6 Brachialis Exercises You Should Know

Everyone that works out in a gym or lifts weights wants bigger biceps, even those who don’t seek it.

However, to get bigger biceps you can’t neglect the brachialis muscle. The brachialis muscle is responsible for the movement of your arm (up and down) as well as forward and back.

Even though it’s a small muscle that runs along your upper arm to your shoulder blade, it actually helps in heavy lifting, especially when you extend or bend at those joints.

However, since the most visible upper arm muscles are the triceps and biceps, the brachialis muscle and other small muscles are often forgotten.

To develop the strongest and most muscular arms possible you need to pay attention to the brachialis muscle. By including some brachialis exercises in your training, you can significantly enhance the size and strength of your upper arms.

In this guide today, we explain what the brachialis muscle is, the brachialis exercises you should add to your strength routine, and how to do them. So, keep reading to learn more.

 

What Is The Brachialis Muscle

The brachialis muscle is situated in the lower anterior part of the upper arm. This muscle is located below the biceps brachii muscle.

The brachialis is one of the largest elbow flexors and helps forearm flexion when the elbow is moved.

The brachialis muscle is known to be a big workhorse as it can contract and produce a lot of force. Since it runs across your upper arm, it is used in a wide range of daily activities, like lifting heavy objects and even opening jars.

 

Brachialis Exercises For Bigger Muscle Size

Because the biceps are related to the brachialis, every time you exercise your bicep, you are potentially working the brachialis muscle.

However, there are some exercises you can do that can target the brachialis muscle more than others. This largely comes down to your arm or wrist posture during the workout.

Below are the best brachialis exercises you should add to your training when wanting to strengthen the brachialis muscle.

 

Hammer Curls
The hammer curls are a great exercise to strengthen your biceps and forearms and can help strengthen the brachialis muscle.

To do this exercise:

1. Stand with weights (dumbbells) in each hand.
2. Turn your palms inwards (knuckles facing each other)
3. Keep your thumbs raised.
4. Lift the weights past a 90-degree elbow bend
5. Slowly return to the starting position.

 

Reverse Grip Barbell Curls
The reverse grip barbell curls are usually considered a forearm exercise. However, the motion of the movement helps target your brachialis

To do this exercise:

1. Put your hands on a barbell, shoulder width apart
2. Reverse your grip so your palms are facing downwards
3. Curl the barbell up until it is close to chin height and keep elbows in a fixed position
4. Slowly return to the starting position ( Relaxed straight arms)

 

Chin-ups With A Neutral Grip
Chin-ups are often referred to as a back exercise. However, they also are great for an arm-building workout. They are also effective in strengthening the brachialis muscle when a neutral grip is used.

To do this exercise:

1. First, position yourself under a parallel grip chin-up bar.
2. Jump up and hold the chin-up bar in a neutral position
3. Bend your arms and pull your chin up over the bar
4. Keep a controlled motion and don’t let yourself fall toward the bar.
5. Slowly lower yourself back down and repeat for the desired reps.

 

Zottman Curls
The Zottman curl workout not only works the forearms but also the bicep muscles. They also work many parts of the arms which can help build larger muscles faster than other types of curls.

To do this exercise:

1. Position yourself standing with a dumbbell in each hand at your side. Make sure your palms face inwards.
2. While keeping your spine straight, lift the dumbbells while keeping your elbows in a fixed position.
3. As you reach halfway, supinate your hands so your palms face the ceiling.
4. Hold for a few seconds and then pronate your hands so your palms face away from you and gently lower the weights.
5. Rotate your palms back to the starting position and repeat.

 

Prone Incline Dumbbell Curls
The prone incline dumbbell curl is a good exercise for reducing the load on the biceps and activating the brachialis more.

To do this exercise:

1. Set yourself up on a bench with your chest resting on the backrest.
2. Hang the weights from your shoulders.
3. Curl them up towards the body by bending your elbows.
4. Slowly return to the handing position. However, don’t fully extend the arms.

To make this exercise target the brachialis more. Try varying the hand position like the Zottman curls.

 

Preacher Curls
The preacher curl is often used by bodybuilders to strengthen the brachialis muscle. As this exercise helps the brachialis muscle work more efficiently with each movement.

To do this exercise:

1. Place your upper arms against the armrest of a bench.
2. Hold the barbell or dumbbells in an underhand position
3. Position your arms slightly less than shoulder width.
4. Bend your arms from the elbows and curl the weight until they are vertical.
5. Return to the starting position.

Make sure when performing this workout to keep your upper body stable.

 

Final Words

While it is easy to focus on the tricep and biceps all the time. Try not to forget to focus on adding some brachialis exercises to your arm workout days. It will help promote stronger arm muscles and help you get those bigger arms you have been looking for. If you are unsure about how to perform these brachialis exercises, reach out to a personal trainer. they can help guide you through the exercises, and make sure you are doing them with proper form.