Short Head Biceps Exercise – Introduction
What are the best short head biceps exercise variations you can do for stronger and bigger arms?
There probably isn’t an exerciser alive who doesn’t have at least a passing interest in building bigger, stronger, muscular, or more toned arms.
And while the triceps are the largest muscle in your arms, the biceps are arguably the most famous.
Heck, ask even a non-exercise to flex a muscle, and invariably, they’ll throw up an arm and crank out a bodybuilding biceps pose!
But, how do you build bigger biceps?
Any exercise involving elbow flexion hits your biceps, including every pulling exercise working your upper back.
Great arm-building pulling exercises include pull-ups, chin-ups, lat pulldowns, bent-over rows, and incline rows.
In fact, for many exercisers, these moves are all you really need to build well-developed biceps, as the biceps tend to fail first during these movements and may not require extra work.
Of course, biceps curls are also a great way to isolate your biceps for more targeted growth.
More Curling Variations
If you are serious about building bigger biceps, you may want to supplement your compound pulls with a few of the many curling variations available.
But, did you know that the biceps have two heads – a long head and a short head?
While it’s impossible to isolate the long or short head, it IS possible to emphasize each one which MAY affect the shape of your arms.
The long head is responsible for your biceps peak.
So, if you want biceps like baseballs, that’s the head to focus on.
But, the short head gives your biceps their thickness.
Therefore, if you want wider biceps, the short head may need more attention.
That said, for most people, there is no reason to differentiate between the biceps heads.
General arm size and strength should be the priority.
If your biceps aren’t as large or as strong as you’d like, there is no reason to waste time and energy worrying about the different heads.
Focus on the big picture before worrying about the small details.
But, if you are happy with the size of your arms and want to fine-tune their shape, you may want to emphasize the individual heads.
This article reveals the seven best exercises for the biceps short head and provides you with a workout to try.
The Best Short Head Biceps Exercises List
Prioritize the short head of your biceps with these tried and tested exercises!
- Preacher curls
- Wide grip barbell curls
- Supine cable curls
- Dumbbell concentration curls
- Seated barbell curls
- Reverse barbell curls
- Chin-ups
Exercises for Biceps Short Head Descriptions
#1. Preacher curls
Preacher curls were a favorite biceps exercise of two-time Mr. Olympia Winner Larry Scott.
Scott was famed for his massive biceps, which he attributed to preacher curls.
In fact, he was so well-known for doing this exercise that preacher curls are sometimes called Scott curls in his honor.
How to do it:
- Sit behind the preacher curl bench and rest your triceps on the angled arm pad.
- Lean forward, extend your arms, and hold a barbell or EZ bar with an underhand, shoulder-width grip.
- Without lifting your arms away from the pads, bend your elbows and raise the weight until your forearms are vertical.
- Do not bend your arms further, as doing so will take tension off your biceps.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
- You can also do this exercise with dumbbells or a cable machine.
Isolate your biceps with Preacher curls
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#2. Wide grip barbell curls
The barbell curl is a classic biceps exercise.
Using a barbell means you can use plenty of weight to build muscle strength and size.
Barbell curls are usually done with a medium-width grip but moving your hands a little further apart increases engagement of the short head of your biceps.
How to do it:
- Gold your barbell with an underhand, wider-than shoulder-width grip.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent for stability.
- Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
- Without using your legs or back, bend your elbows and curl the bar up toward your shoulders.
- Pause and squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement and then lower the weight back down until your arms are straight.
- You can also do this exercise using an EZ bar, which may be easier on your wrists.
Wide grip barbell curls
#3. Supine cable curls
If barbell curls have a disadvantage, it is that it’s all too easy to use your lower back and legs to lift the weight.
This takes tension away from the target muscles.
Supine cable curls are all but cheat-proof and also keep the tension on your biceps throughout the entire range of motion.
How to do it:
- Attach a straight or EZ bar to a low pulley machine.
- Sit on the floor with your legs straight and grip the handle with an underhand, shoulder-width grip.
- Lie flat on the floor and pull your shoulders and elbows back.
- Bend your elbows and curl the handle up to your shoulders.
