Individual Heads & Biceps Exercises

by Dan B
(Northants)

If your Biceps have huge width but are less than satisfactory when it comes to height, or they have the peak but look like twigs from the front, then here's a general rule for emphasizing each part.

'Biceps' literally translates as 'two heads'. The Biceps Brachii (Brachii = of the arm) have two heads, the long head and the short head. The long head runs on the outside of your arm, whilst the short head is closest to your body.

The short head gives your biceps the width, whereas the long head gives the height.

To emphasize the short head, and get some width, use a wide grip. The further your lower arm points away from the body, ie. your right hand pointing 90 degrees to your right, the more you'll use your short head and get some width.

Obviously, the opposite utilizes your long head. For high peaks on your biceps, a narrow grip is preferred eg. During a barbell bicep curl, the closer together your hands are, the more the long head will be worked.