How to Make Biceps Wider: Expert-Recommended Exercises

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ACE certified personal trainer Monica Morris shares exercises that target the long and short heads of the biceps

Co-authored by Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: April 3, 2026 Fact Checked

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Long Head Exercises

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Short Head Exercises

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Brachialis Exercises

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Bicep Muscles & Anatomy

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How many biceps exercises should I do?

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How often should I train my biceps?

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Video

If you're serious about making your biceps look wider from the front and sides, you need to practice exercises that target all parts of your biceps. You also need to know the frequency and volume of bicep exercises you should do weekly to build muscle without injuring yourself. Fortunately, we've got all the answers! We partnered with personal trainers to explain biceps anatomy and list the top exercises for building up the long and short heads of your biceps, as well as the brachialis muscle under the biceps. Let's go!

How do you build wider biceps?

ACE certified personal trainer Monica Morris suggests widening the biceps by targeting the long head and the short head of the muscle. For the long head, she recommends 3 sets, 10-12 reps each of incline dumbbell curls and 3 sets, 6-12 reps each of EZ bar curls. Here are the exercises she offers for the short head:

Full-range cable curls: 3-4 sets of 10 reps each
Preacher curls: 4 sets of 8-10 reps each
Dumbbell W curls: 3 sets of 6-12 reps each
Hammer curls: 3 sets of 12 reps each

Section 1 of 6:

Best Bicep Exercises for Wider Biceps (Long Head)

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Incline dumbbell curls Incline dumbbell curls are especially effective at building up your biceps, says Morris.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Monica Morris
ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Interview} To do this exercise, sit on a bench inclined at 45-60°. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lower your arms down to your sides, with your palms facing forward. Next, curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulder without moving your upper arms. Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position, then repeat.
- No. of reps: 3 sets of 10-12 reps each
- Pro tip: "Pinch your shoulders" when doing a bicep curl, advises physical therapist Joel Giffin, PT, DPT, CHT. He also says to keep your up and down movements "nice and controlled," and lift your thumbs up or down to work different muscles.^{[2]
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  Joel Giffin, PT, DPT, CHT
  Physical Therapist
  
  Expert Interview}
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Monica Morris is an ACE certified personal trainer with over 15 years of experience. Her workouts emphasize proper warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretching techniques.

Joel Giffin, PT, DPT, CHT, is a physical therapist with over 15 years of experience. He specializes in rehabilitation of the hand and upper extremities.

Pete Cerqua is a certified personal trainer with over 20 years of experience. He's also a five-time bestselling author, with titles like "The 90-Second Fitness Solution."

Alex Jamal is a certified personal trainer with over 19 years of experience. He creates tailored fitness programs for men and women, and has worked with celebrities and elite athletes.
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EZ bar curls Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold an EZ bar with an underhand grip. Grasp the EZ bar with your hands closer together to target your long head. Then slowly raise the barbell up to your chest, taking care not to move your upper body much. Let your arms do the work! Hold the EZ bar up while contracting your biceps, then steadily lower it down.^{[3]
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- No. of reps: 3 sets of 6-12 reps each

Section 2 of 6:

Best Bicep Exercises for Wider Biceps (Short Head)

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Full-range cable curls To do this variation of a cable curl, stand in front of a cable machine with your feet set shoulder-width apart. Attach the rope or straight bar to the lowest pulley, then grasp it with an underhand grip. Start with your arms fully extended and your elbows close to your body, then slowly curl the rope or straight bar toward your chest. When you reach the peak of the lift, squeeze your bicep, then slowly lower the weight until your arms are fully extended again.^{[4]
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- No. of reps: 3-4 sets of 10 reps each
- Reverse grip variation: Morris also recommends performing this exercise with a reverse or overhand grip.^{[5]
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  Expert Source
  
  Monica Morris
  ACE Certified Personal Trainer
  
  Expert Interview} The movements are the same, except the overhand grip offers more of a challenge!
- Pro tip: If you don't have a naturally prominent short head bicep, then Morris recommends "going really slow for the concentric phases of each exercise."^{[6]
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  Monica Morris
  ACE Certified Personal Trainer
  
