High 11 Compound Bicep Workouts: Construct Larger, Stronger Arms

Rising your biceps requires cautious train choice that promotes essentially the most muscular development. One of the best actions to assist set off development in your arms are compound workout routines.

Under are the 11 greatest compound workout routines for biceps:

1. Chin Ups
2. Inverted Row
3. Cable Drag Curls
4. V-Bar Lat Pulldowns
5. Impartial Grip Pull Ups
6. One Arm Bent Over Cable Pulls
7. Supinated Lat Pulldowns
8. Seated Underhand Cable Rows
9. Swinging Dumbbell Hammer Curls
10. Dumbbell Hammer Grip Rows
11. Dumbbell Zottman Curls

This text will focus on this collection of compound bicep workout routines and why we need to promote compound lifts for arms versus single-joint actions. 

These workout routines vastly affect constructing large arms, and we’re right here to interrupt down the science. So, if you wish to develop robust and large biceps, don’t depart this web page but!

What Are the Variations Between Compound and Isolation Bicep Workouts?

The variations between compound and isolation workout routines contain the variety of joints and muscle mass used per motion. 

What’s an isolation train? An isolation train incorporates a single joint; on this case, the bicep can be skilled by means of the elbow joint. 

Compound arm workout routines incorporate 2 or extra joints, which for the bicep tends to imply the elbow joint and the shoulder joint. This implies we use a number of muscle teams. 

Compound workout routines is usually a good factor or a foul factor. 

It’s an excellent factor to make use of compound actions for arms since compound actions can overload your muscle mass extra and assist them get larger and stronger.

However should you select the unsuitable compound workout routines, the bicep could not take precedence. These compound workout routines received’t assist your biceps as a lot as isolation workout routines.

However some compound actions prioritize the bicep muscle and will be higher than isolation workout routines. 

Why Ought to You Do Compound Bicep Workouts?

Compound workout routines recruit a number of muscle teams, making the motion rather more exhausting. 

The extra exhausting and fatiguing a motion can turn out to be, the higher of a set off it’s to assist stimulate development and construct the muscle being skilled. That’s the science that helps justify why these 11 actions are so essential to coach. 

Regardless that the compound workout routines must do with principally “pulling” motions of motion, we’ve rigorously chosen 11 workout routines that recruit the bicep muscle as a consequence of:

Now, this record of compound actions are all higher than isolation workout routines for biceps. Let’s dive into the record! 

If you’re taking a look at not simply rising your biceps however your again as properly, try this text about the highest 15 compound again workout routines to carry out!

11 Finest Compound Bicep Workouts

To develop your arms, it’s best to implement compound lifts for biceps as these multi-joint actions are a testomony of energy for evoking the perfect response for development. 

Under we’ll focus on among the greatest bicep compound workout routines for arms. We’ll focus on not solely the execution of every motion however suggestions and advantages that every motion needs to be positioned in your subsequent exercise. 

1. Chin Ups

The chin up is definitely probably the greatest bicep compound workout routines on this record. The chin up requires the lifter to make use of an underhand grip, influencing elbow placement and putting extra resistance on the bicep muscle. It’s simply carried out on a pull up bar, which is almost definitely to exist at your native fitness center.

 Since you’re required to make use of physique weight for this motion, a complicated lifter would probably profit greater than a newbie. 

How To Do The Chin Up

1. Seize the pull up bar with an underhand grip, shoulder width aside. 
2. Whereas hanging, you’ll start to carry your physique upward in order that your chin is both stage or above the pull up bar.
3. After you have met this customary, slowly carry your physique downward and repeat this course of for the prescribed variety of reps per working set.

Professional Tip

I’d advocate that those that battle to carry out a chin up, attempt to concentrate on an “eccentric” or “unfavourable” rep chin up. Because of this whenever you carry out the motion, you attempt to concentrate on the downward section for no less than 5-6 seconds. The upward section is definitely the toughest half. 

Nevertheless, should you begin on the high of the motion and concentrate on the unfavourable side of the carry, this section of the carry is sort of exhausting. After 3-5 reps of doing this, your biceps will likely be screaming with exhaustion and able to develop!

If you wish to be taught extra about body weight workout routines for biceps, try this text that names the high 10 body weight workout routines you are able to do for biceps!

2. Inverted Row

The inverted row is often a back-dominant motion that grows your posterior chain. 

