The ONLY Way to Wider Biceps (SCIENCE BASED)

If you have skinny arms that you want to get wider biceps so you can fill out your shirt sleeves, you are going to want to watch this video. Here, I am going to show you the only way for you to get wider biceps and get bigger, thicker arms in the process. More often than not, people will focus their attention to the height of their arms by working on building up their bicep peaks. While this is will help to grow bigger biceps and bigger arms in the process, it’s not how you grow wider biceps.
In order to get wider biceps, especially when you viewed from the front, you are actually going to want limit the biceps involvement and focus on another muscle in the upper arm; the brachialis. If you don’t know where it is, the muscle is situated beneath the biceps and is slightly visible if you flex the arm and palpate on the outside of it. Just underneath the long head of the biceps and located between the biceps and triceps, the brachialis is muscle responsible for elbow flexion.
Unlike the biceps however, the brachialis only has the job of flexing the elbow as opposed to being able to supinate the forearm and flex the shoulder. The main difference however is that due to the fact that a muscle is strongest in its midrange, the brachialis is going to be more strongly contributing to elbow flexion in the beginning third to half of an elbow bend and the biceps will kick in more strongly from the midpoint up.
Now, since the two muscles share the common function of flexing the elbow, it is impossible to completely isolate one muscle over the other. That being said, there are a few things you can do to favor the brachialis by reducing some of the contribution of the biceps by impairing it’s preferred action (supination) which can be done by simply keeping the forearm pronated.
The reason you want to focus on the brachialis as opposed to the biceps themselves is that by building up this muscle, you are actually going to be thickening the outer side of the upper arm, between the biceps and triceps. Training this muscle will also increase the biceps peaks, creating a fuller appearance overall and allowing you to fill those shirt sleeves.
You might be thinking that the best exercise for targeting this brachialis is the hammer curl. While this is certainly an option, it’s not going to give you the optimal results you are looking for simply because the grip needed to hold the dumbbells during a hammer curl is neutral as as opposed to the pronation you are ideally looking for.
Instead, we need to find exercises that will have you using a pronated grip as opposed to neutral or supinated.
The first exercise in your arsenal to attack this muscle is the cross body hammer curl. This version of the hammer curl allows you to stay pronated through the concentric portion of the lift, meaning that you will be preferentially targeting the brachialis as opposed to the biceps. You will likely be using lighter weights than you would on a traditional hammer curl, but that’s okay. Lighter weights doesn’t mean less gains.
The next exercise is a close grip pull up. Utilizing bodyweight for this exercise will allow you to provide more overload to the muscle than you would traditionally be able to using free weights. If you are not strong enough to perform pull-ups without assistance, that it is fine. Instead of skipping the exercise altogether, I implore you to use a resistance band under your feet in order to allow you to perform the exercise in the first place. You will still be able to overload the brachialis this way.
The third exercise up is the Kong curl, a cable curl variation that takes some of the stress off the biceps by once again performing them out of a more pronated position and with less tension in the fully elongated or stretch position. This is not a cable crossover. This is not for the chest. You want to curl your hand in a similar manner to the cross body hammer curl.
This particular exercise allowed me to transition back to doing the standard cable curl. Coming off the biceps tear this was something I just simply could not do. Not only did this biceps exercise help me to build up to that but it also noticeably helped to build back some of the width to the upper arm that was lacking after the injury.
Lastly, we have something called a drop curl. Here you keep the tension on the brachialis by holding the "non-working" dumbbell in the midrange position. Alternating dropping one dumbbell down at a time and keep the hand facing down or slightly down in order to minimize the biceps and maximize the brachialis.
For more exercises to get wider biceps and more bicep exercises ranked, be sure to subscribe to this channel here.
For complete workouts and step by step meal plans be sure to head to athleanx.com and use the program selector to find the plan that best matches your exact goals.
Wider Biceps Here - athleanx.com/x/only-way-to-wid...
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[@athleanx]

