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Exercises

Bicep exercises for beginners: the curls to learn first and how to progress them

Published October 29, 2026

The best bicep exercises for beginners are the dumbbell curl, hammer curl and concentration curl if you train with dumbbells, the EZ-bar curl, cable curl and machine preacher curl in a gym, and the band hammer curl and doorway curl if you have no weights. Pick two of them, do 3 sets of 8 to 15 reps two days a week, keep your elbows pinned to your sides, and stop each set with 2 reps left. Raise the weight once every set reaches the top of the range.

  1. Dumbbell Curl Biceps
  2. Hammer Curl Biceps, Forearms
  3. EZ-Bar Curl Biceps
  4. Cable Curl Biceps
  5. Concentration Curl Biceps
  6. Chin-Up Lats

Dumbbell curls

Dumbbells are where most people learn to curl. Each arm lifts its own weight, so a weaker side cannot hide, and you only need one or two pairs to get started.

Biceps, standing dumbbell curl

Dumbbell Curl

Biceps

Alternating arms lets you focus on one curl at a time and keep the upper arm still, which is the main skill a beginner needs. Most people should start here.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with one or two dumbbells, palms facing forward.
  2. Curl the weight toward your shoulder, keeping your upper arm still.
  3. Squeeze the biceps hard when your forearm is upright.
  4. Lower until your elbow is straight.

Cues

  • Upper arm still
  • Squeeze at the top
  • Straight elbow at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Rocking your body: brace against a wall.
  • Stopping short at the bottom: lower all the way.

Swap for: Kettlebell Curl, EZ-Bar Curl

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Biceps and forearms, neutral grip

Hammer Curl

Biceps, Forearms

Palms facing each other brings in the brachialis and forearm, and most beginners can lift a little more this way. It is also the most wrist-friendly curl if a palms-up grip feels awkward.

How to do it

  1. Hold the dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing your thighs.
  2. Bend one elbow to bring that dumbbell up, thumb leading.
  3. Keep the dumbbell vertical the whole way, then lower it slowly to the start.
  4. Curl the other arm, and keep alternating until the set is done.

Cues

  • Thumbs lead
  • Dumbbells vertical
  • Elbows by your sides

Common mistakes

  • Swinging heavier weight with your back: keep your torso still.
  • Curling across your body: keep each dumbbell in line with its shoulder.

Swap for: Band Hammer Curl, Alternating Hammer Curl

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Biceps, seated one-arm curl

Concentration Curl

Biceps

Bracing your arm against your thigh makes swinging impossible, so it shows you what a strict curl should feel like. Use it as the second exercise with a lighter dumbbell.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the end of a bench with your feet wider than your hips and flat on the floor.
  2. Pick up a dumbbell, lean forward slightly from the hips and set the back of your working upper arm against the inside of the same-side thigh, just above the knee.
  3. Let the arm hang straight with the dumbbell near the floor, palm facing the other leg, and rest your free hand on your other knee.
  4. Curl the dumbbell up toward your shoulder while your upper arm stays pressed against your leg, and squeeze for a second at the top.
  5. Lower slowly until your arm is straight again, finish the set, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Arm stays on the thigh
  • Pinky turns up at the top
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the elbow off the thigh: once the arm leaves your leg the shoulder starts to help. Keep the contact for the whole set.
  • Rocking the torso up to finish the rep: if you have to sit up to complete it, stop the set there or use a lighter dumbbell.
  • Stopping short of a straight arm: the bottom of the rep counts, so let the elbow open fully before each curl.

Swap for: Kettlebell Concentration Curl, Spider Curl, Machine Preacher Curl

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Biceps, curl from a stretched position

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Biceps

Lying back on an incline bench lets your arms hang behind your body, which works the biceps at a long length. Add it once standing curls feel steady; it needs lighter weights than you expect.

How to do it

  1. Tilt an adjustable bench back to about 45 to 60 degrees and sit back holding a pair of dumbbells.
  2. Let your arms hang straight down behind your torso with your palms forward.
  3. Curl both dumbbells up without letting your elbows travel forward.
  4. Lower all the way until your arms hang fully stretched again.

Cues

  • Head and shoulders on the pad
  • Elbows point at the floor
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Bringing the elbows forward to make the curl easier: that removes the stretch that makes this exercise worth doing.
  • Choosing your usual curl weight: this angle is harder, so start a little lighter.

Swap for: Spider Curl, Cable Curl, Dumbbell Curl

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Bar, cable and machine curls

In a gym, these let you add weight in small steps. The EZ bar is easier on the wrists than a straight bar, and the cable and preacher versions keep tension on the biceps where dumbbells go slack.

