Is 3 sets enough for bicep curls?

Author: Jazmin Graham  |  Last update: Tuesday, November 4, 2025

This depends on your starting point. Our beginner gym workout plan suggests starting with one set of 20 reps and then increasing the reps or weight each week. For people with some training experience, three to four sets of 10 to 12 reps is commonly prescribed for hypertrophy training (building muscle).

Are 3 sets enough for biceps?

For most folks, 3 sets of bicep exercises, like curls, is a good starting point. It's like having three tries at that sack race -- not too little, not too much. But remember, quality over quantity! Make those sets count, with proper form and a weight that challenges you.

How many sets should I do for bicep curls?

The conventional wisdom is 3--5 sets of 8--15 reps. This works for most exercises you'll do - biceps curls included.

Is 3 sets of 15 bicep curls good?

Continue performing biceps curls until you complete your desired number of reps and sets (try three sets of 12-15 reps), aiming to hit total failure in the muscle by the end of the three sets.

Is 3 exercises enough for biceps?

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.

How Many Sets Do You Really Need to Build Muscle?

Is 3 sets of 3 exercises enough to Build muscle?

A minimum effective dose of 4 sets per muscle group per week. Somewhere around 10-20 sets per week still delivered good hypertrophy results.

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.

Is 3 sets or 4 sets better?

Is it better to do 3 or 4 sets per exercise? According to The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), 2-3 sets of 12 to 20+ reps will help build muscular endurance, while 3-6 sets of 6-12 reps will build muscular hypertrophy and 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps will build muscular power.

Will 100 bicep curls build muscle?

At the start of the month, Shaw was lifting 35-pound dumbbells. 30 days later, he has found that he can perform the 100 reps faster and with better form if he drops down to 30-pound weights. His biceps have also grown by . 2cm each, with an increase in size of around 1cm after the 100 reps.

Is a 30 pound bicep curl good?

The average Dumbbell Curl weight for a female lifter is 30 lb (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift.

Can I do 4 sets of bicep curls?

This depends on your starting point. Our beginner gym workout plan suggests starting with one set of 20 reps and then increasing the reps or weight each week. For people with some training experience, three to four sets of 10 to 12 reps is commonly prescribed for hypertrophy training (building muscle).

Do biceps respond better to high or low reps?

The biceps and triceps should be trained using rep ranges between 5-20 reps to best maximize strength, muscle growth, and overall development of the muscles. In this article, we will explore the various rep ranges for biceps and triceps training so that you can maximize your arm workouts AND minimize injury.

How long to 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.

Is 3 sets not enough?

You can build muscle with just 1 to 5 sets per muscle per week. You could easily manage that with two full-body workouts per week. For your compound exercises, you could do 2-3 sets per exercise. For any isolation exercises, you could do just 1-2 sets per exercise and get the job done well.

Is 4 sets too much for biceps?

There is a minimum effective dose of 4 sets per muscle group per week for hypertrophy. For increasing strength, both higher volume and frequency contribute. However, results diminish beyond 4 sets per week. There is a minimum effective dose of 1 set per week per muscle group for strength 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.

Can you get big biceps from just curls?

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.

Can you hit biceps every day?

Training your biceps every day will put a great deal of stress and strain on the muscle and may mean you reach “failure” quicker than you should. Failure occurs when a muscle can no longer contract concentrically.

Is 3 sets enough for biceps?

The Minimum Effective Volume (MEV) for biceps requires you to perform at least eight sets of direct bicep workouts per week. It means that you need to complete eight sets of biceps throughout the week.

Is 3 sets really better than 2?

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)

How many reps is too many?

On the other hand, Sheridan says that beginners just looking to tone up might aim for a maximum of 20 reps per set. “If you can implement above 20 reps, there is a chance that you are practicing with light or easy weights, which will not help you improve or grow,” he warns.

How to bulk up 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)

Is 3 bicep exercises too much?

Within a single week (microcycle) of training, we recommend between 2 and 5 different biceps exercises.

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.

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