Below are five of the best bicep exercises for targeting and building your biceps:

1. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curl

To get the most from your traditional bicep curl, perform it alternating. The vast majority of exercisers can lift slightly more total weight when curling one arm at a time than they can if they curl both arms together. And the more weight your biceps curl, the stronger they're going to get.

How to do it: Sit on a 90-degree bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward, arms extended straight toward the floor but not locked out, and shoulders pulled back. From here, slowly lift one weight to the front of your shoulder while keeping your back pressed firmly against the bench and elbow and shoulder stationary. Pause, squeezing your bicep at the top, then slowly reverse the movement to return to start. Repeat on the opposite side.

2. Alternating Incline Dumbbell Curl

This exercise also stretches the long head of the biceps. The more horizontal the bench during your workout, the more the long head of the muscle will be stretched during reps. These are awesome to add to your isolation workout because they truly isolate the biceps muscle.

How to do it: Lie back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward, arms extended straight toward the floor but not locked out, and shoulders pulled back. From here, slowly lift one weight to the front of your shoulder while keeping your back pressed firmly against the bench and elbow and shoulder stationary. Pause, squeezing your bicep at the top, then slowly reverse the movement to return to start. Repeat on the opposite side.

3. Seated Alternating  Hammer Curl

The hammer will typically be our strongest curl during a biceps workout. This is because all of our elbow flexors are actively involved, and the forearm and wrist are in a power position.

How to do it: For this biceps exercise, sit on a 90-degree bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in toward your body, arms extended straight toward the floor, but not locked out, and shoulders pulled back. From here, slowly lift one weight to the front of your shoulder while keeping your back pressed firmly against the bench and elbow and shoulder stationary. Pause, squeezing your bicep at the top, then slowly reverse the movement to return to start. Repeat on the opposite side.

4. Standing Reverse Barbell Curl

It’s worth noting that you won’t be able to curl near as much weight with this variation compared to the other exercises on this list. Don’t be too proud to go light.

How to do it:  Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart holding a barbell with both hands, palms facing in toward your body, arms extended straight toward the floor but not locked out, and shoulders pulled back. From here, slowly lift the weight to the front of your shoulders while keeping your elbows and shoulders stationary. Pause, squeezing your biceps at the top, then slowly reverse the movement to return to start. Repeat on the opposite side.

5. Standing Cable Curl

Cable curls are great when paired with free-weight bicep exercises. While dumbbells and barbells place the greatest amount of force on the biceps when your elbows are bent to 90 degrees, cables keep resistance constant through the entire range of motion. So with this variation, you’ll notice your biceps working a lot harder at the very top and bottom of the movement than they do with dumbbells.

How to do it:  Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart facing a cable station, with a straight handle fixed to the lowest setting. Hold the handle with both hands,shoulder-width apart, palms facing forward, arms extended straight toward the floor but not locked out, and shoulders pulled back. From here, slowly lift the weight to the front of your shoulders while keeping your elbows and shoulders stationary. Pause, squeezing your biceps at the top, then slowly reverse the movement to return to start. Repeat on the opposite side.

Now, if you're ready to head into the gym and get your arms to their biggest and best, adding these bicep exercises to the mix will certainly help your growth. But that's not to say the movements are foolproof. In order to get the most out of your bicep workout, be sure you are properly warming up, squeezing with each rep, and using correct form.