Brachialis Muscle Exercises: 10 Moves for Bigger, Wider Arms

Your biceps might look fine from the side but flat and narrow from the front. That gap usually comes down to one muscle hiding underneath: the brachialis.

Grow it, and it physically pushes your biceps up and out, so your whole arm looks thicker.

The fix is not more standard curls. The right brachialis muscle exercises use a specific grip and tempo to shift the work off your biceps and onto the muscle that actually adds width.

Below are 10 of them, from dumbbell-only moves to at-home band and bodyweight options.

Key Takeaways

• The brachialis sits under your biceps. When it grows, it pushes them up for wider-looking arms and a taller peak.
• Neutral (hammer) and pronated (reverse) grips target it best. A palms-up grip sends the work back to your biceps.
• Slow, controlled reps beat heavy swinging. Your stronger biceps take over when you rush.
• You can train it anywhere: dumbbells, a cable, a resistance band, or just a pull-up bar.
• Train it 2 to 3 times a week, either as a few dedicated sets or a finisher on arm or pull day.

What Is the Brachialis (and Why It Makes Arms Look Bigger)

The muscle most responsible for arm width is one you can barely see.

Where it is

The brachialis sits underneath your biceps, running from the front of your upper arm bone across the elbow.

Its one job is bending your elbow. Unlike the biceps, it crosses only the elbow joint, according to StatPearls, so it does nothing at the shoulder.

It works on every curl

The brachialis attaches to the ulna, the forearm bone that stays put when you rotate your wrist.

Because of that, it cannot help turn your palm up or down, so it keeps firing on every curl no matter how you grip the bar.

What changes with grip is how much your biceps pitch in, which is the lever you will use next.

Why it makes your arms bigger

Since it sits below the biceps, adding size to the brachialis pushes the biceps upward and outward. The payoff is a wider arm from the front and a taller bicep peak.

It is also the strongest of your elbow flexors, thanks to its size and leverage, so training it helps your pulling strength too.

How to Actually Target the Brachialis: Grip and Tempo

Two small changes decide whether a curl builds your biceps or your brachialis.

Grip is a spectrum, not a switch

Turn your palms up and your biceps take over, because rotating the palm up is one of the biceps’ main jobs.

Switch to a neutral, palms-facing hammer grip and the biceps lose that advantage, so more of the load shifts to the brachialis.

Go all the way to palms-down and you bring your forearm in too, which is why reverse and hammer moves fill this list.

Tempo: slow down to actually feel it

The brachialis is easy to miss because your biceps are stronger and love to take charge.

Lower the weight slowly, especially through the back half of each rep, and the tension stays where you want it. Fast, heavy, swinging reps hand the work straight back to the biceps and momentum.

Keep your elbows still

Let your elbows drift forward and the movement turns into a front-delt exercise instead. Pin them to your sides. The brachialis does most of its work in the lower-to-middle part of the curl, so put your effort there rather than at the very top.

1. Dumbbell Hammer Curl

The hammer curl is the move every coach agrees on, and you only need one pair of dumbbells.

Hold them with a neutral grip, palms facing each other, and that grip splits the work between your biceps and brachialis.

• Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your sides.
• Keep your elbows pinned and curl both dumbbells toward your shoulders.
• Pause at the top, then lower slowly under control.

Do it seated if you tend to swing. Best for anyone starting brachialis work. Skip it if all you own is a barbell, and jump to the reverse curl below instead.

2. Cross-Body Hammer Curl

Curl across your body instead of straight up and you cut the biceps out even more. The changed angle forces the brachialis to do more of the lifting, which is why coaches reach for this one when arm width is the goal.

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip.
• Curl one dumbbell across your torso toward the opposite shoulder.
• Lower it slowly, then repeat on the other side.

Keep the working elbow tucked against your ribs so it does not swing. Compared to a standard hammer curl, this version uses the same grip but isolates the brachialis harder, so expect to go a little lighter.

