Curls are not the Best exercise for your biceps. A Full Biceps Workout
Ask almost anyone what the best exercise for building bigger biceps is, and they’ll probably say curls.
But according to the hosts of Mind Pump, one of the most effective exercises for growing your biceps isn’t a curl at all—it’s the supinated-grip chin-up.
While curls certainly have their place, this compound movement allows you to overload the biceps with significantly more weight than traditional isolation exercises, potentially leading to greater strength and muscle growth.
If your arm development has stalled, this could be the change your training needs.
The Workout At a Glance
Goal: Maximize Bicep Growth & Pulling Strength
Experience Level: Beginner (Modified), Intermediate, Advanced
Frequency: 1-2 Times Per Week
Workout Duration: 20-30 Minutes
Exercise 1: Supinated Grip Chin-Ups
Sets: 4
Reps: 6-10
Rest: 2-3 Minutes
Focus: Pull with your biceps while maintaining full range of motion.
Beginner Option
- Use resistance bands for assistance.
- Aim for 6-10 controlled reps.
Exercise 2: Supinated Lat Pulldowns
Sets: 3
Reps: 10-12
Rest: 90 Seconds
Focus on squeezing your biceps throughout every repetition.
Exercise 3: Isometric Chin-Up Hold
Sets: 3
Hold: 10-20 Seconds
Pause with your elbows bent at approximately 90 degrees.
Exercise 4: Dumbbell Curls (Optional Finisher)
Sets: 2-3
Reps: 12-15
Train close to failure while maintaining strict form.
Weekly Recommendation
Beginners
- Perform once per week.
- Use assisted chin-ups until bodyweight strength improves.
Intermediate Lifters
- Train twice weekly.
- Progress by reducing band assistance or adding weight.
Advanced Lifters
- Add weighted chin-ups.
- Increase isometric hold duration over time.
Why Chin-Ups Beat Traditional Curls
The biggest point made in the video is simple.
Your biceps are capable of handling far more resistance than most people ever expose them to.
When you perform a chin-up using an underhand grip, your biceps assist in moving your entire bodyweight.
That creates significantly more overload than curling a pair of dumbbells.
More importantly, you’re training multiple muscle groups simultaneously while still placing tremendous tension on the biceps.
It’s one of the reasons gymnasts often develop impressive arms without spending hours doing isolation work.
The Gymnast Advantage
One comparison I found particularly interesting was the discussion around gymnasts and arm wrestlers.
Neither group relies heavily on endless curl variations.
Instead, they spend years performing compound pulling movements that force their biceps to work under heavy loads.
The result?
Dense, powerful arms built through functional strength rather than endless isolation exercises.
That’s not to say curls are ineffective—but they shouldn’t always be the foundation of your arm training.
Don’t Skip Progression
One important point the hosts emphasized is that chin-ups aren’t easy.
If you can’t perform several quality repetitions yet, that’s perfectly normal.
Instead of sacrificing technique, use:
- Resistance bands
- Assisted pull-up machines
- Supinated-grip lat pulldowns
The goal is to gradually build strength while maintaining proper form.
Over time, reducing assistance becomes your form of progressive overload.
Why Isometric Holds Can Accelerate Growth
Another fascinating topic discussed was isometric training.
Instead of constantly moving through a full range of motion, isometric holds require you to maintain tension without movement.
Examples include:
- Holding the top of a chin-up.
- Pausing halfway through a curl.
- Holding the stretched position briefly before completing the rep.
These holds can increase muscle fiber recruitment while creating less muscle damage than traditional eccentric training.
That means they can often be performed more frequently without negatively impacting recovery.
Should You Stop Doing Curls?
Absolutely not.
Curls remain one of the best isolation exercises for targeting the biceps.
The lesson isn’t that curls are bad.
The lesson is that many lifters rely on curls exclusively while ignoring heavy compound pulling exercises that may provide even greater growth potential.
The best arm-building program usually combines both.
My Final Thoughts
One thing I appreciate about this approach is that it challenges conventional gym wisdom.
Sometimes the best way to build bigger muscles isn’t by adding more isolation work.
It’s by getting stronger at compound movements that naturally overload those muscles.
If your biceps have stopped growing, consider making chin-ups the centerpiece of your arm training rather than treating them as just another back exercise.
Master your bodyweight.
Progress over time.
Then use curls as the finishing touch—not the foundation.
Your arms may surprise you.
— H.S. Dhillon
Watch the full video below:
References
American Council on Exercise. (n.d.). Exercise library: Chin-up. https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/190/chin-ups/
Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(10), 2857–2872. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20847704/
Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2016). Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 46(11), 1689–1697. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/
Mind Pump TV. (2025). Best exercise for your biceps is not curls [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYO4LOfZJ7E