*VIEWER GIVEAWAY* - Want a copy of my popular 90 Day Beaxst PPL program? 40 lucky clickers within the first hour this video is published will win access to it! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 40, but those randomly selected within the first hour the video is published. Click the link to see if you’ve won. No strings attached! Clicking twice does nothing. Only one entry per video. Remember to watch to the end for more workouts. giveaway.athleanx.com/ytg/only-way-to-wider-biceps If you don’t win, no worries, you’re not going away empty handed. Just be sure you have your notifications turned on so you can get to my next video quickly and try again. Good luck and thanks for being a loyal subscriber…

[@tshortbull8683]

I been noticing "science based" in a lotta thumbnails lately, must be the new "suboptimal", lol.

[@cindyscott8470]

Thanks kindly!

[@joepineapples5448]

Never win this is it limited to USA subscribers only. FARCE!!

[@Siosal01]

How did you manage to tear a muscle picking up your son? Was it just the cold? Is there anything we can do to avoid accidental muscle tears?

[@zhartheProprietor]

Have you dealt with torn biceps? I tore mine a couple years ago at work. Now my bicep on the left side is almost 2" shorter and not as full now. I recently started trying to get back to working out (your lower back video was sent to me and wow I'm a believer, your first stretch gave me immediate relief) and I'm staying light but feel discomfort in that bicep still. Any recommendations? Sorry, I commented before watching the whole vid, embarrassing. I will watch this multiple times. Thank you very much. You are a God send.

[@generalkaboom6642]

Jeff is the kind of guy to do a front flip and a back flip to prevent muscle imbalances.

[@4k_ace]

💀💀💀💀

[@Wo0odie]

How tf did you think of this

[@nomnomyourmom]

0:40 Brachialis 2:40 Cross Body Hammer Curl 3:40 Narrow Grip Pullup 4:30 Kong Curl 5:50 Drop Curl

[@Officialistaken]

Ppreciate it brody

[@aramer25]

Thanks

[@KiranKumar-rt1yt]

Thanq

[@mikeossola6397]

Thanks, Bot. Nice profile 🙄

[@luismiguel69able]

too bad. All of these destoyed my shoulder, cant do them anymore. oh well.

[@anasasim3856]

00:55 🤔 Width in arms is determined by the brachialis muscle, not just the biceps. 01:24 🏋‍♂ An injury prompted a need to train specifically for bicep width and address pain issues. 02:59 🔄 Cross body Hammer curls with a fully pronated forearm effectively target the brachialis. 03:56 🏋‍♂ Narrow grip pull-ups with a pronated grip minimize bicep contribution, working the brachialis. 04:51 ⛓ The "Kong curl," a cable curl variation, emphasizes pronated forearm positioning for reduced bicep stress. 05:48 🔄 Drop curls in a modified position at a slow pace effectively engage the brachialis for arm width. 07:28 🏋‍♂ Dedicate a full workout to the brachialis, possibly once a week, for quicker gains in arm width.

[@erich7662]

@anasasim3856 you are the REAL MVP!!

[@anasasim3856]

@@erich7662 thanks my brother ❤️

[@sebya1906]

The real deal comment. Thanks.

[@rytlocknroll]

You simplified the whole video and I thank you.

[@incredibleblaan9983]

0:29 🖍first step to accomplish, getting the mighty muscle marker

[@matthewbrown2310]

Thank you guys! About 2 years ago I was 300lbs and knew I had to do something. So I started going to the gym and using the machines. After I started feeling my strength return I started looking into what I could do safely. Your best to worst videos were the best things on KZbin. They gave me the confidence to move into more advanced lifting. Now I’m about 260 but I also have more muscle now than any other time in my life at 42. Again thank you.

[@unitonarms2165]

Keep up the great work king ❤️ indeed your story is a legacy for your future generations

[@danqodusk8140]

Many kudos to you!

[@richardlovelace8134]

Good for you! Health is wealth.

[@paulferreira8342]

Awesome!

[@JaredTequila]

Great job, Matthew! Keep up the hard work, and enjoy the journey.

[@356z]

I love how Jeff knows what we're doing and calls us out on it.

