Have you spent months or years trying to build your biceps, only to feel like you just never quite make it to your goal? It is quite possible that what you have been missing all along is simply including workouts in your routine that work the long head of the biceps.

This is the outer part of the biceps that creates a peak shape from the back when you do a bicep pose. The muscle connects to the upper arm and shoulder, and, when exercised correctly, can provide the chiseled finishing touches on your biceps, which is why we have included five incredible long head bicep exercises that will help you achieve those results.

12 Essential Long Head Bicep Exercises

We have included six of the best long-head bicep exercises below with step-by-step guides. 

Incline Dumbbell Curl

For this exercise, you will need to lay on an inclined bench of around 30-45 degrees with a pair of dumbbells in your hands.

The upper arm position would be behind the trunk of the body while curling, placing the biceps brachii in a stretched position. For this reason, it is activated to a greater extent, while reducing the involvement of the short head.

How To Do

1. Adjust the incline of an exercise bench to ~45 degrees.
2. Grasp a pair of dumbbells with the palms facing up and lay back on an exercise bench.
3. Keep your feet flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart to stabilize your body weight.
4. Take a deep breath, keep the upper arm stable, and curl the lower arm up towards the shoulders.
5. Squeeze the biceps at the top of the movement, breathe out, and then slowly lower them back to the starting position.
6. Repeat the movement.

Tips

• Set the incline bench to a comfortable angle to isolate the biceps effectively while reducing shoulder strain.
• Keep your elbows stationary and close to your sides throughout the movement to maximize biceps activation and minimize swinging.
• Use a controlled tempo, focusing on squeezing the biceps at the top of the curl and lowering the weights slowly to maximize muscle engagement and time under tension.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Hammer Curl

The hammer curl is a bicep curl with a hammer grip. This exercise primarily works the brachioradialis but is listed among the long-head biceps exercises, as it does indeed involve those muscles.

How To Do

1. Stand upright with the feet hip-width apart, brace the core, and grasp a pair of suitable dumbbells.
2. Turn the hands inwards into a hammer-like position.
3. Keep the upper arm and shoulder joint stable, breathe in, and begin to curl the dumbbells up.
4. Breathe out and lower the dumbbells.
5. Repeat the movement for the intended rep range.

Tips

• Maintain a neutral grip throughout the movement, keeping your palms facing each other, to target both the biceps and brachialis muscles effectively.
• Keep your elbows close to your sides and avoid swinging or using momentum to lift the weights, ensuring proper isolation of the target muscles.
• Control the weights on the way up and down, focusing on a slow and controlled tempo to maximize muscle engagement and prevent injury.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Close Grip Barbell Curl

Barbell curls with a closer grip stretch the long head of the biceps muscle, therefore activating them more than the short head. Possibly one of the simplest and arguably the most effective upper-body bicep exercises.

How To Do

1. Load up a barbell and stand in the center close to the knurling of the bar.
2. Grasp the barbell with an underhand grip closer than hip-width apart.
3. Stand upright with feet hip/shoulder width apart.
4. Keep the upper arm and shoulder joint stable, breathe in, and begin to curl the barbell up.
5. Breathe out and lower the barbell.
6. Repeat the movement for the intended rep range.

Tips

• Maintain a grip slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart to target the inner portion of the biceps effectively.
• Keep your elbows close to your sides throughout the movement to maximize biceps activation and minimize swinging.
• Control the movement, focusing on a slow and deliberate tempo, to ensure proper muscle engagement and prevent momentum from taking over.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Drag Curl

With the drag curl, you hold a barbell with an underhand grip and the shoulders/upper arms are pulled behind the trunk of the body to the point where the long head of the biceps is stretched and put in a position to increase the activity.

Curling the lower arm from this type of position puts extra emphasis on the long head while reducing the involvement of the short head.

How To Do

1. Load up a barbell and stand in the center close to the knurling. 
2. Grasp the barbell with an underhand grip around hip-width apart. 
3. Stand up and upright with the feet hip/shoulder width apart.
4. Keep the upper arm and shoulder joint stable pull behind the trunk of the body, breathe in, and begin to drag the barbell up the hips and body.
5. Breathe out and lower the barbell.
6. Repeat the movement for the intended rep range.

Tips

• Keep your elbows behind your torso throughout the movement to emphasize biceps activation and reduce shoulder involvement.
• Focus on pulling the barbell up towards your upper chest while keeping it in contact with your body to maximize the contraction in your biceps.
• Control the eccentric (lowering) phase of the movement, ensuring a slow and controlled descent to fully engage the biceps muscles.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Close-Grip Cable Curl

The close-grip cable curl is almost identical to the close-grip barbell curl. The only difference is that it may isolate the biceps more as opposed to involving other muscle groups to complete the movements. The movements are similar to the free-weight variant, but the cable motion is fixed so there is less chance of involving the upper arm.

