If you’re looking to maximize the development of your upper arms and pack size onto your bicep, then you should try this bicep workout. Compound bicep exercises are a great way to build your muscle mass and develop your strength, as it activates more than one muscle group at a time.
Compound exercises are those that involve movement around more than one joint simultaneously. As such, these exercises work more than one muscle group at the same time.
For those of you who have been trying to achieve stunning biceps, it is highly recommended to start performing the compound bicep exercises.
We are going to give you instructions on how to perform the compound movements correctly, as well as a sample workout that will put some exercises together so that you can maximize your results.
How To Train The Biceps
The two types of bicep exercises are compound movements and isolation movements.
Compound bicep exercises recruit multiple muscle groups and contribute towards more functional movements. With more muscle groups being recruited, you will also be able to take more load, resulting in faster and more consistent movement patterns, utilizing heavier weights. These include pull-ups, and rows.
Isolation bicep exercises focusing all the load on one muscle group, no secondary muscles are taking over and making that target muscle group’s life any easier. It involves just extension at the elbow with no other joint movement, such as dumbbell curl, hammer curl.
The Best Compound Bicep Exercises
Here are 10 of the best compound bicep exercises to build muscle mass and strength.
You’ll get more benefits if you introduce some compound exercises into your routine that also work your biceps.
1. Inverted Row
The inverted row is another name for bodyweight rows. The inverted row puts your body in a horizontal position, making it easier to perform.
In the gym, most people do this exercise on the smith machine.
But, you can also perform the inverted row at home by lying under a chair, holding the chair’s sides, and pulling yourself up.
Muscles Involved
Primary: Latissimus dorsi.
Secondary: Trapezius, rhomboids, rear deltoid, erector spinae, biceps.
Execution Technique
- Adjust the height of the chair and bar so that it’s a little higher than arm’s length from the floor.
- Lie under the bar with your legs and body straight. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip that’s a little wider than shoulder width.
- Keeping your legs and body straight, exhale as you pull your chest up to the bar. Hold for a count of two and squeeze your back muscles.
- Inhale as you lower your body until your arms and shoulders are fully extended. Repeat.
Tips
- Do not allow your butt to sag. Flex your tummy, squeeze your butt cheeks, and keep your body stiff from your head to your toe.
- Do not allow your elbows to flail. Grab the bar with your hands slightly closer together and keeping your elbows at an angle to your body, similar to doing a bench-press.
- Make sure you go down completely. Lower your body and ensure the arms are extended and raise your body until you touch the chest touches the bar.
2. Chin Up
The chin-up is a strength training exercise. This is a bodyweight exercise that can induce serious muscle growth of the biceps and back.
In this exercise, the palms are faced towards the body. Since the lifter is pulling their own bodyweight, the biceps are usually exposed to loads heavier than what one can lift with a barbell. Must add this compound bicep workout in your bicep exercises arsenal.
Muscles Involved
Primary: latissimus dorsi and biceps brachii
Secondary: Teres major, posterior deltoid, infraspinatus, teres minor.
Execution Technique
- Grasp a pull-up bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower.
- Straighten your arms, keep your knees bent and cross your lower legs.
- Retract your shoulder blades and pull your body until your chin becomes aligned with the bar.
- Pause for one to two seconds at the top, with the biceps under maximum tension. Slowly lower to the start position.
Tips
- Don’t get in the habit of doing half reps and chasing numbers.
- Lower to almost full extension of the elbow but avoid locking out completely.
3. Pull-Up
The Pull-up is an upper-body strength movement that targets your back, shoulders, and arms. Performing a pull-up is often a challenge for beginners and even experienced athletes.
Muscles Involved
Primary: latissimus dorsi and biceps brachii
Secondary: Teres major, posterior deltoid, infraspinatus, teres minor.
Execution Technique
- Using an overhand grip, grab on to a pull-up bar with your hands spaced wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your chest high, while exaggerating the arch in your lower back.
- Pull yourself up by squeezing your shoulder blades together and contracting your lats until your chin passes the bar.
- Hold the contraction at the top for a second before slowly lowering yourself back to the starting position.
Tips
- To decrease bicep involvement, use a thumbless grip.
- Go full range of motion and keep form correct. Avoid jerky movements and keep them controlled.
