Bodyweight Bicep Curl

Building strong and toned arms is a top priority for beginner and advanced gymgoers alike. But unfortunately, not everyone has access to a gym or weights to use at home.

That’s where bodyweight bicep curls come into play. This simple yet effective exercise allows you to target your entire biceps without requiring weights. No at-home bicep workout is complete without them. 

In this article, we’ll start by explaining how to perform this exercise correctly and program it into your split. Then we’ll cover its many benefits and talk more about who this exercise is best suited for.

How To Do

  1. Sit down on a chair or gym bench with your back straight and upright.
  2. Place your feet flat on the ground, about shoulder-width apart. Your legs should have a 90-degree bend.
  3. Lift one leg slightly off the ground, enough that you can slide the palm of the opposite hand underneath it.
  4. The hand of your working arm should be firmly grasping the leg just above the knee.
  5. You can grasp your forearm with the opposite hand to help stabilize the shoulder if needed. Otherwise, simply let the other arm rest on your leg or by your side.
  6. Flex your elbow by contracting your bicep, bringing your forearm and leg closer together.
  7. Squeeze the bicep at the top of the movement, ensuring you feel the contraction in your arm.
  8. Lower your leg slowly and under control.
  9. Repeat as necessary before switching to the other arm and leg to work both sides evenly.

Tips From Expert

  • For an added challenge, try performing the bodyweight bicep curl while doing a wall sit.
  • To increase muscle activation through the biceps during the lifting phase, use opposite forces. As you draw the leg toward you with the bicep, simultaneously push it away with the power of your leg muscles.
  • Don’t forget about utilizing the eccentric (lowering) phase of the movement. Instead of simply allowing your leg to drop, resist gravity as you move. This will help you keep your bicep muscle under tension during the entire movement.

Optimal Sets and Reps

Bodyweight exercises aren’t the best option for individuals seeking power training or hypertrophy results from their workouts. However, below you’ll find evidence-based recommendations for sets and reps for strength and endurance training.

Training Type Sets Reps
Strength Training 4–5 8–6 (slow and with maximum resistance)
Hypertrophy N/A N/A
Endurance Training 3–4 12–15
Power Training N/A N/A
Optimal Sets & Reps of Bodyweight Bicep Curl

How to Put in Your Workout Split

Bodyweight bicep curls aren’t going to help you get Arnold Schwarzenegger biceps. However, they’re a great option for increasing bicep muscular endurance and working your arms when equipment is limited.

How you use bodyweight bicep curls will depend on your fitness goals and how much time you have to spend working out.

Here are a few split and workout routine options to help you get started:

  • Upper Body Push/Pull Split — A push and pull split is an effective routine for targeting all of the upper body muscle groups. Bodyweight bicep curls would be included on the pull day, which is meant to target the back, biceps, and forearms.

  • Home Workout Routine — One of the main advantages of bodyweight bicep curls is that they require no equipment. This makes them an ideal addition to a full at-home arm workout.

  • Strength/Endurance Split — This split style allows you to build both muscular power and size while also improving muscular endurance. Bodyweight bicep curls could be performed on either day with a slight variance in resistance.

Loading recommendations don’t really apply to bodyweight exercises since there isn’t much option for increasing weight. Rest between sets is something that can be adjusted depending on your workout style.

For example, if you want to increase absolute strength, you should take 3–5 minutes of rest between sets. Whereas endurance trainers only require 30–90 seconds of rest.

Primary Muscle Groups

Biceps Long Head

Most outside part of your bicep.The front of your upper arm.

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 is one of the two parts that make up the biceps brachii muscle. It is located on the inside of the upper arm and is mainly responsible for elbow flexion, or bending the elbow.

The short head originates from the topmost part of the scapula (shoulder blade). Because of this, it plays a small but important role in shoulder stabilization during upper-body movements.

That being said, it also contributes to the force needed to lift your leg during the bodyweight bicep curl.

Biceps Long Head

The second portion making up the biceps brachii muscle is the biceps long head. Like the short head, it is also on the inner upper arm. Though it starts from a different part of the scapula before joining the short head and inserting it into the forearm.

During most bicep isolation exercises, including the bodyweight bicep curl, the biceps long head does most of the heavy lifting.

That is because it is the larger of the two bicep muscles and has a different attachment point. Due to its positioning and attachment point to the scapula, it is less involved in shoulder stabilization.