3. Reverse Curl (EZ-Bar or Barbell)

Flipping your palms to face down is the single biggest grip change you can make for the brachialis. The pronated grip also pulls in your forearm extensors, so your whole lower arm grows alongside it.

• Grip an EZ-bar or barbell shoulder-width with your palms facing down.
• Keep your elbows close and curl the bar to your shoulders.
• Lower it under control without rocking.

Expect to use noticeably lighter weight here than on a normal curl. One honest caveat: a full reverse grip can tire out your wrists and forearms before your brachialis is done.

If your wrists complain, use the angled grip of an EZ-bar or switch to neutral. Best for lifters who want the most direct pronated hit.

4. Zottman Curl

The Zottman curl trains your biceps on the way up and your brachialis on the way down, all in one rep. You curl up with your palms up, rotate them to face down at the top, then lower slowly.

• Curl dumbbells up with a regular palms-up grip.
• At the top, rotate your wrists so your palms face down.
• Lower the dumbbells slowly in this flipped grip, then rotate back at the bottom.

The magic is in a slow negative, because that lowering phase is the brachialis half of the movement. If you want balanced arms from a single exercise, this is the one to pick.

5. Hammer Preacher Curl

If you can never quite feel your brachialis working, pin your arm to a preacher pad and the guessing stops. The pad removes momentum, so the muscle has nowhere to hide.

• Set up on a preacher bench with a dumbbell in a neutral grip.
• Rest the back of your upper arm flat on the pad.
• Curl to the top, then lower until your arm is fully straight for a deep stretch.

Jam your armpit into the pad to kill any bounce, and work one arm at a time for even more focus. No preacher bench? An incline bench set upright works too.

If you have never felt your brachialis fire, start here.

6. Reverse Cable Curl

A cable keeps constant tension on your brachialis from the bottom of the rep to the top, which free weights cannot do. That makes it a perfect finisher when your arms are already tired.

• Attach a straight or EZ bar to a low pulley and grip it palms-down.
• Set your elbows at your sides and curl to your shoulders.
• Resist the cable on the way back down.

Swap in a rope handle and neutral grip for a hammer-style pull if your wrists prefer it. Run it for 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps at the end of arm day.

Skip it if you have no cable machine and use the band version at number 10 instead.

7. Neutral-Grip Chin-Up or Pull-Up

You do not need curls to build your brachialis. Every neutral or close-grip pull-up hammers it with your full bodyweight, making it one of the most overloaded ways to train the muscle.

• Grab a bar with a neutral, palms-facing grip or a close overhand grip.
• Pull your chest toward the bar, driving your elbows down toward your body.
• Lower yourself slowly under control.

Cannot do a full pull-up yet? Loop a band under your feet for assistance, or do inverted rows under a low bar. Where a curl isolates the brachialis, a pull-up overloads it, so it earns a spot in any serious arm plan.

8. Neutral-Grip Row

Your brachialis is working hard on every neutral-grip row, which is part of why your arms grow on a good back day. Any row done with your palms facing in counts.

• Set up a single-arm dumbbell row or a seated cable row with a close, neutral-grip handle.
• Drive your elbow back and squeeze at the top, without shrugging your shoulder up.
• Lower the weight under control.

A closer, palms-in grip biases your arm flexors more than a wide, palms-down row. Machine rows with a neutral handle work just as well if you train at a commercial gym.

Already row on back day? Add a neutral-grip variation and your brachialis is covered with no extra arm work.

9. Incline Dumbbell Hammer Curl

A standing hammer curl goes light at the bottom, leaving the stretched position untrained. Lie back on a low incline so your arms hang behind you, and you load the brachialis exactly where it usually gets a break.

• Set an adjustable bench to a low incline, around 15 to 30 degrees.
• Sit back with a dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging, neutral grip.
• Curl up with a hammer grip, focusing on the deep stretch at the bottom.

Pair this stretch-focused move with the reverse cable curl, which loads the top, and you cover the full range. Most guides skip this one, and that is their loss. It is the best stretch-position brachialis exercise you can do.