Nevertheless, the inverted row requires the arm’s highly effective flexors (the biceps) to be robust and able to performing this body weight motion. Since this motion is a better variation of a body weight train, it’s a pleasant motion for any newbie able to be taught.

This motion requires physique weight however will be manipulated in a couple of methods to enhance the engagement of the biceps to make it a powerful motion for bicep density. 

How To Do The Inverted Row

1. Place an empty barbell on j-hooks at nearly hip peak. 
2. Get beneath the barbell and place your grip shoulder-width aside.
3. Make certain your arms are immediately beneath the bar and vertical to the bottom whenever you seize the bar. 
4. Prolong your legs straight to make the motion tougher, or bend your knees to make the motion simpler. 
5. Start pulling your self to the bar, ideally with tight elbows to assist favor the bicep muscle.
6. After you’ve reached the bar, carry your self again all the way down to the beginning place and repeat this course of for the variety of reps prescribed. 

Professional Tip

The inverted row favors the again muscle mass. If you happen to change your grip from overhand to underhand, you place your biceps in a more durable place to carry out, that means they would be the major muscle used to generate motion, which helps them develop essentially the most.

3. Cable Drag Curls

The cable drag curl is a compound train that requires the lifter to twist a straight bar from a low pulley by dragging it towards the physique. Dragging the bar means the elbows are transferring backward, which causes the shoulder joint to be in movement. That is historically not the case with most bicep curling actions.

This variation of a typical bicep curl helps to focus on completely different fibers of the bicep muscle. And though it sounds superior, any lifter can profit from this motion of their program. This motion solely targets the bicep muscle mass, so it’s not like different actions on this article. 

How To Do The Cable Drag Curl

1. Regulate the pulley system, so the cable begins from the underside.
2. Use a straight bar attachment to hook up with the cable system.
3. Seize the straight bar, stand tall, and make sure the quantity of weight you select comes off the burden stack, so that you instantly start with resistance.
4. Begin the curling movement by dragging the bar up the physique till you attain the underside of your chest.
5. Whereas dragging, your elbows ought to transfer backward and require your shoulder joint to be in movement. This dragging movement helps make this bicep curl a extra rigorous variation than a typical cable bicep curl.
6. Maintain this place briefly on the high earlier than transferring all the way down to the beginning place.
7. Repeat this course of for the prescribed reps throughout the working set.

Professional Tip

As talked about above, the cable drag curl primarily works the bicep muscle and doesn’t incorporate the again muscle mass. This helps to supply variation to programming so you may isolate the bicep muscle with out doing a single joint train. 

If you happen to battle with the grip of the straight bar, you’re allowed to vary the attachment to one thing corresponding to an EZ bar or ropes to assist regulate your grip for consolation.

4. V-Bar Lat Pulldowns

The title of this motion alludes to the concept that it’s a back-dominant train. Nevertheless, as a result of the motion requires a v-bar attachment, the change of grip influences the elbow’s place throughout motion that accommodates to the elbow joint for recruiting extra of the bicep.

However though this train recruits the biceps, it additionally recruits the again muscle mass. In return, utilizing a number of muscle teams lets you load extra weight to assist strengthen each the biceps and the again muscle mass. This motion is usually a welcome addition to any program if positioned accurately. 

How To Do The V-Bar Lat Pulldown

1. Begin by attaching the v-bar to the lat pulldown pulley system. This attachment is pivotal and makes the motion extra bicep dominant.
2. As you pull the cable downward, lean again barely, so the attachment makes contact along with your higher chest.
3. Hold your elbows tight and near the perimeters of your physique in the course of the downward section and afterward in the course of the upward section.
4. Make certain each rep touches your chest. This will increase the vary of movement and places extra resistance on the elbow joint to additional flex and full every rep.

Professional Tip

If you happen to carry out a number of reps of this motion, you start to “yank” the burden downward and recruit extra of your again muscle mass than your biceps. 

To restrict this problem, I counsel you alter the tempo of this motion and begin to fatigue the muscle differently. As an alternative of doing greater than 10 reps on this train, maybe intention to do 6, 8, or 10 reps. 

However use quite a lot of tempos to enhance time below rigidity for extra exhaustion. 

5. Impartial Grip Pull Ups

The chin up was famous as a high compound train to coach the bicep muscle. Nevertheless, the chin up requires an underhand grip that may very well be a troublesome place to position your grip. 