[@southwestxnorthwest]

Damn, I just realized he probably knows when I fap 😭

[@JD-wv1yi]

"okay im gonna do a hammer curl", "NO"

[@JD-wv1yi]

he reads our minds 🤔

[@wolfwarrior3454]

Yes, the muscle marker illustrations are very helpful.

[@user-do2si8qk5s]

Thank you for leaving that comment and dropping that “like”!

[@flexlikeag]

Learning to train around injuries would be a great series

[@lonestarpatriot876]

100% on point. Started doing all of this a couple of years ago, and it completely changed how my arms looked. It did not take long to see the results either.

[@gordonadams4793]

I'm 68 and your techniques have helped tremendously. When people meet me, they guess that I'm in my late forties. Thanx bud👍😉

[@Scr3amapillar]

You train your face?

[@SNAKEx197]

Been watching this channel after finishing hs wrestling. Finishing college and 4 years later, Mr x is still giving me knowledge helping me to this day. Number 1 champion/professor for health and body education.

[@Howtocreatewinningfocalsbeads]

Interesting as always man. Love the breakdown on the brachialis and the alternate curls. Love it thanks

[@Aranjuez44]

Thanks a million, Jeff!! I needed to know this! This has been one of my concerns. 👍🏼 You’re the best, amigo!

[@user-strength10]

hey jeff, new subscriber here, but in all honesty next to bro science been following you for the next longest, over 10 years (only recently got talked into a google account lol) keep putting up quality info man, between you and the brofessor, the only 2 OG fitness influencers left (and you've literally helped millions)

[@TheGhostPack]

10 years dam your an og follower. You may be ripped

[@n8danext1up30]

Thx Jeff I appreciate all the content you bring

[@1986Unlimited]

Couldn't have come at a better time! Always with superb content. Thank you

[@timl.b.2095]

Jeff rules! Educational video made better by showing us his own experience. I can't wait to try these in the gym this week.

[@joseph8468]

Thank you. Mr.C. This instruction was clear, helpful, & great.

[@WarseerDarkKnight]

I have learned so much from you. This vid was great and your vulnerability was solid. You're a true teacher.

[@LoveMexicoLife]

Hey Jeff, had the same problem and my physiotherapist had me doing light arm e exercises with a green band. Muscles disappeared disappeared of course. Been doing these and biceps are feeling stronger. This helping me get back to my normal rountine. Thank you!!

[@jeffrreybell]

Jeff the variations here are spot on. Just experimenting with the exercises you show here were a game changer. I could already feel the gaps in my own training quickly with the first set. Great video!

[@user-xp4ue1sz9s]

I love the markers. Gives great context along w the explanations.

[@MannyG24]

Always enjoy your videos 💯 Thank you

[@dantrapp8494]

Thx for the advice! Tried these today and the burn was insane!!!

[@Numnariga]

...and again...Jeff's Genius explanations with muscle marker...thank you 💪

[@PotatoesFromSaturn]

The muscle marker never fails 🖊️💪🏼

[@kaminator515]

One thing about Jeff. He is never inconsistent with his advice and the little details always matter 👍

[@billcosby2590]

so true!!

[@Carlos-km1xd]

This info is pure GOLD! Thank you so much!

[@Page00yeah]

I get complacent in my training then Jeff drops a video reminding me there's so much more I can do. Gonna upgrade my gun show tix to season passes!

[@danqodusk8140]

Well presented, Jeff, as always! It's fairly easy to see the exercises you suggest hit the brachialis pretty hard.

[@louismazzone4730]

Thank you Jeff for all your help!

[@germtime]

Same. I have a torn bicep that I never seen a doctor for. I'm still watching the video. Im sure this will work. Can't wait for the gym.

[@calviny2463]

Love watching your videos!!

[@MeasureOnce]

inspirational - thanks Jeff!

[@davethedude216]

This is the exact video I needed. I also tore my bicep a year ago and lost so much width. Thank you so much!

