How many sets do bodybuilders do for biceps?

Author: Prof. Tobin Stanton  |  Last update: Monday, January 26, 2026

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.

Is 20 sets too much for biceps?

Conclusion: While there isn't a strict upper limit, consistently exceeding 20 sets per muscle group per week is often considered overkill for most individuals aiming for hypertrophy. It's essential to listen to your body and adjust your training based on how you feel and your progress.

Is 4 sets of 12 good for biceps?

Yes, performing 4 sets of 12 reps can be effective for building muscle, especially if you are using an appropriate weight that challenges you. Here are some key points to consider: Volume: Four sets of 12 reps provide a solid volume of work, which is important for muscle hypertrophy (growth).

Should I do 3 or 4 bicep exercises?

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.

Is 3 sets of 10 bicep curls enough?

In general, yes. If one is training strictly for strength, 10 sets of 3 is sufficient. If one is training strictly for endurance 3 sets of 15 are sufficient. Specifically, the bicep muscle can get over trained relatively easily.

How Many Sets Should You Do Per Workout To Build Muscle?

Is a 50 lb bicep curl good?

The average Dumbbell Curl weight for a male lifter is 52 lb (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift. What is a good Dumbbell Curl? Male beginners should aim to lift 14 lb (1RM) which is still impressive compared to the general population.

Is 5 sets too much for biceps?

2.1.

If you train three non-consecutive days in a week, you can perform 3-4 bicep workouts with at least 5 sets or a maximum number of sets you can perform easily; however, if you train five days each week, it is best to reduce the number of sets down to two.

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.

Do biceps need heavy weight or more reps?

For most types of biceps exercises, however, the whole 5-30 rep range is highly effective. When constructing a weekly training plan, it's probably a good idea to train the heavy ranges before the lighter ranges. Because both types of training cause fatigue, they all interfere with each other to some extent.

Can you overtrain biceps?

The biceps are a secondary muscle in compound exercises like underhand grip rows or chin-ups, therefore they are still working. As a secondary muscle in a compound lift, the biceps encounter even more volume and muscle breakdown than during a biceps curl. Avoid overtraining the biceps after an entire workout.

How many sets is optimal 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.

Are 12 inch biceps big?

A bicep size that is considered big is subjective to personal opinion and preference. However, as we saw above, young adult men's average biceps range from 13–15 inches, and women's range from 12–13 inches. By these standards, biceps measuring 15+ inches for men and 13+ inches for women are generally classified as big.

How often should I train my biceps for maximum growth?

For optimal results when starting out, consider training your biceps no more than twice a week. Two sessions a week gives your muscles enough post-workout recovery to perform at their maximum capacity during the next session.

Are 20 inch biceps attainable naturally?

Genetics certainly come into play, but far more people are capable of building a legitimate 20-inch arm than will ever know. In many cases, if they only did things differently, their arms would grow to their ultimate potential rather than be stalled out one to three inches shy.

How many sets for forearms per week?

Flexors and Extensors:

3-6 sets per week of wrist flexion and 5-10 sets per week of wrist extension is probably a fine place to start, and they will likely be able to tolerate much more – probably over three or maybe four sessions per week.

How to quickly grow biceps?

How To Get Bigger Biceps: The 6 Best Exercises
  1. Concentration Curls (short head)
  2. Hammer Curls (long head)
  3. EZ Bar Curls (long / short head depending on grip)
  4. Preacher Curl (short head)
  5. Single Arm High Cable Bicep Curl (short head)
  6. Chin Ups (long / short head depending on grip)

Do biceps do better with high or low reps?

To grow your arms, you need to hit your biceps and triceps equally hard, using both low reps (4-6) with heavier weights and higher reps (15-20) with lighter weights.

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 scientifically best bicep exercise?

THE STUDY
  • Cable curl.
  • Barbell curl.
  • Concentration curl.
  • Chin-up.
  • EZ Curl (with both wide and narrow grip)
  • Incline curl.
  • Preacher curl.

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.

How to grow massive triceps?

How To Get Bigger Triceps: The Six Best Tricep Exercises
  1. Overhead Tricep Extension.
  2. Tricep Dips.
  3. Skull Crushers.
  4. Tricep Pushdown.
  5. Close-Grip Bench Press.
  6. Diamond Push Ups.

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.

Should I do 4 sets for biceps?

So if you really want bigger biceps and triceps, make sure to do 4 sets of dumbbell or barbell rows at least twice a week, and do dumbbell bench presses at least once a week.

Is 20 sets a week for biceps too much?

Referring to a more recent systematic review, it found: The best hypertrophy results came from 30-40 sets per muscle per week. A minimum effective dose of 4 sets per muscle group per week. Somewhere around 10-20 sets per week still delivered good hypertrophy results.

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