Nipperd has won the king of biceps exercises: the Bayesian cable curl. Preacher curled by a close margin!
Last updated: October 31, 2024
The biceps are small muscles that flex your arm, but when well developed they have a visual prominence comparable to much larger muscles, so they require proper training.
October 19, 2024, Exercise Scientist Jeff Nipperd Rank the biceps exercises from most effective to least effective in a step-by-step list. From “S” for super move to “F” for fail.
Nippard’s 3 criteria for increasing biceps
Nippard ranked exercises based on the following criteria:
- stretch and tension: The best exercises are the most difficult to stretch with even resistance.
- Fluidity and comfort: How well do you feel your muscles are working without pain or discomfort?
- simple progression: Adding weights should be easy and accessible without limiting tension.
[Related: Jeff Nippard Assaulted by Fitness Influencer Mike Van Wyck]
Worst Exercises — Scott, Drugs, Spiders, Waiter Carl
These are exercises to avoid according to Nippard’s ranking criteria.
Scott Curl, named after the first Mr. Olympia champion Larry Scott, is what Mr. Knipperd calls an even worse version of Preacher Curl.
By placing your arms vertically, you remove all tension from the extended position.
Drag curls provide a better stretch but restrict movement, so Nipperd prefers to do traditional curls instead.
Nipperd’s worst biceps exercise is the waiter curl. Use weight plates to limit resistance and avoid awkward wrist movements.
To hyperextend your wrist and bring your forearm forward: [two] It’s a dumbbell, but it gives you more freedom.
B layer (good)
Why are the beloved barbell curls good, but not great or super? Two drawbacks: uneven tension and suboptimal stretching. Curling on a flat bench improves bottom tension, but it is difficult to improve. This could be considered a C-tier technique, but accessibility ranks it as a “B”.
As long as you try hard, your biceps will grow.
Pull-ups are rated as the best back exercise for biceps because they also work as bodyweight curls. However, they can put stress on your back and are not as optimal as isolation exercises.
A-tier (great)
Nippard loves these exercises, but the lack of peak stretches and provisional rankings keep him from reaching super tier.
Standing EZs (curved bar curls) rank higher than straight bar curls because they offer a more comfortable grip angle. However, as Nipperd emphasized, preacher curls are better. On this topic, replace incline curls with a nice extended tension of curls lying on a flat bench.
Nipperd believes hammer curls are great for developing the height, or “peak,” of your biceps. Emphasize your brachialis muscle (located below and to the side of the outside of your biceps and are the same size) and push your biceps up. Ideally, this should be done on the preacher’s bench.
At the bottom of the A tier are Inverse Zottman and Cheat Curl, which offer similar benefits.
Using a little momentum [or curling with a hammer grip] to help gain weight [up]you can curl more load and then resist and control the load in a very anabolic negative phase.
“Super” curls
“S Level” is the best of Nippard’s biceps exercises, with little to no downsides.
This category includes all 45-degree free weight curls and machine preacher curls.
“Tilting your upper arm creates more tension. [lower] Biceps in a stretched position. [This] ” appears to be more important than overall stretching,” citing a 2023 study that showed preacher curls more effectively target biceps growth than incline curls. (1)
If Nippard had to choose But his favorite is Faceaway’s Bayesian Cable Curl. “It’s amazing,” he insists.
“By moving your arms back behind your torso, [while using cables]”It gives you maximum stretch in your biceps, but also gives you even tension,” he said.
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References
- Zabaleta-Corta A, Fernández-Peña E, Torres-Unda J, Frances M, Zubillaga A, Santos-Concejero J. Regional hypertrophy: Effects of exercise on long and short muscle length in recreationally trained women. J. Ham Kinnett. 2023 7 15;87:259-270. doi: 10.5114/jhk/163561. PMID: 37559762; PMCID: PMC10407320.
Featured image: @jeffnippard on Instagram
