The long head of the biceps is one of the two muscles in the biceps group, the other being the short head. This muscle gets its name from the fact that it is noticeably longer than its counterpart. It is located on the outside of the upper arm and is responsible for a number of different functions.
One of the main functions of the long head of the biceps is that it helps to flex the arm at the elbow. This movement is called elbow flexion and is important in performing everyday activities such as reaching and lifting.
The long head also assists with rotation of the arm at the shoulder, allowing us to turn our arm inwards and outwards.
Another important function of the long head is its involvement in shoulder joint stability. By contracting, it provides additional stability which prevents excessive motion and reduces the risk of mild shoulder injury.
In order to hit the long head of the biceps, there are a number of exercises that can be performed. These include bicep curls, hammer curls, cable curls and preacher curls. All of these exercises involve flexing the arm at the elbow and can help to build strength and size in the muscle.
It is important to keep the elbow in a stationary position during these exercises to ensure full contraction of the long head.
What exercises train the long head?
The long head of the biceps brachii muscle can be trained through a number of exercises, including barbell curls, incline dumbbell curls, hammer curls, cross-body hammer curls and preacher curls.
Barbell curls are one of the most popular exercises for training the long head of the biceps. They involve gripping a barbell with an underhand grip and performing a biceps curl. This exercise can be done seated or standing and can be made more challenging by using a wider or narrower grip or through adding weight as you progress.
Incline dumbbell curls target the long head of the biceps. They are performed while lying on an incline bench and involve gripping a dumbbell in each hand and keeping elbows close to the body as you curl the weights towards your shoulders, then lowering them back down again.
Hammer curls target the long head of the biceps, as well. These are done by gripping a pair of dumbbells and keeping the palms facing towards your torso as you bend the elbow and curl the weights towards your shoulders.
This exercise can be done with both arms at the same time or alternating sides.
Cross-body hammer curls are also a great option for targeting the long head of the biceps. This exercise is done by gripping a pair of dumbbells and keeping the palms facing towards your body. As you curl, you slightly twist your wrist so that the weight passes over the opposite side of your body.
Lastly, preacher curls are an excellent option for targeting the long head of the biceps. These are done by sitting on a preacher bench with an underhand grip and curling the weights towards the shoulders.
Make sure to keep the elbows close to the sides as you curl to ensure that you are targeting the biceps.
Overall, the long head of the biceps can be effectively trained through a variety of exercises. These exercises range from basic biceps curls to more challenging variations, such as incline dumbbell curls and hammer curls.
With proper form and a consistent workout routine, you can strengthen and develop your biceps for improved arm definition and strength.
How do you activate long head biceps?
Activating the long head of the biceps (or the “outer” head) can be done through a variety of exercises, such as concentration curls, curls with an incline, cable curls, and incline dumbbell curls. In order to really emphasize the long head of the biceps, it is important to keep your elbows close to your sides and centered in front of your body, and use a full range of motion throughout the exercises.
Furthermore, these exercises should be executed slowly and with control. For concentration curls, you want to sit upright with both feet on the ground, holding a dumbbell in each hand. With one arm, curl the dumbbell up, focusing on bringing your arm up and out, keeping the elbow tucked in, and not letting your shoulder roll forward.
Squeeze your bicep at the top of the range of motion and then slowly return to starting position, maintaining tension the entire time. For curls with an incline, you want to sit on an incline bench and perform regular curls, but with the added benefit of the incline emphasizing the long head.
For cable curls, you want to stand in front of cable machine, keeping your elbows tucked into your sides and performing a full range of motion bicep curl. Lastly, for incline dumbbell curls,you want to sit on an incline bench while holding a dumbbell in each hand, curling the weight up while keeping your elbows tucked in and your shoulders down.
Overall, performing exercises like concentration curls, curls with an incline, cable curls, and incline dumbbell curls correctly and with proper form will go a long way in activating and strengthening the long head of the biceps.
Do hammer curls work the long head?
Yes, hammer curls work the long head of the biceps. The long head of the biceps can be activated by doing any kind of elbow flexion exercise, and hammer curls are effective at targeting the long head of the biceps.
