Ditch the Curls: 7 More Effective Exercises for Bigger, Stronger Biceps + Workout

Whether you are a bodybuilder, athlete, gym bro, or fitness fan, you probably have at least a passing interest in the size and strength of your arms. This makes perfect sense, given how prominent the arms are and their critical role in appearance and function.

For many exercisers, this means curls are a big part of their upper body workouts. That’s not really surprising, as curls are not only an effective movement but also make your arms look great.

I mean, who doesn’t love standing in front of the mirror pumping out barbell or dumbbell curls? It’s addictive!

As a personal trainer with over three decades of experience, I’ve helped hundreds of people sculpt the arms of their dreams, and curls often feature in the workouts I write. However, I also recognize that curls are not the only way to build strong, muscular, shapely arms. In fact, there are lots of alternatives you can use to create awesome arms.

In this article, I share my top seven curl alternatives for jacked arms.

The Curl Alternatives for Jacked Arms

While it may feel sacrilegious to say it, a steady diet of nothing but curls can eventually become boring – even if they do deliver a sleeve-busting pump. So, spice up your arm workout with these trainer-approved curl alternatives.

1. Chin-Ups

Chin-ups are a classic back builder that also delivers an incredible biceps workout. With chin-ups, you essentially curl your shoulders up to the bar instead of curling weights to your shoulders. This allows you to use more weight than you could ever use for curls, making chin-ups a superior arm strengthening exercise.

Steps:

1. Hang from an overhead bar with an underhand, slightly narrower than shoulder-width grip. Bend your legs so your feet are clear of the floor.
2. Brace your core and pull your shoulders back and down.
3. Bend your arms, drive your elbows to the rear, and pull your chin up and over the bar.
4. Descend under control and repeat.

Tips:

• Wear a weighted vest or suspend a dumbbell around your waist to make this exercise more demanding.
• Pause at the top of each rep and flex your biceps for 2-3 seconds to get even more from this exercise.
• Use a resistance band for assistance if you are unable to do bodyweight chin-ups:

2. Farmer’s Walk – 90-Degree Arms

Muscles generate force in three ways – as they shorten (concentric contraction), lengthen (eccentric contraction), and statically (isometric contraction). All three types of contraction build strength and muscle mass (1). This unique exercise works your biceps isometrically, and it’s a great option for anyone who enjoys a more dynamic arm workout.

Steps:

1. Hold a barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells, or any other weight using a supinated or palms-up grip. Pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your core.
2. Curl the weight up until your elbows are flexed to 90 degrees and your forearms are roughly parallel to the floor.
3. Keeping your arms locked in tight, go for a walk around your training area.
4. Continue until you are unable to keep your weights up.

Tips:

• Use one weight instead of two to increase lateral core engagement.
• No space to walk around? Do flexed-arm step-ups instead.
• You can also do this exercise with a neutral “hammer” grip, increasing forearm engagement.

Related: Isotonic vs. Isometric Exercises – Differences, Benefits, and Examples

3. Eccentric Isometric Front Curled Good Morning

Snappy name, right?! You won’t see many people doing this exercise, and that’s a shame because it’s a certified biceps killer. Because it’s an isometric movement, the front curled good morning lets you lift heavy weights, making it ideal for building muscle mass and strength. Try it – I think you’re going to like it.

Steps:

1. Hold your weight(s) with an underhand grip. Curl the weights up to your shoulders. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
2. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.
3. Keeping your arms bent, hinge forward from your hips and lean over until your upper body is roughly parallel to the floor. Do not allow your elbows to open/extend.
4. Stand back up and repeat.

Tips:

• Do this exercise with dumbbells or a barbell as preferred.
• You can also do this exercise with a cable machine or resistance band.
• Use one weight instead of two to engage your lateral core more.

4. Reverse Grip Push-Up

Push-ups are primarily a chest, shoulders, and triceps exercise. However, one small change flips the script and turns them into a pretty decent biceps exercise. But be warned; this exercise can be hard on your elbows and shoulders. So, proceed with caution, especially if you already have cranky joints.

Steps:

1. Adopt the push-up position with your arms, legs, and body straight.
2. Turn your hands so your fingers are pointing toward your feet.
3. Keeping your elbows tucked into your sides, bend your arms and lower your chest to the floor.
4. Extend your arms and repeat.

Tips:

• Thoroughly warm up your wrists, shoulders, and elbows before attempting this exercise.
• Make this exercise more wrist and elbow-friendly by using parallettes or push-up handles.
• Reduce the difficulty of this exercise by resting on your knees.

5. Supinated Inverted Row

While chin-ups are a fantastic back and biceps exercise, I acknowledge they are too challenging for some people. The good news is that you can achieve a similar training effect more easily with supinated inverted rows. This is an excellent option for beginners and heavier exercisers.