Bicep curl variations with a palms-up position, like the bodyweight bicep curl, are better for engaging the biceps long head.

Secondary Muscle Groups

Hamstrings

Muscles located at the back of your upper leg, below your glutes and above your calves. Consists of three muscles.

Hamstrings

The hamstrings are made up of three muscles, located on the back of the thigh. During most movements, the hamstrings are responsible for bending the knee and straightening the hips.

However, during bodyweight bicep curls, they play a small and unusual role. Their role during this movement is to provide resistance to the biceps by drawing the leg away from the body.

Considering the hamstrings are a relatively large muscle when compared to the biceps, they are not highly activated. However, they do play an essential role, especially for individuals wanting to utilize the strength-building potential of this exercise.

Equipment

Bodyweight

Bodyweight

Requires bodyweight resistance and additional equipment for proper execution.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Reverse Grip Chair Inverted Row

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Dumbbell Hammer Curl

Barbell Biceps Curl

Barbell Preacher Curl

Ez Bar Preacher Curl

Dumbbell Preacher Curl

Dumbbell Cross-Body Hammer Curl

Dumbbell Concentration Curl

Dumbbell One-Arm Zottman Preacher Curl

Cable Preacher Curl

Dumbbell Zottman Curl

Who Should Do?

People Without A Gym Membership

One of the biggest perks of the bodyweight bicep curl is that you don’t need expensive equipment to do them. 

Laziness is reported as being one of the leading causes of people quitting sports activities. So eliminating the need to travel to the gym can help reduce the barrier to entry.

Even from the comfort of your own home, you can use bodyweight exercises to build strength and improve your physique.

Beginners

Bodyweight bicep curls are an ideal exercise for individuals just starting with a workout routine. 

They can be performed at home, allowing you to build strength and confidence before ever stepping foot in a gym.

Beyond that, though, bodyweight exercise curls are a safe, low-impact way to build foundational strength and understand proper body mechanics. 

Using bodyweight bicep curls can help you develop form and strength without the risk of injury associated with heavier weights. This makes them ideal for those new to strength training.

Individuals Recovering From Injuries

Bodyweight exercises like bicep curls are an ideal option for individuals rehabilitating upper body injuries. They provide valuable strength-building benefits with less stress than weighted exercises. 

Bicep curls, in particular, can help to treat shoulder injuries, bicep tendonitis, and elbow tendonitis (tennis elbow). However, it’s important to work alongside a professional to prevent re-injury from exercise misuse.

Who Should Not Do?

Advanced Lifters

Compared to bicep workouts with dumbbells, it will be difficult for experienced lifters to strengthen their biceps with bodyweight exercises. 

The main principle of increasing muscle size and strength is progressive overload. This involves incrementally increasing your lifting load to challenge the muscles to grow.

With bodyweight exercises, the ability to increase weight is extremely limited. The maximal resistance offered by bodyweight bicep curls will also likely be minimal compared to cable or dumbbell exercises.

Because of this, advanced lifters will find using bodyweight exercises to maintain or increase muscle strength and size very difficult.

People With Limited Hip/Knee Mobility

Limited lower body mobility can prevent the biceps from carrying out the full curl motion. This can make it difficult to glean any bicep-strengthening benefits from bodyweight bicep curls. 

Additionally, poor mobility can also prevent proper form and posture, thus increasing the likelihood of injuries.

Instead, they can perform isometric bicep contractions, at the gym or from the comfort of their own home.

Benefits Of The Bodyweight Bicep Curl

Builds Strength

For beginners and people rehabilitating an injury, bodyweight bicep curls are an ideal exercise for building foundational strength. 

They challenge the muscles, allowing them to gain better strength and control, without posing the same risk as heavier lifts. 

Studies show that bodyweight exercises are equally as effective as free-weight exercises for muscular hypertrophy. However, exercising until failure is necessary for maximal results.

Tones Muscles

Unfortunately, the bodyweight bicep curl won’t help you build large biceps as quickly or easily as bicep peak exercises. 

But bodyweight bicep curls do contribute to a more toned appearance by promoting muscle definition. They provide consistent, low-impact resistance that encourages lean muscle development, all without adding bulk.

Improves Stability

Shoulder stability refers to the ability of the shoulder muscles to hold the joint steady during movement.

