Are Resistance Bands Good for Biceps?

Are you looking to build up some rippling bicep muscles to show off at the beach this summer?

Biceps are many fitness enthusiasts' favorite body parts to work out. Why? They're easy to isolate with curls, so you can see a clear improvement with regular weight training. They're also a muscle you can see visually and show off easily.

If you long for bigger biceps, you don't need access to a gym or several sets of weights to make it happen. We'll show you how to increase bicep size using a simple set of resistance bands from the comfort of home with incredible results.

Do resistance bands tone your arms?

Resistance bands are great for toning arms. Their looped shape makes them ideal for performing a variety of curls, triceps extensions, and shoulder carving exercises.

You can also use assisted pull-up resistance bands to build up your arms until you can do a full, unassisted pull-up by your own strength alone.

Any weight-bearing exercise (along with a well-balanced diet) is going to build muscle for you. By performing resistance band bicep exercises a few times per week, you will build the arms of your dreams in no time.

One of the best parts of resistance band workouts is convenience and cost. Resistance bands are practically weightless and very compact, making them ideal for bicep workouts at home or to take on the go.

They are quite inexpensive compared to traditional gym equipment - all you need are a few different sizes and resistance levels instead of an entire rack of heavy, expensive dumbbells and weights.

Do resistance bands actually work?

Resistance bands are just as, if not more effective than weights. There is a good reason why physiotherapists have been using them to rehabilitate and strengthen injuries for the last 30 years.

• They provide greater muscle stimulus. In traditional weight lifting, muscles are only working in certain parts of the movement. When you perform biceps curls, your bicep isn't active at the top of the curl. The constant pressure from a resistance band bicep curl means your muscles are active the entire time and end up working harder.
• They improve your strength and athletic performance. The instability, increased workload, and varied resistance help your muscles fight harder to get stronger than what they do using weights.
• They improve range of motion. Using a resistance band to exercise instead of weights allows for a wider range of motion to be performed safely. You can also use the bands to stretch your muscles, which improves flexibility more than just stretching alone.
• They prevent injury. They're not only good at rehab for injuries, but also prevent injury in the first place. Dumbbells and weight machines can put too much stress on your joints and bones, whereas you have more control and can perform more natural movements with a resistance band.

Can you bulk up using resistance bands?

It depends on what you consider "bulking". As we previously mentioned, resistance bands are great for muscle growth.

Theoretically, you should be able to get bigger arm muscles through resistance training, but it's not the only factor.

Diet is the #1 factor in the equation. In order to build muscle, you will need to eat more. You must eat more calories in a day than you burn to build muscle, it's simple science.

You could be doing the best bicep exercises, but if your diet doesn't follow suit you will not achieve the results you're after.

You'll also want to make sure you're consuming nutritious calories and ample protein for muscle building.

If you're not looking to bulk up, you can still use resistance bands for toning and weight loss. You'll still want to eat enough protein to maintain muscle mass, but you'll want to eat fewer calories a day than you burn in order to drop fat and look more toned.

Resistance Exercises for Your Biceps

Now that you know that banded exercises are great for building biceps, try out some of these super-effective bicep exercises to see results at home:

#1 Banded Bicep Curls

1. Step both feet onto a looped resistance band, holding the other end of the loop with both hands.
2. Stand feet hip-width apart and arms down by your sides, hands facing forward.
3. Curl your lower arms up towards the shoulders. Keep your elbows tucked in to your sides at all times. They should not move while you perform the curl.
4. Return to starting position.
5. Repeat.

 

#2 Resistance Band Back Press

1. Anchor the band behind you at chest height and grab the handles with your hands.
2. Step forward with one foot.
3. Bring your hands to chest height in tight at your sides with palms facing down. Elbows should be in line with hands, straight behind you.
4. Straighten your arms out directly in front of you without losing height in the elbows.
5. Return to starting position.
6. Repeat.

#3 Preacher Curls with Resistance Band

1. Place the middle of a resistance band under your right foot. Grab both ends of the band with your right hand.
2. Fold your left arm across your chest with your left palm on your chest.
3. Rest your right tricep on your left palm, and straighten your right arm directly in front of you.
4. Lift right hand up toward your right shoulder, keeping elbow in place throughout the movement.
5. Return to starting position.
6. Repeat. When the set is completed, switch sides and work the left arm.

Final Word

If you're looking to build stronger, bigger, and better biceps incorporate these resistance band exercises a few times a week into your exercise routine!