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Tonal Coach Joe flexes his biceps

Bicep Workout at Home: Build Arm Strength with Minimal Gear

Push yourself with this bicep workout at home using 4 simple, no-to-low equipment moves. Build control and strength with 4 key exercises, plus a smart finisher.

Move over, bicep curls. There's a new way to challenge and develop this key part of your upper arm, and it doesn't require leaving your home.

The biceps are a workhorse of the arm, doing everything from helping you lift bags, hold and carry your kids, pull yourself upright, even brush your teeth. They also help stabilize the elbow during upper-body strength training, especially if one of your fitness goals is to progress onto bigger or stronger pulling mechanics.

This bicep workout at home plays off familiar, direct biceps work with a few twists. All four of its exercises will primarily challenge the three heads that make up your biceps, but they'll also draw from the triceps and shoulders, reflecting the way your arms actually function in real life.

By using slowed-down reps and creative loading options, you can further increase tension on the muscle without needing any heavy weights or gym equipment. It's a compact, accessible home routine that supports gradual bicep development, all in an approach Tonal's own experts love for being so accessible and sustainable.

Contents
  1. Example Bicep Workout at Home Routine
  2. Who this workout is most effective for
  3. Warm-Up & Cool-Down Exercises
  4. Workout Frequency
  5. Muscle Groups Targeted
  6. Equipment used for Bicep Workout at Home
  7. Answers to FAQs about Bicep Workout at Home
  8. Concluding words on Bicep Workout at Home

Example Bicep Workout at Home Routine
  • Duration: ~35 minutes
  • Exercises: 4 total
  • Equipment: Light dumbbells or resistance bands recommended but not required — this whole workout can be completed without.

1. Resistance Band Curls (or Towel Curls): 3 sets of 10-15 reps

To perform: Anchor the band under your feet and curl with elbows tight to your ribs. Keep your wrists neutral and avoid swinging.

Swap tip: If you don’t have a resistance band, pull upward on a towel looped under your feet to mimic the piece of equipment.

2. Bodyweight Reverse Curl Slide (3 sets of 10 reps)

To perform: Stand facing a wall, pressing the backs of your hands lightly into it. Slide your hands upward as if curling, letting friction create resistance.

Tip: Keep shoulders relaxed so the tension stays in your biceps rather than creeping more into the traps.

3. Underhand Row (Dumbbell, Band, or Backpack): 3 sets of 10 reps

Biceps, upper-back focused

To perform: With palms facing up and bending comfortably forward (~45-degrees), begin pulling the band or backpack straps toward your torso in a smooth, sweeping motion. Squeeze your elbows in as you finish the pull before re-tracing back to start.

Tip: Imagine drawing your wrists toward your belly button to maximize biceps engagement.

4. Close-Grip Push-Ups (3 sets of 5-8 reps)

Biceps & triceps-focused

To perform: From a starting position of a kneeling or full plank, shift your hands to be less than shoulder-width apart. Rotate your palms inward, as if making a triangle with your pointer fingers and extended thumbs. Begin lowering down, spreading your weight across your hands. Push away from the floor, drawing control from both the front of your arms and your triceps.

Tip: For an extra bicep and triceps challenge, try an incline close-grip pushup with your feet resting on a stair. The resulting forward lean can increase the stabilizing effort put on your biceps without needing any extra load.

Optional Finisher: Isometric Curl Hold (20-30+ seconds)

Pause and hold the exercise halfway up, i.e. during the curl's top portion of its concentric phase. Tense your biceps and maintain the isometric curl for as long as you can.

Who this workout is most effective for
  • Lifters who notice it feels like their grip fails before their back or arms struggle, and want targeted elbow-flexion practice to support stronger future rows and pulls.
  • People who carry or lift in their daily lives, from hauling groceries to lifting kids, and who would subsequently benefit from more reliable arm endurance.
  • Athletes in throwing or swinging sports, like baseball, pickleball, and rowing, who rely on coordinated biceps and forearm tension for smoother mechanics.
  • Home-strength enthusiasts who want meaningful arm training without heavy dumbbells.
  • Anyone progressing toward pull-ups, since better biceps activation often translates to more confident vertical pulling patterns.

