Building muscular, strong, and aesthetic arms goes far beyond doing a few bicep curls. Two heads make up the biceps — the short head and the long head. While they both contribute to elbow flexion, one creates the height or peak of the bicep, whereas the other creates the width and density of the bicep.
In this article, we will focus on the width and thickness portion of the bicep, which is attributed to the short head. If you want to learn what the best exercises are for the long head, check out this article: Most Effective Long Head Bicep Exercises.
Even though you can’t isolate a particular head of the biceps, altering your grip, width, and elbow position allows you to target one more than the other. For the short head, doing exercises that use a wider grip and/or place your elbows in front of your body will be the most effective.
If you want to add more width, thickness, and density to your biceps, try out the top 8 short head bicep exercises below!
Table of Contents
- 1 Top 8 Short Head Bicep Exercises
- 2 Short Head Bicep Workout
- 3 Bicep Anatomy
- 4 Frequently Asked Questions
- 5 Closing Thoughts
- 6 Other Muscle Groups Exercises
- 6.1 The 7 Best Cable Forearm Exercises
- 6.2 The 8 Best Long Head Tricep Exercises
- 6.3 The 8 Best Bicep Cable Exercises
- 6.4 The 7 Best Cable Glute Exercises
- 6.5 The 8 Best Lateral Head Tricep Exercises
- 6.6 The 7 Best Lower Trap Exercises
- 6.7 The 7 Best Middle Trap Exercises
- 6.8 The 8 Best Long Head Bicep Exercises
- 6.9 The 8 Best Rear Delt Bodyweight Exercises
- 6.10 The 9 Best Short Head Bicep Dumbbell Exercises
- 6.11 The 7 Best Long Head Bicep Dumbbell Exercises
- 6.12 The 7 Best Lower Lat Dumbbell Exercises
- 6.13 10 Best Cable Shoulder Exercises
- 6.14 The 7 Best Medial Head Tricep Exercises
- 6.15 The 9 Best Rear Delt Dumbbell Exercises [Tested]
- 7 References
Top 8 Short Head Bicep Exercises
- Wide-Grip Barbell Curls
- Spider Curls
- Preacher Curls
- Lying High Cable Curls
- Concentration Curls
- Inner Bicep Curls
- Suspension Curls
- Chin-Ups
Below you will find the best short head bicep exercises for adding strength, mass, width, and thickness to your upper arms.
Wide-Grip Barbell Curls
Benefits of wide-grip barbell curls
Wide-grip barbell curls allow you to place a greater load on the short head of the biceps. Using both arms at the same time to lift the barbell enables you to lift more weight than any other bicep isolation exercise.
Although it’s not considered to be a compound movement, wide-grip barbell curls have a high capacity for progressive overload. Additionally, they are easy to learn, not very taxing, and nearly every gym under the sun has a barbell.
How to perform wide-grip barbell curls
- With a supinated grip (palms facing forward), grab a barbell just outside of shoulder width.
- Stand up straight with a hip-width stance and hold the barbell in front of you with your arms fully extended.
- Inhale and curl the weight up towards your body by contracting your biceps to flex the elbow. Your upper arm should remain stationary throughout the movement. Don’t let the arms sway forward or use momentum with the rest of your body to get the weight up.
- Once your arm is fully flexed, pause for 1-2 seconds while you squeeze the bicep before slowly lowering it back to the starting by extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
To see how to perform wide-grip barbell curls properly, watch this video demonstration!
Spider Curls
Benefits of spider curls
Spider curls have you lying prone on an incline bench with your arms hanging in front of you while you perform curls. You can do this exercise with various equipment, including dumbbells, barbells, and cambered or EZ bars.
Spider curls are similar to preacher curls in that your elbows are positioned in front of your body, and they are very difficult to cheat by using momentum. The primary reason this exercise made our list for the short head is that your elbows are in front of you the entire time.
If you decide to use a barbell or EZ bar, use a slightly wider grip to target the short head even more. Try out a few different pieces of equipment and grip widths to see what feels more comfortable.
How to perform spider curls
- Adjust an incline bench to 45-degrees.
- Set up a barbell to where it’s just underneath the bench, and you can easily grab it or have a training partner hand it to you.
- Lay prone on the bench to where your arms are hanging down with your chest supported and feet planted on the ground.
- Grab the barbell with a supinated grip that’s just outside of shoulder width.
- Inhale and begin to curl the weight upwards while keeping your upper arm stable.
- Once you reach the top of the rep, squeeze the biceps for 1-2 seconds.
