Many people who exercise do it for the overall fitness and health benefits. However, for some people, exercising specific body parts is the focus of their attention. Tight and well-built biceps, for example, are a dream for many fitness enthusiasts.
To build muscle in your biceps, you must stress and overload those specific muscle fibers. When you push these muscles to their limit or beyond, your body will repair them, making them even stronger. Then you can push them to new limits next time.
It’s possible to train biceps with exercise equipment such as kettlebells, dumbbells, resistance bands, or barbells. But specialist bicep building gym equipment reduces the injury risk, improves your technique, and stimulates your biceps more efficiently.
Which are the Best Biceps Workout Equipment and Machines?
If you want to build biceps, there’s a huge choice of workout equipment and machines. All the information you need to choose the best arm workout machine or equipment is in the following list.
Bicep Curl Machine
The bicep curl machine is one of the best bicep machines. Your lower arm can move freely doing bicep curls, but the bicep curl machine controls the movement of your upper arm.
Benefits
- More focus on strengthening the long head and short head bicep muscles
- Inclined seat
- Two types of bicep curl machine
- You can curl weights separately or together
Muscles Trained
Bicep muscles on the front of the upper arms and muscles in your forearm.
Suitable for Home/Gym
Suitable for both
Price Range
A new bicep curl machine can cost from a few hundred dollars to more than a thousand.
Usage Tips & Exercises
- Make sure you use the full range of motion as this allows the weight to move as far as possible and not hit the weight stack.
- Keep your rep timing as slow as possible and control the weight.
- The bicep curl machine can be used when training with a partner as it’s great for heavy negative curls.
Preacher Curl Machine
A Preacher curl machine is one of the more popular weight machines for people who want to improve their biceps. When using the preacher curl machine, your upper arms rest on an inclined bench, making it much harder to use other body parts to lift the weights. For example, it stops you using the latissimus dorsi to move the weight. A bicep workouts machine is efficient and makes it easy to do perfect preacher curls.
Benefits
- Preacher curls focus on the biceps and lead to quicker and greater muscle gain
- This machine forces you into negative movement
- Various machine variants for lifting either separate weights or both arms curling a single weight
- The grip width can be changed to focus on different areas of your biceps
- Keeps the arm and shoulder joint in an optimal position
- Cheating is not possible even if its involuntary
Muscles Trained
Bicep muscles
Suitable for Home/Gym
Suitable for home and professional gyms
Price Range
New preacher curl machines cost from a few hundred dollars to $1000 or more.
Usage Tips & Exercises
- Try not to rest the backs of your arms completely flat against the pads
- An underhand grip with palms facing upwards is more effective
Incline-Curl Machine
An incline-curl machine allows you to exercise your biceps in the opposite way to a preacher curl. When you use these weight machines, your arms hang down straight, and the incline bench means you lean back. This means you’re fully stretching the long head of the biceps, ready for a significant contraction.
Benefits
- Allows for more biceps peak
- Possibility of using advanced incline-curl techniques such as peak-contraction work, 21s, drop sets, one-and-a-half, and forced reps.
Muscles Trained
Biceps
Suitable for Home/Gym
Suitable for home and professional gyms
Price Range
Prices start from just $100
Usage Tips & Exercises
- Make sure the incline bench is positioned at around a 55-65 degree angle
- Don’t let your elbows shift behind your body during the exercise
- Try to keep your elbows slightly bent as this keeps tension on your biceps
- Lower the weights slowly as this helps improve tension
Smith-Machine
A smith machine is very similar in appearance to a squat rack. However, there are some differences. These weight machines use a rail system to which weights can be attached. The mechanism allows the bar to move up or down but not forwards or backward. You can also alter the height of the bar.
Benefits
- The main exercise is the drag curl
- Movement is fixed and therefore focuses solely on bicep muscles
- Works both biceps heads
- Reduces anterior-deltoid action
- Fixed path means better form
- A balanced load means you’re able to train safely
Muscles Trained
Biceps
Suitable for Home/Gym
Most suitable for professional gyms because of the size and price
Price Range
Prices start at around $1,000 and can go as high as $5,000
Usage Tips & Exercises
- Not suitable for doing half reps
- Make sure you lower your elbows until they are completely locked
- Only perform complete Smith machine curl repetitions
- Don’t generate momentum using your hips, back, shoulders, and legs
- Swinging the bar is not an effective exercise for your biceps
Lat Pull-Down Machine
You sit at this machine and pull a bar down towards you until it reaches the level of your chin and then control the ascent of the bar back to the starting position. That counts as one repetition.
Benefits
- Targets your lats
- Focuses on upper back muscles without tiring triceps or biceps
Muscles Trained
Back muscles, shoulders, biceps
Suitable for Home/Gym
This is a reasonably priced piece of equipment you can use in your home.
Price Range
A decent one shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars.
Usage Tips & Exercises
- Sit with your feet flat on the floor
- The bar should be at a height so that you can grasp it with your arms outstretched fully
- If there are thigh pads, adjust their height so that your upper thighs are firmly tucked under them.
- Sit upright and keep your chest lifted
- Pull down from your armpits
- Don’t grab the bar too wide
- Stop pulling when your elbows start to go backward
- The pulldown should be slow and controlled
Pull-Up Bar or Tower
A pull-up bar or tower uses a counterweight that helps you complete the pull-ups and build strength in your biceps and back.
Benefits
- Helps you lift your body weight to overcome gravity
- Reduces swinging
- Stabilizes motion
- Allows you to position your body better and target specific muscles
- Great for beginners, those not strong enough for bodyweight pull-ups or with mobility issues or shoulder and joint injuries
Muscles Trained
Upper body muscles, including lats, traps, biceps, and erector spinae.
