Are 3 exercises for biceps enough?

Author: Collin Grant  |  Last update: Friday, August 29, 2025

Within a training session, we recommend including between 1 and 3 different biceps exercises, but no more than that in most cases, as doing more than 3 biceps movements in one session is likely just a needless burning of potential exercise variations you can save for later mesocycles.

Is 3 exercises per workout enough?

The optimal number of exercises per muscle group can vary, but generally, 3-5 exercises per workout can be effective for muscle growth. It's crucial to focus on quality rather than quantity and ensure progressive overload over time. Listen to your body and adjust based on individual response and recovery.

How much exercise is enough for biceps?

For Beginners: Frequency: Train biceps 1-2 times per week. Volume: 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps per session. For Intermediate Lifters: Frequency: Train biceps 2-3 times per week. Volume: 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps per session. For Advanced Lifters: Frequency: Train biceps 2-4 times per week, depending on your split routine.

Is 3 sets of 10 enough for biceps?

This holds that regardless of whether you're trying to build muscle, strength, power, or endurance, performing three sets of 10 reps per exercise is a good place to start. The scheme mostly works, especially if you're just starting out with strength training—because everything works in the beginning.

Is 3 tricep exercises too much?

One should do 3 exercise for biceps and 3 exercise for triceps. More than that is not required. because biceps and triceps are smaller muscles and they also work with the major muscles of their group. So doing so many exercises for smaller muscles is the waste of time.

The 5 Rules of Bicep Training

Should I do 3 exercises for biceps?

Within a training session, we recommend including between 1 and 3 different biceps exercises, but no more than that in most cases, as doing more than 3 biceps movements in one session is likely just a needless burning of potential exercise variations you can save for later mesocycles.

What tricep exercise hits all 3 heads?

Three exercises that hit all 3 heads of the triceps are:
  • Cable Triceps Pushaway for long head.
  • Diamond Cutter Pushup for lateral head.
  • Close Grip Bench Press for medial head – try an underhand grip to see if you feel it more.

Do biceps respond better to high reps?

In theory biceps, back, calfs, and so on respond “better” to higher reps than triceps, pecs, and so on. This is thought to correspond with their real life usage.

Will 3 sets of 15 build muscle?

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) will break this down, suggesting the following set ranges: 2-3 will help build muscular endurance (12 to 20+ reps) 3-6 build muscular hypertrophy (6 to 12 reps) 3-5 build muscular power (3 to 5 reps)

What is the 10x10 for biceps?

Perform 10 biceps curls. Rest for 10 seconds. Immediately proceed into a second set of 10 curls. Continue in this pattern until you have completed 10 sets of curls.

What exercise grows biceps the most?

The best exercise for growing the bicep muscle is any variation of the curl. Curls are best done using a barbell and weights or a set of dumbbells. If you're training in the gym, sitting at a bench or using the preacher curl machine can help to further concentrate tension on the bicep muscle, leading to bigger gains.

Should biceps be heavy or light?

Because the bicep muscles are proportionately small, at least in relation to your chest and back, you should always use a weight that allows you to flex and release with isolation (meaning that no other muscle is involved), but heavy enough to cause fatigue at the end of the set.

Do pushups work the biceps?

Do Push Ups Work Biceps? Whilst the biceps help to stabilize the shoulder and elbow joints during the lowering phase of a push up, they don't directly work the biceps. If your goal is to build your biceps, you'd be better off focusing on bicep isolation exercises such as bicep curls, hammer curls, or chin ups.

What is the 3-3-3 rule gym?

The 3 3 3 exercise routine is a structured workout plan designed to improve strength and endurance through its unique approach of repetition and sets. This method focuses on performing exercises in sets of three, with each set consisting of three different workouts, repeated three times.

Is 2 exercises enough for biceps?

Is 2 bicep exercises enough? Two basic bicep exercises is really not enough for training biceps and achieving serious arm growth. You should incorporate 3-4 different variations of the curl into your dumbbell biceps workout.

Is 3 or 4 sets for building muscle?

Three studies demonstrate that high-volume and very high-volume routines are likely to result in similar increases in strength and hypertrophy. Specifically, these studies suggest that 3 - 12 sets/muscle group/session (3-27 sets/muscle group/week) may result in similar increases in strength, hypertrophy, and power .

How many sets for biceps?

Volume and Frequency

Research suggests that hitting a muscle group 2-3 times per week yields the best results for muscle growth. Therefore, you should aim for 12-20 sets per week for optimal biceps development.

Will low reps build muscle?

Working with higher reps and lighter weights or lower reps with heavier weights will affect your body differently. According to the strength-endurance continuum, low rep counts are best for building muscular strength, moderate rep counts for building muscle mass, and high rep counts for building endurance.

Is 3 sets of 20 reps too much?

A Moderate Rep Range is Often Best. Sets of anywhere from 4–40 reps will stimulate muscle growth quite well, but most research shows that doing 6–20 reps per set is the most efficient way to build muscle.

How often should I train my biceps?

Ideally, it is advised to work your biceps at least two to three times per week. But the number of days you should train your biceps depends on what you want to achieve (strength or size) and the time frame in which you want to achieve it.

What weight do you bicep curl?

This is definitely the most straightforward move you can start with to accustom your body to using your arm muscles. There is no set weight to start with when using dumbbells, some people may feel comfortable beginning at 5kg and others at 15kg.

Are hammer curls better than bicep curls?

So, which is better? It really depends on your goals. If you're looking to build bigger biceps, then you should focus on bicep curls a bit more than hammer curls. However, if you're just looking to tone your arms and don't really care about building bigger biceps, then either exercise will work just fine.

What is the king of all tricep exercises?

The most effective tricep exercise for building the tricep muscles is the Triceps Extension because it allows us to perform it with either dumbbells or a barbell, allows for progressive overload directly to the triceps and is easier on the wrists and elbows if you use an EZ curl bar.

What exercise hits all 3 bicep heads?

The Weighted Chin Up is the best biceps exercise for hitting all three functions (elbow supination, elbow flexion and shoulder flexion) of the biceps with overload. This exercise will help you build strong arm muscles as well as build muscle mass and should be a mainstay in all your upper body workouts.

How long should you rest between sets?

Rest between set durations should be based on sets/exercise (volume), and not load or training goal. General recommendations include moderate (2 min) rest between sets if performing 2 sets/exercise, long rest (3 min) if performing 3 sets/exercise, and very long rest (> 4 min) if performing 4 sets or more/exercise.

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