WARM-UP & COOL DOWN EXERCISES

A warm-up primes your elbows and forearms for the subsequent pulling and curling motions. And up there in importance is the cool-down afterward, there to help reduce tension in places like your wrists and arms so your next session feels smoother.

Warm-Up (5 minutes):

  • Wrist circles (30s each direction)
  • Arm swings (30s each direction)
  • Isometric biceps “squeeze” (15s)
  • Light, approachable push-up variation (~60s)

Cool Down (5 minutes):

  • Biceps wall stretch (30-60s each side)
  • Forearm extensor stretch (30s each arm)
  • Forearm flexor stretch (30s each arm)
  • Gentle shoulder rolls (30s)

WORKOUT FREQUENCY

Most adults can safely train biceps 1-2x/week, combing bicep exercises like curls or rows into their overall upper-body training. It's important to check in, see how your muscles feel, and take enough rest between sessions to support your progress safely over time.

Muscle groups targeted

This at home biceps workout is designed to fun mentally challenge all three major heads that comprise the bicep (below). But it also works some additional muscle groups, including:

  • Biceps brachii
  • Brachialis
  • Brachioradialis
  • Upper back stabilizers
  • Forearm muscles
  • Triceps

Equipment used for Bicep Workout at Home

This is a no-equipment workout, designed that way on purpose so effective and thoughtful arm training can be embraced by the widest number of people possible.

Optional equipment includes:

  • Resistance bands
  • Dumbbells or kettlebells (for certain movements)
  • Loaded backpack or tote bag.

Answers to FAQs about Bicep Workout at Home

For beginners, one well-chosen exercise can provide enough stimulus to start setting yourself up for progress. But over time, it'll be generally recommend to start adding new exercises or variations to keep the challenge appropriate.

What matters most is slow, steady control through the full range of motion. As your coordination improves, you’ll naturally benefit from layering in additional angles, or simply upping the demands placed on your biceps in the first place.

Yes! Many classic curling and pulling movements also recruit the forearm flexors and grip-activating muscles. These muscles come together to help stabilize your wrists and transfer force appropriately to the biceps. The more controlled the movement, the more your forearms participate.

However, targeted forearm work is still helpful if you start discovering grip strength is a limiting factor in you achieving certain workout goals (e.g. increasing your weight during barbell curls).

There's some nuance of course, but bicep exercises more consistently fall under the umbrella of pulling movements, largely because they assist when you draw weight toward your body or lift objects upward. Even bodyweight variations mimic these similar pulling patterns.

Understanding which type of the two your specific movements fall into can help you structure your entire routine around a better push/pull day split.

The secret to dual bicep-and-triceps engagement often lies in close-grip variations: movements like close-grip push-ups, dips, and certain floor presses will work both muscle groups at once. But note with many of these moves, biceps come into play as a secondary force of power, not the primary driver.

These same exercises require elbow stability and controlled extension, which brings each arm muscle group into the effort. They’re somewhat efficient when your workout time is limited. Pairing them with curls offers a balanced and varied upper-arm routine.

Similar to correctly performing lots of movements, it's about where you feel tension. With biceps, you should feel tension in the front of your upper arm without relying on much momentum or swinging.

Likewise, your elbows should stay relatively still, and your grip should feel firm but not painful or strained. Smooth reps can also indicate a good level of control. If your shoulders or lower back begin taking over, try reducing your range of motion or your total load, and restart the movement.

Concluding words on Bicep Workout at Home

Biceps tend to get a lot of attention in the gym, but a solid bicep workout at home can be just as effective when you use steady tempo and some smart variations.

These movements remind you that strength doesn’t come from pumping heavy weights alone. It can just as much develop by showing up consistently, make small but frequent improvements, and give your workout your all.

As you build your routine, remember not to train your biceps in isolation: Your arms work as a team, and balanced training leads to stronger, more comfortable pulling patterns overall. Keep the focus on control, not intensity, and you’ll feel progress in ways that support your full upper-body training.

And when you're ready to expand past this workout, Tonal’s arm-focused and full-body at-home sessions make it easy to go further with your practice wherever you train.

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