We all want bigger arms and fitness coach Jeff Nippard is showing us how to make it happen using science. In a recent YouTube video shared on October 19, 2024, Nippard ranked 22 of the best and worst biceps exercises, providing insight and tips to grow the muscle.
Jeff Nippard is a natural bodybuilder and powerlifter, boasting years of expertise in competing and in academia. He caters to over 5.78 million subscribers on his thriving YouTube channel, blending science-based education with on-the-ground gym experience.
Nippard has worked with fellow masterminds of fitness like physiologist Dr. Mike Israetel. He continues to offer free-to-consumer material that people of varying fitness levels can apply to their workouts, making him invaluable to the community.
Jeff Nippard’s Framework for Effective Biceps Exercises
1. Stretch and tension
2. It needs to feel good (doesn’t cause pain)
3. Simple progression (means you can easily add weight or reps from week to week)
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Nippard’s Ranking System
S tier – My favorite. Do them if you can.
A tier – Strongly recommend.
B tier – I still do these in certain contexts. There may be better options.
C tier – There are better options for most people. Can still have value in some contexts.
D tier – Probably not a great option for most people.
F tier – Generally not recommended.
Anatomy of the Bicep
- Short Head (sits on inside of arm)
- Long Head (sits on back of arm)
- Brachiallis (sits underneath the biceps)
Jeff Nippard Ranks 22 of the Best and Worst Biceps Exercises for Muscle Growth Using Science
Barbell Curl – B Tier
“Tension on the biceps isn’t exactly optimal. The hardest part of the range is when the elbow is at 90 degrees, and above that, tension goes down, and below that, tension also goes down until it reaches zero tension at the very bottom.”
EZ Bar Curl – A Tier
“It’s the same thing except the handles curve in a way that eases up some torque on my wrists. I use the outer part of the EZ bar because the shoulder-width grip feels more comfortable,” says Nippard. “I actually really like the EZ bar curl especially as a heavy free weight bicep movement.”
Standing DB Curl – A Tier
“The dumbbell curl loses one point for the suboptimal tension curve but it’s still a very convenient exercise that will still grow your arms. It’s also nice that you get to work each side individually which can help fix bicep size asymmetries,” he states.
DB Preacher Curl – S Tier
“Doing your dumbbell curls as preacher curls immediately makes the exercise better. That’s because angling your upper arm, you actually pull more tension into your biceps in the stretched position.”
Incline Curl – A Tier
“Since we now have that study showing that they are a bit worse than preacher curls, they have to go in a lower tier. I still do them from time to time since they are a solid lengthened bias movement.”
Lying DB Curl – A Tier
“While they do look a bit wonky, they actually felt pretty solid. You get this huge stretch, especially near the top of the bicep close to your shoulder. This felt great to me but if you have shoulder issues you might want to skip this one.”
Scott Curl – C Tier
“It’s basically just a preacher curl with a vertical arm,” says Nippard. “I don’t think it’s the best biceps exercise. That’s because by placing your arm vertically, you remove all the tension in the stretched position.”
Flat Bench Curl – B Tier
“Doing curls this way will cause the highest bicep tension in the most stretched position and then tension drops off throughout the positive. I was doing these for a while as I high-rep finisher but I found myself gravitating back toward the standard 45-degree preacher curl lately.”
Machine Preacher Curl – S Tier
“The machine preacher curl has the added benefit of being nice and locked in. I only do these in the bottom half of the range to emphasize the stretch more. I do these every single week. They are easily going in S tier.”
Waiter Curl – F Tier
“This is probably the most gimmicky bicep exercise that I actually see people do. It cranks your wrist, the plate feels awkward, and you’re limited with overload.”
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Drag Curl – C Tier
“The drag curl does have potential. By moving your arm back as you curl, you do put the bicep under a greater degree of stretch. However, as you curl, you’re shortening the bicep at the elbow joint while simultaneously lengthening it at the shoulder joint.”
Spider Curl – C Tier
“The spider curl is the other overrated exercise. By shifting your arms forward in front of your body, you’re putting your biceps in a very shortened position. So, at no point in this range of motion will your biceps experience a high degree of stretch.”
Chin-Ups – B Tier
“There’s a pretty solid range of motion at the elbow joint. Out of all the back exercises, I do think these will grow your biceps the most. However, because so much of your back musculature is also involved, it’s unlikely that your biceps will be the limiting factor.”
21s – C Tier
“This is a fun way to challenge your arms but I just don’t think it’s in the right order. Traditional 21s has you hit the lengthened part first which is probably the most anabolic, then you hit the shortened part which is the least anabolic, and then the full range of motion last.”
Standard Cable Curl – A Tier
“The standard cable curl is good but not great. By having your arms at your sides, you don’t get a big pre-stretch in your biceps. I still do include these periodically though because you do get this nice even tension throughout the range of motion.”
Face Away Bayesian Cable Curl – S Tier
“By flipping around and facing away from the cable, you immediately improve the tension profile. By placing your arms back behind your torso, you get maximum stretch on the biceps and you still get that nice even tension throughout the range.”
Bayesian Cable Curl Variation – A Tier
“The cool thing about this variation is you actually get this 90-degree angle between the cable and the forearm while the bicep is most stretched.
This means you’re getting maximum tension on the biceps while they are in their most stretched position.”
Cheat Curl – A Tier
“By using a little momentum to help get the weight moving, you can curl up a bit more load and resist and control that load on the very anabolic negative phase,” said Nippard. “A properly executed cheat curl can be great for biceps growth.”
Strict Curl – A Tier
“Here you maintain very strict technique by bracing against a wall with three points of contact,” shared Nippard. “You direct all the tension coming from the bar into your biceps. Unlike the cheat curl, there’s no tension being lost in your hips or lower back.”
Hammer Curl – A Tier
“By taking a neutral grip and pointing your thumb up, you take your biceps out of supination. This means the biceps probably will be less active on hammer curls than on standard curls.
However, remember, there’s this other big muscle that sits directly underneath the biceps called the brachialis, and the brachialis will be very active on hammer curls.”
Preacher Hammer Curl – S Tier
“If you do your hammer curls while braced against a preacher bench, you instantly improve the resistance profile.”
Inverse Zottman Curl – A Tier
“This means you get the advantage of hammer curls on the positive for the brachialis and the advantage of supinated curls on the negative for biceps.”
Best Biceps Exercise: Face-Away Bayesian Cable Curl
Worst Biceps Exercise: Waiter Curl
Nippard has made it his mission to rank the best and worst exercises of various muscle groups. From the chest and triceps to the back and quads, his followers can curate his findings to produce evidence-supported workout routines.
Out of 22 different exercises to build the biceps, Nippard chose face-away Bayesian cable curls as his favorite. The next time you hit biceps at the gym, give some of these exercises a try to see what works best for you and your physique.
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