8 Best Short Head Bicep Exercises For Wider Arms

Growing bigger biceps, or biceps brachii, as it's scientifically known, involves working out the short head of the muscle.

Although it's not possible to isolate the short head of the biceps completely, it is possible to do exercises that activate the short head of the biceps as much as possible.

For those of you who don't know, the short head of the biceps is the part of the biceps muscle that is found on the inner side of the arm.

Today, we're going to provide you with all of the information that you need to know about your biceps muscles, particularly the short head, followed by a list of the best short-head biceps exercises to grow bigger guns.

 

Anatomy of the Bicep Brachii & Its Function

The word “bi”, means “two”, Which is quite fitting seeing as the bicep, a single muscle, consists of two muscle heads, the short head and the long head.

Both of the bicep’s heads start at the scapula and come together to create a single muscle that's attached to the upper forearm, known as the belly.

For those of you who don't know, the head of the muscle is where it starts, and the belly is the middle point where the muscle bulges out.

The short head of the bicep is found on the inside of the upper arm, and if you want your arms to look wide from the front and you want them to look very full, you need a well-developed short head.

The long head on the other hand is found on the outside and the top of the upper arm, and it's a much slimmer muscle with a high peak. When you flex your arm, that's the part of the bicep you see, almost creating a globe or sphere.

 

Is it Possible to Isolate the Short Head of the Bicep?

Keeping in mind that both the short head and the long head of the bicep have the same muscle belly, it's impossible to fully isolate the short head of the bicep. Furthermore, even isolating your biceps from the brachialis is not fully possible.

However, there are ways that you can shift the focus onto the short head as much as possible, for the maximum amount of muscle activation.

You can also do the same for the long head of the biceps muscle, but today we're here to talk about the short head.

Long Head vs Short Head of the Biceps

Both the short head and the long head of the biceps come together to form a single muscle, so it's not possible to talk about both of the heads completely separately from each other.

However, there are some important points about each muscle head that you need to remember so you can easily differentiate between the two.

In terms of their actions, to flex your elbow and bend it, you need to use your biceps, with both the long and short heads contracting at the same time to help you bend that arm.

That said, the short head and the long head have certain functions that they dominate, and others where they fall behind.

For instance, the short head of the bicep is a fixator that helps to stabilize the shoulder joint, while also supporting adduction, which is when you pull your arm backwards towards your body.

On the other hand, the long head of the arm helps to support the inward rotation of the arm, as well as abduction, which is when your arm moves away from your body.

 

Best Ways to Target the Short Head of the Biceps Brachii

As we mentioned above, it's not possible to totally isolate the short head of the biceps brachii, but there are ways that you can shift the focus onto the short head for the most muscle activation possible. There are four ways to effectively target the short head of the bicep muscle, as listed below.

1. Hold your arms laterally towards your body and curl.
2. Hold your palms upward and outwards to curl, known as a supinated grip.
3. The wider your grip is, the more you'll target the short head of the biceps.
4. Keep your upper arms parallel to the floor and your elbows in front of your body when doing curls.

If you just take a second to perform each of these motions as listed above, you'll quickly see that all of the grip positions help to activate the short head more than the long head.

The number one thing that you want to remember when doing curls is that the more you supinate your grip and the wider your grip is, the more you'll target the short head of the biceps.

However, the more pronated your grip is, with your palm in or down, and the closer your grip is together, the more you'll target the long head of the biceps.

To learn more about the different types of grips, see our guide to pronated grip vs supinated grip.

As for keeping your elbows out in front of you and up, this helps to increase the amount of tension put on the short head, and it's one of the best ways to activate it.

Let's move on and take a closer look at some of the best short-head bicep exercises that you can do to grow big and thick arms.

 

The Best Short Head Bicep Exercises for Thicker Arms

Now that we've covered all of the basics about the bicep muscle, specifically the short head, it's time to take a look at some of the best short-head bicep exercises.

Keep in mind that there are technically more than nine exercises listed below, but many of them just feature different variations with varying equipment, which means that we group them together for a bit of efficiency.

 

1. Wide Grip Curls

Remember that the wider your grip is, the more the short head of the bicep is activated.

Using a barbell, an EZ bar, dumbbells, or a cable machine, you can do bicep curls with a very wide grip. An EZ bar is generally best for this exercise, because it allows your wrists to supinate, allowing for a more ergonomic and comfortable position.

How to do Wide Grip Curls

1. Stand with your back straight, your feet shoulder-width apart, and your chest puffed out.
2. No matter the type of equipment you are using, make sure to keep a wide grip with your elbows close to your body. For this exercise, your hands should be out further than your shoulders.
3. With as much force as possible, lift the barbell upwards, or in other words, curl it as you usually would, and at the top of the motion, squeeze as hard as you can for one or two seconds.
4. As slowly as you can, let the weight back down, but don't quite lock your elbows out. Perform 8 to 12 repetitions and up to four sets. This should have you feeling the burn!

2. Inner Bicep Curls

With a simple pair of dumbbells, you can do inner bicep curls, which is a great way to target the short head.

If we are talking about supination, this is how you'll get the most out of it, therefore activating your short head more than most of the other exercises on this list. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and some open space.

Inner Bicep Curls Instructions

1. Stand straight up and hold a pair of dumbbells so that your elbows are at your sides, with your wrists supinated, and the inner portion of your forearm facing outwards.
2. Curl the weight upwards and make sure that you keep your arms supinated as you do, squeezing at the top of the motion for the maximum amount of activation. Make sure that your elbows stay at your sides and facing inwards.
3. Pause at the bottom of the motion for as much stretch as possible, and then repeat. Aim for at least 10 reps and three sets.