Biceps, both arms on an angled bar

EZ-Bar Curl

Biceps

The angled grip puts your wrists in a comfortable position, and the bar loads in small plate jumps. It is the easiest way to track steady progress on one main curl.

How to do it

  1. Grip the angled parts of the bar with palms slightly turned in.
  2. Curl the bar toward your chest while the upper arms stay still.
  3. Lower until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Upper arms still
  • Finish with straight arms

Common mistakes

  • Cutting the bottom short: every rep starts with straight elbows.

Swap for: Barbell Curl, Preacher Curl, Cable Curl

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Biceps, straight-bar curl

Barbell Curl

Biceps

Both arms share the load, so you can lift more than with dumbbells. Use it if your wrists are comfortable with palms fully up; otherwise the EZ bar does the same job.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, barbell in your hands palms up at shoulder-width, arms straight against your thighs.
  2. Set your elbows just in front of your hips.
  3. Curl the bar up in an arc until your forearms are nearly vertical.
  4. Lower it back to straight arms over two to three seconds.

Cues

  • Elbows stay just in front of the hips
  • No hip thrust
  • Straight arms between reps

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the bar up with your lower back: if you need the swing, drop 10 pounds.
  • Stopping halfway down to keep tension: lowering to straight arms is part of the work.

Swap for: EZ-Bar Curl, Cable Curl, Dumbbell Curl

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Biceps, curl against a cable

Cable Curl

Biceps

The cable pulls the same at the top as at the bottom, so the hardest part of the curl is not the easiest part. The pin stack also makes small weight increases easy.

How to do it

  1. Attach a bar to a low pulley and grip it palms up.
  2. Stand close and curl the bar toward your chest.
  3. Lower until your arms are straight, keeping tension on the cable.

Cues

  • Elbows pinned
  • Straight arms at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Stepping too far from the stack: stand close so the cable pulls straight up.

Swap for: EZ-Bar Curl, Dumbbell Curl, Band Hammer Curl

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Biceps, curl over a pad

Machine Preacher Curl

Biceps

The pad locks your upper arm in place, so the curl stays strict without you thinking about it. It suits beginners who struggle to keep their elbows still.

How to do it

  1. Set a preacher bench in front of a low pulley and clip a straight bar on.
  2. Sit with the back of your upper arms flat on the pad and take the bar palms up.
  3. Curl the bar toward your chin, keeping your arms on the pad.
  4. Let it return until your arms are nearly straight and repeat.

Cues

  • Arms flat on the pad
  • Squeeze at the top
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Sitting so far from the pulley that the cable pulls you forward: move the bench close enough that you stay seated.
  • Rounding your shoulders to help the curl: keep your chest up against the pad.

Swap for: Preacher Curl, Cable Curl, Concentration Curl

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No dumbbells: band, door frame and bar

A light band, a door frame and a pull-up bar cover the biceps without weights. The chin-up is the hardest of the three, so treat it as a goal if you cannot do one yet.

Biceps and forearms, band curl

Band Hammer Curl

Biceps

A band costs very little and fits in a drawer. Standing on it with a neutral grip trains the biceps at home, and stepping wider or doubling the band makes it harder.

How to do it

  1. Stand on a light band and hold the ends with palms facing each other.
  2. Curl one hand up toward your shoulder, keeping the elbow beside your ribs.
  3. Lower slowly and alternate sides.

Cues

  • Elbows still
  • Squeeze, then lower slow

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the band up with your hips: use a lighter band.

Swap for: Hammer Curl, Bodyweight Bicep Curl, Dumbbell Curl

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Biceps and upper back, curl against a door frame

Bodyweight Bicep Curl

Biceps

Leaning back from a door frame and pulling yourself in works the biceps with your own body weight. Your foot position sets the load, from easy to quite hard.

How to do it

  1. Grip both sides of a door frame around hip level, step one foot ahead of the other and walk your feet in toward it.
  2. Lean back until your arms are straight and your body is rigid from heels to head.
  3. Bend your elbows to bring your chest to the frame.
  4. Lower back out under control.

Cues

  • Elbows pinned to your sides
  • Body rigid
  • Feet in to make it harder

Common mistakes

  • Rowing instead of curling: keep your upper arms still at your sides and bend only at the elbows.
  • Bending at the hips: tense your glutes and keep a straight line.

Swap for: Chin-Up, TRX Chin-Up

Build a session with Bodyweight Bicep Curl
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Biceps and lats, palms-toward-you pull-up

Chin-Up

Lats

The chin-up lifts your whole body, so it loads the biceps more than most curls. If you cannot do one yet, jump to the top and lower yourself slowly for 3 to 5 seconds.

