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Exercises

Bicep exercises with a kettlebell: curls and rows that grow your arms

Published October 19, 2026

The best kettlebell bicep exercises are the two-hand kettlebell curl, the single-arm curl, the goblet curl and the concentration curl, with kettlebell rows for extra pulling work. Because the bell hangs below the handle, the load sits further from your hand than a dumbbell's, so a kettlebell feels heavier at the top of a curl and works your grip harder. Do 2 or 3 curls per session, 3 sets each, finishing 0 to 2 reps short of failure, and switch to one-arm work when a single bell gets light.

  1. Kettlebell Curl Biceps
  2. Kettlebell Single-Arm Curl Biceps
  3. Kettlebell Goblet Curl Biceps
  4. Kettlebell Concentration Curl Biceps
  5. Kettlebell Preacher Curl Biceps
  6. Kettlebell Gorilla Row Lats, Upper Back

Kettlebell curls for the biceps

These are the main kettlebell biceps exercises. With one bell, start with the two-hand curl and move to one arm when it gets easy; the goblet curl uses the same bell held a different way.

Biceps, two hands on one bell

Kettlebell Curl

Biceps

Holding a single kettlebell by the handle with both hands lets you curl a heavier bell than you could with one arm. It is the place to start if you own just one kettlebell.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and grip the kettlebell handle with both hands, palms up, the bell hanging in front of your thighs.
  2. Tuck your elbows against your sides.
  3. Curl the bell up toward your chest without letting your elbows move forward.
  4. Lower it slowly until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Elbows tucked
  • Bell to your chest
  • Straight arms at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Rocking the hips to swing the bell up: stand against a wall if you need to.
  • Letting the bell crash into your forearms at the top: control it to the chest.

Swap for: Kettlebell Single-Arm Curl, Dumbbell Curl

Build a session with Kettlebell Curl

Biceps, one arm

Kettlebell Single-Arm Curl

Biceps

Curling the same bell with one arm doubles the load on each biceps. It is the next step once the two-hand curl passes 15 to 20 reps, and you can watch each arm work.

How to do it

  1. Hold the kettlebell handle in one hand at your side, palm forward, the bell below your hand.
  2. Keep your upper arm against your side and curl the bell up toward your shoulder.
  3. Stop when your forearm is upright, then lower it until your elbow is straight.
  4. Finish all reps on one side, then switch.

Cues

  • Upper arm still
  • Wrist straight
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Letting the wrist bend back under the bell: grip tight and keep the knuckles in line.
  • Leaning away from the bell to finish the rep: lighten it or stop the set.

Swap for: Kettlebell Curl, Hammer Curl

Build a session with Kettlebell Single-Arm Curl

Biceps, bell held by its body

Kettlebell Goblet Curl

Biceps

Cupping the kettlebell with both hands makes it a palms-up curl where your grip never gives out first. It also keeps your elbows close, so the biceps does the lifting.

How to do it

  1. Hold the kettlebell by the sides of the bell or the horns with both hands, arms straight in front of your hips.
  2. Pin your elbows to your sides and curl the bell up to your chin.
  3. Squeeze for a moment at the top.
  4. Lower until your arms are straight and repeat.

Cues

  • Bell to chin
  • Elbows by your ribs
  • Squeeze at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back as the bell rises: keep your ribs down.
  • Short reps at the bottom: straighten your arms each time.

Swap for: Kettlebell Curl, Waiter Curl

Build a session with Kettlebell Goblet Curl

Braced curls that stop the swing

Kettlebells invite a little hip drive. Bracing your arm against your thigh or a pad removes it, so the biceps does every inch of the lift, and these curls get hardest at the top.

Biceps, strict and shortened

Kettlebell Concentration Curl

Biceps

With your elbow wedged against your inner thigh, there is no way to swing, and the curl is hardest when your biceps is fully contracted. It is the finishing curl for any kettlebell session.

How to do it

  1. Sit on a bench or box with your feet wide and hold a kettlebell in one hand.
  2. Rest the back of your upper arm on the inside of the same-side thigh, arm straight.
  3. Curl the bell up toward your shoulder, keeping your elbow on your leg.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight, then switch arms after the set.

Cues

  • Elbow on the thigh
  • Hold the top
  • All the way down

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your elbow off the thigh to finish: lower the weight.
  • Twisting your torso: keep your shoulders square.

Swap for: Concentration Curl, Kettlebell Preacher Curl

Build a session with Kettlebell Concentration Curl

Biceps, arm supported on a pad

Kettlebell Preacher Curl

Biceps

Resting your arm on a preacher bench or the back of an incline bench locks your upper arm in front of you, so no other muscle can help. The bell keeps pulling as your arm nears straight, which loads the biceps near its stretch.

How to do it

  1. Sit or kneel behind a preacher pad or an incline bench set upright, with the back of your upper arm flat on the pad.
  2. Hold a kettlebell by the handle, palm up, arm almost straight.
  3. Curl the bell up until your forearm is vertical.
  4. Lower it slowly until your arm is nearly straight, without letting it drop the last few inches.

Cues

  • Armpit on the top of the pad
  • Slow lowering
  • Stop short of locking

Common mistakes

  • Dropping the bell fast at the bottom: that stresses the elbow.
  • Lifting your arm off the pad: keep it flat.

Swap for: Kettlebell Concentration Curl, Preacher Curl

Build a session with Kettlebell Preacher Curl

Rows that load the biceps heavier

A row is a back exercise, but your biceps bends the elbow under a heavier bell than any curl allows. With only a few kettlebells, rows are how the biceps gets heavy work.