The concept of the impartial grip pull up is that it’s a better variation of the chin up, however within the impartial place, you’re a lot stronger as a result of you aren’t recruiting solely your bicep muscle however your again muscle as properly. This could be excellent on your routine, however generally compromises must occur.

If you happen to proceed to battle with the impartial grip pull up as a compound bicep motion, attempt to use the earlier train, “v-bar lat pulldown,” because it primarily mimics this train as a pulling motion that recruits the bicep muscle for execution.

How To Do The Impartial Grip Pull Up

1. Seize the impartial grip of a pull up bar, that means your grip has your palms dealing with one another. If you happen to would not have entry to one of these pull up attachment, use a dip bar as an alternative. 
2. Whereas hanging, you’ll start to carry your physique upward in order that your chin is both stage or above the pull up bar.
3. After you have met this customary, slowly carry your physique downward and repeat this course of for the prescribed variety of reps per working set.

Professional Tip

You may attempt a impartial grip chin up. Or, if you need to concentrate on getting extra reps, attempt doing a “band-supported” variation.

You’ll take a resistance band, tie it to the highest of the attachment and both place your toes or knees by means of the band to help you throughout every rep. This may help you carry out this train with numerous ranges of resistance and alter the band’s measurement every now and then to assist overload your anatomy for future success!

If you happen to want extra time in your routine, how about supersetting biceps with chest workout routines too? Try this text concerning the 3 advantages of coaching biceps with chest on the identical day!

6. One Arm Bent Over Cable Pull

That is an thrilling train that may be executed utilizing a cable system or perhaps a resistance band. The concept of the one arm bent over cable pull is for the lifter to carry out an underhand row from a bent place towards the chest. Since it’s a pulling motion, the lifter will practice their again. 

Nevertheless, since this motion requires an underhand grip, it would principally recruit the bicep muscle mass to assist make this compound train a bicep-dominant variation in comparison with different pulling motions.

This train ought to cater to each novices and superior lifters. The one problem could be the setup and correct execution. Ensuring to tug whereas sustaining horizontal resistance is a should, so it’s essential to pay shut consideration throughout execution and to arrange the pulley system to fulfill the wants of this train.

How To Do The One Arm Bent Over Cable Pull

1. For this train to work, you should keep horizontal resistance all through the motion. To take action, set the pulley system to hip peak, so the cable stays stage with the ground (horizontal).
2. Seize the pulley, and stroll again till the burden comes off the burden stack to have speedy resistance. 
3. Bend over in order that your higher physique is stage with the ground and your head is immediately dealing with the pulley system.
4. After establishing your bent place, lengthen your arm and start performing the train.
5. Pull the cable in the direction of your chest and keep the underhand place whereas doing so. 
6. After you have pulled the cable to the highest of your chest, pause the motion briefly after which stretch your arm again to the beginning place. 
7. Repeated this course of for the variety of reps prescribed. 

Professional Tip

Many actions on this record require a cable pulley system. If that is unimaginable and you might want to carry out this motion, maybe use a resistance band as an alternative. 

Though the resistance band doesn’t present constant resistance all through every rep, the resistance will get tougher close to the tip of the carry, which is the strongest a part of the carry. One other tip can be to regulate your grip to accommodate discomfort whereas sustaining the underhand place. 

7. Supinated Lat Pulldown

The lat pulldown is a pulling train that recruits most of your again muscle mass. This entails the overhand grip and influencing your elbows to maneuver outward and inward throughout every rep. 

The supinated lat pulldown requires an underhand grip that retains the elbows from transferring outward and as an alternative requires the elbows to remain tight to the physique, accommodating the elbow joint for recruiting your bicep muscle mass.

Though this train is a pulling motion, the grip considerably impacts the quantity of recruitment between various muscle teams. It’s similar to a chin up and might permit the lifter to regulate their resistance. This implies you may go heavier than you’d on a chin up or lighter should you battle to do body weight workout routines.

 Which means this motion must be a pleasant variation to the chin up for any newbie who wants time to construct their energy.

How To Do The Supinated Lat Pulldown

1. Strategy the lat pulldown machine and place your palms on the bar with an underhand grip. 
2. Make certain your grip is shoulder width aside.
3. Whereas holding the attachment, sit and get positioned contained in the pulley system. 
4. Pull the cable in the direction of your higher chest whereas conserving the elbows near your sides.
5. As you proceed to tug the burden in the direction of your chest, begin leaning again barely to assist accommodate the touchpoint of your chest.
6. After making contact, carry the cable again to the beginning place and carry out the variety of reps prescribed for this train.  