Steps:

1. Using a Smith machine or barbell in a squat rack, set the bar to about waist height.
2. Sit below the bar and hold it with a supinated or underhand shoulder-width grip.
3. Extend your legs, lean back, and lift your hips off the floor so your body is straight.
4. Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull your chest up to meet the bar.
5. Extend your arms and repeat.

Tips:

• Bend your legs and put your feet flat on the floor to make this exercise easier (i.e., table rows).
• Elevate your feet on a chair or bench to make this exercise more challenging.
• Replicate this exercise at home with a suspension trainer or gymnastic rings.

6. Reverse Grip Yates Row

This exercise is named after legendary bodybuilder Dorian “The Shadow” Yates. Famed for his incredible back development, this was his preferred way to do barbell rows. However, as well as being an excellent back builder, this movement also delivers a primo biceps workout. Do this exercise, and you’ll have Olympian-sized biceps in no time – maybe!

Steps:

1. Hold a barbell with an underhand, shoulder-width grip.
2. Brace your core, pull your shoulders back and down, and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
3. Hinge forward from the hips until your upper body is inclined to about 45 degrees.
4. Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and row the bar into your abdomen.
5. Extend your arms and repeat.

Tips:

• Keep your wrists straight throughout to reduce joint strain and avoid taking work away from your biceps.
• Keep your lower back slightly arched to minimize your risk of injury.
• You can also do this exercise with dumbbells or a low cable machine.

7. Mixed-Grip Deadlift

When it comes to biceps training, the deadlift is not one of the exercises most people think of. However, in my experience, mixed-grip deadlifts put a massive amount of strain through your biceps, which can trigger unprecedented muscle growth. It’s no coincidence that many powerlifters have huge biceps despite doing very little direct arm training.

Steps:

1. Place your barbell on the floor and stand behind it so your toes are underneath. Your feet should be about shoulder to hip-width apart.
2. Squat down and hold the bar with a mixed grip, i.e., one hand forward and one hand backward.
3. Straighten your arms, drop your hips below your shoulders, lift your chest, and brace your core.
4. Drive your feet into the floor and stand up straight.
5. Push your hips back and lower the bar back to the floor.
6. Reset your core and grip, and repeat.

Tips:

• Switch your hand position set by set to work both arms equally.
• Use lifting straps if you need a stronger grip.
• Never sacrifice good form for more weight or reps. The deadlift is a great exercise, but it can be as much a back breaker as it is a strength builder!

Related: Deadlift Form 101: How to Lift More Weight Safely

The No-Curl Jacked Biceps Workout

While you could just add any of these exercises to your arm workout, you’ll make much better progress if you follow a more prescriptive approach to training. So, to that end, here is a tried and tested arm workout featuring several of the exercises from this article. Do this workout 1-2 times per week for best results.

But before you start, make sure you spend a few minutes warming up and preparing your muscles and joints for what you are about to do. Begin with 5-10 minutes of easy cardio followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for your elbows, wrists, shoulders, and lower back.

Ready to work? Then let’s do it!

	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Recovery
1	Mixed-Grip Deadlift	4*	6-8	2 minutes
2	Chin-Up	3	AMRAP**	90 seconds
3	Farmer’s Walk – 90-Degree Arms	3	15-20 yards	90 seconds
4	Reverse Grip Yates Row	2	10-12	60 seconds
5	Reverse Grip Push-Up	1***	50	N/A

*Alternate your grip set by set.

**AMRAP = As Many Reps as Possible: Rep out to failure.

***Complete all 50 reps in as few sets as possible.

Closing Thoughts

While there is nothing inherently wrong with curls, you can have too much of a good thing. Do curls too often, and they can become boring and may even lose some of their potency. In addition, some people simply do not enjoy curl-type exercises.

The good news is that you don’t have to do curls to build picture-perfect arms. There are numerous exercises that are as good as curls and some that may even be better. Chin-ups, for example, let you lift much heavier loads than you could ever hope to curl, making them a far superior strength builder.

So, whether you are bored of curls or just want to train your arms in conjunction with the rest of your body, the seven exercises revealed in this article will get the job done. They’re among my favorite arm builders, and after trying them, I reckon they’ll quickly become your favorites, too.

Questions? Comments? Please drop me a line below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

Related:

• Biceps Curl Variations to Build Your Best Arms Ever
• How To Do Dumbbell Curls – Tips, Benefits, Variations and More
• Barbell Curl: How To, Benefits, Muscles Worked, and Variations
• How To Do Cable Curls: Tips, Benefits, Variations and More

References:

1. Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 4;16(24):4897. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16244897. PMID: 31817252; PMCID: PMC6950543.

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