Looking to strengthen and sculpt your biceps? Dumbbells are the way to go.

Image Credit: MesquitaFMS/E+/GettyImages When you ask someone to flex, you’ll watch them raise their arm and flash their biceps. Given the fitness world’s adoration for this muscle group, it’s no shock that there are tons of biceps exercise variations out there.

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 Whether you choose to play with negatives, isometric holds or drop sets, you'll need to start with a few fundamental moves. On your next arm day, Mathew Forzaglia, certified personal trainer and founder of Forzag Fitness on the NEOU App, recommends you give these dumbbell exercises a try.

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 1. Dumbbell Biceps Curl      
        Activity
       
        Dumbbell Workout
      
        Body Part
       
        Arms

Begin standing or seated with a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thigh. Your palms will face out. Lift the weights up toward the your chest. Lower the weight back with control.

  Show Instructions
  Tip Make this move even more effective by making it a concentration curl. It recruits the most muscle and promotes the most muscle growth, according to a study by the American Council on Exercise.

Place your right elbow against the inside of your right thigh, arm fully extended. Leaning forward a bit, curl the weight up toward the right side of your chest, using your leg to keep the elbow in place. 2. Dumbbell Hammer Curl
Activity

        Dumbbell Workout
      
        Body Part
       
        Arms

Begin standing tall with your arms at your sides, holding a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing in toward each other. Brace your core and curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders, holding the weights vertical. Keeping your elbows at your sides, slowly lower the weights back down with control.

  Show Instructions
  3. Dumbbell Reverse Curl      
        Activity
       
        Dumbbell Workout
      
        Body Part
       
        Arms

Stand tall with elbows at your sides, back flat and core engaged. Hold a pair of dumbbells in each hand with your palm facing down. On an inhale, curl the dumbbells up to your shoulder, keeping the overhand grip. Then, lower the weight back down to your sides with control, maintaining your elbows close to your sides.

  Show Instructions
  4. Dumbbell Alternating Curl      
        Activity
       
        Dumbbell Workout
      
        Body Part
       
        Arms

Begin standing with your arms at your sides, feet hip-width apart. Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Keeping your elbow close to your side, curl your right dumbbell up toward your shoulder, then control the weight back down. Then, curl the left dumbbell to the left shoulder, lowering the weight with control. Alternate back and forth, keeping your elbows close to your sides.

  Show Instructions
  Tip You can make the alternating curl more challenging by performing the exercise either kneeling or seated and slightly reclined. These positions prevent you from using the momentum of the weight (a common biceps curl mistake) to raise it up, making the move more difficult.

  1. Dumbbell Curl to Press
    Activity

         Dumbbell Workout

     Body Part

     Arms

Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing out. Curl the weights up to your chest. Flip your palms to face outward at shoulder-height. Press the weights up overhead, keeping your shoulders down and away from your ears. Lower the weights back down to your shoulders. Flip your palms to face your body, then lower your weights all the way back down to the start.

  Show Instructions
  
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  references
  
      ACE: "ACE Study Reveals Best Biceps Exercises"
    
      ACE: "7 Techniques for Promoting Muscle Growth"
       




  references
  
      ACE: "ACE Study Reveals Best Biceps Exercises"
    
      ACE: "7 Techniques for Promoting Muscle Growth"
    




Looking to strengthen and sculpt your biceps? Dumbbells are the way to go.

Image Credit: MesquitaFMS/E+/GettyImages

Image Credit: MesquitaFMS/E+/GettyImages

        Activity
       
        Dumbbell Workout
      
        Body Part
       
        Arms

Begin standing or seated with a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thigh. Your palms will face out. Lift the weights up toward the your chest. Lower the weight back with control.

  Show Instructions
  


        Activity
       
        Dumbbell Workout
      
        Body Part
       
        Arms

Make this move even more effective by making it a concentration curl. It recruits the most muscle and promotes the most muscle growth, according to a study by the American Council on Exercise. Place your right elbow against the inside of your right thigh, arm fully extended. Leaning forward a bit, curl the weight up toward the right side of your chest, using your leg to keep the elbow in place.

Place your right elbow against the inside of your right thigh, arm fully extended. Leaning forward a bit, curl the weight up toward the right side of your chest, using your leg to keep the elbow in place.

Begin standing tall with your arms at your sides, holding a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing in toward each other. Brace your core and curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders, holding the weights vertical. Keeping your elbows at your sides, slowly lower the weights back down with control.

  Show Instructions

Stand tall with elbows at your sides, back flat and core engaged. Hold a pair of dumbbells in each hand with your palm facing down. On an inhale, curl the dumbbells up to your shoulder, keeping the overhand grip. Then, lower the weight back down to your sides with control, maintaining your elbows close to your sides.

  Show Instructions

Begin standing with your arms at your sides, feet hip-width apart. Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Keeping your elbow close to your side, curl your right dumbbell up toward your shoulder, then control the weight back down. Then, curl the left dumbbell to the left shoulder, lowering the weight with control. Alternate back and forth, keeping your elbows close to your sides.

  Show Instructions

You can make the alternating curl more challenging by performing the exercise either kneeling or seated and slightly reclined. These positions prevent you from using the momentum of the weight (a common biceps curl mistake) to raise it up, making the move more difficult.

Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing out. Curl the weights up to your chest. Flip your palms to face outward at shoulder-height. Press the weights up overhead, keeping your shoulders down and away from your ears. Lower the weights back down to your shoulders. Flip your palms to face your body, then lower your weights all the way back down to the start.

  Show Instructions
  


      ACE: "ACE Study Reveals Best Biceps Exercises"
    
      ACE: "7 Techniques for Promoting Muscle Growth"