Brachialis Workout to Build Bicep Peaks (Minimal Equipment)
Take a look at the best at-home brachialis workout that will help you make massive bicep gains. Improve grip strength and arm power with these exercises using only dumbbells and a handle band.
Table of Contents
- Why Focus Your Efforts on the Brachialis?
- Benefits of Training the Brachialis Muscle
- How to Build Your Brachialis Workout
- 6 Best Exercises for the Brachialis With Dumbbells & Handle Band
- Brachialis Workouts to Try
- Conclusion
When it comes to Arms Day, many people focus primarily on building bigger biceps and triceps. However, there is one muscle group that is often neglected despite accounting for a large percentage of the width of your biceps.
The brachialis is a muscle that lies beneath the biceps brachii and influences how wide your biceps look from the front. It also plays a crucial role in elbow flexion and is responsible for bringing the forearm toward the upper arm. Another part of the bicep responsible for biceps width and volume is its short head, and we have great short head bicep exercises for you to try.
Neglecting the brachialis muscle can lead to imbalanced arm development and potentially increase the risk of strain or injury.
Read on to find out why it’s important to work out the brachialis and what are the best exercises for the brachialis muscle.
Why Focus Your Efforts on the Brachialis?
Training the brachialis muscle not only contributes to overall arm development but can also improve the appearance of the arms.
A well-developed brachialis gives the illusion of bigger biceps, pushing the biceps upwards and outwards.
In particular, your biceps will look wider when someone is looking at you from the front, giving you desired bicep peaks.
In addition, consistent brachialis workouts can also increase arm strength and reduce the risk of injury. The brachialis functions alongside the biceps and triceps during movement and stabilizes the elbow joint during both weightlifting and day-to-day activities such as lifting heavy objects.
Benefits of Training the Brachialis Muscle
The brachialis muscle is a powerful and often overlooked muscle in the arm. Training this muscle can lead to a variety of benefits, including increased strength and power, improved range of motion, better posture and shoulder stability, reduced risk of injury, and enhanced overall performance.
Strength and Power
The brachialis is an important muscle involved in elbow flexion or curling movements [1]. Training it can lead to improved strength and power in these movements, enabling you to lift heavier weights or increase your speed during sports activities such as throwing a baseball or swinging a golf club.
Range of Motion
As the brachialis is responsible for both shoulder and elbow flexion, training this muscle can help to increase the range of motion in both joints. This is important for improving shoulder stability as well as preventing shoulder and elbow injuries.
Posture and Shoulder Stability
Training the brachialis can also lead to improved posture by strengthening the muscles that support the shoulder joint. This helps to keep your shoulders in the correct alignment and reduce your risk of shoulder injuries.
Reduced Risk of Injury
Strengthening the brachialis muscle can also help to protect your arms from injury by increasing their strength. This is especially important for athletes or anyone involved in physical activities that require a lot of arm movement, such as weight-lifting or throwing a ball.
Enhanced Overall Performance
Finally, training the brachialis muscle can lead to improved overall performance in a variety of activities.
How to Build Your Brachialis Workout
Aside from utilizing upper body compound exercises like the Bent Over Barbell Row, isolation exercises can also effectively build the brachialis muscle.
Examples of effective isolation exercises for the brachialis include the following:
- Hammer Curl Variations
- Dumbbell Reverse Grip Curls
- Dumbbell Cross-Body Hammer Curls
The hand positioning and range of motion of these exercises allow you to perform elbow flexion with minimal involvement from other muscle groups. This ensures that the brachialis is being targeted effectively.
People often wonder if a dedicated bicep curl routine is enough to train the brachialis muscle effectively. Bicep curls can help build strength in the brachialis; however, it’s important to note that bicep curls primarily target the two heads of the biceps muscle.
With that said, if you want to target the brachialis during a bicep curl-focused workout, try using a reverse grip.