Another benefit of the close grip cable curl is that it is more beginner-friendly.

How To Do

1. Put a bar attachment onto the cable machine and bring it to the lowest setting.
2. Grasp the bar attachment with an underhand grip, which is closer than hip-width apart, and then stand up.
3. Stand up with the feet hip-shoulder width apart.
4. Keep the upper arm and shoulder joint stable, breathe in, and begin to curl the bar attachment up.
5. Breathe out and lower the bar attachment.
6. Repeat the movement for the intended rep range.

Tips

• Use a close grip attachment on the cable machine and maintain a stable stance with feet shoulder-width apart to ensure proper balance and stability.
• Keep your elbows close to your sides throughout the movement, focusing on isolating the biceps and minimizing momentum.
• Contract your biceps fully at the top of the movement and control the weight as you lower it back to the starting position for optimal muscle engagement.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Single-Arm Cable Curl

The single-arm cable curl variant allows you to focus on one arm at a time and squeeze at the top of the movement, which may activate the long head of the biceps even more.

How To Do

1. Put a single handle attachment onto the cable machine and bring it to the lowest setting.
2. Grasp the single-handle attachment with an underhand grip.
3. Stand up with the feet hip/shoulder width apart.
4. Keep the upper arm and shoulder joint stable and pull behind the trunk of the body.
5. Breathe in and begin to curl the single-arm attachment up to the shoulder position. 
6. At the top of the movement squeeze the biceps for more bicep activation. 
7. Breathe out and lower the single-hand attachment. 
8. Repeat the movement for the intended rep range.

Tips

• Maintain a stable stance with feet shoulder-width apart and engage your core to prevent excessive twisting or swaying during the movement.
• Keep your elbow close to your side and your upper arm stationary, focusing on isolating the biceps and avoiding momentum.
• Contract your biceps fully at the top of the movement, squeezing for a brief pause before lowering the weight back down in a controlled manner.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Bayesian Curl

The Bayesian curl is one of the many variations of the traditional bicep curl. This upper body exercise emphasizes the use of the long head bicep head of the upper arm. It incorporates other biceps brachii heads, and other muscles like the brachioradialis and brachialis. 

Although the Bayesian curl is not a commonly known bicep curl variation, it should not be overlooked. It differs because it starts in a fully extended arm position to emphasize more biceps in the stretched state. Its combined use of the cable pulley machine creates more tension on the biceps to enhance hypertrophy results. 

Try using the Bayesian curl with other bicep peak exercises to encourage that defined and toned upper body physique.

How To Do

1. You will need a cable pulley machine for this exercise. 
2. Adjust the cable pulley to the lowest setting. 
3. Set the weight to an appropriate setting for your fitness level and goals. 
4. Attach a single handle to the cable. 
5. Grasp the handle in one hand. Stand and take a step back, facing away from the cable machine. 
6. Move into a split stance for added balance, placing the opposite foot of the working hand slightly forward. 
7. Extend your working arm behind you and lean forward slightly. This will be the starting position for the Bayesian curl. 
8. Inhale and engage your core.
9. Keep your elbow stationary, restricting movement to below the elbow.
10. Exhale and pull the cable toward your shoulder in a curling movement pattern. 
11. Squeeze your bicep and slowly return to the starting position.
12. Repeat for desired reps and sets.

Tips

• Rather than emphasizing weight load, the goal is to prioritize the tension placed on the biceps in this exercise. This exercise establishes a wide range of motion to better target the long head biceps and create more tension to enhance hypertrophy. Focus on slowing the movement and getting the most tension on the biceps to maximize gains. 
• The only body part that should be moving in this exercise is the arm below the elbow. If there is any momentum in any other body part, you’re probably lifting too much weight. Lower the weight to adjust to better emphasize tension on the biceps. 

Optimal Sets And Reps

Dumbbell Zottman Curl

The dumbbell Zottman curl is another variation of the traditional bicep curl. It utilizes two different hand grips — the pronated (palms down) grip and the supinated (palms up) grip. These two hand grips emphasize other muscle groups, such as the brachialis, wrist flexors, and biceps brachii.  

The primary movers in this exercise are the biceps brachii. The secondary muscles are the wrist extensors, wrist flexors, brachialis, brachioradialis, and forearms. When the forearm moves from the pronated position to the supinated position, the long head biceps are engaged. 

