10 Best Back And Bicep Workouts For Building Muscles In 2024

Whatever your training goal is, there’s no denying the power of a big back and a good pair of biceps. Besides looking great in the mirror, they strengthen functional movement patterns and improve posture and stability.

Building a big back requires more than just rowing. Your back consists of several major muscle groups that require different movement patterns. The same goes for your biceps — you need to train both muscle heads. 

A well-organized training routine is needed to accomplish this. As muscle groups that work together, pairing the back and biceps is a great idea. 

In the article below, we discuss the ten best back and bicep workouts. We explain the correct form, programming tips, and the main benefits of working them. To end, we explain how to do a proper warm-up and cool-down for the workouts below.

10 Best Back And Bicep Workouts

The exercises below are suitable for a range of ability levels and exercise goals. Follow the form guide and programming tips to get the full benefits.

Pull-Up

The pull-up uses a classic functional movement pattern that’s been around since weightlifting first began. You pull your body up to the height of the bar above you and lower down again under control. 

Your latissimus dorsi act as the primary movers. Secondary movers include your trapezius, rhomboids, and bicep muscles.

Alongside building muscle, the pull-up develops a functional movement pattern and improves posture. It’s easily accessible and convenient in most indoor and outdoor locations.

How To Do

1. Stand next to a suitable pull-up bar with your hands by your sides. 
2. Stand on a raised platform. Grip the pull-up handles using a double overhand, shoulder-width grip.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Come forward off the raised platform until your feet are dangling below. 
4. Exhale and pull your body straight up to the bar. Pause at the top position once your chin reaches the same level as the bar. 
5. Inhale as you lower to the starting position under control.

Tips

• Use a suitable raised surface so you don’t need to jump up to the pull-up bar.
• Keep your chest up and head facing forward throughout the movement. 
• Cross your legs for a more stable body position.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12–20
Power Training	3–5	1–3

Assisted Pull-Up

The assisted pull-up is a scaled-down version of the normal pull-up that’s great for beginners and those learning. It involves the same functional movement pattern but with lower resistance. This usually comes in the form of a machine or a resistance band. 

Like the pull-up, it works the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, and biceps. It develops functional strength, improves posture, and helps to build muscle.

How To Do

1. Stand in front of an assisted pull-up machine. Place your hands by your sides with your chest up and head facing forward.
2. Set the assisted machine to the weight that allows you to achieve proper form. 
3. Stand on a suitable raised platform. Grasp the pull-up handles with a shoulder-width grip and double overhand placement. 
4. Inhale and engage your core. Step forward onto the assistance platform. Use a standing or kneeling position, depending on the machine.
5. Exhale and pull your body up to the bar until your chin is level. Pause briefly at the top position. 
6. Inhale as you lower back to the starting position under control.

Tips

• Ensure you use an assistance weight that allows you to perform the correct rep range with good form. 
• Slowly control both phases of the pull-up to ensure targeted muscle activation. 
• Don’t allow your chin to go higher than the bar height. Instead, bring it just in line.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12–20
Power Training	3–5	1–3

Wide-Grip Pull-Up

Compared to the traditional pull-up, the wide-grip pull-up uses a wider grip width. Because of this, it places more emphasis on the latissimus dorsi muscles. The secondary movers are your traps, rhomboids, and to a lesser extent, your biceps. 

Alongside targeting your lats, it develops functional strength and improves posture during daily living and exercise.

How To Do

1. Stand in front of a suitable pull-up bar with your arms by your sides. 
2. Step onto a raised platform and grip the pull-up handles with your hands wider than shoulder-width. Use a double overhand grip, palms facing down. 
3. Inhale and engage your core. Come forward off the raised surface and allow your body to dangle.
4. Exhale and pull your body up to the bar. Squeeze your back muscles as you reach the top position. 
5. Pause briefly. Inhale and lower back to the starting position under control.