10. Resistance Band Hammer Curl

No dumbbells, no gym, no problem. A resistance band gives you a neutral-grip curl with tension that climbs as you pull, which is ideal for training at home.

• Stand on the middle of the band and hold a handle in each hand, palms facing in.
• Curl the handles to your shoulders against the band’s resistance.
• Lower slowly, and use a palms-down grip for a band reverse curl.

No band either? A rolled towel looped through a loaded backpack works as an improvised weight. Bands are hardest at the top, which neatly fills the dumbbell’s weak spot.

For a full routine, see our resistance band exercises for your arms. Best for home workouts and travel.

How to Program Brachialis Training

You do not need a separate brachialis day. A little focused volume folded into your arm or pull sessions is enough to see a difference.

Train it 2 to 3 times a week. For a dedicated hit, do 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps of one or two moves from this list. If you would rather keep things simple, add a single brachialis exercise as a 2 to 3 set finisher of 6 to 8 reps at the end of arm day.

The smartest setup covers both ends of the range. Swap one of your usual palms-up curls for a hammer or reverse variation, then add one stretch move and one peak move.

Drop this simple weekly template into your dumbbell arm workout:

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell hammer curl	3	8 to 12
Reverse curl (EZ-bar)	3	10 to 12
Incline dumbbell hammer curl	2	10 to 12
Reverse cable curl (finisher)	2	12 to 15

Add a little weight or a rep or two each week, and keep the tempo controlled. Progress comes from doing these consistently, not from chasing heavy singles.

Common Mistakes That Keep Your Brachialis From Growing

If you have trained your brachialis and seen nothing, the problem is almost always your grip, tempo, or load, not your genetics. Here are the errors that stall it, and how to fix each one.

• Curling only palms-up: A supinated grip favors the biceps every time. Add neutral and pronated grips so the brachialis actually gets loaded.
• Going too heavy and swinging: The stronger biceps and momentum steal the work when the weight is too much. Drop the load, slow down, and add a pause at the bottom.
• Rushing the negative: The lowering phase is where the brachialis earns its keep. Take 2 to 3 seconds to lower every rep.
• Letting your elbows drift forward: That turns your curl into a front-delt movement. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides.
• Training only the top of the curl: Half reps miss the stretched position. Add a move like the incline hammer curl to cover it.

One more thing: warm up and leave the ego at the door on reverse curls. A brachialis or biceps strain can linger for months.

FAQs

Why won’t my brachialis grow?

Usually it is a grip, tempo, or load problem, not genetics. A palms-up grip and heavy swinging let your biceps take over. Switch to neutral or pronated grips, go lighter, slow your reps down, and train it directly at least twice a week.

Can I train my brachialis at home without equipment?

Yes. Neutral-grip pull-ups and rows hit it hard using just a bar, and a resistance band or a loaded backpack lets you do hammer and reverse curls anywhere. You do not need a gym or dumbbells to build it.

Is the brachialis stronger than the biceps?

Yes. Even though the biceps gets all the visual credit, the brachialis is the strongest of your elbow flexors. Its larger size lets it quietly power much of your curling and pulling strength from underneath.

What grip works the brachialis best?

Neutral (hammer) and pronated (reverse or overhand) grips work it best. Both reduce how much your biceps can help, shifting the load onto the brachialis. A palms-up, supinated grip does the opposite and sends the work back to your biceps.

How often should I train my brachialis?

Two to three times a week is plenty. That can be a few dedicated sets of hammer or reverse curls, or just one brachialis move added as a finisher to your regular arm or pull day. Recovery matters, so avoid daily heavy work.

Bottom Line

Bigger, wider arms come down to one hidden muscle and two simple levers. Train the brachialis with a neutral or pronated grip and a slow, controlled tempo, and it will push your biceps up for that thicker look from every angle.

If you are starting from scratch, keep it simple. Pick three moves, a dumbbell hammer curl, a reverse curl, and a neutral-grip pull-up or row, and run them twice a week.

Swap a couple of your palms-up curls for these, give it 6 to 8 weeks, and watch your arms fill out from the front. Consistency does the rest.