Research has shown that different hand grips in bicep exercises can vary muscle activation rates and muscle group engagement. The dumbbell Zottman curl effectively targets the long head biceps and other related muscle groups to improve bicep thickness. It is one of the best bicep workouts with dumbbells to encourage a well-defined upper-body physique.

How To Do

1. Grab two dumbbells for this exercise. 
2. Position your feet shoulder-width apart. 
3. Hold the dumbbells by your sides. 
4. Adjust your hands so that your palms are facing away from you. 
5. Inhale and engage your core. 
6. Exhale and curl the dumbbells up to your shoulder. 
7. From this position, rotate your wrists so your palms are facing away. 
8. Slowly lower the weights down to the starting position. 
9. Before beginning the next repetition, rotate the wrists again so your palms face away from you.
10. Repeat for the desired reps and sets.

Tips

• Avoid using momentum to swing the dumbbells upward for the curl. This detracts from muscle engagement and can deter desired progress. Keep the elbows by your sides to avoid arm swinging and pause at the top and bottom of the movement. 
• Maintain a slight bend in the elbow at the bottom portion of the movement to create constant tension.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Dumbbell Zottman Preacher Curl

The dumbbell Zottman preacher curl is an outstanding exercise for establishing tension in the biceps brachii. Although it does utilize the wrist flexors, brachialis, and brachioradialis, its primary muscle is the biceps brachii. 

This exercise isolates the biceps brachii and eliminates unwanted momentum to establish greater tension in this muscle group. It improves muscle activation to enhance hypertrophy and strength gains in the biceps brachii, including the long head. The long head of the biceps brachii is used as the forearm turns from the pronated to the supinated grip.

How To Do

1. Grab two dumbbells for the exercise.
2. Adjust the seat height so your chest is level with the preacher bench. Sit on the preacher seat with your feet flat on the floor.
3. Hold the dumbbells in a supinated (underhand) grip.
4. Extend your arms over the pad. 
5. Inhale and engage your core. 
6. Exhale and curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders. 
7. At the top, rotate your wrists so your palms face away from you.
8. Slowly lower the weights.
9. Once you return to the starting position, rotate the wrists once more so that the hands are supinated. 
10. Repeat for desired reps and sets.

Tips

• At the bottom of the movement, keep a slight bend in the elbows. This action helps maintain tension in the biceps, increasing intensity and encouraging hypertrophy. 
• Incorporate slow and controlled movements to build more tension in the targeted muscle group. Prioritizing this increases time under tension in the biceps.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Dumbbell One Arm Zottman Preacher Curl

The dumbbell one-arm Zottman preacher curl is a unilateral variation that emphasizes the isolation and engagement of the biceps brachii. It prioritizes elbow and wrist movement to better target the biceps long head, and other muscles like the brachialis. By far, it is one of the best bicep isolation exercises. 

As a unilateral exercise, this curl variation focuses on one side of the body. This helps target the biceps brachii and any potential muscular imbalances or weaknesses in the biceps. Its movement pattern of switching from a pronated to a supinated grip allows for biceps long head activation to strengthen this muscle.

How To Do

1. You will need to set an incline bench to a 45-degree angle for this exercise.
2. Grab one dumbbell. Hold it in a supinated (underhand) grip for the starting position of the exercise. 
3. Stand facing the incline bench.
4. Enter a split stance. 
5. Lay your working arm on the incline bench so the tricep is fully on the pad. 
6. Straighten your arm, ensuring your palm faces upward in a supinated grip. 
7. Inhale.
8. On the exhale, curl the dumbbell toward your shoulder. 
9. At the top, rotate your wrist so that the palm is facing away from you. 
10. Slowly lower to the starting position. 
11. Rotate the wrist to be supinated once more before beginning the next repetition. 
12. Repeat for desired reps and sets. 

Tips

• Prioritize mind-to-muscle connection to emphasize greater muscle engagement to improve results during this exercise. Think of using the biceps specifically to curl the dumbbells up and control the movement pattern. 
• Minimize movements outside of the arm position below the elbow. Only this part of the body should be moving to prioritize bicep engagement. This will help ensure proper form and no outside help in curling the dumbbell.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Chin-Up

The chin-up is a powerful upper-body exercise that prioritizes using multiple muscle groups as a compound movement. It incorporates the biceps brachii, latissimus dorsi, and upper trapezius to pull the body up to the bar. 

Great for experienced lifters, this bodyweight exercise challenges lifters to draw on various muscles to lift to the bar. It is incredibly beneficial in increasing total upper body strength and muscle growth with its intensity and muscle engagement. The supinated grip allows for engagement of the biceps brachii like the long head to empower the exercise’s movement pattern.