4. Isometric Chin-ups
The Isometric (Iso) means there is no lengthening or shortening of the musculature, simply striving to maintain one shape.
Isometric holds for biceps, you can think of holding bags of groceries in your hands and your elbows are bent at 90-degrees. In this position, your biceps are fully flexed and holding the bags statically in place.
Muscles Involved
Primary: latissimus dorsi and biceps brachii
Secondary: Teres major, posterior deltoid, infraspinatus, teres minor.
Execution Technique
- Grab the pull-up bar with your palms facing you and your hands about shoulder width apart.
- Pull yourself until your chin is over the bar. If you are unable to do a chin-up, you can still do this exercise by using a chair or step to jump.
- Make sure your chin is above the bar. Hold for 5 seconds then lower down to 90 degrees and hold for 5 then lower down again to just before the bottom.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Tips
- Keep the scapula retracted
- Simple and effective compound bicep exercises, give it a try.
5. One-Arm Dumbbell Row
One-Arm Dumbbell Row is an excellent full-range exercise to build the lats muscles (Back Muscle).
This helps to work on each side independently, thereby providing better muscle isolation and a longer range of motion.
Muscles Involved
Primary: Latissimus dorsi.
Secondary: Trapezius, rhomboids, rear deltoid, erector spinae, biceps.
Execution Technique
- Grasp a dumbbell with palm facing in. Rest the opposite hand and knee on a bench, keeping your spine straight and just above parallel to the floor.
- Pull the dumbbell vertically upward alongside your torso, raising the elbow as high as possible.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell as low as possible, feeling a good lats spread.
- Repeat on the other side.
Tips
- Keep motion under strict control for better isolation.
- Avoid hunchback bending as it leads to Injury.
6. Seated Cable Rows
Seated Cable Rows is an excellent exercise to build middle back muscles and this works on lower lats and bicep as well. It can be done with wide and narrow grips. This exercise is done on a cable rowing machine with separate handles. Best to add this workout, in your compound bicep exercises arsenal.
Muscles Involved
Primary: Trapezius (middle and lower fibers), latissimus dorsi.
Secondary: Rhomboids, rear deltoid.
Execution Technique
- Sit on a seated cable pulley rowing machine with legs slightly bent and feet supported against the crossbar.
- Take hold of the handles with your arms extended and back stretched.
- Pull the handles so that they come as close to the lower chest/abdomen as possible.
- Thrust your chest out while pulling with your body in upright position. Slowly return the handle to the starting position.
Tips
- Pause briefly when the handles are close to the chest and squeeze your upper back muscles, bringing the scapulae closer.
- Keep your knees slightly bent to avoid knee and lower back pressure.
- Remember, a rounded back is a wrong back. Keep it straight at all times.
- Keep your upper back stationary, don’t move your upper back, back, and forth.
7. Bent-Over One-Arm Cable Pull
The bent-over one-arm cable pull is an exercise that builds muscle and strength in the latissimus dorsi muscles of the back and bicep.
It’s recommended to stick with moderate weights to effectively stimulate the muscle by feeling it contract during each repetition.
Muscles Involved
Primary: latissimus dorsi.
Secondary: Bicep brachii, Brachialis. Rear deltoid, lower trapezius, Rhomboids.
Execution Technique
- Set up a waist-high cable pulley. Grasp the handle with one hand. Stand back with a wide, staggered stance.
- Flex your hips and knees until your torso is horizontal. Your arm and shoulder should be stretching forward.
- Keeping your elbow close to your body, exhale as you pull the stirrup to the side of your chest.
- Hold for a count of two and squeeze your back muscles. Inhale as you reverse the motion and return the stirrup to the starting position, with your arm and shoulder stretching forward.
- Repeat for the ideal number of reps to complete the set. Now, switch arms to complete the exercise on your right side, and then alternate between arms for sets.
Tips
- Stick with moderate weights to effectively work the lats since this is an isolation exercise.
- To make the most of this move, your reps should be slow and controlled.
- Go full range of motion and concentrate on your back muscles doing the major work.
8. V-Grip Lat Pull Down
The V grip lat pull down is a variation of the lat pull down and an exercise used to build the muscles of the back. While the exercise will primarily target the lats, you will also notice a fair amount of bicep and middle back activation.
