If you want big arms, you need to train your triceps along with your biceps. Here is a 22 day arm workout that is guaranteed to deliver - ruclips.net/video/6QgR6Tjle7g/видео.html
good vid, hopefully I can increase my tool box, I've been stuck at the same curl weight for 4 months, only been doing the "best" curls and twisting curls, Gonna try some of the extension ones as my wrist's are toast and that causes a lot of issues.
Brilliant point. Especially since you're indicating that understanding the difference between forearms and biceps forearms are part of the arm. Just like cats are part of the leg and require different training. Sounds simple but most people will be surprisingly don't get that
Hey alper_kurt, thanks so much for your timestamps! Also, I'm not currently able to watch the video in its entirety so it may have been mentioned in it but I was just wondering why standing DB Hammer Curls aren't included in any of the categories from worst to best??......
@@AKMZKC That's not the reason, hammer curls DEFINITELY only target the biceps (with a bias towards the brachialis which is great). In the video they're included with the Alternating Standing DB Curls, check 15:20 when he talks about how you can change the grip to focus different stuff 👍
Idk man, from the here said least efficient to the moast I doned all and seen not so much difference in between. Maybe cause I'm more of a working man than a body-builder, more strongman than fitness, but strength I build from doing the first here considered the worse, and in that position of curl, I did it with 45kg or ure 100lbs a set of 4 reps but also biceps pull-ups around 20-30 with my 80kg weight...
Hey Jeff! I’ve watched many of the Ranked series videos and they changed my workouts completely. I was impressed on how much energy and time I was throwing away in exercises that don’t contribute as much or have limitations or come with execution risks. A total eye opener! The way you narrate and explain while performing the exercises are very helpful to understand the science and physics behind each one of them. Kudos and keep it up! I am sure I will be getting better results now. Thanks!
after some years of getting out of the military i felt like i wouldn't be the same after and certain movements caused pain. felt like it was a bit past me. and actually gained about 90lbs. but watching this content is what got me back into lifting. following these tier list has helped alot to boost confidence. so far i am back down to 219 about 50 lbs down. and a noticeable difference in pec back and arms. i know it is just a comment in here but thank you for showing different ways to lift even with injuries
Just finished arm day! Happy to see all of my exercises are at the top of the list. But that shouldn’t surprise me. I built my workout routine off this channel!
You should try iso preacher curl. If you really want to target the BICEPS and only the biceps, you want to eliminate the use of as many stabilizing muscles that you can. It’s odd how most of the top exercises actually require a lot more stabilization. More freedom of movement isn’t always a good thing, it allows you the possibility to cheat the movement. Again, I high recommend you try iso preacher curl, you’ll be able to properly work the bicep to failure.
Yeah same. I usually have incline db curls, barbell curls and used to do concentration curls but stopped them a couple of weeks ago because they took too long. Any recommendations for a replacement?
@@mileschicken1 you're generally fine with 2 bicep exercises tho. Target the long head and short head. Make sure the brachialis is in involved in some way (neutral grip or certain exercises) and you're good to go!
Been going to the gym consistently for the last 6 months. Went through a rough time that lasted 2/3 years and the gym has helped me a lot. It gives me a routine and the compliments are nice!
I'd be interested in seeing a series on stretching ranked. It could either be by body region or overall. There are so many ways and scenarios in which to stretch it'll be interesting to see.
#StretchingIsForWimps! LOL (Some are actually quite a sickener, but I never do them before exercise - it tires you out and you lose explosiveness. They should be treated as a workout in their own right, on a separate day)
Eh, daily is not bad in my opinion as long as you know what you are doing. But i agree on the part where you should do i seperatly from lifting. Doing it abit after is perfect in my opinion.
I'm 70 years old and an utter and complete newbie to fitness. I was blessed to stumble upon your channel and you've educated me well enough to take on the job of getting fit with assured physical safety and full confidence of reaching my fitness goals. I purchased your Xero and ATX programs (no kidding!) but I'm sure it'll be three or four years before I can actually do them. At this point (about 3 weeks into training) I'm well started on the task of straightening out my posture and am having wonderful success! Bless you for your care and for the work you're doing. P.S. - Say hi to Jesse for me. :))
Great content and videos Jeff, I’m 52 years old I finished AX-1 but I’m repeating it with the TNT workouts I finally feel like there’s hope for me gaining muscle and getting in the shape
@@stevecaiza9072 Stay away from junk food but try to call it snack food because of the horrible slang term for junk food. I give you a quote of (AWESOME). I give you the quote "Ever fresh taste good".
Man, I just started lifting weight and your channel is incredibly helpful primarily for the accurate demonstrations and all the explanations of the muscle functions and movements always with a concern towards safety. Thank u so much and congrats on your work! Cheers from Brazil
Please keep doing these! I love seeing the breakdowns between the different muscle groups. It really helps with prioritizing when you don't always have a lot of time to be in the gym
My favorite bicep exercise is the alternating bicep curl, because it’s simple, easy and I target both the peak and short heads. I’ve seen your other videos Jeff regarding how to build biceps and what are some of the common mistakes but my question is, how do we know if our form is correct? As an example, I do the waiter, incline, and drag for my peak, but for cross body curls, do I keep my elbows back and curl across? Or do I bring it forward show more of the peak? Your videos are the best and always deliver but I find myself struggling at times to get the form right with different things exercises, like the rear delt row. A follow up question, do you plan to do videos on how to do the exercises correctly? Thank you Jeff.
