Calisthenics Biceps Workout: 7 Best Exercises for Bigger Arms

Calisthenics Workout for Biceps – Introduction

Calisthenics Bicep Workout: 7 Best Exercises for Bigger Arms

Almost everyone who works out wants stronger, bigger, or more toned biceps.

Who hasn’t done a sneaky biceps flex after a workout to admire their gains?!

The biceps (technically, never bicep alone!) is such a famous muscle that even non-exercisers can identify it.

If you train in a gym, your choice of biceps exercises is never-ending.

There are dozens of barbell, dumbbell, cable, and machine exercises you can do for your arms.

But what if you work out at home?

Resistance band curls are a good option, and you could always buy some adjustable dumbbells or a barbell for your home gym.

However, some people prefer to limit their workouts to calisthenics or bodyweight training.

So, the question is, can you build bigger biceps with calisthenics exercises?

The answer is yes, and we’re here to show you how!

This article reveals the 7 best calisthenic biceps exercises and give you a workout to try.

Biceps Anatomy 101

The biceps brachii, or biceps for short, is a biarticular muscle that crosses two joints.

This means the biceps have several functions, one of which many people do not know about.

By the way, the reason it’s biceps and not ‘bicep’ is that the biceps have two origin points and one insertion point, so it’s a two-headed muscle.

This is where the term “ceps” comes in; ceps is Latin for heads.

As such, the biceps muscle is always described in the plural.

The same is true for your triceps and quadriceps.

The only exception to this would be when discussing a single head of the biceps, and then bicep would be correct.

That said, this article refers to the workout as a calisthenics bicep workout for ease of pronunciation.

Latin lessons aside, the biceps have three functions:

Elbow flexion

This is the movement that most people are familiar with and means to bend the elbow.

Forearm supination

Supination means facing the sun and describes the action of rotating your palm upward.

Shoulder flexion

Shoulder flexion means raising your arm forward.

This is a very weak biceps action, and most of this movement is performed by your anterior (front) deltoids.

This is the reason why a lot of people believe that push-up and dip variations train the biceps.

While they’re technically correct, as the biceps ARE involved in these exercises, they don’t really stress the biceps enough to do much for muscle size or strength, and the triceps are doing much more work.

The best biceps exercises involve elbow flexion with maybe a side order of supination.

7 Best Calisthenics Biceps Exercises

Here is a selection of the best calisthenics biceps exercises.

Use these moves to build bigger, stronger arms!

#1. Chin-up

The chin-up IS primarily a back exercise, but because you do them with a supinated grip, they also give your biceps a great workout.

In fact, this is arguably the best calisthenics biceps exercise.

Think of curling your chin up to the bar, and you’ll get even more from this already awesome exercise!

How to do it:

Hold your overhead bar with an underhand, shoulder-width grip.
Hang with your arms straight and shoulders down and back.
Without swinging or kicking, bend your arms and pull your chin up and over the bar.
Drive your elbows down and back to maximize muscle engagement.
Descend under control and repeat.

Tips:

Make this exercise easier by using a resistance band for assistance or harder by wearing a weighted vest.

You can also move your hands in or out to slightly change the effect on your biceps.

How to get your first chin-up – 4-step workout plan

#2. Single-arm assisted chin-up

If you can do ten or more regular chin-ups, you may be ready for a more intense exercise.

With this move, you use one arm to assist the other.

However, because of biomechanics, the arm gripping the bar will have to work much harder.

This is a good option for exercisers who do not want to do weighted chin-ups.

How to do it:

Hold your chin-up bar with one hand using an underhand grip.
Use your other hand to grip your wrist.
Without swinging or kicking, bend your arms and pull your chin up and over the bar.
Drive your elbow down and back to maximize muscle engagement.
Focus on pulling mainly with the arm holding the bar and using the other arm for assistance only.
Descend under control and repeat.
Do the same number of reps on both sides.

Tips:

This exercise requires and develops a strong grip.

Use chalk to prevent slipping, and also consider lifting straps if your hands fail before your arms.

#3. Supinated incline row

The main drawback of chin-ups is that you need to be strong enough to lift your entire body weight using just your arms.

This is a significant feat of strength that may be beyond some exercisers.

With incline rows, your feet remain on the floor, so you won’t have to lift your entire body weight.

Using a supinated grip means your biceps get a great workout.

How to do it:

Using a barbell in a squat rack or Smith machine, set the bar, so it’s around waist height.
Sit below the bar and hold it with an underhand, shoulder-width grip.
Lean back so your arms are straight.
Lift your hips off the floor.
Your legs can be bent (easiest) or straight (hardest).
Bend your arms and pull your chest up to the bar.
Drive your elbows down and back, and keep your wrists straight.
Extend your arms and repeat.

