Boost Your Strength by Correcting Bicep Workout Mistakes

Understand common bicep workout mistakes

If you feel like your arm training has stalled, or your elbows are starting to complain, you are probably making some of the same bicep workout mistakes that many lifters fall into. Small issues in form, tempo, and exercise selection can quietly limit your gains and increase your risk of injury over time.

Below, you will walk through the most common errors experts see in bicep workouts, plus clear fixes you can use in your next session.

Mistake 1: Rushing every repetition

Speedy curls look impressive in the mirror, but they often bypass the biceps and shift the work to momentum and joints. Jeff Cavaliere of Athlean-X highlights lifting too quickly as a key mistake in biceps training.

When you race through reps:

Your muscles spend less time under tension
You lose control at the top and bottom of the curl
Your shoulders and lower back start to help more than they should

How to fix your tempo

Try this simple tempo guideline from Cavaliere:

4 seconds up (concentric)
4 seconds down (eccentric)

You probably will need to drop the weight a bit, but your biceps will do far more of the work.

Focus on:

Starting each rep from a dead stop, no bouncing
Pausing briefly at the top to feel the squeeze
Lowering the weight with the same control you used to lift it

Slowing down also makes it easier to spot form issues before they turn into nagging aches.

Mistake 2: Ignoring the eccentric phase

Even if you slow your reps a little, you might still be “dumping” the weight on the way down. The eccentric, or lowering part of the curl, is where a lot of muscle growth happens.

The Born Tough blog notes that ignoring the eccentric phase is a common bicep training error that can limit hypertrophy and overall strength gains.

How to use eccentrics for growth

You can make the eccentric work for you without turning every set into a marathon:

Count a full “one-two-three” in your head as you lower the weight
Keep your elbows fixed as the forearms uncurl
Stop just short of locking out your elbows to keep some tension

You can also add an occasional “eccentric-focused” set, where you help the weight up with both arms and lower it slowly with one arm. Use a lighter load so you stay in control from start to finish.

Mistake 3: Cheating with your back and shoulders

Leaning back, swinging the weight, and heaving the bar up will let you lift more, but your biceps pay the price. The Born Tough guide points out that cheating like this often shifts the strain to your front deltoids and turns curls into a weird mix of shoulder raises and back extensions.

A Reddit user described the same problem in 2013. They thought they were just “helping a bit with the back” to curl heavier, but realized their biceps were barely working once they watched a form video and corrected their technique.

Signs you are using momentum

You might be cheating if:

Your torso rocks back and forth during every rep
The bar or dumbbells “jerk” off the bottom instead of gliding up
You feel soreness in your lower back or front shoulders instead of in your biceps

How to fix your form

Try this checklist for strict curls:

Stand tall with a slight bend in your knees
Brace your core like someone is about to poke your stomach
Keep your upper arms in line with your torso
Move only at the elbow, not at the shoulder or spine

If you cannot keep this position, reduce the weight until you can control every rep from start to finish.

Mistake 4: Locking your elbows to your hips

You often hear “keep your elbows pinned” during curls, but taking that cue too literally can backfire. In one discussion, a lifter realized that locking their elbows against their hips and swinging their back meant their biceps were doing very little of the work.

When your elbows are glued to your body:

Your range of motion can become short and choppy
You may lean back and use hip drive to get the weight up
Your biceps do less work at the bottom of the curl

The right way to stabilize your elbows

You want your elbows:

Stable, not rigid
Near your sides, but not jammed into your hips

Think “hovering” instead of “pinned.” Let your elbows stay under your wrists, and keep them roughly under your shoulders when viewed from the side. This way your biceps stay engaged, but your body does not have to contort to move the weight.

Mistake 5: Holding your wrists straight or limp

Your wrists are not just bystanders during curls. Cavaliere notes that curling with straight or floppy wrists reduces biomechanical efficiency and limits how hard your biceps can contract.

He recommends using a strong wrist extension position, similar to how your hand looks during a “waiter’s curl,” where you are holding a tray.

Why wrist position matters

When your wrists are slightly extended and strong:

Your forearms support the load better
Your biceps can generate stronger contractile forces
You reduce stress on your tendons and smaller forearm muscles

How to set your wrists

On each rep:

Grip the bar or dumbbell firmly, but do not over squeeze
Slightly extend your wrists, as if you are lifting the knuckles up a bit
Maintain that position throughout the curl, especially at the top

If your wrists keep collapsing, lighten the load and rebuild your strength with this better alignment.