@@athleanx how about the "sliced up reps" bicep curl? Been doing these ever since you mentioned them and the gains are insane ever since. I want to thank you for that! Greets from the netherlands🏆
Man you was recommended in Puregym Bermondsey, uk today!!! By an american or canadian guy doing his deltoids. Google must have heard our convo because up you pop like anything else we talk about during our day. Im glad they were listening because i forgot the name Athlean X hahaha so the spying actually benefited me!!! I am a 38yr old man with rotator cuff injury these videos are bloody amazing!!! Especially as you know the best workouts with the least stress on certain parts of the body i.e shoulders and joints etc... Absolute Godsend thankyou my man. Keep up the great work!!!❤
As a former Collegiate athlete it's hard to find workouts (except the ones I make myself, but its hard to coach yourself!) that actually recreate training like an athlete. I've been using your videos for about two years now and I love them! And as a thankyou for helping me out with training and injuries lol I went ahead and purchased your training program. Thanks Jeff, and maybe Jesse but i'm not sure what he really does lol
My personal favorite is Zottman curls while leaning against a wall. You hit the biceps and forearms in one single movement. The more muscles you work, the better. After watching this I’ll have to rethink that though.
The coherence you have despite so many years teaching is admirable. This video is a summary of all the advice you've given over time and still has the same meaning as the previous videos. My congratulations. You are one of the few on youtube with original content, well explained and with deep knowledge about the activity you teach. Keep it up.
Love the time & effort you invest to pass on your immense knowledge and experience to Fitness enthusiasts across the world. The presentation style is fantastic too. Much Appreciated!!
My bicep accessory work: machine preacher curls for short head and peak contraction, face-away cable curls for long head and stretch, and pronated barbell curls for the brachialis, with slow eccentrics on all. I’m loving it.
1 Standing EZ Bar curls with chains, palms parallel PP to roof like Jeff said. 2 Lean back standing on a preacher curl machine with dumb bells.Hammers or supination PP 3 Stand and lean back on a preacher curl with ez bar and chains 4 Low incline bench ez bar curls in a power rack low as you can put the safety bar PP 5 Split stance dumb bell opposite side curls. Same leg back provides better range of motion. Hammer and palm up grip. Start from hip/pelvis very close to body. Opposite leg split for reverse dumb bell curls. Also with palm up from opposite side to same side and out 30 degrees for inner head. 6 straight arm dumb bell curls. One at a time lean toward arm you use so your arm is straight up and down, Hammer or pronate at bottom supination at top (Arnold) 7 To overload biceps and spare the wrists use 1 or 2 furry ankle straps and wrist sweat bands. Extender chain link or no chain link. Very heavy with no load on wrists. No one has ever done most of these...
At 54, I've been following the ATHLEAN-X videos for the last 5 years, and it's TOTALLY changed the health of my body. My physique even closely resembles that of Jeff now. *AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT EXTERNAL ROTATION in most of his videos--SAVED MY ASS!*
@@alizaka1467 Didn't mean to confuse you. *I apologize!* He may not specifically mention external rotation in this video, but he mentions it ROUTINELY throughout his videos. If you type in "Athleen-X external rotation" you will get some videos that specifically cover the subject. Jeff talks about it in basically ALL of his shoulder videos and in most chest videos as well.
Loving these worst to best workouts! I've already been doing most of these biceps workouts for a long time, but glad to see what Jeff thinks is the best and which is the worst! Thanx Jeff!
Everyone demonstrates pretty much the same exercises, but this gentlemen effectively explains the 'why' behind every exercise. Always helpful and makes me want to hit the gym immediately afterward.
and he does it horribly wrong. concentration curls lowest ranking, because you can do it wrong? what is that logic. also the way he uses words like leverage and seesaw effect etc. are straight up silly. the idea that pushing your elbow into your thighs creates leverage on your bizeps makes no sense. this list is made controvertial for the sake of being controvertial.
knowledgeable 🤝 going on 16 months from getting RC/AC/laybrum and long bicep surgically fixed. 2 anchors and some bome shaved off. I currently have no pain. Some stiffness but thats normal. Not very strong but working my way up the latter. Very grateful for these surgeons and mentors like yourself. Best of luck on ypur recovery and pushing foward with your healthy life. Im 41 by the way.
I've done incline plus spider curls and there's a noticeable difference in my upper arms now. The best part is that I can push myself doing heavier weights and there's no injuries so far
Jeff thank you for continuing to call out ridiculous exercises like the bicep pushup. I've seen this exercise pushed on seemingly reputable calisthenic channels but you are right it is absolutely NOT a bicep exercise. If someone were to start lifting and only do this one movement for their bicep growth we would likely see zero bicep development.
As a marathon runner, what exercises/muscles do you think are the most important for long distance runners? What would you recommend for strength training to avoid injury?
I always tell runners, everyone likes to focus on the car and they forget about the tires! Keep those feet and ankles strong and healthy. Train balance, plyos, and intrinsic foot/ankle muscles through targeted band work to keep the tires fine tuned. There are actually some good exercises and stretches in the Plantar Fasciitis video that I did that would be a benefit to many as well.
Separate PT question - what are you best exercises for patella femoral pain? I was told flat feet brought my knees in and this misalignment along with heavy exercise over 42 years is what’s causing it. Got some orthotics to help the arch in my foot down the chain, now I want to know if I can get back to no more knee pain. Thanks for the videos!
This is awesome info Jeff! Some of these I was doing way early on in my fitness/nutrition career. I have learned so much from you and I appreciate it all! Outstanding job!🤘🏽
I do what I enjoy and am a 65 yr. old. After doing barbell curls and reverse curls as a superset. Up to 120 for curls and 60 for reverse. After that, I enjoy concentration curls off my knee with a thick towel on it. I finish with standing cable barbell curls.
Awesome video Jeff! Been waiting for this one for a while. My question - I noticed DB Hammer Curls were left off this list. Is that because it has a stronger focus on forearm development? Where would it fall on this list, and what’s a good way to incorporate it into your bicep workout? Thanks!
The brachialis and the forearms work more in this exercise, they do most of the effort, the bicep do less work in this exercise, but it is still a great exercise that I myself do for the brachialis, it should has a place in your workout routine.
Want to say thank you. Since I started getting back in the gym 9 months ago, I have used your methods. On my dumbbells, I couldn't do 85lb more than one. Now up to 10, 8, 8 reps 3 sets. Much more to add, but just wanted to say your videos have helped.