- Slowly extend your arms to bring the barbell back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
In the video below, the Buff Dudes provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to properly execute the spider curl:
Wide-Grip Preacher Curls
Benefits of the wide-grip preacher curl
Wide-grip preacher curls are another good exercise that allows you to isolate your biceps because your upper arms are completely supported by a pad. Instead of using a narrow grip or dumbbells, try doing wide-grip preacher curls to target the short head more.
You won’t be able to lift more weight than a traditional barbell curl, but a wide grip with your elbows in front of your body may be the closest you can get to isolating the short head.
How to perform wide-grip preacher curls
- Adjust the seat height on the preacher curl to where your feet are planted on the floor, and your upper arms rest comfortably on the pad.
- Load an appropriate amount of weight on a barbell or EZ-bar and set it on the rack.
- Reach forward to grab the barbell with a supinated grip that’s slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Curl the bar up and sit down on the seat. Your upper arm should be supported on the pad with your elbows flexed; this is the starting position.
- Inhale as you lower the barbell by extending your arms. Be careful not to lockout or even hyperextend your arms at the bottom of the rep.
- Once you feel a nice stretch on the biceps and have a slight bend in your arms, pause for 1-2 seconds, then start to contract your biceps to bring the weight back to the starting position.
- At the top of the rep, focus on squeezing the biceps before repeating for the desired number of repetitions.
See how to perform wide-grip EZ-bar preacher curls in the short video below:
Lying High Cable Curls
Benefits of lying high cable curls
Lying high cable curls are not a very common exercise, but they target the short head of the biceps very well because of the elbow position. They’re similar to a preacher curl in that your elbows are in front of your body, and it’s very challenging to cheat the movement because your upper body cannot sway.
What makes the lying high cable curl different is that there’s no arm support, you’re lying instead of sitting, and the cable provides constant tension. Doing a combination of free weight exercises and cable exercises is ideal for hypertrophy because they stimulate the muscle in two different ways.
Want even more ideas for strengthening your biceps? Check out our list of the most effective bicep cable exercises.
How to perform lying high cable curls
- Attach a straight bar to a cable stack and adjust the height to where you can easily grab the bar with your arms at full extension. You can either lie on the floor or on a flat bench.
- Lie down on the bench and extend your arms to grab the cable attachment with a pronated grip that’s approximately shoulder-width apart.
- Once you’re in the starting position, inhale and start to bring the bar towards your forehead by flexing your elbows. Try to keep your upper arm stable throughout the movement.
- At the top of the rep, hold the contraction for 1-2 seconds before lowering the bar back to the starting position by extending your arms. Exhale as you lower the bar.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
The video below demonstrates how to perform lying high cable curls:
Concentration Curls
Benefits of concentration curls
Concentration curls are an old-school exercise that a lot of bodybuilders performed to improve the size and definition of their biceps. They can only be performed with dumbbells and one arm at a time, which makes them great for ensuring that your biceps are symmetrical. If you have one arm that’s weaker than the other, make sure to start with that side and match the number of reps you get with the other arm.
Concentration curls are performed with your arm supported against your inner leg, so they also remove the chance of cheating. If you want to improve your mind-to-muscle connection with your biceps, then this is a must-try exercise!
How to perform concentration curls
- Grab a dumbbell with your right or left hand using a supinated grip (palms facing up) and sit upright on the end of a bench.
- Your feet should be firmly planted on the ground and spread out wide enough to where you can easily curl the dumbbell without hitting the other leg.
- Hinge forward slightly and place your upper arm against the inside of your leg near the knee. Place your other hand on the opposite leg to provide even more support.
- Allow your arm to fully extend (the dumbbell should not touch the floor). This is the starting position.
- Inhale as you curl the dumbbell up towards your shoulder.
- Squeeze your biceps for 1-2 seconds at the top of the rep, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position as you exhale. Be careful not to let your arm hyperextend at the bottom of the rep; keep a slight bend in your arm.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Scott Herman shows you how to do dumbbell concentration curls in this video!
Inner Bicep Curls
Benefits of inner bicep curls
Inner bicep curls are a variation of the classic dumbbell curl. The main difference between these exercises is shoulder positioning. With a standard dumbbell curl, your shoulders are in a neutral or slightly flexed position and the dumbbell moves up and down straight ahead.
On the other hand, the inner bicep curl is performed with your shoulders in an externally rotated position, and the dumbbells move up and down in a lateral plane. With both exercises, your elbows are locked in on the sides of your body. The slight adjustment in shoulder positioning allows you to target the inner head slightly more.
How to perform inner bicep curls
- Grab two dumbbells with a supinated grip (palms facing up).
- Stand up with a shoulder-width stance. With your arms fully extended, externally rotate your shoulders (rotate your elbows inward). Your upper arms should be supported against your lats. This is the starting position.