Mistake 6: Skipping variety in curl angles

Doing only one type of curl is another common bicep workout mistake. Your biceps have different regions that respond to different positions of your upper arm.

Cavaliere points out that:

Curls with your arms slightly behind your body tend to emphasize the long head of the biceps
Curls with your arms slightly in front of your body shift more emphasis to the short head

The Born Tough guide echoes this, noting that using only one curl variation limits how fully you can develop the muscle.

Simple ways to add variety

You do not need a huge playlist of exercises in a single workout. Instead, rotate through these positions over weeks:

Arms behind torso
Incline dumbbell curls
Arms by your sides
Standing dumbbell or barbell curls
Arms slightly in front
Preacher curls or spider curls

Over time, this helps you build fuller, more balanced biceps without overcomplicating your program.

Mistake 7: Overloading supination incorrectly

Twisting your forearm, or supinating, is one of the main jobs of the biceps. If you ignore this, you miss out on a big piece of what makes the muscle strong.

Cavaliere recommends “overloading supination” in your curls by using your grip to create a seesaw effect that increases biceps activation.

How to use supination properly

Try this grip tweak with dumbbells:

Start with a neutral grip, palms facing your thighs.
As you curl up, rotate your palms to face the ceiling.
Slightly shift your grip so the thumb side of your hand presses more into the handle, which makes the pinky side “lift” a bit higher.

This small change can increase the tension on the biceps without needing more weight.

Mistake 8: Neglecting warm up and cooldown

Jumping straight into heavy curls or finishing your workout without any stretching can gradually wear on your tendons. Upper limb specialist Dimitrios Tsekes notes that sudden heavy loading and constant overuse, especially without proper preparation, can lead to biceps tendon wear and even tears.

He emphasizes that failing to warm up and stretch for at least five minutes before and after exercise raises your injury risk.

What a simple warm up looks like

Before you pick up a bar:

Do 3 to 5 minutes of light cardio, such as brisk walking or easy cycling
Perform dynamic arm circles and gentle band pull-aparts
Start with 1 to 2 light sets of curls to practice your form

After your workout, spend a few minutes on:

Gentle biceps and forearm stretches
Shoulder mobility drills, such as wall slides

These small steps can keep your elbows and shoulders happier long term.

Mistake 9: Using risky isolation work without good technique

Isolation moves for biceps, such as dumbbell curls, incline curls, EZ-bar preacher curls, and concentration curls, can be very effective. However, Tsekes notes that these isolated exercises carry a higher injury risk when your form is off, especially for your biceps tendon.

Choose safer options while you learn

While you are improving your technique, you can lean on options that share the load with nearby muscles:

Hammer curls that engage the brachialis as well as the biceps
Standing resistance band curls
Cable rope hammer curls with a steady, constant load

Tsekes explains that barbell curls in particular put extra stress on the long head of the biceps tendon. If your form or mobility is not great, this extra stress can raise injury risk. In contrast, constant-tension options like bands and cable hammer curls that focus on the brachialis can reduce strain and improve flexion power.

You do not have to avoid barbells forever, but it helps to earn them by getting your technique solid first.

Mistake 10: Ignoring pain and warning signs

One of the most serious bicep workout mistakes is pushing through sharp or unusual pain. According to Tsekes, certain symptoms can signal a biceps tendon tear or other significant injury that needs urgent medical attention.

Watch for:

Sudden sharp pain during or after a set
Weakness when you rotate your arm or turn your palm up
A “pop” sound in your arm
Bruising around your upper arm or elbow
A visible bulge in the upper arm, sometimes called a “Popeye muscle”

If you notice any of these, stop training and seek urgent consultation with an upper limb specialist to prevent the issue from worsening. Do not try to “train through” this kind of pain.

Mistake 11: Training only heavy or only light

Sticking to a single rep range is another way to limit your progress. RP Strength’s science-based bicep guide notes that using only heavy sets in the 5 to 10 rep range, or only very light sets in the 20 to 30 rep range, means you miss the advantages of moderate work.

