Actually both types of exercises are important and necessary to fully developing your biceps. The biceps muscle consists of two "heads" or sections of muscle tissue. The full name of the muscle is biceps brachii, which means "two-headed muscle of the arm" in Latin. The short head of the biceps is the inner part of the biceps, closest to your chest. The long head of the biceps is the outer part of the biceps. Each muscle head is activated in performing different movements. This is why two basic movements (the regular curl and the hammer curl) are needed to work each head of the biceps.
A regular biceps curl, described below, focuses on the short head of the biceps.
1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms at your side - palms are facing forward.
2. Curl the weight up, keeping your elbows stationary at your side. Do not rotate your forearms. At the top of the movement, your palms will face up towards the ceiling.
3. Lower the weight in a controlled movement back to the beginning position.
A hammer biceps curl, described below, focuses on the long head of the biceps.
1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms at your side - palms are facing inward toward your thighs.
2. Curl the weight up, keeping your elbows stationary at your side. Do not rotate your forearms. At the top of the movement, your palms will face each other.
3. Lower the weight in a controlled movement back to the beginning position.
For developing well-rounded biceps, you should incorporate both a regular-type curl and a hammer-type curl. Variations of the exercises can be done with dumbbells, a barbell or cables.
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