Barbell Exercises for Men to Get Wider Biceps

Big biceps mean you've put in a lot of hard work at the gym. Even though the biceps are small muscles, they take time, knowledge, and smart work to be grown.

Also, the biceps help bend the elbow, which is important for many activities. How would you curl that beer to your lips? How would you pick up your kid? The biceps aren't just there to look good; they're also very useful.

The good news is that it's pretty easy to train the biceps. You just curl, curl, and curl some more. Nevertheless, some exercises are better at getting the job done than others.

Barbell Exercises for Biceps

Check out these six simple barbell exercises for wider biceps that can give your arms a good workout.

1) Barbell Curl

Any list of barbell exercises for working out the biceps is incomplete without the barbell curl.

When done correctly, this exercise works the biceps and can make the entire muscle bigger and stronger. With barbell curls, you can use both hands to lift a single object so that you can curl more weight than with other curls.

Here's how you do this exercise:

Grab a barbell with your underhand, slightly wider than your shoulders.
With your chest up and shoulder blades close together, pull your shoulders back into their sockets to show off the front of your biceps.
The elbows should be under the shoulder joint or just in front of the ribs.
Curl the barbell up with your biceps, but don't let your torso lean forward.
The shoulders should drop forward, or your elbows slide back to the side of the body (they should stay slightly in front of the shoulders).

2) Preacher Curl

Curling on a preacher bench makes the range of motion of the exercise longer. Because of that, the biceps will be under tension for longer, which usually means more muscle growth.

By turning the hands in, an EZ-bar makes the move easier on the wrists and changes the angle of the exercise so that it works different biceps muscle fibers.

Here's how you do this barbell exercise:

Sit on a preacher bench, and place the pad on the back of your triceps.
Set your body up like you would for a normal barbell biceps curl (chest up, shoulders back, and elbows slightly forward).
Grab the EZ-handle bar on the angled pieces on the inside. That will put your hands at a semi-supinated angle and just a bit closer than shoulder width.
Holding the body still, curl the bar up while flexing the biceps.
Stop briefly at the top of the curl to flex the biceps again. Lower the weight, keeping it in control.

3) Prone Incline Barbell Biceps Curl

This exercise is designed to help you build your biceps. It separates the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles so that they can grow and get stronger.

Here's how you do this exercise:

Keep the bench at an angle of 30–45 degrees.
Put a bar under the head of the bench, with your choice of weights on it.
Lay on the bench on your stomach, and look down from above.
To grab the bar, keep your head up, and put your arms in a straight line below your shoulders.
Brace your upper body by grabbing the bar with your underhand to hold it tight.
Curl your arms up so that the palms are in front of the shoulders.
Your biceps should feel a squeeze.
Hold the position for a short time, and straighten your arms to complete one rep.

4) Barbell Drag Curl

The barbell drag curl is a good exercise for isolating the biceps. That's because at the top of the movement, the biceps do most of the work without much help from other muscles.

Here's how you do this exercise:

Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms out in front of you.
Grab the barbell with your palms facing downwards.
As you take a deep breath in, tighten your core, and curl your arms so that the palms of your hands face your shoulders.
During the movement of the barbell drag curl, your elbows should move slightly backward.
Once your arms are fully bent, go back to the starting position to complete one rep.

5) Barbell High Pull

This is a great full body workout that works the hamstrings, quadriceps, shoulders, calves, glutes, hip flexors, and lower back. This exercise helps thebody get ready for the heavy lifting you need to do to build your biceps.

Here's how you do this exercise:

After putting on the weight you want on the barbell, grab it with an overhand grip with your hands hip-width apart.
This is where you start: standing up straight with your shoulders apart.
Your arms should be straight and just outside your knees. Bend at the hips.
Pull the barbell quickly towards your neck, and try to reach as high as you can.
Your biceps, upper trap, and shoulders will feel the squeeze.
Hold the position for a short time, and do the same thing backwards to complete one rep.

6) Barbell Reverse Bicep Curl

This barbell exercise is a great way to improve your ability to lift heavy weights, both in the gym and in everyday life. It works the brachii and brachialis biceps. Your biceps will get bigger if you get stronger and can lift more weight.

Here's how to do this exercise:

Put the weights you want on the EZ bar.
Grab it tight with an overhand grip, with your palms facing your thighs.
Stand up straight, keeping your back straight and chest up.
Curl your arms up till you feel your biceps getting tight.
Hold the position for a short time, and slowly lower the bar till your arms are straight to complete one set.