Working on your biceps through calisthenics can be just as effective as working on them with weights at the gym. However, it’s important to choose the best calisthenics biceps exercises to focus on building up that muscle group rather than wasting time and energy with ineffective movements. Here are 12 best calisthenics biceps exercises you can include in your workout routine to get the most results in the least amount of time.
Anatomy of Biceps.
Biceps are the muscles seen on the front of your upper arm. The word biceps is actually a Latin word meaning two-headed muscle, because the biceps consist of two bundles of muscles that originate at different points and merge in a common area near the elbow.
To contract your biceps, you must flex your elbow; this is done by bending it so that your forearm moves toward or touches your upper arm. There are many calisthenics bicep exercises, but here are some of the best ones to build lean muscle mass.
12 Best Calisthenics Biceps Exercises.
1. Horizontal Bodyweight Ring Curl.
These exercise can also be known as upside-down curls. The rings will also helps you in strengthening elbow flexion and supination.
How to do Horizontal Bodyweight Ring Curl?
- Place yourself in a horizontal position under the rings and hold the rings with a neutral grip (palms facing each other).
- Your hands on the ring handle should be shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your spine straight, core tight and glutes engaged.
- Bend your knees & keep your feet flat on the floor.
- Ideally, your body should be in a straight line in which your knees are making a 90-degree angle.
- Bend both your arms while bringing your forehead towards the rings.
- Rotate your hands so they are fully bent upwards.
- Place your elbows near your body and don’t let your hips relax.
- Stop at the top and feel the top biceps contraction.
- Gradually reduce the eccentricity and repeat.
2. Headbangers.
It’s one of the closest things to calisthenics biceps curls exercises. This movement requires a lot of balance, but it is very effective if done correctly.
How to do Headbangers?
- Hold the pull-up bar with an overhand grip and keep shoulder-width distance.
- Get to the top of the pull-up position and stop at the top.
- From here, start pushing away from the bar by straightening your elbows and leaning back a little.
- Try not to let your body fall down at all and stay at the same height.
- Then, quickly pull yourself back closer to the bar while bending your elbows. Pretend as if you’re going to beat your head at the bar.
- Continue alternating from a flexed elbow and extended elbow function in a rapid but controlled manner.
3. Commando Pull Ups.
This pull-ups is a great exercise that focuses on elbow and shoulder flexibility as well as engage your biceps muscle.
How to do Commando Pull Ups?
- Hold the pull-up bar with a neutral grip by placing your palms in front of each other while you stand vertically at the bar.
- Experiment with the distance between your hands to find out what’s comfortable. (Closer is better).
- Start by bending your elbows and lifting your body toward the bar.
- You’ll need to bring your head to one side of the bar so that your trapped muscle makes contact with the bar.
- Slowly return to the starting position.
- At the next repetition, bring your head in the opposite direction of the bar.
- Repeat this movement for the reps, focusing on gradually slowly.
4. One Arm Chin Up Negative.
Regular chin-ups are already a great bicep exercise. However, the one arm chin up negative is also a great exercise which actually overload the biceps. There are several ways to increase it depending on your fitness level.
How to do One Arm Chin Up Negative?
- Use a chair or bench to get the top chin-up position (hands should be faced in front of you).
- Next, take one hand and slide it outwards, holding it onto the bar.
- From here, engage your core and slowly lower yourself.
- Do this slowly and place your elbows near your body.
- As you’re getting down, really focus on the mind-muscle bicep connection.
- Be sure to use the full range of motion and extend the elbow downwards.
- Jump back into the starting position and repeat with your other hand.
5. Korean Ring Dip or The Bicep Dip.
The Korean Ring Dip is an advanced workout that engage the chest, shoulders, triceps, and biceps. It also trains your shoulder stabilizer muscles.
How to do Korean Ring Dip or The Bicep Dip?
- Keep the rings shoulder-width apart and jump up to the supported ring dip support position.
- From here, take your hands out completely and maintain the same position throughout the set.
- Start bending your elbows and let your torso bend slightly forward, as you lower down in the dip.
- Focus on getting your hands out.
- At the bottom, take back your shoulder blades and keep your shoulders bent externally.
- Press your hands back into the starting position without letting them come out of the supinated position.
- Ensure full control throughout the movement.
- To make this movement easier, do only the eccentric part of the exercise.
6. Inverted Row With Supinated Grip or Bicep Rows.
This great exercise will train both your back muscles and biceps.
How to do Inverted Row With Supinated Grip
- Place yourself horizontally under the rings and place the rings in a underhand grip. Hold with an underhand grip.
- Your hands on the ring handle should be shoulder-width apart.
- Thereafter bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor.