[@Mr1970msa]

Thanks Jeff I tore the tendon from lower bicep out of the bone in my forearm, had to replace and was told do pretty much nothing, these tips are what I needed thanks

[@jameswoodall9261]

Waited un til I went to the gym to comment. Long time ago you made a video BOUT DOING THE CROSS BODY HAMMER CURL. hAVE BEEN DOING IT SINCE CAUSE i LIKE THE WIDE BICEP LOOK RATHER THAN A PEAK. Walking around wide looks better than peak. Well, unless you walk around flexed. Don't think you mentioned turning the DB to make the weight end face the chest. Makes a big difference for me. And the cable exercise is great! Decided to do all these exercises first without doing any others. Wanted to see how much the brac. is targeted WOW!! Right on it!! Finished my work out and headed home. Relaxed and took a nap. Woke up with my arm in a full on cramp. Feels like starting for the first time. Thanks so much!

[@Icybones000]

Glad I came across this video. I had a distal bicep rupture, and I'm still in rehab for it. The doctor hasn't released me from his care or to go back to work. He has now allowed physical therapy to start strength training after a few months of just letting them try and get endurance back to the arm. This will help me, I am hoping to get my arm to look as normal as possible. It will always look different from the uninjured arm, but maybe I can at least get a wider arm so it doesn't look so so bad.

[@daniyalahmed89]

Jeff, please make video for falling push-ups, how to train and perfect it.. and benefits or not.. I have been watching and following you tips for last 7 years and trust me if anyone’s reading this It helped me in a bigway. As a hardgainer, I am 85 kg now, yes low fat just mass.

[@user-ek3iu5ni9m]

Awesome Video Jeff,As Always!

[@MrMeNopartOfThisWorld]

My Man! Much appreciated

[@cleardrop4531]

Interesting info and easily incorporated with my dumbbells. Thank you!

[@mrhunter2154]

Had a bad bicep strain or partial tear from work, did months of rest from gym and physical therapy and am okay but not quite ready for chin-ups yet, these excercises have been very helpful thank you

[@klh489]

Thank's for the exercises. Your the best.

[@davidbrucemusicvideo]

Amazing. Totally makes sense! I’m amazed I never thought of it before.

[@PJJ196]

Awesome video .. thanks for the info and recommendation

[@richardadorno9187]

Thanks for this video, I also tore my biceps tendon and rotator cuff pulling a compactor out of a ditch doing ground work. I will implement some of your techniques.

[@MrMoustacheNinja]

Will implement Ty Jeff as always!

[@johnanthony6038]

Thank you 🙏 free knowledge is always a blessing 🙏👍

[@ApexofWar_]

I love the burn from the cross body hammer curls. Sometimes I’ll even rotate my wrist at the top for a quick bicep contraction.

[@2pixel8ted]

So love these videos! So helpful! Thankx

[@johntitone5124]

Tore my tendon years ago and haven’t been able to build my biceps ever since. Gonna try these techniques asap. Thanks for this one brother.

[@Gohsted]

How and where did you tear it? I was getting tendonitis above the bicep where my bicep connects to my shoulder now I'm super paranoid and have completely reduced the weight. It took what seemed like forever before I went back to curls.

[@nicholasjohnson8991]

I'm curious about this too. When I left heavy it feels like my Bicep is about to tear off from the elbow. I have no idea what to do.

[@TheAgentAssassin]

Maybe get an arm brace that locks your arm straight or do straightening exercises. Wear the brace for a couple hours a day. Also if you lift heavy biceps and then say do some video gaming for a couple hours your elbows/arms are in a curved state. If you start to heal with your arms bent your tendons tend to stiffen up. I had some really tight tendons and wore and arm brace for about 2 weeks off and on. Seemed to really loosen up the tendons. I also switched to a vertical mouse since I'm on the PC a lot. A vertical mouse holds your arm in a relaxed state. There are so many variables to tight tendons that can lead to tears. The main thing is to heal with your arms straight not bent.

