8 CrossFit Bicep Workouts (Increase Arm Strength & Size)

The barbell curl is the master of curl workouts. This is the most traditional approach to exercising the bicep curl and should not be overlooked.

Keeping a firm hold on the barbell can help condition your elbows for higher-impact moves such as snatches and jerks, in which you will receive a heavy weight overhead with arms extended.

How to perform:

1. With an underhand grip, grab a V-bar  or Olympic bar about shoulder width apart (palms facing up).
2. Stand tall with your feet together (you may find it more relaxing to put one foot back for support), your back in a straight line, and your arms fully extended.
3. The bar shouldn't come into contact with your body.
4. Keeping your eyes ahead, slowly curl the bar, elbows tucked down at your sides, and your body motionless.
5. Squeeze your biceps firmly at the top of the action, then gradually drop them down to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

3. Push-ups

Although conventional push-ups don't stimulate the biceps muscle, adjusting your hand posture when performing the push-ups can make this muscle more significant in the movement.

The best way to target your biceps is to do inside push-ups with reversed hands.

"Moving your hands down your chest and inverting their position will result in a greater arm-curling action, which is critical for biceps targeting."

- Daniel Bubnis, NASM Certified Personal Trainer

How to perform:

1. Begin in a regular push-up position.
2. Turn your hands so that the fingers face the wall behind you.
3. Adjust your hands so that they are parallel to your mid-back.
4. Descend, tucking the elbows as close to your body as possible.
5. When your chest nears the floor, push upwards to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

The EZ-bar preacher curls improve arm power and target your biceps. This workout makes use of a curved bar.

The primary goal of this curved bar is to relieve wrist stress, allowing you to concentrate on your biceps.

How to perform:

1. Grasp the EZ curl bar with a firm grip.
2. Stand upright, shoulders neutral, and in a comfortable position.
3. Squeeze your biceps briefly to curl the EZ barbell to your chest.
4. Drop the bar in a smooth motion while keeping your elbows bent. The pressure should be felt on your elbows.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

5. Resistance Bands Hammer Curl

Rotating in resistance band mobility training is an excellent method to offer your joints a rest from free weights while accelerating recovery, which is especially important for CrossFitters.

If you've done a bunch of pressing movements during the week, resistance bands hammer curls are an excellent technique to repair some of the damage inflicted on the pressing muscles.

By flooding the antagonist muscles with fresh blood supply, you will reduce joint tension and prepare your body for another week of upper body presses.

How to perform: 

1. Hold the resistance band in each hand, palms facing each other, and loop it beneath your feet.
2. Bending your elbows, curl the band toward your shoulders without raising your upper arms. Your palms should always be facing each other.
3. Pause, then return to the starting position.
4. Repeat for reps.

There is a lot of dynamic kipping in CrossFit. This allows you to do more reps quickly, but it might be hard on your shoulders.

Pulling exercises are excellent for maintaining arm and shoulder health, mobility, and strength.

Chin-ups focus on shoulder mobility, pulling strength, and biceps growth all at the same time.

This functional activity will still provide better full-body development than a focused isolation action.

How to perform: 

1. Hang with a supinated grip on a quality pull-up bar (palms up).
2. With your arms wholly extended overhead, place your hands slightly outside shoulder width apart.
3. Maintain a firm hollow position in your midline throughout the exercise.
4. Tuck the pelvis under and squeeze your glutes to do this.
5. To complete each rep, raise your chin over the bar and drop yourself to a completely hanging, extended position.
6. Initiate every pull from the core to the extremities, first with the lats, then the shoulders, and ultimately your arms.

7. Dumbbell Hammer Curl

CrossFit requires a firm grip since it aids in all gymnastics pulling and hanging movements.

You'll also need a firm grip for moves using barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells. The hammer curl strengthens your forearms and biceps, making it an effective grip improver.

"A hammer curl is mainly about developing the thickness and general growth and strength of the forearm and arm, which will help with larger complex exercises with a more pronated grip, like wide grip pull-downs or pull-ups."

- Ray Buckton, Gymbox Personal Trainer

How to perform:

1. Begin by holding a pair of dumbbells and standing upright with them by your sides.
2. You should use a neutral grip, with your hands facing your body.
3. Bend your hands slightly to increase biceps tension.
4. Slowly curl the dumbbells as much as possible while keeping your torso stable and your elbows at your sides.
5. At the apex of the action, squeeze the biceps and then slowly drop the load to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Related: Dumbbell Crossfit Workout Routines To Transform Your Physique

The cable concentration curl is a strengthening workout that focuses on your biceps.

This isolated workout concentrates entirely on the biceps and aids muscle mass development.

Keeping proper posture during the exercise is essential for good results.

How to perform:

1. Position a flat bench in front of a low pulley cable machine.
2. Connect the straight bar to the low pulley cable. On the stack, choose the required weight.
3. Sit on the bench with both feet shoulder-width apart.
4. Using an underhand grip, grasp the bar with the palms facing up.
5. Place your elbows on the inside of your knees. Push out with the elbows and in with the knees while keeping your elbows in place. This will keep them locked during the activity.
6. Remove the slack from the cable to create tension in your biceps. This is your starting point.
7. Slowly curl the bar up until your hand is near your head.
8. Pause here, squeeze your biceps, and return to the starting position.
9. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

The biceps long head is located on the exterior of the upper arm.

It connects to the scapula at the shoulder, where its tendon travels straight through a grooved slot in the humerus bone and enters into the biceps tendon across the short head [3].

The long head also bends the elbow and causes supination (forearm or wrist twisting).

The long head rests beneath the short head and, when trained, aids in the growth of a thicker arm [4].

After a training session, you may achieve a lot in only five to ten minutes.

Combining two biceps exercises back-to-back will enable you to rest one bicep muscle while working the other.

This type of superset training increases muscular endurance while saving time with your aid exercise.

If you're going to superset exercises, do the first and then the next without any rest in between. After completing the entire set of both motions, take a little break and repeat.

3. Keep It Simple

There's no such thing as a perfect formula or a one-size-fits-all solution to programming.

While putting together your aid workouts, remember that it is supposed to supplement your training, not replace it.

Suitable aid exercise will improve power and muscle in trailing body regions that may impede your functional movement performance.

Strong biceps aren't simply for ripping your sleeveless shirts.

Building strong upper arms also helps you with daily duties such as lifting your children or moving your groceries into the trunk of your car.

As you strengthen your biceps, your wrists and forearms benefit as well.

The muscles engaged here are necessary for maintaining your grip during extensive training sessions focusing on functional exercises like farmer's carry.