How to Exercise Your Biceps if You’re a Woman
Although many exercise myths have been debunked, some people still have erroneous beliefs regarding strength training in women. Some women even refuse to exercise their biceps because they’re scared to end up “looking like a man”.
Muscle development is dependent upon various factors, among which genetics, diet, weather conditions, and hormones stand out. Therefore, exercising your biceps won’t make you look like a man. In fact, you need to remember that physical exercise has several benefits.
Exercising your biceps if you’re a woman
Exercise routines to work the biceps brachii must consist of multi-joint and specific movements. The goal is to stimulate the entire arm and its muscles.
These exercises should vary in terms of weight, intensity, and volume. In other words, you must adjust the weight to be lifted and the number of repetitions and sets to your individual needs. However, you can include the same exercises a man can do in your exercise routines.
Exercises to work your biceps
We’ll now show you some of the most recommended exercises to stimulate and exercise your biceps. Remember that the number of sets and repetitions will vary depending on your routine, which should be based on your physical conditions, needs, and goals.
Eccentric biceps curl
The eccentric biceps curl is an exercise in which the ends of the muscles move away from each other. It got its name because it focuses on the eccentric phase of the movement.
This means that, although the exercise has an eccentric and concentric phase, the former should be executed more slowly to stimulate the front area of the arm. Follow these steps to do it correctly:
- Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Then, bend your arms (bring them towards your shoulders).
- Do the movement as slowly as possible until you reach the starting position.
Seated biceps curl: exercise your biceps
You should definitely consider doing the seated biceps curl to exercise your arms. This is one of the most popular exercises to strengthen this area of the arms. You can do it simultaneously or one arm at a time, as you prefer.
- Choose a comfortable bench and sit on it with your back completely straight. Then, hold a dumbbell in each hand and place your arms on each side of your body.
- Bring the dumbbells as close to your shoulders as possible and lower them to the starting position. The goal is for the movement of the exercise to be completely consistent.
The Zottman curl: exercise your biceps
This isn’t one of the most popular exercises in the fitness world. Nevertheless, the Zottman curl is a great exercise to exercise the biceps.
- Begin by standing with your back straight and your legs shoulder-width apart.
- Grab the dumbbells with your hands facing your torso.
- Start bending your arms, bringing the dumbbells as close to your shoulders as possible.
- Then, rotate your forearms so that your grip is forward and begin to extend your arms to get to the starting position.
Complement your routine to exercise your biceps
As we mentioned above, exercising the biceps isn’t the only thing that positively influences muscle development. For this to occur in the best possible way, you need to complement your exercise routine.
To do so, improve your diet and lifestyle habits. This way, your arm muscles, including your biceps, will develop better and the effects of the exercise will be noticeable. To develop a routine and improve your lifestyle habits, we advise you to seek medical and professional advice.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Borba Pinheiro, C. (2014). Efectos de un programa de entrenamiento concurrente sobre la fuerza muscular, flexibilidad y autonomía funcional de mujeres mayores. Revista Ciencias de la Actividad Física.
- Farias, M. C. de, Borba-Pinheiro, C. J., Oliveira, M. A., & Vale, R. G. de S. (2014). Efectos de un programa de entrenamiento. Revista Ciencias de La Actividad Física.