Love these ranking videos, it's amazing when I see the exercises that make me cringe get the red cross. I wish most of the gym bros had the same vision. Look forward to the breakdown of specific leg exercises for quads, hamstrings, glutes/hip flexors and calves (if there are enough to cover!).
4:54 Looks fun and better 🙂 (slow down, you're strongest in the eccentric part of the lift) 8:45 a unique drag curl - better 10:24 Interesting! And better still! 14:54 King of Curls, Standing DB Curls, Best of the Best!
Recently I’ve been doing overloaded barbell curls, when I get tired I swing it up and try with all my might to resist the downward portion or dicentric load. Feel like my overall bicep size has increased just in a month.
Great seeing incline DB curls so high up! Really noticed a difference in muscle growth in an area that I was heavily struggling with before ever since I started using them in my routine 6 months
Great stuff Jeff. I had open heart surgery 2 months ago. Lost 10lbs muscle very quickly. I can use weights but "Nothing" that engages chest. Been trying 10lb dumb bells for curls and tricep extensions. Also using bands I step on and wrapped on a wooden staff. Any suggestions? Can't afford the loss of more muscle. 68 and worked out my whole life, cross training. I would be thankful for any suggestions. Thanks either way.
Is not engaging your chest on workouts a temporary precaution because of the surgery. Either way, maybe you need to get heavier weights or buy like a jug of water and curl that. When i was quarantining, i would curl a liter of water but after a few days it got way too easy. I would recommend to find something heavier than that
very good and helpful! I've been lifting 50 yrs now, started with the old Charles Atlas and Joe Weider courses and then went on to weights. Interesting how things change and advance in exercise science. When I got the old Muscle Builder Power back magazine in the 70s I remember reading about Arnold S and his secret to getting the bicep peak with his concentration curls. Now it's not a good thing. I'm glad at least I have been doing to the top 2 you've mentioned. I need to add the others. Keep up the good work!
Yes, you are experiencing the effects of isolation. The problem with sitting curls is a lack of functional athleticism; any time you can perform an exercise connected to the floor (i.e., standing up), the benefits will be much more comprehensive. You know more full body benefit.
Crazy how the simplest is pretty much always the kost effective. The old school alternating DB curl being the best is no shocker to me. My left arm always gets exposed halfway through my third set 😂😂
I did the spider curls in-place of my usual concentration curls, with the weight I was about to step-up from, and I could barely do the same set reps. I'm sticking with this instead of the concentration curls. Thank you for a great series!
Chat-GPT summary : Concentration Curl: Considered one of the worst bicep exercises due to common mis-performance. Reverse Curl: Not a good bicep exercise, but effective for brachialis and brachioradialis muscles. Biceps Pushup: Not a bicep exercise and should not be considered for bicep gains. Inverted Chin Curl: A good bodyweight bicep exercise, but has limitations in progressive overload. Alternating Standing Dumbbell Curl: Ranked the best bicep exercise for effectively overcoming muscle imbalances and focusing on each side individually.
AMAZING, you have fixed my all time worst problem in the gym, i couldnt do a bicep curl with good form, my arm just goes back, now i know i can stand in front of a wall to get the form right, yes the way down is more important but i want good form first before deciding to do cheat reps.
⚡ A tip for doing one arm spider curls. Buy a hollow foam roller and thread a barbell trough it on the barbell rack. Now you can lean over it with your arm pit and do spider curls. Perfect. 👍🙂
Barbell is my absolute fav so far. I got huge gains when i went from standing dumbell to barbell. I did more weight as a dumbell per arm and i noticed as a free gain i worked my core really hard. Which is why i stareted working out to begin with. before that i was doing alternating dumbell curls but more towards the chest as straight foreward without the stability of a bar gives me irritating tendon noises in the elbow. Good to hear i at least did it right without even researching beforehand (only researching now 10 months in as i am writing myself a program).
Alternating dumbell curl with adjustable dumbells. You can slightly overload the backband side and get a bit of resistance with the twisting of the wrists as that is also done by the bicep
Fun fact, after 10 or 12 years of gym-going, I intuitively limited myself to standing alternate dumbbell curls as the only exercise targeting specifically biceps (sporadically, chin-ups as alternate). And since 10 years feel pretty good doing them.
@@jnaz3thirty1 yeah I can see that it sounds quite stupid. My overall message was that after many years of training, in many cases I intuitively went only to exercises which -as I m now learning from various online experts- are being ranked as best activating given groups of muscles.
i knew that you wouldnt mention my secret bicep exersice. leanr forward on put one hand on a bench. then arch forward with your back and hold the dumbbel in a straight line downwards and curl in mid-air.
Jeff you are the king of biceps, you helped me to develop good biceps with one particular workout of yours, with a good peak and now its one of the most developed parts of my body, the drag curl and some others exercises gave me nostalgia of the workout 😢
53 and really don't like my biceps. Started training arms on every session. Dumbbell bicep curls to failure, Alternating dumbbell curls to failure, hammers to failure X 3 sets and job done. 5 minutes or so. Massive difference in my biceps in 12 weeks. There still pants but getting there
Best ,most informative ,instructionals out there .I’m sooo glad to have this resource as it really is helping me waste less time and get more gains and prevent injuries.Also it’s made everyone at the gym notice and comment that I must be doing something right ,with the gains I’m getting .Thanks man!
Great channel mate. 64 soon and just started getting back into weights . Slim man and I always start just with pushups and situps each day and now learning more about weights. Thank you. awesome channel
The alternating curl is very strenuous and hard. Makes me breath heavy, heart race, sweat and yell out. It's going on my new list! Hard exercise, with proper pain levels in the right spots, is good. I'll add one, loop band barbell curl. Aka using a barbell or broomstick or pipe to do the barbell curl motion with a band. Ideally adding the band to the loaded barbell, for increasing tension. Doing this with dumbbells is brutal. I recommend using some bar/handle and pull up assistance band because they get heavy. Mine stack to a peak tension of 510!!