  Expert Interview} "Concentric" refers to the lifting portion of the curl.
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Preacher curls To do preacher curls, sit at a preacher bench. Rest your upper arms on the preacher bench and extend your elbows fully. Hold your weight in an underhand grip (palms facing up), then slowly bend your elbows and pull the weight toward your shoulders. At the top of the curl, contract your biceps, then slowly lower the weight back into the starting position.^{[7]
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- No. of reps: 4 sets of 8-10 reps each
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Dumbbell W curls Morris says this variation of a bicep curl can really help build up the short head of your biceps.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Monica Morris
ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Interview} Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand in a reverse grip (palms out). Extend your arms on either side of your torso, then raise the dumbbells up to your shoulders and make a "W" shape. At the top of W curl, squeeze your biceps, then lower the dumbbells back down.^{[9]
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- No. of reps: 3 sets of 6-12 reps each
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Hammer curls with dumbbells Assume a standing position with your feet set shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, gripping them so your palms are facing each other. Extend your arms down next to your sides, and keep your elbows close to your torso throughout the exercise. Next, slowly raise each dumbbell toward your shoulder. Pause for a couple of seconds at the top of the curl, then slowly lower your arms back to their starting position.^{[10]
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- No. of reps: 3 sets of 12 reps each

Section 3 of 6:

Best Bicep Exercises for Wider Biceps (Brachialis)

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Zottman curls A Zottman curl is much like a regular curl, but with a twist at the end. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, like usual. Next, hold your dumbbells with your palms facing up, then slowly curl them toward your chest. When you reach the peak of the lift, after you flex your biceps, rotate your wrists so your palms face downward. Then lower the dumbbells back down to your sides.^{[11]
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- No. of reps: 3 sets of 8-10 reps each
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Cross-body hammer curls This variation of the hammer curl engages the brachialis muscle by changing the angle of the lift. To do it, hold a dumbbell in each hand down by your sides, with your palms facing toward each other. Lift one dumbbell across to the opposite shoulder, then slowly lower it back down. Repeat with the other dumbbell, and continue switching back and forth throughout the set.^{[12]
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- No. of reps: 3 sets of 8-10 reps each
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Spider curls Spider curls require using an incline bench. To get started, lie facedown on an incline bench with your chest and stomach against the back. Brace your feet on the floor on either side of the bench. Next, hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing up. Hang your arms down, then curl the weights up toward your shoulders, then lower them back down.^{[13]
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- No. of reps: 3 sets of 10-12 reps each

Section 4 of 6:

Understanding Bicep Muscles & Anatomy

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The biceps muscle has 2 heads called the short head and the long head. The head of a muscle is where it originates and connects to a bone via a tendon. The biceps muscle has 2 heads, or 2 points of origination in the scapula: the long head on the outer arm and the short head on the inner arm. At the lower end of the muscle, the heads grow together and insert into the forearm at a single point.^{[14]
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The short head and long head add width on either side of the upper arm. According to Morris, the short head is "responsible for the egg shape" on top of the biceps, which "becomes more visible with focused training." The long head extends from the elbow up to the shoulder, and "is responsible for shoulder stability."^{[15]
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Monica Morris
ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Interview} Training and building up both heads is essential to getting wider biceps!
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The brachialis muscle under the biceps also contributes to biceps width. If you want your arms to look wider, you shouldn't just focus on the biceps. The brachialis, which flexes your elbow, is located underneath your biceps, and when you build it up, it helps make your arms look bigger.^{[16]
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Section 5 of 6:

How many biceps exercises should you do per workout?

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Limit the number of biceps exercises to two per workout. Personal trainer Alex Jamal says that people tend to overwork their biceps. "It's a small muscle," he notes. "You don't really need more than… 2 main biceps exercises." He adds that you're already using your biceps in your back exercises, so sticking with 2 exercises is enough for this relatively small muscle.^{[17]
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Alex Jamal
Personal Trainer

Expert Interview}
- For example, you can do incline dumbbell curls and preacher curls in one workout to target both the long head and the short head.
- Then, in your next workout, you could prioritize EZ bar curls and full-range cable curls.

Section 6 of 6:

How often should you work out your biceps?

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Do 3-5 sets of biceps exercises per day for 5 days and rest on the 6th day. Certified personal trainer Pete Cerqua says to aim for 30-32 sets of biceps exercises per week to get the best muscle response. He adds that you can split these up however you want, but most people get the best results when they work their biceps for 5 days in a row, doing 3-5 sets per day.^{[18]
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Expert Source

Pete Cerqua
Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritionist

Expert Interview}
- Bonus tip: Start small, then work your way up. If you're not used to working out your biceps, take it slow at first and only aim for the minimum number of sets and reps (or however many you can complete without hurting yourself).
  - Then, as you get stronger, you can slowly increase the volume of biceps exercises to reach the lofty goal of 30-32 sets per week.