Professional Tip

Guarantee that when performing the supinated lat pulldown, you lean again to enhance the trail of the motion. Many individuals will do any lat pulldown variation seated upright, which places extra pressure on the shoulder joint. If you happen to lean barely backward, that may enhance the motion and recruitment of the muscle desired. 

8. Seated Underhand Cable Row

When making a program targeted on bicep measurement and energy, choosing actions carried out from numerous angles and positions is essential. The seated underhand cable row is from a seated place, in contrast to different workout routines on this record. That’s why there’s a lot worth in together with this train as a compound bicep train. 

This train will practice your again muscle mass, however the grip being underhand will primarily have interaction your bicep muscle mass. The actual fact you carry out this from a seated place with out chest help additionally means it’s a must to have a powerful core which could be powerful on newbie lifters.

How To Do The Seated Underhand Cable Row

1. This train will be executed inside a predesigned seated cable rowing machine, or you are able to do this train seated on the ground with a straight bar attachment.
2. Get your palms on the straight bar with an underhand grip. 
3. Start pulling the cable in order that it stays horizontal and has a contact level just under your chest.
4. When you attain the right contact level, carry the cable again to the beginning place and repeat this course of for every rep prescribed. 

Professional Tip

If you happen to intention too low on the seated underhand cable row, you won’t recruit the bicep muscle accurately. 

You need the cable to remain horizontal in order that it’s “at stage” with the bottom so resistance is accurately displaced on the bicep muscle. If you happen to hold the cable horizontal, the contact level (the place the resistance will contact you) must be the decrease a part of your chest or near your abdomen. 

It’s additionally essential to be seated upright or leaning again barely so your again doesn’t turn out to be rounded. 

9. Swinging Dumbbell Hammer Curls

The swinging dumbbell hammer curl may seem to be an odd alternative for compound motion, however not each compound bicep train has to include pulling or movement. The actual fact you begin to “swing” the dumbbell means you’ll incorporate the shoulder joint for producing motion. 

The objective isn’t to coach the shoulder joint. The objective is to overload the bicep by getting a “partial” swing of the dumbbell that can assist you carry greater than regular weight.

As a result of this motion requires a selected technique of “partially” swinging the dumbbell, it’s a motion that may be greatest fitted to a complicated lifter, not a newbie. 

How To Do The Swinging Dumbbell Hammer Curl

1. Begin by holding the dumbbells with a hammer grip (impartial grip) and barely swing the burden upward utilizing the shoulder joint to achieve momentum.
2. Curl the burden barely previous 90 levels with the elbow, if potential.
3. Use as a lot management as potential when bringing the burden downward. This may assist recruit extra of the bicep muscle to assist fatigue it a lot quicker. Swinging the burden upward and downward wouldn’t fatigue the bicep muscle as a lot.
4. Alternate every rep to concentrate on one arm at a time.

Professional Tip

When doing the swinging dumbbell hammer curl, it’s meant to be executed utilizing alternating reps. 

Nevertheless, should you battle to carry out the motion or need an accommodating variation on your program, do each arms concurrently to evenly execute the swing of the movement for each arms.

10. Dumbbell Hammer Grip Rows

The dumbbell hammer grip row is a compound bicep train that recruits the bicep muscle by means of the rowing movement. As a result of this train makes use of a impartial grip, which helps to affect using the biceps for executing the motion. 

The impartial grip doesn’t essentially isolate the bicep muscle to take precedence, but it surely doesn’t permit it to get extra engagement than when utilizing an overhand grip. The sort of motion will be executed bent over or with chest help, relying on what different actions you’re performing and should you can keep posture with a powerful core.

How To Do The Dumbbell Hammer Grip Rows

1. This train requires a impartial grip of the dumbbells for efficiency.
2. You are able to do this motion bent over or with chest help.
3. To execute the motion correctly, row the dumbbells in the direction of your chest and guarantee your forearms keep vertical with the bottom in the course of the rowing movement.
4. Aiming too excessive may recruit extra of the higher again, and aiming too low may recruit extra of the decrease again. 

