Think you’ve got your biceps and forearm training nailed? It might be time to think again.

When Dr Andrew Huberman trained with Athlean-X’s Jeff Cavaliere at Gold’s Gym Venice in a YouTube video, the latter shared eight different techniques designed to improve the stimulus placed on the biceps, brachialis and forearms. From offsetting your grip and twisting the dumbbell to using mechanical drop sets, Cavaliere explains how small changes in execution can potentially lead to better gains.

1/ Offset Your Grip

Pick up almost any dumbbell and you’ll probably grip it dead centre so the weight is evenly distributed. Cavaliere suggests doing the opposite.

Because the biceps contract hardest when the wrist moves towards the shoulder and the thumb rotates away from the body, shifting your hand position can increase the challenge of the curl.

‘What I like to do is shift the dumbbell on my hand towards the thumb side,’ he says. ‘It puts a disproportionate amount of the weight down, pulling me into pronation. So I have to resist that supination while curling at the same time.’

That offset grip forces the forearm and biceps to work harder to stabilise the dumbbell through the rep.

2/ Alternate Curls When the Weights Get Heavy

Performing curls with both arms simultaneously works well with lighter weights, but Cavaliere says heavier dumbbells bring your core more heavily into the exercise.

‘Doing two at a time is going to be a much more difficult multidimensional exercise than going one at a time,’ he explains.

Alternating reps can help keep tension focused on the working arm.

3/ Add a Twist at the Top

To further exaggerate the thumb-away positioning, Cavaliere suggests adding a slight twist at the top of each rep.

‘When I curl, I’ll do a little bit of a twist towards that working side,’ he says. ‘It gives you more stability to perform the exercise and helps lock the movement in.’

4/ Position Your Shoulders Properly

‘Remember, the biceps cross the shoulder. They’re influenced by shoulder positioning,’ Cavaliere explains.

Using an EZ-bar preacher curl machine as an example, he says positioning yourself properly over the pad helps create a safer, more stable setup while still allowing a full stretch at the bottom of the movement.

‘Now when I’m down, I get a good stretch and full extension,’ he says. ‘As I curl up, I’m just going to let the weight lift almost straight towards the ceiling.’

5/ Keep Your Elbows Fixed

To target the long head of the biceps effectively during incline curls, Cavaliere says the elbows should stay as still as possible.

‘A lot of times people cheat themselves through that exercise by driving the elbows forwards,’ he says. ‘Keep them fixed and only allow them to move slightly right at the top.’

6/ Use Mechanical Drop Sets

Continuing with the incline curl, Cavaliere recommends using mechanical drop sets to extend a set without changing the weight.

‘The theory behind a mechanical drop set is that you change body position to put yourself in a more advantageous position so you can continue the set,’ he explains.

For example, starting with incline curls before sitting upright and eventually leaning forwards into drag curls changes leverage and allows additional reps even after fatigue has set in.

7/ Pronate to Target the Brachialis

While Cavaliere likes hammer curls, he suggests pronating the forearm slightly to place even more emphasis on the brachialis.

‘If one of the secondary functions of the biceps is to supinate, we can quiet it down and make the brachialis work harder by pronating the forearm,’ he says.

Dragging the movement slightly across the body can also help reduce stress on the forearms.

8/ Finish with Forearm Bar Twists

As a finisher, Cavaliere likes adding forearm-specific work by rolling a barbell back and forth through the hands until fatigue sets in.

‘When I’m turning forwards, I’m getting flexion. When I turn backwards, I’m getting extension,’ he says.

Rather than stopping once fatigue hits, Cavaliere recommends reversing direction to challenge the forearms through a different range.