The traditional shoulder-level curl with a dumbbell is a good exercise for the long head of the biceps, but hammer curls can also be a viable option for those who want to emphasize more of the brachialis, the muscle between the biceps and triceps, or for those who want to change up their routine to challenge their muscles in a different way.
When you do hammer curls, keep your elbows in close to your sides and resist the temptation to swing your arms as you curl the weight. This will help keep your biceps isolated and ensure that you activate the muscle as effectively as possible.
Is the long head of bicep important?
The long head of biceps is a very important muscle, as it plays a large role in both the shoulder and elbow joints. Not only does the long head of biceps assist in shoulder motion, such as flexion, adduction, and internal rotation, but it also helps to support and move the elbow joint.
In addition, the long head of biceps has an important role in stabilization and aiding other muscles during dynamic movements, such as throwing an object. Without the long head of biceps, movement of the shoulder and elbow would be severely limited.
It is an essential muscle for a well-functioning upper body.
How do you target all bicep heads?
In order to target all bicep heads effectively, you should incorporate a variety of exercises into your workout routine that target all three heads of the biceps – the long head, the medial head, and the short head.
For the long head, you should focus on compound exercises such as chin-ups and pull-ups as these will help to build optimal muscle development in the long head. You can also do single-arm biceps curls, preacher curls, and spider curls to target the long head.
For the medial head, you should focus on exercises such as barbell curls, incline curls, and reverse curls to specifically target the medial head.
For the short head, concentration curls are the best exercise to target this head.
In addition to these exercises, you can also do other exercises such as hammer curls and zottman curls which target the biceps from all angles and help to further build balance and symmetry within the biceps.
What is the difference between long head and short head bicep curls?
The difference between long head and short head bicep curls is the area of the biceps muscle that is being stimulated. The long head bicep curl is an exercise focused on working the outer head of the biceps, while the short head bicep curl is an exercise focused on the inner head of the biceps.
The long head biceps curls involve a longer range of motion and focus on using the elbow joint during the curl. The short head bicep curl focuses more on the wrist joint while engaging the elbows as little as possible.
This exercises also involve a shorter range of motion as the arms remain close to the body throughout the motion. Depending on the variation, different muscle groups may be targeted. For example, a preacher curl may focus more on the long head of the biceps compared to a regular bicep curl which focuses on the short head.
Which bicep exercises hit which head?
The bicep exercises that primarily hit the long (outer) head are Barbell Curls, Hammer Curls, Reverse Curls, and Concentration Curls. Barbell Curls involve holding a barbell with an underhand grip using your arms fully extended and curling the bar up towards your shoulders.
Hammer Curls involve gripping a pair of dumbbells in each hand, palms facing the body and curling them up towards the shoulders. Reverse Curls involve gripping a barbell with an overhand grip and curling the bar up towards the shoulders.
Concentration Curls involve sitting on a bench and curling a dumbbell towards the shoulder with one arm at a time.
The bicep exercises that primarily hit the short (inner) head are Incline Dumbbell Curls, Preacher Curls, Cable Curls, and Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls. Incline Dumbbell Curls involve curling a pair of dumbbells when sitting in an inclined position.
Preacher Curls involve placing arms on a preacher bench with an underhand grip and curling the weight up. Cable Curls involve using a cable machine to curl the weight up gradually using an E-Z bar, barbell, or a straight bar.
Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls involve sitting down and curling a single dumbbell with one arm at a time.
It is important to incorporate all these exercises into your bicep workout as this will ensure that all areas of the bicep are trained properly, leading to overall bicep development.
How do you work the short head of the bicep with dumbbells?
Working the short head of the bicep with dumbbells can be done by performing a bicep curl exercise with the palms facing inward. Quite simply, start by standing with feet shoulder width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Keep your elbows close to your torso, and slowly curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders, squeezing your bicep muscles as you do so. Pause at the top, then slowly lower your arms back to the starting position.
Make sure to keep your wrists in a neutral, forward position throughout the entire movement, to ensure the most effective contraction of the bicep. After 10-12 reps, take a short break, and repeat for two more sets.
Remember to keep proper form and breathing throughout the exercise, and don’t be too rushed; focus on the motion as a mindful activity.