How To Do

1. Locate a pull-up bar for the exercise. 
2. Use the provided steps, a bench, or a box to firmly grasp the bar in a supinated grip.
3. Lower your body down so that both arms are straight. 
4. Inhale and engage the core. 
5. Exhale and drive your elbows down to pull your body to the bar.
6. Maintain a neutral spine, bracing your glutes and abdominals. 
7. Stop when your chin reaches bar height. 
8. Slowly return to the starting position. 
9. Repeat for desired reps and sets.

Tips

• Don’t forget to brace your glutes and abdominals. These muscles are crucial for maintaining a neutral spine and stabilizing the body to avoid swinging or swaying. 
• Incorporate the thumbs in your grip to encourage bicep involvement. 
• As you perform the chin-up, use the visual cue of driving the elbows down as you pull. This helps activate the muscles to help draw the body up the bar.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Pull-Up

Pull-ups are an upper-body exercise that emphasizes using body weight to increase intensity. They utilize multiple muscle groups, such as the biceps brachii, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, and erector spinae. 

The pull-up provides many benefits for lifters, including improved upper body strength, muscle growth, posture, and shoulder stability. Incorporating this exercise into training routines effectively promotes these benefits and targets the biceps brachii.

How To Do

1. Put a single handle attachment onto the cable machine and bring it to the lowest setting.
2. Grasp the single-handle attachment with an underhand grip.
3. Stand up with the feet hip/shoulder width apart.
4. Keep the upper arm and shoulder joint stable and pull behind the trunk of the body.
5. Breathe in and begin to curl the single-arm attachment up to the shoulder position. 
6. At the top of the movement squeeze the biceps for more bicep activation. 
7. Breathe out and lower the single-hand attachment. 
8. Repeat the movement for the intended rep range.

Tips

• Maintain a stable stance with feet shoulder-width apart and engage your core to prevent excessive twisting or swaying during the movement.
• Keep your elbow close to your side and your upper arm stationary, focusing on isolating the biceps and avoiding momentum.
• Contract your biceps fully at the top of the movement, squeezing for a brief pause before lowering the weight back down in a controlled manner.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Anatomy Of The Long Head Biceps

The long head bicep is one of two parts of the thick biceps brachii muscle, also known as the biceps. The other part of the biceps is the short head. Together, they assist in elbow flexion (bending), supination (turning the palm upwards), and shoulder flexion (raising the arm). 

Elbow flexion, supination, and shoulder flexion are vital for many upper-body movements. Elbow flexion is required for tasks such as holding a cell phone to your ear. Supination is needed for tasks like turning a door knob or holding a tray. We use shoulder flexion every time we reach overhead or grab an item from a high shelf.

In contrast to the biceps short head, the long head also contributes to stabilizing the shoulder joint.   

The supraglenoid tubercle is a small bump on the shoulder blade where the long head of the biceps muscle attaches. Specifically, it’s right above the socket of the shoulder joint (the glenoid cavity). The supraglenoid tubercle is the long head bicep’s point of origin. From its origin, the long head travels down the arm on the lateral (external) side. 

Its path runs down the bicipital groove located at the top of the humerus (upper arm bone). The bicipital groove is like a small indentation on the front of your upper arm bone. This is where the tendon of the long head of the biceps muscle runs through. After exiting the bicipital groove, it meets up with the short head tendon to form the muscle belly. 

The muscle belly is the largest part of a muscle, made up of muscle fibers bundled together. The short and long head together make up the aesthetically pleasing and sought-after muscles of the upper arm.

The long head attaches to the radial tuberosity, a bony bump in the upper part of the radius bone. The radius is one of two forearm bones located on the thumb side. It helps the muscle pull and move your forearm, which allows for lifting and rotating your arm.  

The medial (inner side) forearm fascia is a layer of connective tissue that supports the muscles of the inner forearm. It’s like a protective cover, keeping the muscles in place and providing a place for tendons to attach. The medial forearm fascia’s support in conjunction with the work of the biceps helps the arm with its many movements.

Benefits Of Bicep Long Head Exercises

Complete The Bicep Development

We all want those boulder biceps, but it is important to develop all parts of the bicep. As the name suggests, the biceps are made up of two muscles, which include the short head (inner part) and the long head (outer part). 

To form the outer bicep peak, you must include long head-specific exercises. This may complete the bicep development. Furthermore, these exercises will make your biceps appear larger overall. 

Build Bicep Strength

To maximize elbow flexion strength (curling the lower arm) we must utilize exercises from different angles, which include the long head specific positions i.e., incline dumbbell curls and dumbbell hammer curls. 

