Bicep Isolation Exercises

Bicep isolation exercises are the ones that target only the biceps. These exercises are essential for gaining strong and visually appealing biceps. Biceps are mainly involved in any activity which is related to overhead motions by your arms i.e. lift, carry and pull.

There are many different exercises that can be done for biceps, but the following are considered to be the best for isolated bicep work.

1. Ezy-Bar Preacher Curls

Ezy-Bar Preacher Curls is a terrific exercise to build mass in your biceps. It works with both heads of the muscle. Holding the Ezy-Bar close to your body, you are able to challenge the deeper fibers of the bicep. To perform the Ezy-Bar Preacher Curls properly;

1. Sit at the preacher’s bench and place the Ezy-Bar on the preacher’s curl pad.
2. Place your arms at shoulder width and grip the bar with an underhand grip.
3. Curl the bar up towards your shoulder, ensuring that you keep your elbow and shoulder stationary.
4. Pause for a moment and then slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.

Preacher curls are a great alternative to traditional barbell curls if the latter cause any elbow pain. Even better, they’re not just beneficial for your biceps; preacher curls strengthen the brachioradialis muscle, which is located in your forearm and acts as an assistant to your biceps in helping to flex your elbow. That said this exercise should be used with caution: it’s easy to place too much stress on the anterior (front) side of your shoulder joint when doing this move.

2. Seated Bicep Curls

Seated Bicep Curls are a classic exercise that allows you to isolate your biceps at the elbow while resting on a bench. This allows you to focus on your biceps with an eccentric motion that can build muscle. To perform a Seated Bicep Curls;

1. Sit on a bench with a weight in each hand, palms facing forward, and arms extended straight.
2. Curl the weights towards your shoulders, keeping your back pressed against the bench and your elbows close to your sides.
3. Pause and slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.

Use seated bicep curls to target your biceps without putting much strain on your back. They’re an effective exercise for guys and girls alike, as long as you don’t have any physical ailments that might interfere with the movement. If in doubt, consult with a personal trainer at your gym to confirm that they’re safe for you to do.

3. Single Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls

Single Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls can help increase the size of your arms while also improving your strength. Dumbbells are a great tool for building muscle, especially isolation movements such as arm curls and flys. When performing this movement it is important to squeeze the biceps muscles at the top for peak contraction to get a maximal effect from this exercise. To do Single Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls:

1. Sit on the preacher bench with a dumbbell in your right hand.
2. Lean forward and rest your left elbow on the preacher bench with your hand gripping the top of the bench.
3. Curl the weight up towards your shoulder, maintaining a good posture with your back and shoulders.
4. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top of the curl and hold for a second.
5. Reverse the movement and slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then switch sides and perform the same number of reps with the left arm.

Single arm dumbbell preacher curls are a great exercise to target your biceps. Adding them to your workout routine will add extra volume to your arms, and in turn, produce nice big biceps to match the rest of your body.

4. Single Arm Cable Preacher Curls

The Single Arm Cable Preacher Curl is one of my favorite triceps exercises. I’m a huge fan of preacher’s curls because they allow you to isolate your biceps and work each arm individually. The Single Arm Cable Preacher Curl challenges your stability because you use one arm at a time. If one arm is not strong as the other, that weakness will be displayed while doing this exercise. Here is how you do a Single Arm Cable Preacher Curl:

1. Attach a single handle to a preacher curl bench and sit down.
2. Grab the handle with your arm fully extended and curl it towards your shoulder.
3. Pause and squeeze your biceps at the top of the curl and then slowly lower the weight back to the start position.
4. Repeat for the desired number of reps and then switch arms.

These single-arm cable preacher curls are the ideal exercise for more experienced bodybuilders looking to develop and sculpt forearms. What’s more, they come without the usual high risk of injury because you have one hand firmly attached to the support and can focus all of your attention on using just one arm to move the weight. These exercises will also stimulate different areas of your forearm to help enhance overall muscle development and maximize your results.

5. Dumbbell Concentration Curl

A dumbbell concentration curl is an isolation exercise that strengthens the biceps brachii. It uses a dumbbell, which allows you to rest one arm while the other arm works during each repetition. This helps to isolate and build out those lagging muscle fibers in the biceps. To do dumbbell concentration curl correctly:

1. Sit on the edge of a bench with a weight in one hand.
2. Lean over and rest that hand against your inner thigh.
3. Curl the weight up as you would a normal biceps curl.
4. Hold for a second at the top of the curl.
5. Lower the weight back to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then switch arms.

If you’re going to do a bicep exercise, be sure to vary your program. The dumbbell concentration curl is one of the most effective ways to build the size of your biceps. The focus is on bringing the dumbbell directly to your face as opposed to straightening out your arm. Start with a lighter weight and build up each workout.

Conclusion

Bicep isolation exercises are an excellent means of targeting the muscles in your biceps, which ultimately help to shape and enhance the aesthetics of your arms as well as strengthen them for various other workouts. The individual muscle groups in this region of the arm rely on a healthy blood supply. You can achieve that by performing high-volume, lightweight to moderate-weight low repetition training that is characterized by slow and controlled repetitions.