Man, I've been doing spider curls for 25 years now and love them. And in those 25 years I can probably count on one hand how many other guys I've seen do them at the gym. I don't get why no one does them. They really work for me and I enjoy them.
This is the funniest video in this series so far! I was literally laughing out loud when you talked bout the Bicep Pushup! And then the Preacher Curl part! I was in tears! Fucken great shit, please keep it up!
I was missing behind the back curls (cable). Never seen somebody else do that, but I am a big fan. It gives a good stretch, allows to include the shoulder and the pump after the exercise is unreal. I think curls on a leaned bench come closest to that.
If it's all the same to you, I'm going to keep on doing concentration curls. They build strength, definition, and don't cause me to swell up to ridiculous proportions.
I live in a small dorm room and don't have enough space but buying 2 barbells for the alt barbell curl and sticking a rod in my doorway allows me to do great excercises from this video and others. Thanks!
If you want big arms, you need to train your triceps along with your biceps. Here is a 22 day arm workout that is guaranteed to deliver - ruclips.net/video/6QgR6Tjle7g/видео.html
Just found the almost-best exercises are marked as "better-still" in green subtitle in this bicep video. Might be a miss you wanna revise?
good vid, hopefully I can increase my tool box, I've been stuck at the same curl weight for 4 months, only been doing the "best" curls and twisting curls, Gonna try some of the extension ones as my wrist's are toast and that causes a lot of issues.
amen, I see so many knobs with giant biceps and the back of the arm is flat. The triceps is 2/3s of your arm, bro.
@athleanx Be careful, your head tends to go forward when sitting on an incline bench, which is not good for your neck.
Brilliant point. Especially since you're indicating that understanding the difference between forearms and biceps forearms are part of the arm. Just like cats are part of the leg and require different training. Sounds simple but most people will be surprisingly don't get that
Timestamps
Worst:
1:16 - Concentration Curls
2:23 - Reverse Curls
3:13 - Bicep Pushups
Better:
4:13 - Inverted Chin Curls
5:00 - Zottman Curls
5:47 - Preacher Curls
6:55 - Cable Curls
Better Still:
8:14 - Cable Flex Curls
8:52 - Drag Curls
9:44 - Spider Curl
10:34 - DB Waiter Curls
Almost Best:
11:47 - Incline DB Curls
12:45 - Chinups
13:50 - Barbell Curls
Best:
15:01 - Alt. Standing DB Curls
Thanks broskk
Thanks for listing all the exercises out when time stamps. Greatly appreciated.
Thanks for this. Maybe this cement could get pinned?
Not all heroes wear capes, thanks man
I was searching for you, when the world needed you the most, you returned
Worst:
1:16 - Concentration Curls
2:23 - Reverse Curls
3:13 - Bicep Pushups
Better:
4:13 - Inverted Chin Curls
5:00 - Zottman Curls
5:47 - Preacher Curls
6:55 - Cable Curls
Better Still:
8:14 - Cable Flex Curls
8:52 - Drag Curls
9:44 - Spider Curl
10:34 - DB Waiter Curls
Almost Best:
11:47 - Incline DB Curls
12:45 - Chinups
13:50 - Barbell Curls
Best:
15:01 - Alt. Standing DB Curls
Hey alper_kurt, thanks so much for your timestamps! Also, I'm not currently able to watch the video in its entirety so it may have been mentioned in it but I was just wondering why standing DB Hammer Curls aren't included in any of the categories from worst to best??......
@@AKMZKCI think it's because they are not really meant to target the biceps but instead just the whole arm
@@MasonVis Thanks for your reply
@@AKMZKC That's not the reason, hammer curls DEFINITELY only target the biceps (with a bias towards the brachialis which is great).
In the video they're included with the Alternating Standing DB Curls, check 15:20 when he talks about how you can change the grip to focus different stuff 👍
Idk man, from the here said least efficient to the moast I doned all and seen not so much difference in between. Maybe cause I'm more of a working man than a body-builder, more strongman than fitness, but strength I build from doing the first here considered the worse, and in that position of curl, I did it with 45kg or ure 100lbs a set of 4 reps but also biceps pull-ups around 20-30 with my 80kg weight...
Would love to see a Forearm Exercises Ranked!
Coming soon!
Don’t use straps
We all know the best for that one…
My skinny forearms could definitely do with a video about building forearms
Jesse has a good one for the right arm 😉
Best:
15:00 - Alt. Standing DB Curls
Almost Best:
11:46 - Incline DB Curls
12:44 - Chinups
13:49 - Barbell Curls
Hey Jeff! I’ve watched many of the Ranked series videos and they changed my workouts completely. I was impressed on how much energy and time I was throwing away in exercises that don’t contribute as much or have limitations or come with execution risks. A total eye opener! The way you narrate and explain while performing the exercises are very helpful to understand the science and physics behind each one of them. Kudos and keep it up! I am sure I will be getting better results now. Thanks!
after some years of getting out of the military i felt like i wouldn't be the same after and certain movements caused pain. felt like it was a bit past me. and actually gained about 90lbs. but watching this content is what got me back into lifting. following these tier list has helped alot to boost confidence. so far i am back down to 219 about 50 lbs down. and a noticeable difference in pec back and arms. i know it is just a comment in here but thank you for showing different ways to lift even with injuries
I feel your pain the military destroyed my back and knees i thought it was damn near impossible to develop my legs because of the pain
Good on you. Keep at it. I personally work on core, and let everything else follow. That can mean just sitting straight on an off day.
Keep it up, man
Prayers to you sir, thank you for your service , and keep making big gains and strides in life and the gym! 🙏
Great job with your progress! You did great losing all that weight!
Just finished arm day! Happy to see all of my exercises are at the top of the list. But that shouldn’t surprise me. I built my workout routine off this channel!