[@DrDeagle]

@@nicholasjohnson8991Try not to fully extend your arms when doing movements with heavy bicep involvement like preacher curls, pull-ups etc. (at least when lifting heavy) Mixed grip deadlifts are also a big no-no. Source: am a torn distal bicep tendon sufferer

[@alexisonfire4469]

My god I am so glad I found your channel. So many helpful videos helping me getting my training to the next level as I am still kind of a newb. I know technic is key so thank you for this!

[@hiesman6]

I buy smaller shirts!😉

[@girdhar3224]

🤌💯

[@conlawmeateater8792]

X small

[@LilDP-lk7hq]

😂

[@adamgarcia2144]

Awesome Instruction! Thank You 🙏🏻

[@bobbyaxelrod5959]

You’re a boss for this. Thank you.

[@Braxx-Vision]

thanks dude, think i'll try these this coming saturday

[@beastgaming5512]

Your videos are really great and Useful.

[@jeffr6280]

I’m dealing with a significantly strained bicep myself, so this helps a bunch.

[@anupkumarsavant6771]

Thanks for the fantastic information sir.

[@jpherrera4254]

I try to figure out how to solve this problem whenever I lift weights and this video is helpful and I will continue to watch your videos for weight lifting and exercises💯

[@planetzoodle]

yeah I definitely needed this video. Abs have always been my strong suit but not arms

[@shawnpeterson1825]

Videos are beast, thank you

[@allendeufriend6930]

Finally a video that helped me, thank you.

[@Johnny_Ocha]

I know that it'll be a great video when muscle marker comes out! 💪🙂👍

[@transamman1795]

May the gains be with you (Parish) And also with you. Please open your muscle books to J.C's guide to biceps 💪. All praise Jeff.

[@liamaddis3075]

Honestly this guy changes my whole routine every single time. 💪🏽

[@johnnyparker2128]

I definitely agree there.

[@KarlosEPM]

All of us mate. This is one of the best health related channels on YT.

[@7DuRd3n]

the best imo​@@KarlosEPM

[@cale583]

why are you saying "honestly"??

[@liamaddis3075]

@@cale583 cos I can

[@Ovrlord1]

Hi Jeff. I have been a subscriber since 2016. Learned more from your channel than previous 30 years of training. I recently tore my right biceps. Please provide me some advice how to rehab my biceps naturally as I assume you did. Thank you!

[@joeku2004]

Thanks man, I was wondering why my arms were a bit lacking to the eyes, I will add this to my workout 👍

[@MrCRM2011]

Thanks I needed that help 👍🏾

[@billbearce7685]

Nice! I’m going through a torn bicep right now. This helps a lot

[@magnusvindaloo340]

Great video thank you for the explanation

[@Ya_Slavniy]

Any 5 words to support Jeff in what he does 👍👍👍

[@rodslik]

🔥🔥🔥🔥 Youve helped me so much 💯

[@messengerofparty]

This is really great information! I’ve had patients in the past with torn biceps. Also my biceps are dinky… tysm!!

[@fromfattofit7]

I've grown my arms bigger than they've even been. Excited to work these into my bicep routine.

[@enfoquecomunicacion1421]

I just want to say something: Jeff is a genius!!! Almost every piece of advice he's given on the subjects I was interested in is pure gold. This is no exception!! I tried it today and my biceps felt great, big pump!!! I just listen to Jeff, the Mountaindog, and Mr. Ecuador, they know everything about bodybuilding! Thanks!!!

[@HavasiP]

Interesting. At first glance it seems many of these variations will hit the forearm a lot, as in a reverse grip barbell curl. Looking forward to trying these!

[@guyblew1733]

Another excellent video

[@JohnEMoore111]

After a right arm bicep rupture..I was afraid to lift anything. Until this video, cant wait to hit the gym tomorrow..

[@Middlestepofficial]

Zottman curls are a life changer. If done right, it allows you to train the forearm muscles including brachialis and biceps.

[@danielsuniga4596]

Great content, as usual. Any chance we could get a video on fixing/working around bicep tendonitis in the elbow?