Back with biceps, alternating row

Kettlebell Row

Lats, Upper Back

Rowing lets you pull a much heavier kettlebell than you can curl, and your biceps works as it bends your elbow on every rep.

How to do it

  1. Hold a kettlebell in each hand and hinge until your back is close to flat, knees soft.
  2. Let both bells hang under your shoulders, arms straight.
  3. Pull one bell up beside your ribs, leading with your elbow, then lower it.
  4. Row the other side and keep alternating. With only one bell, do all your reps on one side, then switch.

Cues

  • Elbow to the hip
  • Flat back
  • Straight arm at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your chest open to lift the bell: keep both shoulders level.
  • Shrugging up instead of rowing back: pull the elbow toward your pocket.

Swap for: Kettlebell Gorilla Row, One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Build a session with Kettlebell Row

Back with biceps, two bells

Kettlebell Gorilla Row

Lats, Upper Back

With two bells on the floor between your feet, you row one while pressing down on the other, so you hold a hinge and alternate arms without needing a bench. It is a heavy pull that suits two kettlebells.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet wide and two kettlebells on the floor between them.
  2. Hinge forward with your knees bent and grab both handles.
  3. Row one bell up to your ribs while pushing the other into the floor.
  4. Lower it back down and row with the other side.

Cues

  • Hips back
  • Push one, pull one
  • Elbow to the ribs

Common mistakes

  • Standing up between reps: stay hinged the whole set.
  • Letting the back round: keep your chest up and your spine long.

Swap for: Kettlebell Row, One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Build a session with Kettlebell Gorilla Row

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. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

One kettlebell, biceps-only session

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentKettlebells

You own a single kettlebell and want an arm session you can run at home with it.

The two-hand curl uses the full bell for heavy biceps work, the single-arm curl doubles the load per arm, and the concentration curl strips the swing out for a strict finish. With one bell you cannot add weight, so reps climb high and sets go to 0 to 1 RIR. Nine sets per session, twice a week, gives each biceps a solid weekly dose.

One-Bell Biceps
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Kettlebell CurlBoth hands on the handle. 3 × 8–15 1 75 s
Kettlebell Single-Arm CurlPer arm. 3 × 8–15 1 1 min
Kettlebell Concentration CurlPer arm. Hold the top. 3 × 10–20 0 1 min
How to run it
Run it twice a week, two or more days apart, after other training or on its own. It takes about 20 minutes.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of the range. Then lower each rep over three seconds. When that also tops out, get the next bell up.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Two kettlebells, back and biceps together

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentKettlebells

You train with a pair of kettlebells and want one session that covers back and biceps at once.

The gorilla row is the heavy lift: two bells, no bench, and real loading for the biceps as an elbow flexor. Then the goblet curl, which you can push hard because grip never fails, and the single-arm curl for one-side work. Rows stop at 2 RIR so your back stays fresh across sets; curls go to 1. Counting rows at half, that is about 8 biceps sets per session.

Pull and Curl
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Kettlebell Gorilla Row1 warm-up set firstPer side. Stay hinged. 4 × 6–12 2 2 min
Kettlebell Goblet CurlBell to chin. 3 × 8–15 1 75 s
Kettlebell Single-Arm CurlPer arm. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Do it once or twice a week as your pull day, with at least two days between sessions.
How to progress
Add reps to the row up to 12 per side at 2 RIR, then use heavier bells. Add curl reps first, then move up a bell size.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

A rack of kettlebells and a bench or preacher pad

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets17 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentKettlebells, Preacher Bench

You train in a gym or home gym with several kettlebell sizes and a bench, and want the strictest kettlebell arm work.

A bench lets you add the one-arm row and the preacher curl, the curl that loads the biceps near its stretch. With a range of bells you can progress by weight, so reps sit at 8 to 12 and sets end at 1 RIR, with the goblet curl at the end taken to 0. Two routines give about 18 biceps sets a week, counting rows at half.

Biceps A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Kettlebell RowPer arm. Hand on the bench. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Kettlebell Preacher CurlPer arm. Slow lowering. 3 × 8–12 1 75 s
Kettlebell Goblet Curl 3 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Biceps A in the session builder

Biceps B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Kettlebell Preacher CurlPer arm. 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Kettlebell Concentration CurlPer arm. 3 × 8–12 1 1 min
Kettlebell CurlHeaviest bell, both hands. 2 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Biceps B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Biceps A and Biceps B on two separate days. Each fits after a back or upper-body workout.
How to progress
Double progression: once every set reaches the top of the range at the target RIR, move up one kettlebell size and start at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Can you build biceps with kettlebells?

Yes. Kettlebell curls and rows train the biceps like dumbbells do. The main limit is the big jumps between bell sizes, which you get around with one-arm curls, slower lowering and higher reps.

What is the best kettlebell bicep exercise?

The single-arm kettlebell curl, because it puts the most load on each biceps and works with any bell. If you have only a heavy one, start with the two-hand curl.

Are 3 exercises for biceps enough?

Yes. Three curls, or two curls and a row, done for 3 sets each close to failure, twice a week, gives most people enough volume to grow.

Is 20 minutes of kettlebells enough?

For biceps, yes. The one-bell plan above fits in about 20 minutes, twice a week. For your whole body you need more sessions or a full-body routine.

What are the big 6 kettlebell exercises?

The term usually refers to the swing, the get-up, the clean, the press, the snatch and the goblet squat. None of them is a biceps exercise, so add curls if arm size is a goal.

Kettlebell or dumbbell curls: which is better?

Neither grows the biceps more. A kettlebell feels harder at the top of the curl and challenges grip more; dumbbells come in smaller steps, so they are easier to progress.