You should try iso preacher curl. If you really want to target the BICEPS and only the biceps, you want to eliminate the use of as many stabilizing muscles that you can. It’s odd how most of the top exercises actually require a lot more stabilization. More freedom of movement isn’t always a good thing, it allows you the possibility to cheat the movement. Again, I high recommend you try iso preacher curl, you’ll be able to properly work the bicep to failure.
I have, too!
The top 4 is what I use too and I also built my routine off of this channel.🙌🏽
Yeah same. I usually have incline db curls, barbell curls and used to do concentration curls but stopped them a couple of weeks ago because they took too long. Any recommendations for a replacement?
@@mileschicken1 you're generally fine with 2 bicep exercises tho. Target the long head and short head. Make sure the brachialis is in involved in some way (neutral grip or certain exercises) and you're good to go!
Been going to the gym consistently for the last 6 months. Went through a rough time that lasted 2/3 years and the gym has helped me a lot. It gives me a routine and the compliments are nice!
Keep it up!
Do you’ve seen changes in that 6months?
Glad to hear it brother, keep it up!
That bicep tear happened to me because I was curling 50+ pounds one handed… 8 months to recover and still don’t trust my arm fully. Careful boys!
Same.bummer
Lmao if you tear your biceps with 20kg dumbell you need to find new hobby thb
I'd be interested in seeing a series on stretching ranked. It could either be by body region or overall. There are so many ways and scenarios in which to stretch it'll be interesting to see.
#StretchingIsForWimps! LOL (Some are actually quite a sickener, but I never do them before exercise - it tires you out and you lose explosiveness. They should be treated as a workout in their own right, on a separate day)
Eh, daily is not bad in my opinion as long as you know what you are doing. But i agree on the part where you should do i seperatly from lifting. Doing it abit after is perfect in my opinion.
I really love these ranking videos - they make weight lifting so much more accessible
I'm 70 years old and an utter and complete newbie to fitness. I was blessed to stumble upon your channel and you've educated me well enough to take on the job of getting fit with assured physical safety and full confidence of reaching my fitness goals. I purchased your Xero and ATX programs (no kidding!) but I'm sure it'll be three or four years before I can actually do them. At this point (about 3 weeks into training) I'm well started on the task of straightening out my posture and am having wonderful success!
Bless you for your care and for the work you're doing.
P.S. - Say hi to Jesse for me. :))
Check out ATG Knees over Toes guy on you Tube. Perfect programs for longevity.
How are you getting on with your training buddy?
Yes, how os your training going?
Great content and videos Jeff, I’m 52 years old I finished AX-1 but I’m repeating it with the TNT workouts I finally feel like there’s hope for me gaining muscle and getting in the shape
Love it! Thanks Jay. The TNT's are an amazing way to increase the volume a bit to target your weak spots.
My Grandpa was jacked at 70 and always said his secret was no fast/junk food. Keep it up bro💪💪
@@stevecaiza9072 Calories in calories out, that wasn't the secret 💪💪
@@athleanx please do on how to build.stubborn triceps and chest thay don't get sore
@@stevecaiza9072 Stay away from junk food but try to call it snack food because of the horrible slang term for junk food.
I give you a quote of (AWESOME). I give you the quote "Ever fresh taste good".
Man, I just started lifting weight and your channel is incredibly helpful primarily for the accurate demonstrations and all the explanations of the muscle functions and movements always with a concern towards safety. Thank u so much and congrats on your work! Cheers from Brazil
Hammer curl: "Am I a joke to you?"
Brachialis muscle, not the long head or short head
I always get a great bicep pump from doing hammer curls, and feel it the next day in my biceps.
@Broke boys 999 It also works the biceps
To me it is. Got tennis elbow doing it 😭
I start off with a hammer curl then rotate it near the finish
Please keep doing these! I love seeing the breakdowns between the different muscle groups. It really helps with prioritizing when you don't always have a lot of time to be in the gym
My favorite bicep exercise is the alternating bicep curl, because it’s simple, easy and I target both the peak and short heads. I’ve seen your other videos Jeff regarding how to build biceps and what are some of the common mistakes but my question is, how do we know if our form is correct? As an example, I do the waiter, incline, and drag for my peak, but for cross body curls, do I keep my elbows back and curl across? Or do I bring it forward show more of the peak? Your videos are the best and always deliver but I find myself struggling at times to get the form right with different things exercises, like the rear delt row. A follow up question, do you plan to do videos on how to do the exercises correctly? Thank you Jeff.
In on this one brother! My favorite are cable curls on a seated row machine where you're leaning back. Those absolutely torch the biceps!
I love the smoothness of cable curls in all forms! Looking forward to hanging out and getting some time together brother! Keep killing it.
I'm looking forward to seeing this!
Doesn't just torch the biceps, the elbow too. Careful with that, fella, especially as you get older, damn... 😯
@@athleanx Thank you brother! Likewise, it's an honor!
@@athleanx how about the "sliced up reps" bicep curl? Been doing these ever since you mentioned them and the gains are insane ever since. I want to thank you for that! Greets from the netherlands🏆
Man you was recommended in Puregym Bermondsey, uk today!!! By an american or canadian guy doing his deltoids. Google must have heard our convo because up you pop like anything else we talk about during our day. Im glad they were listening because i forgot the name Athlean X hahaha so the spying actually benefited me!!! I am a 38yr old man with rotator cuff injury these videos are bloody amazing!!! Especially as you know the best workouts with the least stress on certain parts of the body i.e shoulders and joints etc... Absolute Godsend thankyou my man. Keep up the great work!!!❤
As a former Collegiate athlete it's hard to find workouts (except the ones I make myself, but its hard to coach yourself!) that actually recreate training like an athlete. I've been using your videos for about two years now and I love them! And as a thankyou for helping me out with training and injuries lol I went ahead and purchased your training program. Thanks Jeff, and maybe Jesse but i'm not sure what he really does lol
My personal favorite is Zottman curls while leaning against a wall. You hit the biceps and forearms in one single movement. The more muscles you work, the better. After watching this I’ll have to rethink that though.