Muscles Involved
Primary: latissimus dorsi
Secondary: Rear deltoid, Biceps, trapezius, rhomboids.
Execution Technique
- Attach a V handle to the high pulley of a lat-pulldown station. Grab the handles with your palms facing each other and position yourself on the seat with your knees under the pads.
- Keep your upper back straight, pull the V handle down and bring it up to the chest. As you pull down, squeeze your shoulder blades together and feel back muscles contracting.
- Perform this movement using your upper lats and use the arms merely as a lever between handle and lats.
- Now release the bar with controlled motion and stretch your lats as much as possible. Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.
Tips
- Avoid the temptation to use a weight so big that you need to start swinging your torso in order to perform the exercise.
- To make the most of this move, your reps should be slow and controlled.
- Go full range of motion and concentrate on your back muscles doing the major work.
9. Bent Over Barbell Rows
If you are looking to strengthen and add massive muscle to the upper back and arms then bent over barbell rows is the best upper back exercise.
Muscles Involved
Primary: Latissimus dorsi
Secondary: Biceps, Erector spinae, trapezius, rhomboids, rear deltoid.
Execution Technique
- Stand with a narrow stance and grab a bar with overhand grip.
- Bend your torso forward at an angle of 45 degrees to the floor with the knees slightly, and let the bar hang in front of you.
- Now use the back and raise the bar until it touches the abdominal region and not the chest region, as it reduces back muscle contraction.
- Slowly lower the bar under control to starting position.
Tips
- Do not use more weight than you can handle. This fatigues your spinal erectors and say goodbye to form.
- Exhale on pushing movement, and inhale when returning to the starting position.
- Hold a neutral spine throughout the movement to prevent injury.
10. Seated Row with Resistance Bands
Seated Row with Resistance Bands primarily trained latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, rear delts and biceps. It will also work your erector spinae, as you need your lower back to stabilize your movement.
Muscles Involved
Primary: Trapezius (middle and lower fibers), latissimus dorsi.
Secondary: Bicep, Rhomboids, rear deltoid.
Execution Technique
- Sit on the floor with your legs extended, loop the resistance band around the soles of your feet, and hold one end in each hand.
- Keeping your posture erect and your lower back slightly arched, slowly pull the handles to your lower abdomen, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
- As the handles touch your body, squeeze your shoulder blades together and then reverse direction, slowly returning to the start position.
Tips
- Retract your shoulder blades as you pull the band back.
- Keep your core fully engaged, which means your low back too! Row towards just above your navel.
- Maintain your legs extended with just a slight bend in the knee and keep your shoulders back.
Bicep Exercises & Workout Samples
Compound Bicep Workout plan #1
- Inverted Row: 4 sets of 8-15 reps.
- Push-Ups: 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
- One-Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.
Compound Bicep Workout plan #2
- Inverted Row: 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
- Chin-Ups: 3 sets of 6-8 reps.
- Seated Cable Rows: 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
- V-Grip Lat Pull Down: 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Q. How often should we work on our biceps?
A. Biceps workout can be done at least 2 days a week with a minimum of 48-72 hours rest in between.
Q. Is it normal for my arms to pain after the workout?
A. It’s not normal to have pain in your arms after a workout. What you should be feeling is a mild soreness and not pain.
Q. How to combine bicep exercises into a great home workout:
- Choose three of the exercises and do 8-12 repetitions.
- Do three sets of each exercise, with 90-120 seconds of rest between sets.
- During isometric exercises, try to hold the position as long as possible. Repeat this three times with 90-120 seconds of rest between sets.
Q. Is bicep curls a compound exercise?
A compound exercise is any movement that involves working more than one muscle group simultaneously. On the other hand, during bicep curl, one specific muscle group works. Therefore, Bicep curls are an Isolation exercises.
Takeaway
This compound bicep exercises are highly recommended for anyone interested in building a bigger biceps and who wants to gain strength.
I hope this will motivate you to vary your biceps training by adding more compound exercises that work your biceps. If you do these biceps compound exercises consistently, the results will speak by themselves.
Thanks for reading!
Know More About Bicep Training
15 Best Biceps Exercises | Biceps Workout Video
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