How to do it

  1. Hang from the bar with your palms toward you and hands shoulder-width.
  2. Pull your elbows down and back until your chin is over the bar.
  3. Lower to a full hang with straight arms.
  4. Keep your legs quiet and your body still between reps.

Cues

  • Palms toward you
  • Chin over the bar
  • Dead hang at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Kipping or kicking to finish: stop the set when you cannot pull cleanly.
  • Half reps at the top: straighten your arms fully every time.

Swap for: Close-Grip Chin-Up, Assisted Pull-Up

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Home with a pair of dumbbells, twice a week

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets9 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You have one or two pairs of dumbbells at home and want to add biceps work to two full-body sessions.

Two short blocks a week add up to 9 hard sets for the biceps, 5 on the first day and 4 on the second, enough for steady growth when you are new. Rows and other pulls in your full-body days add a little more without extra time.

Day 1
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell CurlPer arm. Elbows pinned to your sides. 3 × 8–12 2 75 s
Hammer Curl 2 × 10–15 2 1 min

Open Day 1 in the session builder

Day 2
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hammer Curl 2 × 8–12 2 75 s
Concentration CurlPer arm. 2 s down. 2 × 10–15 2 1 min

Open Day 2 in the session builder

How to run it
Put the block at the end of two full-body sessions, two or three days apart. It takes about 10 minutes.
How to progress
Double progression: when every set reaches the top of the range with 2 reps in reserve, move to the next dumbbell and work back up from the bottom of the range. If the next dumbbell is a big jump, add 2 reps to the range first.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Gym, biceps after your back work

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets10 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentEZ Bar, Adjustable Cable, Pull-Up Bar, Preacher Curl Machine

You train in a gym two or three days a week with rows and pulldowns, and want two biceps exercises after them.

Back exercises already load the biceps, so 5 sets per session on two days, chin-ups included, reaches about 10 sets a week without wearing you out. The cable and preacher curls go to 1 rep in reserve because a machine keeps the reps clean near failure.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
EZ-Bar Curl1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Cable Curl 2 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Chin-UpJump up and lower in 4 s if you cannot pull up yet. 3 × 3–8 2 2 min
Machine Preacher Curl 2 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Add these after your rows or pulldowns on two different days. Rest at least one day between them.
How to progress
Add the smallest plate or pin step once every set reaches the top of the range at the target reps in reserve. On the EZ bar, expect to add weight every week or two in the first months.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

No dumbbells: a band and a door frame

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets10 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You train at home with no weights, only a light resistance band and a sturdy door frame.

Without weights, more sets and more reps do the job: 5 sets per session, two sessions a week, about 10 sets total. The higher rep ranges make up for lighter loads, as long as the last reps are hard.

Day 1
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Bodyweight Bicep CurlFeet closer to the frame makes it harder. 3 × 10–15 2 1 min
Band Hammer CurlPer arm. 2 × 12–20 2 1 min

Open Day 1 in the session builder

Day 2
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Band Hammer CurlPer arm. Pause 1 s at the top. 3 × 12–20 2 1 min
Bodyweight Bicep Curl 2 × 10–15 2 1 min

Open Day 2 in the session builder

How to run it
Do it at the end of two home workouts, or on its own on any two non-consecutive days.
How to progress
When you reach the top of the range with 2 reps in reserve, make it harder rather than adding reps: walk your feet closer to the door frame, step wider on the band, or double it over.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What three bicep exercises should I do?

For dumbbells: the dumbbell curl, hammer curl and concentration curl. In a gym: the EZ-bar curl, cable curl and preacher curl. Beginners only need two per session; the third rotates in on the other day.

What is the 7-7-7 bicep exercise?

Often called 21s: 7 reps from the bottom to halfway, 7 from halfway to the top, then 7 full reps, without rest. It is a hard finisher, but beginners grow fine on straight sets and can save 21s for later.

How long does it take to grow biceps?

Most beginners feel stronger within a few weeks, mainly because they learn the movement. Visible size takes longer and depends on eating enough protein and adding weight over a few months.

Can I train biceps every day?

You can, but there is no reason to as a beginner. Two sessions a week with hard sets, plus the pulling you already do, grows them, and the days off are when they recover.

How heavy should a beginner curl?

Heavy enough that 8 to 15 reps leave you 2 short of failure with your elbows still. Start lighter than you think and let your logged reps tell you when to move up.

Can I build biceps without weights?

Yes, with a door frame, a band or a bar. The doorway curl and band hammer curl work for months at home, and chin-ups load the biceps as much as a heavy curl.