Tips

• Only pull as far as your range of motion allows. To limit potential muscle strains, avoid pulling too high over the bar.
• Try to use a raised platform when performing pull-ups. Avoid jumping up in order to maintain balance.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12–20
Power Training	3–5	1–3

Chin-Up

The chin-up uses the same concept as the pull-up but involves a much different movement pattern. This shifts more of the exercise stimulus to your elbow flexors as you use a double underhand grip. 

Your latissimus dorsi function as the primary movers. The secondary movers include your biceps short head, biceps long head, brachialis, brachioradialis, and traps.

Because of the grip and arm position, chin-ups provide a more shoulder-friendly alternative to the traditional pull-up. They also develop functional strength and improve posture.

How To Do

1. Stand in front of a pull-up bar. Ensure your hips are facing forward with your hands by your sides. 
2. Step onto the raised platform. Grip the pull-up bar using a double underhand grip, palms facing up. Your hands should be hip-width apart. 
3. Inhale and engage your core. Step off the platform so your legs are dangling freely. 
4. Exhale and pull your body up to the bar by flexing your elbows. Keep your elbows tucked at the front of your body. 
5. Pause briefly once your chin reaches the bar. 
6. Inhale as you lower to the starting position under control.

Tips 

• Ensure your elbows stay tucked at the front of your body throughout. 
• Keep your core engaged during the movement. 
• Make sure your body is still before beginning the chin-up.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12–20
Power Training	3–5	1–3

Barbell Biceps Curl

The barbell biceps curl is a classic bicep isolation exercise that remains a staple for many bicep-building training routines. It uses a simple movement pattern where you curl a weighted bar toward your chest.

The primary movers are your biceps long head and biceps short head. The secondary movers are your wrist extensors. 

Alongside working both heads of the bicep, the barbell biceps curl is easy to perform and progress. It provides targeted bicep isolation with a small initial learning curve, making it great for beginners.

How To Do

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a suitable barbell in front of you. Your chest should be up with your head facing forward.
2. Inhale and engage your core. Pick the barbell up while maintaining a neutral back position. Use a double underhand grip. 
3. With your elbows tucked into your sides, exhale and curl the barbell to chest height.
4. Pause briefly at the top position.
5. Inhale and bring the barbell back to the same starting position.

Tips

• Keep your arms tucked by your sides to ensure targeted muscle activation. 
• Avoid using momentum or sudden movements to curl the barbell up. 
• Keep a slight bend in your knees to limit knee joint stress.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12–20
Power Training	3–5	1–3

Dumbbell Concentration Curl

If you’re looking for an isolation-type bicep exercise that targets the short head, the dumbbell concentration curl ticks the boxes. True to the name, you move your head closer to the curl so that you can concentrate on the movement. Secondary movers include the biceps long head, brachialis, brachioradialis, and wrist flexors.

The dumbbell concentration curl is a great exercise that works the key elbow flexor muscles. Supporting the upper arm reduces the risk of shoulder involvement. 
Alongside this, it works one arm at a time, using a unilateral movement pattern. This helps address potential muscular imbalances.

How To Do

1. Set up a flat bench with a dumbbell at the front. Sit on the end with your legs wider than shoulder-width.
2. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and place the same elbow against your thigh. Ensure your arm is fully extended. 
3. You should lean forward slightly, looking at the dumbbell. Keep your back and head neutral throughout. 
4. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and flex your elbow as you curl the weight to your chest.
5. Inhale as you bring the dumbbell back to the starting position under control.

Tips

• Keep your elbow still throughout the movement. It should remain against your thigh.
• Make sure to engage your core at all times. This prevents excessive lower back strain. 
• Squeeze your bicep at the top of the movement for targeted muscle activation.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12–20
Power Training	3–5	1–3

Dumbbell Cross Body Hammer Curl

While the dumbbell cross-body hammer curl uses the same elbow flexion as the traditional dumbbell curl, it differs in the movement pattern. The neutral hammer grip places more emphasis on your brachialis and brachioradialis muscles. 