- Inhale as you curl the weight up towards the front delts. Focus on keeping your elbows locked into your sides with your shoulders externally rotated.
- As you reach the top of the rep, supinate your wrists even further by rotating your pinky up, then squeeze the bicep for 1-2 seconds.
- Return back to the starting position by exhaling and slowly extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Check out the video below from My PT Hub to see how to do inner bicep curls:
Suspension Bicep Curls
Benefits of suspension bicep curls
One of the only bodyweight exercises, besides chin-ups, that you can do to build and strengthen your biceps is suspension curls. What makes suspension curls unique is that you can easily adjust the difficulty by adjusting the angle of your body. The more you lean back, the harder the movement gets and vice versa.
As long as you have a suspension trainer, such as TRX, you can perform this exercise almost anywhere. If you’re on the road, stuck at home, or can’t make it to the gym, then having a suspension trainer on hand is a great way to ensure that you can still perform an effective workout.
One of the reasons this exercise made it into the list of top short head bicep exercises is because your elbows are positioned in front of your body. Therefore, they target the short head slightly more than the long head.
How to perform suspension bicep curls
- Secure a pair of suspension straps onto a sturdy object, such as a squat rack, pull-up bar, or door frame.
- Facing the straps, grab each handle using a supinated grip (palms facing forward).
- Tighten your core, then slowly lean back at an angle that’s appropriate for your experience level.
- Your body should be in a straight line with a slight bend in your arms. This is the starting position.
- Using your biceps, pull yourself up by flexing at the elbows. Keep your upper arms stable throughout the movement.
- Once you reach the top of the rep, squeeze your biceps for 1-2 seconds.
- Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position by extending your arms. Don’t fully lock out your arms at the bottom; maintain a slight bend.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
See how to perform suspension bicep curls by watching the video below from Seacoast Kettlebell!
Wide-Grip Chin-Ups
Benefits of wide-grip chin-ups
Last but not least, we have wide-grip chin-ups. If suspension bicep curls are too easy for you, then a wide-grip chin-up is almost guaranteed to challenge you.
While most think that chin-ups are a back exercise, you can really target the biceps by adjusting the angle of your torso. The more upright you remain, the more tension is placed on the biceps. Not to mention, the wide grip will help emphasize the short head of the bicep.
Chin-ups can be modified to be easier or harder, depending on your strength level. If bodyweight is too easy, you can add weight via a weight belt or weight vest. On the other hand, if bodyweight chin-ups are too difficult, you can add a band to perform assisted chin-ups. The best part about chin-ups is that you can perform them nearly anywhere.
How to perform wide-grip chin-ups
- Grab onto a pull-up bar using a supinated grip (palms facing you) with your hands just outside of shoulder width.
- Let your feet hang or bend at the knees and cross them behind you so that there are a few inches of clearance from the floor.
- Tighten your core, then begin to pull yourself up by flexing at the elbows and contracting the biceps.
- Once your chin passes above the bar, hold for 1-2 seconds. Try to maintain an upright torso throughout the movement. Leaning back will engage the back more, so focus on pulling with the bicep.
- Slowly lower yourself back down by extending your arms. You can either fully lockout at the bottom or keep a slight bend in your elbows.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
For a video demonstration of the wide-grip chin-up, check out the video below!
Short Head Bicep Workout
- Week 1 – 10 sets
- Day 1 – Wide-Grip Barbell Rows: 2 sets x 8 reps @ 75%, Spider Curls: 2 sets x 12 reps @ 60%
- Day 3 – Suspension Curls: 2 sets x 10 reps @ 70%
- Day 5 – Preacher Curls: 2 sets x 12 reps @ 60%, Inner Bicep Curls: 2 sets x 10 reps @ 70%
- Week 2 – 12 sets
- Day 1 – Wide-Grip Barbell Rows: 3 sets x 8 reps @ 75%, Spider Curls: 2 sets x 12 reps @ 60%
- Day 3 – Suspension Curls: 3 sets x 10 reps @ 70%
- Day 5 – Preacher Curls: 2 sets x 12 reps @ 60%, Inner Bicep Curls: 2 sets x 10 reps @ 70%
- Week 3 – 14 sets
- Day 1 – Wide-Grip Barbell Rows: 3 sets x 8 reps @ 75%, Spider Curls: 3 sets x 12 reps @ 60%
- Day 3 – Suspension Curls: 3 sets x 10 reps @ 70%
- Day 5 – Preacher Curls: 3 sets x 12 reps @ 60%, Inner Bicep Curls: 2 sets x 10 reps @ 70%
- Week 4 – 16 sets
- Day 1 – Wide-Grip Barbell Rows: 3 sets x 8 reps @ 75%, Spider Curls: 3 sets x 12 reps @ 60%
- Day 3 – Suspension Curls: 4 sets x 10 reps @ 70%
- Day 5 – Preacher Curls: 3 sets x 12 reps @ 60%, Inner Bicep Curls: 3 sets x 10 reps @ 70%
- Week 5 – 5 sets (deload)
- Day 1 – Wide-Grip Barbell Rows: 1 sets x 8 reps @ 75%, Spider Curls: 1 sets x 12 reps @ 60%
- Day 3 – Suspension Curls: 1 sets x 10 reps @ 70%
- Day 5 – Preacher Curls: 1 sets x 12 reps @ 60%, Inner Bicep Curls: 1 sets x 10 reps @ 70%
Bicep Anatomy
The biceps brachii is located on the front of the upper arm. The biceps brachii consists of two muscles — long head biceps brachii and short head biceps brachii — that work together to flex the elbow, supinate the wrist and stabilize the shoulder.
