In January I kicked off a new series called “The Fit 5” and talked a lot about shoulders. This month it’s all about the biceps.

When I say “biceps” I am referring to the biceps brachii muscle on your upper arm, not to be confused with the biceps femoris, which is a part of the hamstring muscle group. Also, did you know that biceps is actually a singular noun? It refers to a muscle that has both a long head and short head; the plural form is “bicepses”. This can lead to awkward sounding sentences.

The biceps on my right arm is sore. My bicepses hurt from all those hammer curls. Awkward, but correct.

Here are some more interesting biceps facts!

Now, let’s talk biceps exercises. I am sure you are familiar with biceps curls, but there are other exercises you can do to build those biceps!

As always, adjust the variables to meet your needs. For example, the dumbbell hammer curls can be done standing on one leg, standing on both legs, sitting on a stability ball, or sitting on a bench. Use heavy weights and perform less reps (20 lbs, 8 reps) or lighter weights and more reps (10 lbs, 15 reps). Just do whatever you are in the mood for and then switch it up the next time you do them!

Here are a few ways you can incorporate these exercises into your strength training routine:

• Between each biceps exercise do a set of squats.
• Do 10 burpees after each biceps exercise.
• Alternate these with the shoulder exercises.
• Perform one exercise every day, Monday-Friday.

These are just a few examples of so many more possibilities!

Side note: I am pretty excited about these plank hammer curls. They are an awesome full body exercise!

I hope you enjoyed the second edition of The Fit 5 and learned a little bit about bicepses (still so awkward!) If you have any questions about these exercises, feel free to ask in a comment.