Even though these are not technically bicep muscles, these are key elbow flexors that contribute to most bicep movements. Because of this, they help with bicep appearance and thickness.

How To Do

1. Start with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Using a neutral grip, hold two dumbbells by your sides, palms facing inward.
2. Inhale and brace your core. Exhale and bring one dumbbell across your body to chest height. Your elbows should stay in the same position. 
3. Pause briefly at the top position. Inhale and lower the dumbbell back to the starting position under control.
4. Repeat with the other arm.

Tips

• Ensure you bring the dumbbell straight across your body while keeping your elbow in the same position.
• Keep a neutral grip throughout the movement for targeted isolation. 
• Each dumbbell should come back to the same starting position.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12–20
Power Training	3–5	1–3

Dumbbell Bicep Curl

Walk into any gym and it’s hard to avoid the dumbbell bicep curl. It’s long been a staple of many training programs as a foundational bicep-building exercise. It uses the classic elbow flexion movement with your arms by your sides and hands facing in front of you. 

It works both bicep heads alongside your wrist flexors and extensors. It’s great for beginners and athletes looking to improve pulling strength.

How To Do

1. Start with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides with your arms extended, palms facing forward.
2. Inhale and brace your core. Exhale and flex both elbows to curl the dumbbells up to shoulder height. 
3. Pause briefly at the top position. Inhale and bring them back to the starting position under control.

Tips

• Keep your chest up and head forward throughout the movement. This helps to limit lower back stress. 
• Control the dumbbells at all times. Avoid sudden or fast movements that may cause imbalance. 
• Keep your elbows tucked into your sides throughout.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12–20
Power Training	3–5	1–3

Barbell Preacher Curl

The barbell preacher curl involves the same elbow flexion movement as the barbell bicep curl. However, the preacher curl version places a bench underneath your arms, eliminating shoulder involvement. 

Because of this, it offers targeted bicep isolation. The primary mover is the biceps short head. The long head, brachialis, and brachioradialis perform secondary roles.

How To Do

1. Adjust the seat of the preacher bench so your chest comes level with the pad. 
2. Sit on the bench with your chest against the pad and head facing forward. 
3. Inhale and engage your core. Pick the barbell up from the rack and extend both arms in front of you. Use a shoulder-width, double underhand grip.
4. Exhale and curl the barbell towards your shoulders. Pause briefly at the top position. 
5. Inhale and return the barbell to the starting position.

Tips

• Ensure your upper arms stay against the preacher pad. If they come off, lower the weight.
• Adjust the grip width to better target different bicep heads.
• Keep your chest firmly against the preacher pad to limit lower back involvement.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12–20
Power Training	3–5	1–3

Standing Cable Lat Pulldown

The standing cable lat pulldown takes the seated lat pulldown movement and performs it using a standing position. It isolates the latissimus dorsi muscles as the primary movers.  

Like most of the exercises on this list, it helps build muscle and improve pulling strength. Like other isolation exercises, it also helps to improve your mind-muscle connection. 

This is how you think about the muscle you’re working. It’s been identified as a key way to promote muscular hypertrophy.

How To Do

1. Set up a cable machine with a high pulley and wide pulldown bar.
2. Grasp the bar with a double overhand grip, palms on top of the bar. Walk back until your arms are fully extended. Use a hip-width stance with your feet pointing out.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Lean forward slightly while maintaining a neutral back. Push your hips back with a slight bend in your knees.
4. Exhale and pull the bar in a straight motion towards your chest. 
5. Pause briefly. Inhale and lower the bar back to the starting position under control. Maintain the same body position throughout.

Tips

• Keep your core engaged throughout the movement. This helps to ensure a stable lifting position. 
• Ensure you use a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. This keeps the focus on your back musculature.
• Start the movement with your arms fully extended. This provides a bigger muscle stretch before the contraction.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Training Style	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	3–5	4–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–10
Endurance Training	3–4	12–20
Power Training	3–5	1–3

Best Back And Bicep Workout Routine

Out of the ten exercises above, we’ve chosen the top five and programmed them into a back and bicep workout. This is designed to work each of the main muscle groups described below. 