6 Best Exercises for the Brachialis With Dumbbells & Handle Band
Let’s overview the best exercises for brachialis workouts:
Hammer Curl
It’s a time-tested arm builder that uses an altered range of motion.
Hammer curls are a classic brachialis exercise that is not to be confused with traditional bicep curls, which train the two heads of the biceps muscle to a higher degree.
Hammer curls use a neutral grip with the palms facing each other during work sets, which varies the training stimulus.
Dumbbell Cross-Body Hammer Curl
Dumbbell cross-body hammer curls are considered an isolation exercise for the biceps and brachialis.
This hammer curl variation uses a neutral grip and a motion that moves the weight from the outside of the hips through the midline of the body.
This motion effectively works the upper arm musculature, even if you choose fast workout programs.
Dumbbell Reverse Grip Bicep Curl
The reverse grip hand position (pronated) of the dumbbell reverse grip bicep curls target the brachialis aggressively, along with challenging grip strength and endurance.
The reverse grip makes it more difficult to lift the same amount of weight that you would normally lift with a supinated position. This means you’ll be lifting lighter weights to get the same training effect.
You may also like: The Ultimate Chest and Bicep Workout to Feel the Pump
Dumbbell Zottman Curl
Dumbbell Zottman curls train the brachialis through a robust eccentric range of motion.
The concentric (lifting) phase of the exercise will work the biceps aggressively, while the eccentric (lowering) phase targets the brachialis.
Resistance Band Lat Pulldown
Resistance band lat pulldowns create higher-level tension that the brachialis muscle overcome during each repetition.
Lat pulldowns are brutally effective for improving arm definition, back width, and overall upper-body strength.
Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are a compound exercise that works the lats, biceps, forearm muscles, grip, and brachialis.
During the pull-up, the brachialis muscle engages fully to translate your body vertically to the overhead bar.
Pull-ups are a hidden gem movement that will build incredible strength and muscle when practiced consistently.
Brachialis Workouts to Try
Training the brachialis can help with the biceps’ hypertrophy. When the brachialis muscle is strong, it allows larger loads to be placed on the biceps, leading to increased muscle activation and growth.
A well-developed brachialis can help to create a more aesthetically pleasing appearance in the upper arm, with greater separation between the biceps and triceps.
Workout #1 – Brachialis Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (sec) |
| Pull-Ups | 3 | failure | 60 |
| Resistance Band Lat Pull Downs | 3 | 15-20 | 60 |
| Resistance Band Hammer Curls | 3 | 12-20 | 60 |
| Dumbbell Reverse Grip Curl | 3 | 8-12 | 60 |
| Dumbbell Zottman Curls | 3 | 8-12 | 60 |
Workout #2 – Biceps & Brachialis Workout
Maximize biceps hypertrophy by choosing a variety of exercises that target the biceps and other muscles of the upper arm in your workout routine, including brachialis.
You may also like: Back and Bicep Workout for Muscle Gain
A well-rounded upper body regimen should include workouts to improve brachialis performance, bicep strength, and muscle mass.
| Circuit A | Sets | Reps | Rest Periods |
| Pull-Ups | 3 | failure | minimal rest between exercises |
| Dumbbell Cross-Body Hammer Curl | 3 | 8-12 | same |
| Reverse Grip Dumbbell Curls | 3 | 8-12 | same |
| Circuit B | Sets | Reps | Rest Periods |
| Resistance Band Lat Pulldown | 3 | 15 | minimal rest between exercises |
| Dumbbell Zottman Curls | 3 | 8-12 | same |
| Hammer Curl | 3 | 8-12 | same |
You must check Muscle Booster, a workout-builder app that builds routines for your goals. Follow your personal workout plan consistently to improve your body composition significantly.
Conclusion
A stronger brachialis allows greater loads to be used with bicep-targeted exercises, leading to an aesthetically pleasing upper body.
Training the brachialis muscle shouldn’t necessarily be a separate workout, but it should surely be a part of your routine if you want to achieve that massive bicep look.
