Everyone wants to improve the look of their arms: Guys want bigger muscles, women want them to be leaner and more toned. This part of the body is usually at the top of the priorities of people who try to get more out of their body through fitness , since it is one of the most visible to the naked eye. But you are not born with muscular, toned and strong arms: you have to work to achieve them . Unlike other muscles like the calves (the size of which is largely determined by genetics), the triceps and biceps can be developed relatively easily with constant hard work. In this article we show you the best bodyweight exercises for biceps that you can do if you want to work this muscle without going to the gym. You will only need your body and some additional elements such as a chin-up bar, resistance bands or TRX strings.
What are the best bodyweight exercises for strong and toned biceps?
Closed supine grip pull-ups
Pull-ups are famous for being a great exercise for the back, but depending on the type of grip you do, you can make them one of the best bodyweight exercises for biceps as well.
The closed supine grip chin-ups, that is, with the palms facing you and an opening at the height of the width of your shoulders , are better for developing the biceps than other exercises such as curls because of the amount of weight involved ( your entire body weight versus the weight of a dumbbell) and by the range of motion of your arms.
How to do them:
- Grab the bar with your palms facing or facing you, and a grip roughly the same width as your shoulder width.
- Squeeze your glutes and abs to keep your body in a straight line (like a pillar).
- As you pull your chest toward the bar, pull your shoulder blades back and down.
- When your chin is above the bar, take a short pause and then slowly lower yourself.
Inverted rowing
The inverted row is an exercise that works the biceps, the back and the core . Its mechanics are similar to that of normal rowing (standing, leaning forward and pulling a barbell with weight towards the chest), but instead of using weights, change the position to do it using only your own body, which makes it another one of the best bodyweight exercises for biceps. It is not recommended for beginners because it must be done with perfect technique to avoid injury , so it is best to take it easy.
How to do it
- Lie on the ground under a bar (or TRX bands).
- Grab the bar with your palms facing backward and shoulder-width apart.
- Contract your abs and try to keep your body straight like a plank
- Pull up until your chest touches the bar
- Go back to the starting position
Band and TRX Bicep Curls: The Two Best Bodyweight Exercises for Strong Biceps
The bicep curl is one of the most used exercises to develop this muscle , although we usually see athletes doing it with dumbbells. However, it is not necessary to use additional weight to work it, but we can do bicep curls using our body weight with the help of resistance bands or a TRX.
How to do it using resistance bands:
- Grab the two ends of a resistance band and place the center of the band under your feet like an anchor.
- Let your arms hang at the hips. You should notice slack in the band
- Keep your chest high.
- Bend your elbows to bring your hands to your shoulders, tightening the resistance band.
- Lower your arms slowly.
How to do it using a TRX:
Headbangers
This is one of the best bodyweight exercises for biceps, and also one of the most difficult. Although it starts from the same position as the chin-ups we saw earlier, the execution has nothing to do with it, since it is not about going up and down, but about straining with the biceps to move away and closer to the bar while you are suspended in the air.
How to do them
- Grab the bar with your palms facing or facing you, and a grip roughly the same width as your shoulder width.
- Squeeze your glutes and abs to keep your body in a straight line
- When you are hanging with your head above the bar, get closer and away from it using force with your arms
- Descend carefully.