Suitable for Home/Gym
Suitable for home and commercial gyms.
Price Range
Prices start from around $50 and can go up to a few hundred dollars.
Usage Tips & Exercises
- You shouldn’t scrunch your shoulders, dip too low, arch your back, or lean forward
- Maintain a narrow, neutral grip and work your mid-back
- With some practice, you should be able to widen your grip and hit your lats hard
Cable Crossover Machine
A cable crossover machine is one of the taller gym machines that might have a simple T-shape or include more attachments. The cable machine includes cables and at least two pulleys with handles that you pull up or down, diagonally, or across your body.
These gym machines are hugely helpful for any strength training workout. But they require some expert tuition if you want to use them safely and effectively.
Benefits
- A cable machine is safer than many other weight machines because there is no risk of the weights coming down on you
- Works your core as well as specific muscle groups
- Adds a different element of resistance to each exercise
- Exercises can be adjusted to suit the individual
Muscles Trained
A cable machine works your entire body in multiple planes of motion.
Suitable for Home/Gym
A cable machine is more suitable for professional gyms because of the space required. A simpler crossover system is available for home use.
Price Range
A couple of hundred dollars for a simple cable machine system. More complex systems cost as much as $1,000 or more.
Usage Tips & Exercises
- This very complex and versatile machine needs some practice to master its full potential
- It’s easy to isolate individual muscle groups, but at the same time easy to load too much weight
- If you want to build lean muscle, choose a weight that becomes a challenge up to 18 reps
- If you want to bulk up, a heavier weight that feels difficult up to 12 reps is enough
- Concentrate on technique before worrying about weight
- Don’t lean too far forward
Barbells
Using barbells you can do various biceps exercises. Popular ones are standing bicep curls, EZ bar curls, prone barbell incline curls, and landmine concentration curls. You can also combine your barbell exercises with other exercises and dumbbell biceps workouts if you want more variety for your arm workouts. Barbells are free weights that consist of a long straight bar with weights at each end.
Benefits
- Allow you to work biceps/triceps in each arm simultaneously
- The weight is evenly distributed
- You have better stability as you bench press, squat, or deadlift
- You can also use them for arm curls
Muscles Trained
Biceps and triceps
Suitable for Home/Gym
Suitable for both
Price Range
From $50 to upward of $1,000
Usage Tips & Exercises
- Select weights that allow you to fully control your arms and body throughout the movement
- Stop as soon as you experience pain or discomfort
- Incorporate proper warmups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program
- Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups
Dumbbells
Dumbbells are free weights that you can use individually or in pairs, with one in each hand. They come in different types, shapes, weights, and materials to meet individual needs. Dumbbells can weigh as little as two pounds or over 100 pounds.
Benefits
- More flexibility in terms of choosing the angles at which you train your arms
- Great for people with arm joint mobility issues
- Very little practice is required
- You can vary the type of exercise you do
Muscles Trained
Most commonly used for isolation arm exercises and are great for upper body work.
Suitable for Home/Gym
Suitable for both
Price Range
Prices start very low but can go up to several hundred dollars.
Usage Tips & Exercises
- To use dumbbells, you simply grip the handle and lift them through your desired range of motion. For arm exercises, this might include curling, extending, or pressing.
- Remember to warm up before and after exercising
- Don’t arch your back when doing overhead presses
- Don’t rush your reps
- If you’re doing dumbbell rows, don’t arch your back
- Keep your head up when doing weighted squats
Kettlebells
Kettlebells are free weights shaped like cannonballs with a handle attached. A kettlebell’s weight is off-center, making your core and grip work much harder.
Benefits
- These free weights build strength, power, and mobility
- Extremely versatile
- Great for fat-burning
Muscles Trained
You can get a full-body workout.
Suitable for Home/Gym
Good for both. Excellent free weights for use at home because they require very little space when training or for storage.
Price Range
You can purchase kettlebells for just a few dollars, or they can cost as much as $65 or more.
Usage Tips & Exercises
- Pick the right kettlebell
- Position your back properly
- Breathe properly
- Use your hips
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are wide, colorful elastic bands that come in different shapes, thicknesses, and sizes. Some come with attachments. A thicker/wider resistance band provides more resistance. Generally, the darker the color, the more resistance it provides.
Benefits
- They deliver progressive resistance
- Allow you to target individual muscle groups much easier
- Great for stretching
- Suitable for all fitness levels
- Very affordable exercise equipment
Muscles Trained
Full body workout
Suitable for Home/Gym
Suitable for both
Price Range
From $5 to $30
Usage Tips & Exercises
- Check the bands regularly for cracks or tears
- For more resistance, you can use more than one band
- Don’t anchor your bands to anything sharp or rough
How to choose the right bicep training equipment?
If you want to furnish your home gym with biceps exercise equipment, there is an extensive choice of equipment and machines.
First, you need to consider what you want to achieve. Is building stronger biceps your only goal? Or are you aiming for improvement in your overall fitness level?
Next, you should consider what you can afford as some equipment and machines are more affordable than others.
How much space is needed is another important question. Check the external dimensions of weight machines before purchasing and check whether you have enough space at home.
You also have to consider whether you want to buy new or whether refurbished used gym equipment is a more viable option.
Best Used Gym Equipment is one of the leading suppliers of refurbished fitness equipment in the United States. Bicep training machines are one of their best-selling lines.
Conclusion
A goal of many a bodybuilder is bigger, stronger, and harder biceps. They’re seen as a badge of honor and what separates a good physique from an excellent one. Strong biceps are also vital as part of an overall fitness regime, and bicep exercises should form part of your regular exercise routine.
There are many different types of gym equipment for biceps, so you can choose something that will help you achieve your goals.