The coherence you have despite so many years teaching is admirable. This video is a summary of all the advice you've given over time and still has the same meaning as the previous videos. My congratulations. You are one of the few on youtube with original content, well explained and with deep knowledge about the activity you teach. Keep it up.
Love the time & effort you invest to pass on your immense knowledge and experience to Fitness enthusiasts across the world. The presentation style is fantastic too. Much Appreciated!!
My bicep accessory work: machine preacher curls for short head and peak contraction, face-away cable curls for long head and stretch, and pronated barbell curls for the brachialis, with slow eccentrics on all. I’m loving it.
1 Standing EZ Bar curls with chains, palms parallel PP to roof like Jeff said.
2 Lean back standing on a preacher curl machine with dumb bells.Hammers or supination
PP
3 Stand and lean back on a preacher curl with ez bar and chains
4 Low incline bench ez bar curls in a power rack low as you can put the safety bar PP
5 Split stance dumb bell opposite side curls. Same leg back provides better range of motion. Hammer and palm up grip. Start from hip/pelvis very close to body. Opposite leg split for reverse dumb bell curls. Also with palm up from opposite side to same side and out 30 degrees for inner head.
6 straight arm dumb bell curls. One at a time lean toward arm you use so your arm is straight up and down, Hammer or pronate at bottom supination at top (Arnold)
7 To overload biceps and spare the wrists use 1 or 2 furry ankle straps and wrist sweat bands. Extender chain link or no chain link. Very heavy with no load on wrists.
No one has ever done most of these...
C
At 54, I've been following the ATHLEAN-X videos for the last 5 years, and it's TOTALLY changed the health of my body. My physique even closely resembles that of Jeff now. *AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT EXTERNAL ROTATION in most of his videos--SAVED MY ASS!*
Can you tell me what part of the video he talks about external rotation? I missed it and cannot find it.
@@alizaka1467 I think he may be referring to the variation described at 15:25. I might be wrong, it could be something else.
@@alizaka1467 Didn't mean to confuse you. *I apologize!* He may not specifically mention external rotation in this video, but he mentions it ROUTINELY throughout his videos. If you type in "Athleen-X external rotation" you will get some videos that specifically cover the subject. Jeff talks about it in basically ALL of his shoulder videos and in most chest videos as well.
@@alizaka1467 Look for "shoulder impingement" videos, too. They will cover the subject in depth. I was miserable. He fixed me!
I love the little “back and forth” scene between you and yourself 🤣
Very effective in putting that exercise “to the side” for biceps
Loving these worst to best workouts! I've already been doing most of these biceps workouts for a long time, but glad to see what Jeff thinks is the best and which is the worst! Thanx Jeff!
Everyone demonstrates pretty much the same exercises, but this gentlemen effectively explains the 'why' behind every exercise. Always helpful and makes me want to hit the gym immediately afterward.
and he does it horribly wrong. concentration curls lowest ranking, because you can do it wrong? what is that logic. also the way he uses words like leverage and seesaw effect etc. are straight up silly. the idea that pushing your elbow into your thighs creates leverage on your bizeps makes no sense.
this list is made controvertial for the sake of being controvertial.
knowledgeable 🤝 going on 16 months from getting RC/AC/laybrum and long bicep surgically fixed. 2 anchors and some bome shaved off. I currently have no pain. Some stiffness but thats normal. Not very strong but working my way up the latter. Very grateful for these surgeons and mentors like yourself. Best of luck on ypur recovery and pushing foward with your healthy life. Im 41 by the way.
I enjoy this series a lot. Keep these coming. 👍
Thank you Jeff for everything❤️
Thank you for watching man, truly appreciated!
I've done incline plus spider curls and there's a noticeable difference in my upper arms now. The best part is that I can push myself doing heavier weights and there's no injuries so far
Jeff thank you for continuing to call out ridiculous exercises like the bicep pushup. I've seen this exercise pushed on seemingly reputable calisthenic channels but you are right it is absolutely NOT a bicep exercise. If someone were to start lifting and only do this one movement for their bicep growth we would likely see zero bicep development.
I have problems with my wrists, chinups has no impact on them like curls. So chinups are perfect for me! I love them!
As a marathon runner, what exercises/muscles do you think are the most important for long distance runners? What would you recommend for strength training to avoid injury?
I always tell runners, everyone likes to focus on the car and they forget about the tires! Keep those feet and ankles strong and healthy. Train balance, plyos, and intrinsic foot/ankle muscles through targeted band work to keep the tires fine tuned. There are actually some good exercises and stretches in the Plantar Fasciitis video that I did that would be a benefit to many as well.
@@athleanx Thank you so much. I’ll check out your PF video!
Hamstrings, glutes, abs.
@@nikolaisalikov1257 Yeah, that and the calves are what I think he meant by the “car.” Thanks!
Separate PT question - what are you best exercises for patella femoral pain? I was told flat feet brought my knees in and this misalignment along with heavy exercise over 42 years is what’s causing it. Got some orthotics to help the arch in my foot down the chain, now I want to know if I can get back to no more knee pain. Thanks for the videos!
Sled pulls
This is awesome info Jeff! Some of these I was doing way early on in my fitness/nutrition career. I have learned so much from you and I appreciate it all! Outstanding job!🤘🏽
I do what I enjoy and am a 65 yr. old. After doing barbell curls and reverse curls as a superset. Up to 120 for curls and 60 for reverse. After that,
I enjoy concentration curls off my knee with a thick towel on it. I finish with standing cable barbell curls.
This guy is so right, when I was younger my friends told me do concentration curls. I never gained any muscle!! Now I know why!!!
8:52 - Drag Curls
5:00 - Zottman Curls
10:34 - DB Waiter Curls
15:01 - Alt. Standing DB Curls
Awesome video Jeff! Been waiting for this one for a while.
