The 35 Best Biceps & Biceps Exercises In History

Boyer Coe

“I remember reading a copy of Joe Weider’s Muscle Builder magazine and seeing an article by Steve Reeves on biceps training. He wrote about doing dumbbell curls while sitting on an incline bench. That advice was good enough for me, so the first exercise I ever did for biceps was that incline dumbbell curl. As a matter of fact, it was the only biceps exercise I did for almost five years. All I did was eight to 10 sets of the good old incline curl, then I’d move on to triceps.” – Boyer Coe

Boyer Coe Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curl	3	8
Incline Dumbbell Curl	3	8
Machine Curl	3	8
Cable Curl	3	8
Reverse Incline Dumbbell Curl	3	8

Brian Buchanon

“Let’s be blunt and define the two qualities that a bodybuilder needs if he’s to have any chance of reaching the very top. First, he must be born with outstanding physique genetics–a natural ability to respond to training and build muscle. Second, he must have the mental tenacity, the will, to harness and develop that physical potential.” – Brian Buchanan

Brian Buchanon Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curl	5	6-8
Seated Dumbbell Curl	5	6-8
Cambered Bar Preacher Curl	5	6-8
Concentration Curl	5	8-10

Dorian Yates

“I also think you have less separation if you are fuller. If you go to the gym and pump your arms up they are bigger because of the blood volume, the fullness. But the separation is not so defined.” – Dorian Yates

Dorian Yates Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Incline Dumbbell Curls	1	6-8
EZ Bar Curls	1	6-8
Nautilus Curls	1	6-8

Ronnie Coleman

“Well it was a long hard road, but I loved every minute of it. I enjoyed the challenge. The road to becoming Mr. Olympia is all in the mind. Everyone puts such emphasis on the physical aspect of bodybuilding but really those who are mentally strong will succeed.” – Ronnie Coleman

Ronnie Coleman Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curls	4	12
Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls	4	12
Preacher Curls	4	12
Cable Curls	4	12

Paul Dillett

“I like using a rope instead of a handle for triceps movements. The rope pushdown is more of an isolation movement than a mass builder, because you can twist your arms out away from your body at the bottom. You’re not able to go as heavy with a rope as with a handle, but you get the full muscle-shaping and separating benefits.” – Paul Dillett

Paul Dillett Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curls	4-5	10-12
Preacher Curls	4-5	10-12
Concentration Curls	4-5	10-12

Lou Ferrigno

“I certainly don’t agree with the bodybuilders who say you can get big forearms just by squeezing the dumbbell handles when doing curls. In a few cases this may be true, but those guys would build big forearms by merely eating eggs in the morning. Most bodybuilders, myself included, have to work very hard for any kind of meaningful forearm development.” – Lou Ferrigno

Lou Ferrigno Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curls	2	15-20
Incline Dumbbell Curls	3-4	8-10
Preacher Curl	4	8-10

Frank McGrath

“First, the only person you have anything to prove to is yourself. Second, you can watch life with your nose pressed up against the glass. Or you can swing the doors open and step inside.” – Frank McGrath

Frank McGrath Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curls	3	12-16
EZ Bar Curls	3	8-12
Dumbbell Curls	3	10-12

Serge Nubret

“Genetics help to some degree, but the most important thing is the mind and the spirit. These two are even more powerful than physical characteristics that are passed on.” – Serge Nubret

Serge Nubret Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curl	8	12
Dumbbell Curl	8	12

Reg Park

“As your bodybuilding aims become higher, obviously you have to work harder, until, believe it or not, you are performing from 20-30 sets of both biceps and triceps three workouts per week.” – Reg Park

Reg Park Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curls	5	5-8
Incline Dumbbell Curls	5	5-8

Shawn Ray

“Be sure to use different exercises with every workout. Always confuse the muscles iinto new growth.” – Shawn Ray

Shawn Ray Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curls	4	8-10
Dumbbell Preacher Curls	4	8
Concentration Curls	4	10-12

Dave Draper

“The bis and tris and thighs didn’t go home this hungry Saturday without drawing blood, either. The whole greedy lot got in on the act.” – Dave Draper

Dave Draper Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Curls	5	6
Sitting Dumbbell Curls	5	6
Incline Dumbbell Curls	5	6

Marcus Ruhl

“From reading bodybuilding magazines, I realized the folly of my initial workouts. That’s when I decided to devise my own program. Everything intensified. Weight and sets increased, and I went on a six-day program, training one bodypart a day, with Sundays off. This time, my goal in every workout was to get a great pump with heavy weight.” – Marcus Ruhl

Marcus Ruhl Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Machine Preacher Curls	4	8-10
Dumbbell Curls	4	6-10
Standing Two Arm Cable Curls	4	8-10

Nasser El Sonbaty

“I don’t have a favorite body part nor do I have a favorite exercise. Everyone who is honest prefers machines over free-weights, because machines are more convenient and cause less muscle pain and require less concentration and are generally less dangerous. BUT, if you like to have real gains you have to train hard and heavy, and you have to chose always the LEAST favorite exercises which actually give you the best possible results. So go for the least favorite exercises, the free weights… and go for the muscle pain!” – Nasser El Sonbaty

Nasser El Sonbaty Bicep Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps
No information available.

Marko Savolainen

“What I would like to bring from the ‘90s bodybuilding to this day is the hardness of the muscles that guys back then had. The best example of this is Dorian Yates. These days guys are bigger but a little bit smoother or puffy looking, especially on some body parts like arms and shoulders. But I think there’s a reason for that.” – Marko Savolainen