are squeezed and engaged
3. Lower the backpack slowly by straightening your arm

Complete this 8-12 times to complete 1 set. We encourage you to do 3 sets total.

Exercise 4: Close stance push-up

Push-ups aren’t just for the chest. With proper form, you can do a killer bicep workout as well!

This is how you target your biceps with the close stance push up

1. Move into a normal or standard push-up position
2. Place your hands close together, not shoulder-width apart like a standard push up, but closer together to really engage your biceps
3. Lower your body to the ground to get your elbows into a 45-degree angle position
4. Push back up and straighten your arms

Complete this 8-12 times to complete 1 set. We encourage you to do 3 sets total.

Exercise 5: Towel Bicep Curl

If you don’t have any weights at home, this super easy (but challenging) exercise is perfect for you! All you need is a towel.

1. Hold a towel with both hands, much like you would hold two dumbells for a simultaneous bicep curl
2. Try and pull the towel apart to keep your muscles engaged
3. Lift your arms up to your chest, then drop them back down slowly

Complete this 8-12 times to complete 1 set. We encourage you to do 3 sets total.

Going forward

Many of these exercises are easy, gym equipment free, but most of all, effective and fun! Try them all at home to see which ones work best for you. 

If you’re a beginner, remember to take it slow as your body will be getting used to these new bicep exercises. After trying these new exercises, you’ll be well on your way to getting bigger and stronger biceps in the very comfort of your own home!

Get In Touch With Us Today

If you’d like personal 1:1 care or want to learn more, please contact us at (410) 946-1672, or click here. We’ll get you in touch with one of our dedicated professionals. At True Sports Physical Therapy, your health is always front of mind! It’s our mission to help you get off the sidelines and back on your feet in the fastest and safest way possible.