- Pause in the most contracted position for 1-2 seconds.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
Supine cable curls
#4. Dumbbell concentration curls
According to a study by the American Council on Exercise, or ACE for short, the dumbbell concentration curl is the best exercise you can do for your biceps.
Coincidently, it’s also a great way to target the short head of your biceps, so it’s a real win-win exercise!
The dumbbell concentration curl is an excellent exercise for finishing off your biceps and works best with light to medium weights for moderate to high reps.
How to do it:
- Sit on an exercise bench with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Hold a dumbbell in one hand.
- Extend your arm down toward the floor and press your triceps against your inner thigh.
- Place your other elbow or hand on your knee for support.
- Without moving your arm away from your leg, bend your elbow and curl the weight up to your shoulder.
- Extend your arm and repeat.
- You can also do this exercise with a low cable machine and a D-shaped handle.
The Best Science-Based DUMBBELL Biceps Exercises For Size & Shape
#5. Seated barbell curls
We’re often told that the best way to train any muscle is by taking it through a large range of motion, i.e., from extension to full flexion.
And while that’s good general advice, shorter ranges of motion are sometimes useful.
The seated barbell curl is a very unusual exercise that really emphasizes the short head of your biceps.
How to do it:
- Sit on a flat exercise bench with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Rest a barbell across your thighs and hold it with an underhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
- Without leaning back, flex your arms and curl the bar up to your shoulders.
- Lower the weight back to your thighs and repeat.
- You can also do this exercise with dumbbells, starting and finishing each rep with the weights on your legs.
Seated barbell curls
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#6. Reverse barbell curls
Reverse barbell curls are often thought of as a brachialis and brachioradialis exercise, but, in truth, it’s also a great way to emphasize the short head of your biceps.
However, all that extra forearm means that reverse curls are really a total arm exercise that will also increase grip strength.
How to do it:
- Hold a barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
- Use a thumbless grip if you want to work your forearms a little more.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent for stability.
- Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your abs.
- Keeping your upper arms close to your sides, bend your elbows and curl the weight up to your shoulders.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
- You can also do this exercise using a cable machine.
Barbell reverse curls
#7. Chin-ups
Right at the beginning of this article, we mentioned how compound pulling exercises are one of the most effective and time-efficient ways to build bigger, stronger biceps.
In fact, for a lot of lifters, curls are largely unnecessary.
The chin-up is not only a superb back exercise, but it also works your biceps, especially the short head.
So, if you want to save time and train your back and biceps simultaneously, this exercise is for you!
How to do it:
- Hang from an overhead bar or Power Tower using an underhand shoulder-width grip.
- Your arms should be straight.
- Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your abs.
- Bend your legs, so your feet are clear of the ground.
- Flex your elbows and, keeping your upper arms close to your sides, pull yourself up, so your chin is above the bar.
- Lift your chest and drive your elbows down and back to maximize muscle engagement.
- Lower yourself under control and repeat.
- You can make this exercise easier by using a strong resistance band for assistance.
How to Get Your First Chin Up | 8-Week Progression
Biceps Short Head Exercise Workout
While you can increase short head biceps size by adding any of these exercises to your existing arm workout, you’ll get better results in less time if you follow a more structured workout plan.
Do the following workout 1-2 times per week for 6-8 weeks to beef up the short head of your biceps.
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Recovery |
| 1 | Chin-ups | 3 | 6-8 | 2 minutes |
| 2 | Seated barbell curls | 3 | 8-12 | 90 seconds |
| 3 | Supine cable curls | 2 | 12-15 | 60 seconds |
| 4 | Concentration curls | 1 | 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 | N/A |
For the concentration curls, do 12 reps on your left arm immediately followed by 12 on your right.
Then, without resting, do ten reps on your left arm and ten on your right.
Continue going back and forth, decreasing by two reps each time, until you end with two reps per arm and have a skin-splitting pump!
Short Head Bicep Exercises – Wrapping Up
While focusing on the short head of the biceps is probably unnecessary for most people, it may be helpful if you want to influence the shape of your arms and make them wider.
All biceps exercises involve the long and the short head, but it is possible to emphasize one head over the other, albeit relatively minimally.
Use the exercises and workout in this article to preferentially develop the short head of your biceps to build greater arm thickness.
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer), an