Tips:

You can make this exercise easier by raising the bar and setting your body at a more forgiving angle.

Alternatively, you can put more weight on your arms by raising your feet.

You can also rest a weight plate on your abdomen or wear a weighted vest.

Close grip Inverted Row demo

#4. Isometric towel curl

Isometric exercises involve lots of muscle tension but no actual movement.

While this isn’t strictly a calisthenics exercise, it’s not a weight training exercise, either, as you won’t actually be lifting anything.

Regardless, it’s an excellent exercise you can do at home to build bigger arms!

How to do it:

Fold or roll your towel lengthways.
Kneel on the middle of your towel and hold an end in either hand.
Brace your abs and pull your shoulders down and back.
Try to curl your arms upward against the tension of the towel.
Pull as hard as possible for 10-30 seconds.
Do not hold your breath.
Relax, rest, and repeat for the desired number of sets.

Tips:

Adjust your grip to lengthen and shorten your towel and hit your biceps from different angles.

For example, you could do your first set with your elbows at 30 degrees, your second set at 60 degrees, and your last set at 90 degrees.

This will develop strength through a broader range of motion.

Towel Isometric Bicep Curl

#5. Single-arm eccentric chin-up

This chin-up variation is very biceps-centric and provides an accessible way to really overload your arms.

However, only attempt this exercise if you have mastered single-arm assisted chin-ups, as it’s extremely challenging.

How to do it:

Place a bench, step, or sturdy chair below your bar and stand on it.
Hold the bar with a single-handed underhand grip.
Contract your biceps and back, step off your platform, and then lower yourself down under control with one arm.
Climb back up and repeat, either with the same or opposite arm.
Do the same number of reps on both sides.

Tips:

This is another grip-centric exercise, so use chalk or lifting straps to avoid slipping.

You could also do this exercise using the one-arm assisted technique discussed back in exercise #2.

#6. Self-resisted biceps curl

Calisthenic exercisers often say that you are your own gym, and that’s especially true with this exercise. ‘

You’ll be using your own triceps to provide resistance for your biceps, giving you are great twofer arm workout.

How to do it:

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Brace your abs and pull your shoulders down and back.
With your right arm down by your side, reach across your body with your left hand and grip your wrist.
Applying downward tension with your left arm, curl your right hand up to your shoulder.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
Swap sides and do the same number of reps with the other arm.

Tips:

Start by using lots of downward pressure and then ease off as your biceps become more tired.

Aim to fatigue your biceps in 8-15 reps.

You can then end your set with a ten-second isometric hold to fully exhaust your biceps.

#7. Gymnastic ring biceps curl

The best thing about calisthenics is that you don’t need a lot of equipment to get a good workout.

That said, tools like gymnastics rings or a suspension trainer can add a lot to your training, making many exercises more effective and allowing you to expand your exercise library.

Gymnastic ring curls are one of the few calisthenic isolation exercises for your biceps.

How to do it:

Attach your rings to a sturdy overhead anchor.
Shorten the straps so the rings are about mid-chest height.
Hold the bottom of the rings with an underhand grip.
With your feet below your anchor, lean back until your arms are straight.
Brace your abs and pull your shoulders down and back.
Bend your elbows and curl your head up to your hands.
Pause for 1-2 seconds, and then slowly extend your arms and repeat.

Tips:

You can make this exercise easier by adopting a staggered stance and using your rear leg for assistance.

Alternatively, make this exercise more challenging by lengthening the straps, putting your body at a shallower angle, and putting more weight on your arms.

Build Bigger, Stronger Biceps with Bodyweight gymnastic ring curls

Calisthenics Bicep Workout Routine

While you could just do a few sets of these exercises to build bigger biceps, you’ll get better results if you follow a more structured workout program.

Here’s a plan using some of the exercises from this article.

Do it 1-2 times per week to build biceps you can be proud of!

Calisthenics Bicep Workout

AMRAP means as many reps as possible.

I don’t know how strong or how heavy you are, so it’s impossible to tell you how many reps you should do for each bodyweight exercise.

So, just pump out as many as you can, stopping just as your form starts to break down.

Get Bigger Biceps With Bodyweight Only

Calisthenics Bicep Workout – Closing Thoughts

The biceps are strongly involved in every pulling exercise you do.

Because of this, they may not need a whole lot of extra work to make them grow.

So, if you are already doing plenty of pull-ups and rows each week, your arms are probably well on their way to being muscular and strong.

That said, if your biceps aren’t growing as fast as you wish, or you want to prioritize them, you can use these exercises and our workout to beef them up more quickly.

Work hard and consistently, and you’ll soon have head-turning biceps you can be proud of!

Calisthenics Bicep Workout: 7 Best Exercises for Bigger Arms

Calisthenics Workout for Biceps – Introduction