Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to hit the gym if you want to build stronger biceps.

Your biceps are the muscles on the front of your upper arms. They’re responsible for bending your arms (flexion) and rotating your forearms (supination). They also help with general movement and stabilization of your arms.

Having strong biceps helps make day-to-day life easier by allowing you to lift and move objects with ease. That said, you may wonder how you can achieve stronger biceps without spending time in the gym.

Here are 6 biceps exercises you can try at home.


If you don’t have access to exercise equipment or prefer to use your body weight as resistance, you can still get in a good workout.

1. Chinup


Though the chinup mostly targets your upper back and shoulders, it also relies on your biceps for a hardcore workout. You will need a chinup bar or another horizontal bar that can hold your body weight.

  1. Stand behind a horizontal bar and grab it with an underhand grip (palms facing you) with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Allow yourself to hang from the bar with your feet crossed.
  2. Squeeze your shoulder blades and bend your elbows as you lift yourself up until your chin is just above the bar.
  3. Pause for a moment, and then lower yourself. This is 1 rep. Continue for as many reps as you can.

This advanced move may be difficult at first, so be patient. You can modify it by anchoring a large resistance band around the bar, stepping into it, and performing assisted chinups. Even if you can perform only 1 chinup, make it a goal to progress from there.

2. Wide lifted biceps curl


You can perform this exercise without any additional weight or you can use at-home items such as water bottles, cans of soup, or a set of books.

  1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lift your arms out to the sides at shoulder height and bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle with your palms facing inward.
  2. Slowly extend your arms straight to the sides, and then slowly bend them to the starting position.
  3. Complete 2–3 sets of 15–20 reps.

You can still build strength and endurance without using weights. Instead, perform a higher number of reps until you reach fatigue.

Dumbbell bicep workout at home

All you need is a pair of dumbbells to perform these excellent biceps exercises.


3. Biceps curl

Unlike most arm exercises that work multiple muscle groups, biceps curls directly target the biceps.
  1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Turn your arms to face forward and bend your elbows to move the dumbbells up toward your shoulders. Slowly raise both dumbbells up (around 2–3 seconds). Avoid swinging your arms and body, which takes the focus off your biceps.
  3. Slowly lower the dumbbells (around 3 seconds) until you reach the starting position. This is 1 rep.
  4. Complete 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps.

Slowly performing this exercise increases time under tension during the concentric (lifting) and eccentric (lowering) contractions, allowing for greater muscle building.

4. Alternate biceps curl


Performing alternate biceps curls allows you to focus on each individual arm to maximize the mind-body connection.

  1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and a dumbbell in your right hand.
  2. Keeping your left arm at your side or your hand on your hip, slowly curl the dumbbell toward your right shoulder. Then, slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. This is 1 rep.
  3. Complete 8–12 reps, then switch sides. Perform 2–3 sets.

5. Hammer curl


The hammer curl changes the grip position on the dumbbell to target both your biceps and your brachialis, a nearby muscle important for strong arms.

  1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Palms should be facing inward.
  2. Bend your right elbow to lift the dumbbell toward your shoulder. The dumbbell should be in a vertical position. Avoid swinging your arms.
  3. After raising the dumbbell, squeeze your biceps, and then slowly lower the dumbbell to the starting position.
  4. Do the same with your left arm.
  5. Alternate between your right and left arm for 8–12 reps on each side. Perform 2–3 sets.

16. Monkey bars




You may think monkey bars are just for kids, but using them helps develop significant arm, upper body, and grip strength. You’ll need access to a set of monkey bars for this exercise.

  1. Stand at the beginning of the monkey bars with your hands in an overhand position on the first bar and your body hanging below.
  2. Grab the next bar in front of you with your right hand, followed by your left hand. Continue this as far as you can go.

Most nearby parks will have free access to monkey bars, making this an effective and convenient exercise.

If you’re looking to build stronger arms, you’ll want to make sure you train your biceps.

While most arm workouts target multiple muscle groups, you can target your biceps through the various exercises listed above.

Remember to take your time and perfect your form first, which will help you build strength and muscle more effectively.