When untrained adults want bigger biceps, doing simple curl exercises works better than doing rows that use multiple muscles at once.

37

Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

37

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37

Single-Joint Exercise Results in Higher Hypertrophy of Elbow Flexors Than Multijoint Exercise

Cohort Study

Human

2021 Oct 1

The study compared two types of arm exercises - a bicep curl (single joint) versus a dumbbell row (multiple joints) - and found the bicep curl made the arm muscles grow about twice as much (11% vs 5%) after 8 weeks of training.

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Source Study

Single-Joint Exercise Results in Higher Hypertrophy of Elbow Flexors Than Multijoint Exercise

Score: 37

DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003234

Similar Assertions

If you want bigger biceps, you should focus on exercises that only move your elbow (like bicep curls) instead of exercises that involve multiple joints (like pull-ups).

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When people want to build bigger biceps, they should focus on bicep curls rather than compound movements like pull-ups that work multiple muscle groups at once.

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Doing bicep curls leads to bigger arm muscles (11% growth) than doing dumbbell rows (5% growth) after training for 8 weeks, at least in men who haven't exercised before.

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When men who hadn't trained before did bicep curls (a single-joint exercise) for 8 weeks, their arm muscles grew about 11%. But when they did dumbbell rows (a multi-joint exercise) instead, their muscles only grew about 5%.

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When untrained men do arm curls for 8 weeks, their biceps get thicker (about 11%). But when they do dumbbell rows instead, their biceps only grow about half as much (about 5%).

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