They highlight the 10 to 20 rep range as especially useful for biceps growth, since it balances:

Muscle stimulus
Fatigue management
Injury risk
Mind muscle connection

How to balance your rep ranges

Over a week or training block, try to include:

Some moderate sets, 10 to 20 reps, as your main biceps work
Occasional heavier sets, 5 to 10 reps, when your joints feel good
Higher rep “pump” work, 15 to 25 reps, with lighter weights to finish a session

You do not need all three in one workout, but including some variety across time keeps your muscles and joints progressing.

Mistake 12: Skimping on rest between sets

If you rush from set to set with almost no rest, you might feel like you are working harder. In reality, you could be limiting how much quality work your biceps can perform. RP Strength points out that resting too little does not allow enough recovery for a productive next set, while resting too long wastes time without adding benefits.

How long to rest for biceps

Your ideal rest will depend on your exercise and how heavy you are training, but as a general guide:

Heavier barbell or dumbbell curls
Rest 1 to 2 minutes
Moderate or lighter isolation curls
Rest 30 to 90 seconds

Use the lower end if you feel ready and your performance stays consistent. If your reps drop sharply from set to set, you might need a bit more rest.

Mistake 13: Cutting the range of motion short

Another frequent bicep workout mistake is baby reps that never fully straighten or fully flex the arm. RP Strength notes that limiting range of motion reduces both growth and can increase injury risk.

When you stop halfway:

You miss the deep stretch at the bottom that is great for hypertrophy
You skip the near full contraction at the top
You may overload a narrow band of the joint instead of distributing stress

How to use a full, safe range of motion

Aim for:

Lowering until your elbows are nearly straight, but not hyperextended
Curling up until your forearms are roughly vertical or just past that point
Keeping tension on the muscle throughout, no resting at the bottom or top

If you cannot control the weight through this full arc, drop the load and rebuild. Your joints and your biceps will both benefit.

Mistake 14: Doing too many exercises in one session

You might feel like your biceps will grow faster if you pile on every curl variation you know. However, RP Strength explains that doing more than three different biceps exercises in a single workout is usually unnecessary and can be inefficient.

Overloading one session with endless variations:

Adds fatigue more than it adds stimulus
Makes it hard to track what is actually working
Burns through good exercise options that you could save for future training blocks

How to structure a simple biceps workout

In most cases, you can pick:

1 main curl variation, for example standing dumbbell curls
1 secondary variation that hits a different angle, for example incline curls or hammer curls

Do a few focused sets of each with solid technique and you will likely get more from your training than from marathon curl circuits.

Mistake 15: Ignoring how back training affects your biceps

Your biceps rarely work alone. Pull ups, rows, and other back exercises all demand effort from your elbow flexors. RP Strength notes that failing to adjust your direct biceps training based on how much indirect work they get from back training can hinder both.

If your biceps are always sore or tired, your pulling performance might suffer, and unrecovered biceps can limit how hard you can train your back.

How to balance back and biceps

Take a look at your week:

If you do a lot of pull ups, heavy rows, or lat pulldowns, you may not need a high volume of direct curls
If your back volume is modest or you are a beginner, a bit more direct biceps work may be helpful

You can adjust by:

Reducing the number of sets on biceps-only days when your back work is high
Scheduling your hardest biceps workout on a day that is lighter for back training

Listening to your recovery, not just your routine on paper, will help you avoid overuse issues.

Putting it all together: A cleaner, safer biceps session

Here is an example of how you could set up a smarter biceps-focused workout that avoids the most common mistakes:

Warm up

3 to 5 minutes light cardio
Dynamic arm swings and band pull-aparts
1 light set of curls for 15 to 20 easy reps

Main movement, 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Standing dumbbell curls
4 seconds up, 4 seconds down
Elbows hovering by your sides, wrists slightly extended

Secondary movement, 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps

Hammer curls or cable rope hammer curls
Controlled tempo, no swinging

Optional variation, 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Incline curls or preacher curls, if your joints feel good and your form is solid

Cooldown

Gentle biceps and forearm stretches for 3 to 5 minutes

You can adjust sets, reps, and choices to your level, but if you keep the principles in mind, you will avoid most bicep workout mistakes and set yourself up for better strength and growth.

Start by fixing just one issue in your next session, such as slowing your tempo or stabilizing your elbows. Once that feels natural, layer in another improvement. Over time, these small form upgrades add up to bigger, stronger, and healthier arms.