Who doesn’t want to build bigger biceps and get those massive peaks?!  It’s kind of humorous to see guys (or girls) in the gym doing 5-6 different exercises to work their biceps while not even realizing that they’re perform nearly the exact same movement.  I asked my personal trainer to show me a biceps exercise I could use to mix it up on back and biceps day and he reminded me of the bent over drag curl.

The biceps is a relatively small muscle on the body.  The biceps brachii is the “two headed” muscle on your upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow.  The main job of the Biceps Brachii is to flex the elbow and supinate (rotate) the forearm and there is some function with the shoulder as well.  Imagine doing the classic “gun show” biceps flex:  as you raise your arm up, flex your biceps and rotate your hand, you’re engaging the three joints that the biceps is responsible.

So one of my favorite exercises is Running the Rack.  I love this exercise because it’s a small circuit of sorts, but it leaves you with a massive burn if done properly.  I’d have to say my second favorite exercise to build bigger biceps is the Bent Over Drag Curl.  It not only works your upper and middle back, but it will tear up your biceps in short order!  Here’s how to do it:

Bent Over Drag Curl

1. Stand in front of your barbell weight of choice.

2. With a slightly wider than shoulder width grip grab the barbell with an overhand grip and bring it up to your chest.  Keep a slight arch in your back.

[youtube id=”eJsfGgOP7XA”]

This is basically a bent over barbell row and the video is an awesome demo.  To target your biceps a bit more bring the barbell up higher on the chest.  With a typical biceps drag curl you remain in the standing position and raise the barbell up as you would an ordinary biceps curl with an underhanded grip.  The “drag” part refers to the fact that instead of holding the barbell out in front of you in a natural position, you “drag” it along your upper body as you complete the movement.  The drag curl forces your elbows back and out moreso than a standard curl.  I specifically like modifying the standard row and performing the bent over drag curl because it seems to really tighten up the movement and target the biceps for that addictive “burn” we all love!

Tweet