Remember, size and strength go hand in hand, so the goal is to make the long head bigger and stronger by using long exercises with moderate-heavy loads. 

Develop Grip Strength

Gripping a dumbbell or an object, in general, will draw some grip strength from tapping into grip-specific and forearm muscles.

Bicep curls in long head-specific positioning may stimulate the grip strength if they are an addition to your current strength training routine, thereby further improving grip strength. 

Prevent Injuries

Long head bicep exercises help build up bicep and shoulder strength and stability, which makes them less susceptible to strain and tear.  

Tips For Doing Long Head Bicep Exercises

Pin The Shoulders Back

The long head of the biceps inserts into the shoulders and is activated when the shoulders are pinned and brought behind the body, this is because the bicep head is placed into a stretched and active position. 

The idea is to target the long head of the bicep as much as possible, it is important to pin the shoulders/upper arms throughout any long head-specific movements.  

Focus On Lower Arm Flexion (Bicep Curl)

To minimize the involvement of other areas of the shoulder, make sure that you use the lower arm and hinge at the elbow or any long head-specific bicep curl. Some lifters bring the weight up with the legs, back, and upper arms, which reduces bicep activation.

Optimize Breathing Techniques

At times breathing can be undervalued when it comes to lifting, but it can make all of the difference. Breathing can help stabilize the core and spine from becoming loaded, where the spine becomes curved and pressured in an unnatural and unsafe position. In turn, this could reduce the chances of injury. 

Secondly, breathing ensures that oxygenated blood reaches the brain and muscles, which lowers the risk of fainting. 

Observe Good Nutrition

The missing gap is nutrition. To optimize the appearance of the bicep long head, you must observe a diet that. We suggest starting the day with a healthy and wholesome breakfast. Then focus on not overeating and working your way to ~1g of protein per pound of body weight every day. Overall this will improve body composition and the appearance of the biceps.  

Common Long Head Bicep Training Mistakes 

Not Moving Through Full Range Of Motion

Moving through a partial range of motion (ROM) when performing long head bicep exercises can affect muscular hypertrophy. Muscular hypertrophy, in simple terms, is the process of your muscles growing larger in size. 

Exercises like strength training can cause micro tears in the muscle. As the muscle repairs itself, the muscle becomes larger and stronger. Studies have found that performing an exercise through full ROM produces a greater effect on the muscle. 

If the weight is too heavy, a common compensation is to reduce the range of motion. Aim for a weight that allows you to execute the movement through full ROM.

Neglecting Recovery Time

Strength training requires adequate recovery time for the body to properly restore itself. Protein synthesis for muscle repair, energy replenishment, and rest for muscular fatigue all require recovery time. 

Recovery time will vary depending on factors like volume, load, and the type of contractions. Recovery plays an important role in muscular growth, performance, and preventing injuries. Studies suggest that taking a 48–72 hour break from working the same muscle group will help the muscles repair adequately. 

Sufficient water intake and nutrition will help with energy replenishment and hydration. Light physical activity can increase blood flow and aid in recovery, but pay attention to how you’re feeling. If you’re very sore or overly tired, try gentle stretching, foam rolling, and getting adequate rest.

Improper Form And Technique

Proper form and technique will help target the correct muscles and ensure effectiveness when performing bicep long head exercises. A distal bicep tendon rupture is common in upper body exercises like the bicep curl. This common injury occurs at the attachment point of the biceps tendon near the elbow. Using proper form and technique will ensure effectiveness and lower the risk of injury.

With each variation of exercise to target the long head, ensure the proper technique is understood and proper form is used. If you’re unsure how to execute the exercise, work with a professional to prevent injuries and maximize your workout.

Lifting Weight That Is Too Heavy 

If your goal is to increase muscle mass in your arms, the best bicep long head exercises will help you get there. However, attempting to lift a weight that’s too heavy to execute with proper form can impact your results.

It might be tempting to grab a weight that’s heavier than you can handle to try and maximize your results. Lifting weights that are too heavy often leads to swinging or using momentum in exercises like the bicep curl. Weight that’s heavier than you can handle also increases your risk of injury.

Finding the appropriate weight will encourage proper form, reduce the risk of injury, allow for full ROM, and increase effectiveness.                   

Conclusion

All in all, if you want to maximize bicep development in terms of size and strength, you must include long head-specific exercises.

These exercises are built around the idea of putting the long head in a stretched position to make it more dominant and activated over other muscles and the head of the bicep. 

By including long head-specific exercises you may improve grip strength and reduce bicep injury risk. Feel free to try one of our six long-head bicep recommendations. 

Frequently Asked Questions