We’ve used different sets and reps ranges throughout. This targets different training styles with the main focus still on muscular hypertrophy.

Exercise	Sets x Reps
Wide Grip Pull-ups	3–5 x 4–6
Barbell Bicep Curls	3–4 x 8–10
Chin Ups	3–4 x 8–10
Dumbbell Cross Body Hammer Curl	3–4 x 12–20
Barbell Preacher Curl	3–4 x 12–20

Anatomy Of The Back

The back is a large region of the body that runs from the neck to the glutes. It consists of the spine and two main back compartments. 

The back performs several important functions. These include protecting the spinal cord, holding up the body and neck, and allowing movement of the limbs. 

We can split the back muscles up into extrinsic and intrinsic components. The extrinsic back muscles produce shoulder movements and assist respiration (breathing). The intrinsic ones are found deeper in the body and act on the vertebral column (spine). 

For the purpose of back and bicep workouts, we’re going to focus on the superficial muscles, or the ones you can see. These are the rhomboids, trapezius, and the latissimus dorsi.

Upper Trapezius

Triangular shaped muscles located between your neck and shoulder blades.

Middle Trapezius

Muscles located in the middle of your back between your upper and lower traps.

Lower Trapezius

Small, triangular shaped muscles located below your middle traps and between your lats.

Latissimus Dorsi

Large, triangular shaped muscles located just below your shoulder blades. They extend along your spine down to your pelvis.

Rhomboids

The rhomboids are made up of two parts. These are the rhomboid major and the rhomboid minor. They connect the scapula, or shoulder blades, to the spine. 

Their main functions are to hold the scapula against the ribcage and perform scapula retraction. This happens when you pull your shoulders back. Because of this, they ensure correct movement during upper-body pulling exercises.

Trapezius

The trapezius muscles, or traps, are located between the back of the head and the latissimus dorsi. They can be divided into three sections: the upper traps, the middle traps, and the lower traps. 

The main function of the traps is to move and stabilize the scapula, or shoulder blades. This helps to maintain correct shoulder movement. In the back exercises above, the scapula needs to move correctly and stabilize to ensure proper movement.

Latissimus Dorsi

The latissimus dorsi, or lats, cover most of the back musculature. They perform internal rotation, adduction, and extension of the shoulders. This means rotating the arms inwards, moving towards the midline of the body, and bringing them down. 

They’re heavily involved in most of the back exercises above. These include the different pull-up variations and chin-ups. Alongside this, they assist in respiration, or breathing, during each exercise. 

During a normal pull-up, the latissimus dorsi muscles are the main movers. Studies looking at muscle activation rates show a 79.8% maximum voluntary contraction percentage during the pull-up. This is a measure of how hard a muscle is working in a particular movement.

Anatomy Of The Biceps

The biceps brachii consist of two main muscle heads. These are the biceps short head and biceps long head. They are located at the front of your upper arm, extending from your shoulder blades to your forearms. 

The biceps short head and biceps long head differ in location and function depending on the exercise movement.

Biceps Short Head

Most inside portion of the biceps. Located at the front of your upper arm closest to your chest.

Biceps Short Head

The biceps short head originates from your humerus, or upper arm bone, and inserts into your ulna, or forearm bone. It’s the inner part of your biceps brachii. True to its name, it’s shorter than the long head.

The primary function of the biceps short head is to perform elbow flexion, or bring your forearm towards your body. It also helps to stabilize your shoulder during movement. 

Each of the back and bicep exercises above requires some degree of elbow flexion. Therefore, the biceps short head will be involved in each of them to some extent. Alongside this, you can use short head bicep exercises to primarily target it. 

As your elbow flexes between 50 degrees and 90 degrees, the bicep brachii show the largest maximum voluntary contraction. This is estimated to be at a rate of 20% to 25% of a maximum voluntary contraction. 

This typically happens towards the end of the contraction phase at the top position.