Since the biceps cross two joints, it’s referred to as a biarticular muscle. This information is helpful when determining which exercises are most effective and for which area of the biceps. It’s also one of the reasons why manipulating your elbow positioning is important for maximum bicep hypertrophy.
The biceps brachii starts at the head of the humerus and attaches to the radius. The long head is the larger of the two, and it’s located on the outer (lateral) side. The short head is located on the inner (medial) side.
If you’re someone that wants a bigger bicep peak, your primary focus should be the long head. On the other hand, to achieve more width and thickness, then the short head should be prioritized. With that said, any bicep exercise will engage both heads regardless.
Watch the video below for an in-depth breakdown of bicep anatomy!
Related: How to Grow Bigger Biceps
Frequently Asked Questions
The biceps seems to respond best with a training frequency between 2 and 6 times per week. They are a smaller muscle group, so you can train them more often without accumulating too much fatigue. With that said, the amount of times you train your biceps is dependent on your training volume. The higher the training volume, the more it makes sense to spread it across multiple sessions.
Training frequency also depends on your schedule. If you can only train 4 days a week, then training biceps 5 or 6 days per week just won’t work. The best thing to do is figure out what training volume you want to start with, how many days you can realistically commit to the gym, and go from there. Above all, you need to enjoy your training, so try out a few splits to see what works best.
Based on your one-rep-max, it’s recommended to train the biceps between a 30%-80% intensity range.
If your goal is hypertrophy, sticking to the 60-70% intensity range for at least 50% or more of your bicep training is ideal. If your goal is more strength-based, falling somewhere between the 70-80% intensity range is a good idea.
The higher the intensity, the fewer reps you should be able to perform and vice versa. We recommend trying a variety of intensity ranges to see how your biceps respond.
Going off the intensity ranges listed above, we can relay that to the number of reps you should be doing for bicep training. To no surprise, there’s a fairly wide rep range that seems to be optimal. According to Renaissance Periodization, anywhere between 6-30 reps will yield hypertrophy and strength gains.
They suggest that at least half of your bicep training fall between the 10-20 rep range (moderate), and the other half can be split up between the 6-10 rep range (heavy) and 20-30 rep range (light). As long as you’re training between 1 and 4 reps shy from failure, you can use any rep range that you enjoy most.
In general, bicep exercises that use a narrower grip will target the long (outer) head of the bicep better, such as close-grip preacher curls and close-grip barbell curls. Whereas bicep exercises that use a wide grip will engage the short (inner) head of the biceps to a greater extent, such as wide grip barbell curls and inner bicep curls.
Closing Thoughts
Bicep training doesn’t have to be complicated. However, if you really want to maximize your results, it’s important to understand the training variables you can manipulate. Beyond frequency, volume, and intensity, exercise selection plays a huge role in your physique and progresses.
The more advanced you become, the more exercise selection matters. If you’re a complete newbie to the gym, then don’t worry too much about selecting the best exercises for a certain area of the biceps. But use these articles as a guide to which exercises may be worth trying out.
The arms are always going to be a muscle that stands out because it’s what people immediately see. If you don’t have big arms, people may ask you “do you even lift?” If your arms are lagging, start making them a priority by bumping up the volume (up until a certain point, more isn’t always better), selecting the most effective exercises, and applying progressive overload.
If you take these steps, you will be well on your way to achieving your physique goals.
Other Muscle Groups Exercises
If you enjoyed this post, check out our other collections of the best exercises for each muscle group below.
References
1. Israetel, Mike. Oct. 2020. “Bicep Growth Training Tips.” Renaissance Periodization. https://rpstrength.com/expert-advice/bicep-training-tips-hypertrophy