Where does the short head of biceps come from?
The short head of the biceps muscle originates from two different locations on the scapula, or shoulder blade. The short head originates from the coracoid process of the scapula, a hook-like protuberance near the shoulder, and from the proximal margin of the glenoid cavity, which is the shallow depression that the humerus or arm bone fits into at the shoulder joint.
From there, the short head of the biceps inserts into the radial tuberosity of the radius, which is the knob-like protuberance on the radius near the elbow. The short head of the biceps works together with the long head of the biceps to flex the elbow.
Both heads of the biceps also work together to rotate the forearm inwards to turn the palm of the hand upwards.
Are long or short biceps better?
The short answer is that neither short nor long biceps are necessarily “better” – it really depends on your fitness goals. If you want to focus on developing overall upper body strength then long biceps may be better, since longer muscles tend to be stronger.
On the other hand, if you want to look more muscular and visually defined then shorter biceps may be better, since shorter muscles tend to be more muscular-looking. Ultimately, how you develop your biceps depends on your individual goals.
It’s important to choose exercises that will help you reach them and to also eat a healthy diet and get enough rest so that you can successfully progress towards your goals.
Is 3 bicep exercises too much?
No, 3 bicep exercises is not too much. In fact, it may be beneficial to do more than just 3 bicep exercises to help build overall muscle strength and size. Generally speaking, when doing any sort of weight-lifting exercise it is recommended that you perform 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions for each exercise.
Therefore, doing 3 bicep exercises with 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions would give you a total of 9-36 repetitions of bicep work. This should be more than enough bicep exercises to help you reach your overall muscle building goals.
Additionally, there are other great exercises outside of biceps that should be included in any workout regiment in order to ensure that you are completing a full range of exercises for all muscle groups.
Even if you don’t want to add extra exercises, splitting up large muscle groups like arms, shoulders and back into different days, and dedicating time to each, will help to ensure you are working out your upper body in an effective and balanced manner.
How many times should you hit biceps?
It is generally recommended to hit biceps two times per week for optimal muscle growth. For novice and intermediate lifters, it is suggested to do about 4 sets of 8-12 repetitions for each bicep exercise.
Depending on your level of fitness and your individual goals, you may want to do more sets and/or repetitions. If you are strength training, it is advised to do fewer sets and more repetitions with heavier weights (6-8 repetitions as opposed to 8-12).
It is important to vary your exercises and use different weights, repetition ranges and rest periods to keep your body challenged and prevent muscles from adapting and plateauing. Additionally, having a partner help you with spotting and pushing out those extra reps can help maximize your results.
How do you hit different parts of your bicep?
Working out the biceps can be an important part of a comprehensive fitness routine, as strong bicep muscles can help to improve the overall strength of your arm and the surrounding muscles. To hit different parts of your biceps and to get the most out of your workout, you can perform various different exercises targeting the biceps.
For example, barbell curls, dumbbell curls, preacher curls and hammer curls are some of the most common exercises that you can use to target the biceps. Barbell curls can be performed by standing with both feet flat on the ground, holding the barbell with an underhand grip and then curling the barbell up towards your chest and then lowering it back to the starting position.
In contrast, hammer curls involve holding a pair of dumbbells with a neutral grip and then curling the dumbbells towards your shoulders and then back to the starting position.
The cable machine can also be used to target the biceps by a variety of exercises such as the standing cable curl, where you’re standing in front of the cable machine and the cable is secured with a single hand grip attachment.
You then pull the cable up towards your chest and then lower it back down to the starting position.
Finally, you can also use body weight exercises to target the biceps such as the chin-up and the Australian pull-up/inverted row. For the chin-up, you’re grasping the bar overhead with an underhand grip and then bringing your chest up to the bar whilst performing a bicep curl.
Meanwhile, the Australian pull-up/inverted row involves lying underneath a bar with a supinated grip and then pulling the bar up towards your chest whilst contracting your biceps.
In summary, there are various different ways to hit different parts of your biceps and to get the most out of your workouts. These include exercises such as barbell and dumbbell curls, cable curls, chin-ups, and Australian pull-ups/inverted rows.