Biceps Long Head

The biceps long head also originates from your humerus and inserts into your ulna. However, it is longer than the short head and situated on the outside. 

Alongside the short head, it primarily functions to flex your elbow. Besides this, it helps with shoulder abduction and inward rotation. In other words, it brings your arm away from the midline of your body and rotates it towards you.

Due to the outer location, a narrow grip in any of the bicep exercises above will provide a larger stimulus. This can be done alongside designated long head bicep exercises.

Benefits Of Back And Bicep Workouts

The back and bicep muscles are heavily involved in many activities and daily movement patterns. Because of this, strengthening them offers several benefits. We’ve discussed the main three below.

Promotes Functional Strength

The idea of functional strength is to perform training that closely mimics the physiological demands of real-life activity and movements. When done regularly, this can lead to more efficient movement patterns and reduce injury risk

The back and bicep muscles are involved in most of the functional movements we perform. Examples of daily activities include carrying your shopping and picking your children up from the floor. Sporting movement examples include rowing and performing the deadlift in powerlifting. 

Because of this, regularly performing back and bicep workouts is a great way to promote functional strength. When done correctly, we can become stronger and more efficient in many different functional movement patterns. Over time, this reduces injury and improves quality of life.

Improves Posture 

Posture refers to the position in which we hold ourselves in relation to space. It involves our joints and muscles alongside our environmental perceptions. 

As we move around and exercise, we constantly make postural adjustments. These determine the amount of stress we are placing on different joints and muscles. Even when we sit or stand still, we make small postural adjustments.

Our back muscles play essential roles in maintaining posture. They support the spine, prevent the shoulders from rounding, and help to move the limbs. 

Regular strengthening of these key postural muscles improves their function. Improved function allows us to better maintain posture when moving and exercising. This helps distribute stress, reducing the risk of injury.

Enhances Stability

Stability refers to our ability to maintain posture and safely resist changes in movement and force. If we are well-balanced, we are said to have good stability. Good body stability ensures efficient movement patterns and reduces injury risk. 

Good stability means we can keep ourselves upright during movement and exercise. As discussed above, our back muscles are key to maintaining posture. With better posture, we enhance stability. 

When walking around, our back provides stability to maintain balance. When lifting, we move our limbs to provide a stable lifting position. 

Because of this, back and bicep workouts help to enhance stability. This allows us to better maintain balance and ensure more efficient movement patterns.

How To Warm Up And Cool Down?

We can define a warm-up as movements performed before a main activity or exercise that helps to prepare our body. 

A correctly performed warm-up increases muscle temperature, loosens joints, and promotes blood flow to provide additional oxygen and nutrients needed. This helps to improve performance and reduce injury risk. 

To get these benefits, you need to perform a suitable warm-up routine. This should consist of a pulse raiser and dynamic stretches. Below is a good example of this for back and biceps workouts.

• Jogging x 1 minute.
• Side-to-side arm swings x 1 minute. 
• Torso twists x 1 minute. 
• Front-to-back arm swings x 1 minute.
• Hip circles x 1 minute. 

Cooling down allows you to transition from intense physical activity back to the normal demands of daily life. A cool-down gradually lowers your heart rate, improves flexibility, and reduces delayed onset muscle soreness. A proper cool-down can reduce injury risk and promote better performance.

A cool-down should consist of static stretches and poses. The following is an example of a suitable cool-down routine for the back and bicep exercises above. 

• Child’s Pose x 1 minute.
• Cross-body Shoulder Stretch x 1 minute (30 seconds for each arm).
• Cat-cow Stretch x 1 minute.
• Above-head Tricep Stretch x 1 minute (30 seconds for each arm).
• Cobra Stretch x 1 minute.

Conclusion

Back and bicep workouts promote functional strength, improve posture, and enhance stability. Whatever your goal, they make a worthwhile addition to your training program.  

The exercises above can be included as part of your back workouts at home or in the gym. Ensure you follow the technique cues and tips to get the most out of them.