Summary of "The Best And Worst Biceps Exercises"

Summary — key takeaways, rankings, and practical tips

Face‑away cable curl
- Curl while facing away from the stack so arms are behind the torso.
- Maximizes long‑head stretch and provides even cable tension throughout the range of motion (ROM).
- Recommended for improving biceps peak.
Machine preacher curl
- Use mostly the bottom half of the range.
- Locked position with excellent tension in the stretched position and reliable progression.
Preacher curl (45° / 40–45° incline bench curls)
- High tension at a meaningful stretch, hard to cheat, excellent for distal biceps growth.
Hammer‑grip preacher curls
- Combines hammer/grip (brachialis emphasis) with a locked elbow position — great for peak development.

Inverse Z‑man curls
- Hammer on concentric, supinated on eccentric; targets brachialis then biceps on the negative — smart overload strategy.
Incline dumbbell curls / lying dumbbell curls
- Lengthened‑biased; lying variation gives a bigger shoulder‑end stretch (watch shoulder comfort).
Standing dumbbell curls (both arms together preferred)
- Convenient, helps fix side imbalances; avoid alternating with long passive rests between reps.
Barbell curls / EZ bar curls
- Very good for progressive overload; straight bar can stress wrists, EZ bar reduces torque.
Chin‑ups
- Good biceps stimulus within a compound movement; note that biceps often aren’t the limiting factor in this lift.

Drag curl, spider curl, Scott curl (C tier)
- Drag curl: total biceps length changes little across ROM → suboptimal for stretch tension.
- Spider curl: keeps biceps short throughout ROM → poor stretch stimulus.
- Scott curl: vertical arm removes tension in the stretched position.
Flat bench (fully horizontal) curls (low B)
- Produces a great stretch but is hard to progress with heavy load — best used as a high‑rep finisher.
Waiter curls (F tier)
- Awkward plate hold, wrist strain, poor overload potential — avoid.

Prioritize tension in the stretched position — lengthened‑position tension tends to be more anabolic than simply total stretch magnitude.
Supination cue: “drive through the pinkies” on the concentric to feel better biceps activation.
Progressive overload matters most: pick exercises you can steadily add weight or reps to.
Use preacher/bench bracing to prevent cheating and to lock the elbow for better tension.
Controlled negatives are valuable — a small, controlled amount of body momentum (cheating) can be useful for overload if you maintain control on the eccentric; not recommended for beginners.
When using dumbbells, curl both arms simultaneously when possible to avoid long rest periods between reps (long rests may reduce growth stimulus).
21s (traditional bro‑set) can be improved: do short → full → long (for example, seated short halves → standing full → bottom halves last). This sequencing makes the set get easier as fatigue accumulates and finishes with lengthened work.
Hammer curls: excellent for building the brachialis, which can push the biceps upward and improve the appearance of the peak.
Cable setup tips:
- For face‑away variation, set the pulley around hand height and take 1–2 steps forward.
- The 90° cable‑to‑forearm variation is promising but new — try cautiously.

Straight barbell may cause wrist torque; use an EZ bar if needed.
Lying dumbbell curls produce additional shoulder stretch — avoid if you have shoulder issues.
Avoid exercises that crank wrists or limit progressive overload (e.g., waiter curls).

Goto et al.: study comparing full ROM vs lengthened‑biased training informed advice about pauses and ROM tension profiles.
A study comparing incline curls and preacher curls found preacher curls produced more distal (near‑elbow) biceps growth, supporting the emphasis on tension at the stretched position.