Though the biceps are small muscles that flex the arm, when well-developed, they command a visual prominence comparable to much larger muscles, which requires proper training.
On Oct. 19, 2024, exercise scientist Jeff Nippard ranked biceps exercises from most to least effective in a tier list from “S” for a Super movement to “F” for Fail.
Nippard’s 3 Criteria for Biceps Gains
Nippard ranked exercises based on the following criteria:
- Stretch and Tension: Best exercises are most challenging in the stretch with even resistance.
- Fluidity and comfort: How well you can feel the muscles working without pain or discomfort.
- Simple Progression: Adding weight should be easy and accessible, not limiting tension.
[Related: Jeff Nippard Assaulted by Fitness Influencer Mike Van Wyck]
Worst Exercises — Scott, Drag, Spider, and Waiter Curls
These are exercises to avoid via Nippard’s ranking criteria.
The Scott curl, named eponymously after the first Mr. Olympia champ Larry Scott, is what Nippard calls a worse version of preacher curls.
By placing your arms vertically, you’re removing all the tension in the stretched position.
While drag curls offer a better stretch, they limit motion, and Nippard would rather do traditional curls.
Nippard’s vote for the worst biceps exercise is waiter curls, which use a weight plate to limit resistance and crank the wrists while being awkward awkwardness.
To hyperextend your wrists and take the forearms out, do it with [two] dumbbells but with more freedom.
B-Tier (Good)
- Straight Barbell Curl
- Flat Bench Curl
- Chin-Up
What makes the beloved barbell curl good but not great or super? Two flaws: uneven tension and suboptimal stretch. While curling on a flat bench provides better bottom tension, it’s hard to progress. It could be considered a C-tier technique, but accessibility bumps it to “B.”
You’ll still grow your biceps as long as you push hard.
The chin-up was rated the best back exercise for the biceps since it doubles as a bodyweight curl. However, the back may take over, making it less optimal than isolation exercises.
A-Tier (Great)
Nippard likes these exercises, but they fall short of the Super tier due to a lack of peak stretch or tentative ranking.
- Standing EZ Bar Curl
- Dumbbell Curl
- 21’s — performed top to bottom
- Incline Curl
- Lying Curl
- Standing Cable Curl
- Modified Bayesian Curl
- Barbell Cheat Curl
- Barbell Strict Curl
- Hammer Curl
- Inverse Zottman Curl
Standing EZ, or curved bar curls, ranked higher than straight bar curls for the more comfortable grip angle. However, as Nippard emphasized, preacher curls are better. On that topic, swap incline curls for the superior stretched tension of curls lying on a flat bench.
Nippard considers hammer curls the best for building biceps height, or “peaks,” emphasizing the brachialis muscle — beneath and alongside the outer biceps, similar in size — which pushes the biceps up. Ideally, do them on a preacher bench.
At the bottom of A-Tier are Inverse Zottmans and cheat curls, which offer similar benefits.
Using a little momentum [or curling with a hammer grip] to help get the weight [up], you can curl up more load, then resist and control the load on the very anabolic negative phase.
“Super” Curls
The “S-tier” is Nippard’s cream of biceps exercises, with minimal to no flaws.
- 45-degree Preacher Curl
- Face Away Bayesian Curl
This category includes all 45-degree free-weight and machine preacher curls.
“Angling your upper arm pulls more tension into your [lower] biceps in the stretched position. [This] seems more important than the total stretch,” referencing a 2023 study showing that preacher curls target biceps growth better than incline curls. (1)
If Nippard had to choose his favorite, though, it’s the face-away Bayesian cable curl. “It’s amazing,” he claims.
“By placing your arms back behind your torso [while using cables], you get maximum stretch on the biceps, and you still get that nice even tension,” he said.
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References
- Zabaleta-Korta A, Fernández-Peña E, Torres-Unda J, Francés M, Zubillaga A, Santos-Concejero J. Regional Hypertrophy: The Effect of Exercises at Long and Short Muscle Lengths in Recreationally Trained Women. J Hum Kinet. 2023 Jul 15;87:259-270. doi: 10.5114/jhk/163561. PMID: 37559762; PMCID: PMC10407320.
Featured Image: @jeffnippard on Instagram