 Related: 8 Dumbbell biceps exercises

3. Preacher Curls

If you want to target the short head of your biceps, the preacher curl is one of the best exercises possible. This is because your elbows are held out and up in front of your body, which is great for this part of the muscle.

The other benefit of doing preacher curls is that your elbows are held in place and your arms are kept steady. This helps maximise your range of motion, especially during the downward motion of the movement, while also preventing you from cheating by using your other muscles or parts of your body for leverage.

Tension during the stretching phase is also a great way to achieve hypertrophy, and in the long run, amazing muscle growth.

To do the preacher curl, you can use a cable machine, dumbbells, or even a barbell.

How to do Preacher Curls

1. Hold your arms on the angled pad so that your armpits are almost in contact with it, and make sure that your whole upper arm down to your elbow is in contact with the top of the pad. Make sure that your upper arms stay stationary.
2. Start your reps with your arms straight but not locked out, and be careful that you don't overextend the elbows during this exercise, as it can be dangerous. To isolate the short head of the bicep, make sure to use a wide grip.
3. Curl the weight upwards until your forearms are perpendicular to the ground, or in other words vertical.
4. At the top of the motion, pause for a couple of seconds and really squeeze that muscle, and then lower the weight back down to your starting position.
5. Make sure to fully stretch out your arm to place as much tension on the short head of the bicep as possible. Perform anywhere between 8 and 12 repetitions, and aim for anywhere between two and four sets.

 

4. Concentration Curls

Concentration curls are really old school, and they're a great way to target the short head of the biceps thanks to the combination of supination and flexion.

In general, this is known as being one of the best biceps exercises for overall contraction, isolation, and activation.

Concentration Curl Instructions

1. Get a flat bench and sit upright with your legs spread wide and your feet firmly on the ground.
2. Hold a dumbbell in one hand, rest your elbow on the inner thigh on the same side, and let that dumbbell hang down between your legs, but make sure that you don't lock your elbow.
3. Position your body forward slightly so that you can look down on your short head.
4. In a slow and controlled manner, curl the dumbbell upwards, stopping roughly 10 inches from your shoulder.
5. At the top of the position, twist the dumbbell inwards and toward your face for maximum activation.
6. Lower the weight back down as slowly as possible, and try to hit 12 reps for three sets.

 

5. Supine High Cable Curls

To add a bit of variety to the mix, try the supine high cable curl, which keeps your elbows out and in front of you.

It's a great way to maximize the contraction tension and the stretching of the short head of the biceps, allowing for a great deal of activation.

Supine High Cable Curl Instructions

1. Put a flat bench under a cable machine and attach a flat bar to the pulley, with the pulley set to the high position.
2. Hold the bar using an underhand grip, keep your back straight, and lay flat on the bench, with your feet on the floor. The grip should be as wide as you can manage.
3. With your upper arms vertical and your elbows straight up, curl the bar until it reaches the top of your head, hold it for a second or two, and then slowly let it back down.
4. Repeat this for anywhere between 8:00 and 12:00 reps, and aim for up to four sets.

 Related: Guide to growing bigger forearms.

6. Spider Curls

With a bench in the inclined position and a barbell held in hand with a wide and submitted grip, doing curls like this will help target the short head of your biceps.

This exercise also keeps your elbows out in front of you, another great way to target the short head.

Although it's not quite like a preacher curl in terms of preventing you from cheating, it's still hard to use any of your other muscles for leverage, because both your lower back and shoulders are out of commission here.

Keep in mind that some people may use a barbell, EZ bar, or dumbbells for this exercise.

Furthermore, it is also possible to do this exercise on an incline bench, flat bench, or a preacher bench. However, to keep things simple, we're going to be doing it on an incline bench with an EZ bar.

Spider Curl Instructions

1. Adjust the bench to a 60° angle for a good incline position.
2. Lay face down with your stomach against the backrest and position your arms so that they hang down with your elbows facing the floor.
3. Hold the weight in your hands with a wide and supinated grip, and then curl it up as high as possible while making sure that your elbows stay pointed towards the ground.
4. Lower the weight back down and make sure to fully extend your arms, so you feel that stretch.

 

7. Incline Supinating Curls

The incline curl is often considered one of the best bicep exercises for activating both heads of the biceps but for the short head especially. This is precisely why this exercise is also featured in our list of long-head bicep exercises but with a slightly different grip.

This is another exercise that focuses on supination as the main method of muscle activation.

Incline Supination Curl Instructions

1. Get a bench and adjust it to anywhere between 45° and 60°, and lay against it with your back flat.
2. Hold a pair of dumbbells so that your wrists are turned outwards and your arms are extended at the sides.
3. While making sure that you keep your elbows in place, curl the weight upwards and make sure that your wrists stay supinated.
4. Squeeze at the top of the motion, lower the weight back down, and fully extend your arms to get that stretch.

 

8. Chin-Ups

Although chin-ups also work out your lats, and various other muscles in your upper back, they're also a great way to work out the short head of your biceps.

Keep in mind that to activate your biceps, you want to do chin-ups, not pull-ups, which means that your palms are facing inwards, not away from you.

Chin-Ups Instructions

1. Put your hands on a chin up bar at shoulder width apart, with your palms facing inwards.
2. Hang down from the bar with your shoulder blades retracted, brace your core, and use your arms to pull yourself upwards until your chain reaches the bar.
3. To maximize elbow flexion, you'll want to move up as high as possible, ideally so that your chest is touching the bar.
4. Pause at the top, lower yourself down slowly, and repeat.
5. For a beginner, doing between 6 and 10 reps, and up to three sets is recommended.

 

Rounding Up

The number one thing to keep in mind when doing any kind of curl with the aim of targeting the short head of the bicep is to keep a wide and supinated grip.

If you manage to do this, you'll be able to activate your short head of the bicep as much as possible, no matter what type of equipment you are using.