Believe it or not, the biceps muscles were meant for more than just flexing or doing endless amounts of curls. The
biceps is an incredibly strong and functional pulling muscle and should be trained accordingly. Unfortunately popular
lifting culture has led most lifters to believe that the only way to get big arms is to perform every curl variation known
to man. Not true. Ever seen the arms of elite male gymnasts? Their arms are HUGE, and they do very little, if any
direct arm work, but they do a TON of straight arm work that results in strong, functional, and JACKED biceps. So if
you want to fully develop your biceps and take your strength to the next level, start with these 3 straight arm bicep
variations:
BANDED RING FLY
Using two red mini bands (2080*4.5*13mm) and preferably two gymnastic rings, simply loop the bands around the
rings and then loop the band around an anchor point ie. a pull-up bar. Then criss-cross the bands, protract your
shoulders, and perform flys with your arms perfectly straight. You will feel a tremendous amount of tension on the
biceps (especially the lower bicep near the insertion point). The banded ring fly is definitely one of my favorite straight
arm exercises as you can get an awesome pump and easily adjust the resistance simply by walking your body
forward or back.
INCLINE STRAIGHT ARM DB FLY
Another great straight arm exercise that only requires two light/medium weight dumbbells and an incline bench.
Position yourself high on the bench and protract the shoulders. Make sure to lock out the elbows completely to keep
all the tension on the biceps. Emphasize a range or motion that keeps maximal tension on the biceps throughout the
entirety of the rep and fly the dumbbells together at the top.
EXTERNAL ROTATIONS FROM A RING SUPPORT HOLD
A more advanced variation of straight arm strength. Due to the unstable nature of the rings, first make sure you have
the requisite strength to hold a ring support hold for at least 20-30 seconds with proper technique before trying
external rotations. You will notice as you externally rotate the rings, you’ll feel a tremendous amount of tension on
your lower biceps and brachialis muscles. An amazingly simple and effective exercise to really strengthen your
biceps.