My question - I noticed DB Hammer Curls were left off this list. Is that because it has a stronger focus on forearm development? Where would it fall on this list, and what’s a good way to incorporate it into your bicep workout?
Thanks!
+1, I'd like to know what you think of hammer curls also. thanks
Yes
JC, hammer curls please!
The brachialis and the forearms work more in this exercise, they do most of the effort, the bicep do less work in this exercise, but it is still a great exercise that I myself do for the brachialis, it should has a place in your workout routine.
bicep isn't the target muscle
Want to say thank you. Since I started getting back in the gym 9 months ago, I have used your methods. On my dumbbells, I couldn't do 85lb more than one. Now up to 10, 8, 8 reps 3 sets. Much more to add, but just wanted to say your videos have helped.
Really dig this series. Can you do one with best to worst with abs? Also best to worst home exercises for total body
Thank you so much for these, Jeff! Quality content, as always! You've made working out accessible and fun for so many! Wish you all the best! 😃🖐❤️
Love these ranking videos, it's amazing when I see the exercises that make me cringe get the red cross. I wish most of the gym bros had the same vision. Look forward to the breakdown of specific leg exercises for quads, hamstrings, glutes/hip flexors and calves (if there are enough to cover!).
Why would a concentration curl make you cringe. It’s like a standard bicep building exercise.
biceps workout i can do:
10:34 - DB Waiter Curls
13:50 - Barbell Curls
15:01 - Alt. Standing DB Curls
4:54 Looks fun and better 🙂 (slow down, you're strongest in the eccentric part of the lift)
8:45 a unique drag curl - better
10:24 Interesting! And better still!
14:54 King of Curls, Standing DB Curls, Best of the Best!
This channel helped me HUGE in getting my body fat percentage under 9%!
Thank you!
Recently I’ve been doing overloaded barbell curls, when I get tired I swing it up and try with all my might to resist the downward portion or dicentric load. Feel like my overall bicep size has increased just in a month.
I've done the same for years, it's been incredibly effective
Great seeing incline DB curls so high up! Really noticed a difference in muscle growth in an area that I was heavily struggling with before ever since I started using them in my routine 6 months
I don’t recommand that exercise. It goes heavy on your elbow joints!
Great stuff Jeff. I had open heart surgery 2 months ago. Lost 10lbs muscle very quickly. I can use weights but "Nothing" that engages chest. Been trying 10lb dumb bells for curls and tricep extensions. Also using bands I step on and wrapped on a wooden staff. Any suggestions? Can't afford the loss of more muscle. 68 and worked out my whole life, cross training. I would be thankful for any suggestions. Thanks either way.
Is not engaging your chest on workouts a temporary precaution because of the surgery. Either way, maybe you need to get heavier weights or buy like a jug of water and curl that. When i was quarantining, i would curl a liter of water but after a few days it got way too easy. I would recommend to find something heavier than that
Loved the argument with yourself part xD
Seeing him getting more comfortable for the camera is just awesome :D
very good and helpful! I've been lifting 50 yrs now, started with the old Charles Atlas and Joe Weider courses and then went on to weights. Interesting how things change and
advance in exercise science. When I got the old Muscle Builder Power back magazine in the 70s I remember reading about Arnold S and his secret to getting the bicep peak with
his concentration curls. Now it's not a good thing. I'm glad at least I have been doing to the top 2 you've mentioned. I need to add the others. Keep up the good work!
Just tried doing sitting dumbbell curls versus standing ones. Seems the core comes into play a bit more when sitting.
Yes, you are experiencing the effects of isolation. The problem with sitting curls is a lack of functional athleticism; any time you can perform an exercise connected to the floor (i.e., standing up), the benefits will be much more comprehensive.
You know more full body benefit.
If you see this comment its killing your gains
Underrated comment bro i definitely laughed😂
😢😭
Yeah yeah yeah
Nooo!
I knew it 🤯
The dumbbell concentration curl is actually the best.
yes, i love that exercise, the best with proper form
Crazy how the simplest is pretty much always the kost effective. The old school alternating DB curl being the best is no shocker to me. My left arm always gets exposed halfway through my third set 😂😂
Arbold swartengger said the concentration curl is how you get the peaks on the biceps. He did them standing up and bent over though
I did the spider curls in-place of my usual concentration curls, with the weight I was about to step-up from, and I could barely do the same set reps. I'm sticking with this instead of the concentration curls. Thank you for a great series!
Science literally says concentration curls are the best bicep curl variation. Jeff is just being a biast ass.
@@lonerunner89 He literally stated in the video, a lot of people perform concentration curls incorrectly.
Actually it is worst to best not best to worst 😄
where is hammer curl
Chat-GPT summary :
Concentration Curl: Considered one of the worst bicep exercises due to common mis-performance.
Reverse Curl: Not a good bicep exercise, but effective for brachialis and brachioradialis muscles.
Biceps Pushup: Not a bicep exercise and should not be considered for bicep gains.
Inverted Chin Curl: A good bodyweight bicep exercise, but has limitations in progressive overload.
Alternating Standing Dumbbell Curl: Ranked the best bicep exercise for effectively overcoming muscle imbalances and focusing on each side individually.
AMAZING, you have fixed my all time worst problem in the gym, i couldnt do a bicep curl with good form, my arm just goes back, now i know i can stand in front of a wall to get the form right, yes the way down is more important but i want good form first before deciding to do cheat reps.
⚡ A tip for doing one arm spider curls. Buy a hollow foam roller and thread a barbell trough it on the barbell rack. Now you can lean over it with your arm pit and do spider curls. Perfect. 👍🙂
Barbell is my absolute fav so far. I got huge gains when i went from standing dumbell to barbell. I did more weight as a dumbell per arm and i noticed as a free gain i worked my core really hard. Which is why i stareted working out to begin with. before that i was doing alternating dumbell curls but more towards the chest as straight foreward without the stability of a bar gives me irritating tendon noises in the elbow.