[@kellydoyle7210]

Check out Jeff’s vid on tennis elbow👍

[@realgoose]

Jeff, can you do a video about using isometrics to help various strains and elbow RSI? Started doing a couple for my tennis elbow with an upside down kettlebell (35lbs) that has been working wonders, about one week in. Love to see your take on the topic and other isometric exercises that can be added into our week to remedy ongoing nuisances.

[@ericmasden4270]

Tore both my distal biceps tendons. Getting back into some stuff and found chin-ups aren't really the issue for me, but pull-ups are. The supination seems to stress my wrist and forearms more. Thanks for this video and for many, many others.

[@TrainerCTZ]

Great stuff Jeff. I used to curl 70 lb db's all day and my bnis would not grow. Switched to all hammer grip exercises and immediately added 1"+. Cant wait to implement these.

[@workingguy6666]

I have no clue how I ended up here, but this is so pertinent to me as I think I might have torn my bicep a little. Haven't been able to do bicep workouts for three months now. Thank you! I subscribed.

[@clym1x]

Maybe instead of blaming him you should use less weight and common sense when exercising especially when doing a new exercise

[@workingguy6666]

@@clym1x I'm sorry - who is blaming him? Your post makes no sense.

[@clym1x]

@@workingguy6666 you were being sarcastic by thanking him because you tore your bicep when it was your own fault most likely, or at least that’s what I interpreted

[@workingguy6666]

@@clym1x I don't get the sarcasm accusation at all. I thanked him for showing me a possible way to do an exercise of the area without using my bicep. Of course I tore my own bicep, I don't understand how someone else would be at fault unless they were attacking me, and I never stated that that happened.

[@clym1x]

@@workingguy6666 Ok I guess I misunderstood, it looked like you said you did these exercises and tore your bicep doing them and you thanked him sarcastically for your torn bicep

[@Siegefya]

I need to do more chinups. I don't use weights much, I'm a calisthenics guy. I can do a lot of pullups, and I do weighted pull-ups, but I go months without doing a single chin. Definitely thanks for reminding me to get back into them, want my biceps to be a little better. I used to do close grip chins, but I like pulls so much that I completely stopped doing chinups.

[@RickyNish]

Awesome Possum advice! I can feel the difference

[@jeanreckziegel4367]

Hi Jeff, Im from Paraguay and I usually saw your videos in spanish, but one person made a petition about a workout for people in weelchair (Sorry if my English isnt that good, hope you understand)

[@polishmasterjay]

Maybe it’s because I’m so skinny and didn’t have much muscle mass, but ever since I started doing partials Sulek style, I’ve been packing it on to my surprise! I think a mix of that type effort, with this type of scientific approach earlier in the sets is the ticket! But we’re all different so whatever works! Great stuff Jeff, you are the one who got my lazy ass started a couple ago after I saw the Jesse transformation, still blows my mind! 🤣👏🔥🎯💯

[@electrician1602]

Incorporating this tomorrow. Cheers.

[@jimmyolea2261]

thank you I didn't know that that helps me

[@skycloud41]

Still the BEST trainer on KZbin

[@snuffe_himself123]

@athleanx please add an alternative exercise to the 3rd one. Every guy reading at home needs that!! 😊

[@JustinTaylor2014]

The muscle markers making an appearance is a nice treat! Haven’t seen these segments in a while

[@kashanakram5592]

Coach Jeff please for the love of god make a video on shin splints. I'm suffering rn.

[@Josh-st6pu]

This dudes the best bruh

[@MickAngelhere]

I have had problems with my right shoulder after seriously aggravating an old injury the resulting pain and discomfort affected my right bicep as well. Struggling to train with the injury, but will try this

[@geoffmilner]

Great bicep & brachealis exercises Jeff. Any tips for a wider todger? Asking for a friend.

[@legocafe8920]

You’re like my second Dad. So much great info 🙏

[@dannyspitzer1267]

Great info Nobody in the gym does these other than me (thanks to you)

[@luismiguel69able]

ha yeah. All these young guys were watching me do Jeff shoulder execises (where you jump out and do a slow eccentric). You should have seen the look on their faces.