Although it’s not their main role, the biceps are actively involved in stabilizing the shoulder during resistance training exercises.

Additionally, important shoulder stabilizing muscles and ligaments are activated during bodyweight bicep curls. This can positively impact their strength and control, leading to improvements in shoulder stability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are bodyweight bicep curls effective?

Bodyweight bicep curls can provide a decent workout. This is especially true if you do the movement slow and controlled and use your leg for resistance. However, they generally don’t offer as much resistance as traditional weights or resistance bands.

Can you do bicep curls with no weight?

Yes, there are a few options for performing bicep curls using only your own body weight for resistance. These include performing isometric holds, using your leg as resistance while seated, or doing slow, controlled curls with muscle tension.

Is it possible to curl your body weight?

Yes. Typically, people curl their own bodyweight by performing chin-ups or a similar bodyweight curl variation. Bicep curls can be done with just body weight, too.

How much kg can the average person curl?

The average person with some strength training experience can curl around 10-15 kg or 22-33 pounds. However, this number varies based on factors like gender, fitness level, and experience in the gym.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

  1. Schoenfeld, B.J., Grgic, J., Van, D.W. and Plotkin, D.L. (2021). Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports, [online] 9(2), pp.32–32. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9020032.
  2. Freitas, B., Simão, R., Miranda, F., Jefferson, Lemos, A. and Willardson, J.M. (2009). Rest Interval between Sets in Strength Training. Sports Medicine, [online] 39(9), pp.765–777. doi:https://doi.org/10.2165/11315230-000000000-00000.
  3. ResearchGate. (2014). Fig. 2 Attachment of the long and short head of the biceps tendon. [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Attachment-of-the-long-and-short-head-of-the-biceps-tendon_fig2_267758417.
  4. Coratella, G., Tornatore, G., Longo, S., Toninelli, N., Padovan, R., Esposito, F. and Emiliano Cè (2023). Biceps Brachii and Brachioradialis Excitation in Biceps Curl Exercise: Different Handgrips, Different Synergy. Sports, [online] 11(3), pp.64–64. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11030064.
  5. Rodgers, C.D. and Raja, A. (2023). Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Hamstring Muscle. [online] Nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546688/.
  6. Milenko Vojvodić, Slobodan Simovic and Darko Paspalj (2020). Analysis of Causes Which Make Young People Quit Sports and Sport Activities. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346829152_Analysis_of_Causes_Which_Make_Young_People_Quit_Sports_and_Sport_Activities.
  7. Krzysztof Lipecki and Bartosz Rutowicz (2015). The Impact Of Ten Weeks Of Bodyweight Training On The Level Of Physical Fitness And Selected Parameters Of… [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283538191_The_Impact_Of_Ten_Weeks_Of_Bodyweight_Training_On_The_Level_Of_Physical_Fitness_And_Selected_Parameters_Of_Body_Composition_In_Women_Aged_21-23_Years.
  8. Vlad Adrian Geanta and Ardelean Viorel Petru (2021). Improving muscle size with Weider’s principle of progressive overload in non-performance athletes. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358008997_Improving_muscle_size_with_Weider’s_principle_of_progressive_overload_in_non-performance_athletes.
  9. Ogawa, M., Hashimoto, Y., Mochizuki, Y., Takamichi Inoguchi, Ayumu Kouzuma, Deguchi, M., Saito, M., Homma, H., Kikuchi, N. and Okamoto, T. (2023). Effects of free weight and body mass‐based resistance training on thigh muscle size, strength and intramuscular fat in healthy young and middle‐aged individuals. Experimental Physiology, [online] 108(7), pp.975–985. doi:https://doi.org/10.1113/ep090655.
  10. Thomas, M.H. and Burns, S.P. (2016). Increasing Lean Mass and Strength: A Comparison of High Frequency Strength Training to Lower Frequency Strength Training. International journal of exercise science, [online] 9(2), pp.159–167. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4836564/.
  11. Landin, D., Thompson, M. and Jackson, M.R. (2017). Actions of the Biceps Brachii at the Shoulder: A Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine Research, [online] 9(8), pp.667–670. doi:https://doi.org/10.14740/jocmr2901w.
Feedback

Help us rate this article

Thank you for your feedback

Keep in touch to see our improvement