Good to hear i at least did it right without even researching beforehand (only researching now 10 months in as i am writing myself a program).
Alternating dumbell curl with adjustable dumbells. You can slightly overload the backband side and get a bit of resistance with the twisting of the wrists as that is also done by the bicep
I built my routine just by picking the higher listed exercises for each muscle group lol results have been great
Worst
1:23 Concentration Curls
2:28 Reverse Curls
3:28 Biceps Pushups
Better
4:16 Inverted Chin Curls
5:02 Zottman Curls
6:30 Preacher Curls
7:00 Cable Curls
Better Still
8:13 Cable Flex Curls
8:55 DB Drag Curls
9:42 DB Spider Curls
10:32 DB Waiter’s Curls
Almost Best
11:47 Incline DB Curls
12:47 Chinups
13:53 Barbell Curls
Best
15:05 Alt. Standing DB Curls
Fun fact, after 10 or 12 years of gym-going, I intuitively limited myself to standing alternate dumbbell curls as the only exercise targeting specifically biceps (sporadically, chin-ups as alternate). And since 10 years feel pretty good doing them.
only took 10 years to get good at a curl? Impressive
@@jnaz3thirty1 yeah I can see that it sounds quite stupid. My overall message was that after many years of training, in many cases I intuitively went only to exercises which -as I
m now learning from various online experts- are being ranked as best activating given groups of muscles.
i knew that you wouldnt mention my secret bicep exersice.
leanr forward on put one hand on a bench.
then arch forward with your back and hold the dumbbel in a straight line downwards and curl in mid-air.
these are hands down my favorite videos on the channel.
51 years old, and have done concentration curls my whole life. No injuries, and great results. Young man science, sure.
Did he say it causes injuries?
Also the young man in the vid is 47, dare to compare your "great results" with his?
I watched jeff 5 years ago.. now I'm back and videos are still coming - the jeffinator
Jeff you are the king of biceps, you helped me to develop good biceps with one particular workout of yours, with a good peak and now its one of the most developed parts of my body, the drag curl and some others exercises gave me nostalgia of the workout 😢
I would love to see quad, glutes, and hamstring exercises ranked
53 and really don't like my biceps. Started training arms on every session. Dumbbell bicep curls to failure, Alternating dumbbell curls to failure, hammers to failure X 3 sets and job done. 5 minutes or so. Massive difference in my biceps in 12 weeks. There still pants but getting there
I get the best pump with concentration curls, the key is letting your arm hang down, same as doing a standing curl.
Best ,most informative ,instructionals out there .I’m sooo glad to have this resource as it really is helping me waste less time and get more gains and prevent injuries.Also it’s made everyone at the gym notice and comment that I must be doing something right ,with the gains I’m getting .Thanks man!
Cable Curl: I saw Mike O'Hearn doing a lying cable curl on the seated row. I got the feel for it but haven't included in my biceps workout yet.
Great channel mate. 64 soon and just started getting back into weights . Slim man and I always start just with pushups and situps each day and now learning more about weights. Thank you. awesome channel
With any cable movement for arms, I take a step or so back to immediately add tension at the beginning.
I sometimes forget to listen as I’m just in awe watching Jeff’s muscles working
This truly helps bro luv you
I would love to see the following worst to best:
Forearms
Legs can be divided into Hams & Quads
Calfs
Traps
@Elizabeth Yepes need to add that to my list
Amazingly enough, concentration curls used to be Mike Mentzer's favorite bicep exercise. He eventually favored the close grip palms up pulldown.
These series help me to choose the best exercises for me. When I did it my gains start quickly
great video!
you can say what you want about athleanx but he brings the information!
The alternating curl is very strenuous and hard. Makes me breath heavy, heart race, sweat and yell out.
It's going on my new list! Hard exercise, with proper pain levels in the right spots, is good.
I'll add one, loop band barbell curl. Aka using a barbell or broomstick or pipe to do the barbell curl motion with a band. Ideally adding the band to the loaded barbell, for increasing tension. Doing this with dumbbells is brutal.
I recommend using some bar/handle and pull up assistance band because they get heavy. Mine stack to a peak tension of 510!!
Man, I've been doing spider curls for 25 years now and love them. And in those 25 years I can probably count on one hand how many other guys I've seen do them at the gym. I don't get why no one does them. They really work for me and I enjoy them.
One of the biggest channels in existence and still you have audio cracking and popping.
This is the funniest video in this series so far! I was literally laughing out loud when you talked bout the Bicep Pushup! And then the Preacher Curl part! I was in tears! Fucken great shit, please keep it up!
I was missing behind the back curls (cable). Never seen somebody else do that, but I am a big fan. It gives a good stretch, allows to include the shoulder and the pump after the exercise is unreal. I think curls on a leaned bench come closest to that.
BEST to WORST
BEST
15:03 alternating standing dumbbell curl
ALMOST BEST
13:48 barbell curl
12:45 chinups
11:45 inclined dumbbell curl
BETTER STILL
10:30 dumbbell waiter curl
9:40 spider curl
8:51 drag curl
8:12 cable flex curl
BETTER
6:55 cable curl
5:46 preacher curl
5:01 zottman curl
4:13 inverted chin curl
WORST
3:12 bicep pushup
2:24 reverse curl
1:20 concentration curl
Worst To Best NOT AS HE SAYS!
Thanks for the video it actually helped me
Jeff always makes me realize I don’t know wth I’m doing in the gym…and I’m here for it 😂💯 beast
If it's all the same to you, I'm going to keep on doing concentration curls. They build strength, definition, and don't cause me to swell up to ridiculous proportions.
I live in a small dorm room and don't have enough space but buying 2 barbells for the alt barbell curl and sticking a rod in my doorway allows me to do great excercises from this video and others. Thanks!
I was doing preacher curls yesterday and those clips gave me cold sweat. I'll be replacing that exercise in my routine.