A popular bodybuilding aim is to develop large biceps.
Flexing is all about these muscles, which make up the majority of the upper arm.
You must first grasp how these muscles perform in order to successfully increase muscle mass to your biceps.
The long and short heads of the biceps are two distinct heads.
Here's all you need to know about growing your peak by focusing on the long head bicep.
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Table of Contents
On my long head, how can I acquire bigger biceps?
Start the curl in a standing position with your hands aligned up with your torso and in a neutral stance.
With this, it helps you to enhance long head activation (thumb pointing forward).
Supine occurs when the weight is raised and the angle between the biceps and forearm is reduced as you travel through the range of motion.‘
The Best Science-Based Dumbell Biceps Exercises
Watch this video to get more insights on what biceps exercises should incorporatws for bigger peak.
What is a Bicep with a Long Head?
Forearm supination and elbow flexion are controlled by the long and short heads of the biceps.
The short head bicep provides breadth to your upper arm by running down the inside of the biceps brachii.
The long head, on the other hand, runs on the outer and is larger than the short head.
During flexion, the long head bicep is responsible for the peak.
While a well-rounded arm training routine is necessary for balanced growth, it's understandable that many bodybuilders prefer to isolate and target the long head bicep in order to increase their flex.
How Do I Strengthen My Biceps' Long Head?
It's vital to remember that targeting a single muscle or head with any muscle group or training modality is practically difficult.
There are, however, small adjustments you can make to put the emphasis on the muscle of your choice.
Use workouts that allow your arms to stretch behind your body and move through a wider range of motion to target the long head bicep.
During the concentric phase, this variation effectively targets the longer muscle.
Shift to a narrow grip when working with a barbell or EZ bar.
Exercises with a wide grip target the short head of the bicep, whereas those with a narrow grip target the long head.
Finally, when practicing biceps curl exercises, add a twist.
When doing unilateral workouts like concentration curl, dumbbell curl or preacher curl supinating or rotating your wrist is a great technique to target the long head bicep for shoulder flexion.
Remember that this supination should be mild and completed at the peak of the concentric phase, rather than changing the entire action of your bicep exercises.
Best Biceps Exercises For Bigger Bicep Muscle
The finest bicep long head workouts are tried-and-true classics with a few tweaks.
To start growing the peak you want and unleashing your inner Arnold, try these excellent biceps tendon workout.
1. Curls with a Narrow Grip
Barbell curls are one of the most versatile biceps exercises for people with a lengthy biceps head and for bicep curl.
You can change the focus of the movement from the short to the long head by changing your grip breadth.
How to do it:
- Hold a barbell in an underhand grip, just inside shoulder width, with your feet hip-width apart.
- Curl the barbell toward your chest while bracing your core and keeping your shoulders back. Don't let your elbows slide forward; keep them tucked to your sides and slightly behind you.
- Pause and squeeze at the apex of the movement before slowly descending back to the starting position. That counts as one rep.
When practicing this exercise, there are a few things to keep in mind.
To begin, refrain from swinging your arms or compensating with your shoulders.
During the concentric part of the exercise, keep your pelvic tucked and your core engaged to avoid moving.
Stand against a wall and don't let your back come away throughout the exercise if you're having trouble with shoulder or back compensations.
2. Dumbbell Curls on an Incline
By placing the starting position slightly behind you, incline dumbbell curl are great for lengthening your range of motion and putting the emphasis on your long head bicep.
Focus on maintaining tension and control to get the most out of dumbbell curls.
How to do it:
- Sit on a 45-degree incline bench with your back and shoulders resting against the bench. Hold two dumbbells in an underhand grip and hang them from your shoulder to wrist to make a straight line. Your biceps should feel slightly stretched.
- Curl one dumbbell slowly toward your chest. While your forearm hinges upward, your upper arm should remain immobile.
- Twist your wrist slightly outward at the top of the movement to bring the inside end of the dumbbell closer to your shoulder. Take a breath and squeeze.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the beginning position by rotating your wrist back into the neutral position. Rep on the opposite side.
This is a good long head bicep workout because of the modest stretch and connection with the shoulder.
To avoid shoulder compensations, keep your upper arm in a stable position.
3. Curl with a single arm behind the back with a band
If one bicep is larger than the other, unilateral workouts might help correct the imbalance.
Resistance bands are adaptable training tools that assist maintain a steady strength curve across the range of motion, which makes them excellent for bicep workouts.
These advantages can be added to the increased range of motion provided by the single-arm behind-the-back band curl.
How to do it:
Attach the band to a fixed location at about waist height, such as a squat rack.
Depending on your body, you may need to make adjustments.
With one hand, grab the band, then turn around and take a few steps forward, letting your arm to extend out behind you somewhat.
To promote stability, place your feet in a staggered stance.
Curl the band around your waist while keeping your elbows tucked in and slightly behind you.
Allowing the band to twist your shoulder back is not a good idea. If this occurs, take a tiny step to relieve tension before attempting again.
Supinate your wrist outward and squeeze at the apex of the movement.
As you return to the beginning position, carefully reverse the action, maintaining tension and control.
Rep on the opposite side once you've completed your reps.
Take your time to select the perfect spot.
Consider placing your opposite hand on your bicep as you perform the action to gain a better sense of how you should adjust your placement to hit the long head bicep.
4. Curls with an EZ Bar
Drag curls are a barbell or EZ bar curl variation that is frequently disregarded for one simple reason: weight loss.
It can be difficult on the ego to use less weight than one would for a regular curl.
The results of this movement, on the other hand, are well worth it.
How to do it:
- Holding an EZ bar in an underhand grip, stand with your feet hip-width apart. Position your hands in a narrow, somewhat supinated grip if at all possible. Begin with resting the EZ bar against your thighs.
- Curl the EZ bar toward your chest while bracing your core. Allow your elbows to shift back as you do so, ensuring that the bar remains in contact with your torso. You're pulling the bar, in other words.
- Pause and squeeze when the bar reaches breast level.
- Reverse the action to return to the beginning position, keeping your body in contact the entire time.
- To get the hang of this action, practice it with an unloaded EZ bar. Avoiding shoulder compensations necessitates slow, controlled movement.
5. Hammer Curl with Dumbbells
Bodybuilders have traditionally used hammer curl because they target both the long head bicep and the brachialis (AKA, your forearms).
This workout can also be done with tension bands to avoid compensatory movements and to increase range of motion.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand, so that when held in front of you, they run parallel to your body. Allow them to rest against your thighs.
- Curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders while bracing your core and keeping your elbows tucked.
- Pause and squeeze at the top, using a tiny supinated twist to effectively target your long head bicep.
- Return to the starting position by reversing the movement in a calm, controlled motion.
You can also do hammer curls seated on a bench if you have trouble swinging or compensating your upper body.
The main difference between a hammer curl and a standard bicep curl is a 90-degree change in dumbbell placement, with the dumbbells held upright rather than in an underhand grip.
This small movement efficiently draws attention to the bicep's lengthy head.
Conclusion
When you flex, using targeted bicep or for bigger biceps, long head workouts can help you develop gigantic arms and a distinct peak.
Keep in mind that even the tiniest change in range of motion or hand location can have a big impact.
For general arm muscle growth, combine these movements with targeted short head bicep work and focused tricep training.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
There are two unique heads on the biceps, and you can emphasize one or the other. Curls with a narrower grasp accentuate the long head, whereas curls with a wider grip emphasize the short, inner head.
Hammer curls work the long head of the bicep, as well as the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles of the upper arm (one of the key forearm muscles).
The concentration curl is a great biceps isolation exercise because it focuses on the long head of the muscle.