- Keep your spine straight, core tight and glutes engaged.
- Ideally, your body should be in a straight line in which your knees are making a 90-degree angle.
- Pull your chest toward the ring by bending your elbows and squeezing your biceps.
- Stay in the top position for 1 second and slowly lower yourself back down.
7. Close Grip Pull-Up Isometrics.
The next exercise is an isometric exercise, which means you’ll maintain the final contraction for time. Close grip will help to make the hand muscles more active.
How to do Close Grip Pull-Up Isometrics?
- Start your hands close to shoulder-width apart on the overhead bar.
- Use a chair or bench to jump to the top of the pull-up position.
- Squeeze your biceps as much as possible, then hold the end range.
- Your biceps will start to pop out.
8. Reverse Grip Pushups.
The next effective exercise is a reverse grip biceps push-up.
How to do Reverse Grip Pushups?
• At first keep your hands shoulder-wide apart on the floor, pointing your fingers back.
• Assume a push-up position while keeping your core tight, glutes engaged and neutral spines.
• Next, lean forward so that your shoulders are in front of your hands. This is the only way to ensure that your biceps become active.
• From here, do a push-up, making sure you’re tucking your elbows closer to your body.
• When you do this exercise it is necessary to lean forward the whole time.
9. Chin-Up.
It is another effective exercise that targets the biceps. When done correctly, the chin-ups exercise can be a great way to build muscle in the bicep area.
How to do Chin Up?
- To perform this exercise, start by grabbing a fixed bar (or pole) with your palms facing away from you and your palms close together.
- Once you’re gripping it tightly, lean back and lift yourself up until your chin is above the bar.
- You should feel a stretch in your bicep area.
- The next step is to slowly lower yourself down until your arms are fully extended and then repeat.
10. Bench dips.
Bench dips are one of the best calisthenics biceps exercises out there. Not only do they target your biceps and triceps, but they also work your core. It is a great exercise to incorporate into your workout routine if you want to get a well-rounded upper body workout. The only downside is that you may find it difficult to perform if you have bad wrists or shoulder injuries.
Bench dips are a pretty simple exercise. You’ll need a bench and either some weight plates or dumbbells.
How to do Bench Dips?
- Start by sitting on the edge of the bench with your hands on either side of you on the ground.
- Then lower yourself down so that your arms are straightened.
- Make sure to keep them in line with your chest throughout this movement so that you don’t put too much pressure on them and cause injury.
- Pause at the bottom before pushing back up with both legs while squeezing your glutes together at the top before lowering back down again.
- You can choose how deep you go based on what feels comfortable for you, as long as you make sure not to bounce off the ground in between reps.
- It’s important not to lock out at any point during these reps because this could cause injury.
11. One-armed Push-ups.
One-armed push-ups are an effective calisthenics biceps exercises that will work your triceps and biceps. This exercise is done by getting into a standard push-up position with one arm extended in front of you, then lowering yourself down to the floor as you would during a normal push-up.
The difference being that your other arm will be extended behind you. When you get back up to the starting position, make sure to switch arms so that the opposite arm is extended in front of you for the next repetition.
If you want to make this more difficult, try adding resistance such as holding onto a dumbbell or weight plate while doing this move.
You can also do these on your toes instead of on your knees if you want an even tougher variation. If you have bad knees and don’t feel comfortable on your toes, feel free to use the kneeling option.
It’s important to keep your core tight when doing these because if it isn’t engaged properly, you won’t be able to stabilize your lower body.
Doing one-armed push ups is a great way to increase muscle size in the bicep region without needing any equipment at all.
12. Push-ups (regular, wide and close grip, diamond; mix-and-match).
Push-ups are one of the most effective calisthenics biceps exercises because they work the entire upper body and use your own body weight as resistance. It work a variety of muscles, including the chest, shoulders, arms and back.
For an added challenge, do push-ups with different hand placements: wide grip (hands outside shoulder width), close grip (hands inside shoulder width) or with a diamond shape (fingers touching).
Be careful not to let your elbows flare out to the sides; you should keep them at about a 45-degree angle in line with your shoulders.
Place hands under your shoulders, so that when you lower down into the exercise, your upper arm is parallel to the floor. To maximize the benefits of this exercise, place hands on a medicine ball or plate during this move.
Bottom Line.
These exercises target all three heads of the bicep muscles and are highly effective in stimulating muscle growth. Chin-ups are a great exercise because they allow you to use your own bodyweight as resistance which is something that most people don’t have access to in the gym. Dips require very little equipment but can still provide an intense workout. Push-ups can also be done anywhere and are a great way to work on your core strength at the same time. Finally, overhead triceps extensions will work on strengthening your arms and can be done with or without weights.
