3 Exercises for Bicep Peak

What is the first image you get when you think of a muscular arm? For most people, the king of all aesthetic features is the bicep peak. It is the round, ball looking part of the muscle that sticks up from the rest. Like many muscles, the bicep peak is easier to achieve for some than others. A beginner might think that all bicep exercises are created equal, but they would be wrong. Yes, any type of curl will hit the entire bicep, but, again like all the muscle groups, there are exercises that are better than others for hitting a certain part of the muscle. You hit different parts of your arms by changing the angle of the exercise. This can be done either by changing your hand position or elbow position.

SEE Arms! (Part 1 of 2) OR Arms! (Part 2 of 2)

First things first, no matter what exercise you’re executing you want to be curling into your body and have the pinky side of your hand turning outwards. (See this in the videos below) Unfortunately, I’m in the group that has to work extra hard at developing the peak of the bicep and following are three exercises that have helped me see improvement.

Concentration Curls

The concentration curl is a classic. It can be done a couple different ways:

Standing w/ Dumbbell or Cable Machine

**Note: For the sake of keeping the wording simple I used a dumbbell in the instructions
but this exercise can be executed the same way utilizing a cable machine.

• Grab a dumbbell, holding the handle closer to the pinky side of your hand. (See picture
  below)
• With a dumbbell in one hand bend over and let the arm holding the dumbbell hang directly in front of your knee. Don’t let your elbow rest against your knee but have it hang directly in front.
• Have your opposite arm rest on your opposite knee.
• Shift your weight so that majority of your body weight is on the foot that is on same side as dumbbell.
• Curl the dumbbell towards the midline of your body and in while turning your pinky out.
• Weight is not the priority in this exercise. So be sure to use a weight that is challenging but one that allows you do get a full contraction at the top of the movement.
• Try using both a dumbbell and the cable machine. I switch back and forth between the two.
• Recommended rep range: 12-20

Proper dumbbell grip.

Dumbbell Spider Curls

The spider curl can be done a few different ways and is a great exercise for building overall bicep mass as well. However, I’ve found it harder to target peak using anything other than dumbbells. Dumbbells allow you the freedome to turn your wrist outwards getting that extra contraction in your bicep.

• Grab a dumbbell in each hand, holding the handles closer to the pinky side of your hands. (See picture above)
• Lay face down on an incline bench. The degree of incline can vary. Try different ones and see which angle feels best for you.
• Let your arms hang and start the movement by holding the dumbbells in a neutral grip. (See video below)
• Start the curl from a dead hang, don’t swing or use momentum to start the movement.
• Curl the dumbbells up and towards the mid line of your body while turning your pinkies out.
• If you do it right the back end of the dumbbells should almost be touching each other while the front ends are as apart as they can be. (See video below)
• Weight is not the priority in this exercise. So be sure to use a weight that is challenging but one that allows you do get a full contraction at the top of the movement.
• Recommended rep range: 12-20

EZ-Bar Drag Curl

This is the only exercise of the three that you aren’t going to use dumbbells thus making it the hardest of the three to execute correctly. By using the EZ-Bar with this exercise you obviously cannot physically turn your wrists outwards but I want you to act like you can.

• Grab an EZ-Bar with a narrow grip.
• Start with the bar against your stomach. (This will mean that you are starting with your arms already slightly bent)
• Flare your elbows.
• As you begin the movement think about curling it into your body and turning your pinkies outwards. (Again I know you physically can’t do this but act like you can)
• Be sure the bar come all the way back down so that it leaves your stomach. This is a short range of motion.
• Weight is not the priority in this exercise. So be sure to use a weight that is challenging but one allows you do a get a full contraction at the top of the movement.
• Recommended rep range: 12-20

These three exercises have helped me improve my bicep peak and I hope that you also find them useful. Be sure to let me know what you think of them. As always, thanks for reading and be sure to support the site by subscribing with your email. Thanks!