Professional Tip

If you’re a newbie or maybe battle with conserving posture as a consequence of a weak core, it’s best to do that motion with chest help. This helps to remove another muscular coordination wanted to make this motion profitable. If you’re superior, maybe do the motion bent over to problem extra elements of your physique than the pulling muscle mass. 

11. Dumbbell Zottman Curls

The dumbbell Zottman curl is a singular compound train requiring you to generate motion utilizing your elbow and wrist joints. 

When performing the motion, you begin with an underhand grip, however as soon as you’re on the high of the curl, you twist your grip to make use of an overhand grip to assist work completely different elements of your biceps in the course of the downward section of the curl. This motion is exclusive because it requires using the elbow joint and wrist joint. 

As you alter the grip of the motion from begin to end, you start to vary the engagement of the varied bicep heads throughout motion.

How To Do The Dumbbell Hammer Grip Rows

1. Begin by putting each palms within the underhand place.
2. Curl the burden upward and as soon as on the high of the carry, twist your wrists so your grip goes from underhand to overhand. 
3. As soon as within the overhand place, curl the burden down to focus on completely different elements of the bicep head. Proceed to work underhand and overhand grip, adjusting how resistance is pressured throughout every rep to develop the completely different elements of the bicep. 

Professional Tip

If potential, attempt to do that motion one arm at a time. When doing this, you may focus solely on the working arm to assist enhance the execution of this motion. If you wish to develop your arms and discover an efficient motion that grows completely different elements of the bicep, look no additional.

Pattern Exercise Program With Compound Bicep Workouts

Under, I’ve supplied two pattern exercises: energy and measurement. 

When doing these compound exercises for the biceps, I’d counsel solely doing every program as soon as every week, getting 2-3 days of relaxation between periods.

You’ll discover that many actions name for RPE or price of perceived exertion. This implies you’re searching for an depth stage similar to the RPE worth supplied.

If an train asks for RPE10, you hit the heaviest weight potential and might’t do any extra reps than prescribed. The motion ought to appear simpler should you use RPE9, RPE8, or RPE7. Regardless that resistance coaching goals to be powerful, generally a troublesome exercise doesn’t want the heaviest load.

Constructing Energy Exercise:

• Chin Up – 5×5
• V-Bar Lat Pulldown – 3×10 with RPE9
• Seated Underhand Cable Rows – 3 x 12 with RPE8
• Swinging Dumbbell Hammer curls – 3 x 6 
• Cable Drag Curls – 3 x 15

Constructing Dimension Exercise:

• Impartial Grip Pull Ups – 5×5
• Supinated Cable Lat Pulldown – 3×10 with RPE9
• One Arm Bent Over Cable Pull – 3x12e with RPE8
• Dumbbell Zottman Curls – 2×10
• Cable Drag Curls – 5×20

If you’re searching for extra issues to do on bicep days, give this text a have a look at what else to do throughout bicep exercises.

Incessantly Requested Questions

Are There Compound Workouts for Biceps?

Sure, there are many compound workout routines for the biceps! It’s exhausting to isolate simply the biceps should you incorporate greater than the elbow joint. Nonetheless, you may prioritize the bicep tremendously by altering grip and different elements of the motion. 

Is the Bicep Curl a Compound Train?

The bicep curl is an isolation train because it solely makes use of the elbow joint to generate motion. It’s useful to make use of the bicep curl with programming. Nevertheless, compound workout routines require stronger contractions to assist overload the bicep muscle. 

Are Hammer Curls a Compound Train?

The hammer curl can turn out to be a compound train should you incorporate a “swinging” movement, as talked about above in my record of 11 compound workout routines for the biceps. The swing requires the shoulder joint to create momentum, simply sufficient to assist curl the overloading weight. 

How Do You Prepare All Three Bicep Heads?

To coach all of the heads of the bicep, you might want to use various grips just like the overhand, impartial, and underhand grip. Along with grip, you should additionally incorporate actions that pull resistance from above and in entrance of the physique to displace resistance at completely different angles for the completely different heads. 

Closing Ideas

Though most individuals practice their arms, this physique half will be irritating to develop. Many individuals need to enhance their arm measurement, however most of them solely carry out single joint actions for development.

To correctly develop the bicep muscle, you should use compound bicep workout routines to assist overload and construct your entire anatomy. Make sure you give these 11 actions an opportunity subsequent time you carry out an arm exercise, as these multi-joint actions are insanely exhausting as they overload the bicep muscle mass.