Pushups: Do They Build Biceps, and What Muscles Do They Target?

Do Pushups Build Biceps?

While pushups are an excellent compound exercise for developing the chest, shoulders, and triceps, they are not an effective exercise for directly building or significantly developing the biceps brachii muscle.

The Primary Movers in a Pushup

A pushup is fundamentally a pushing motion, primarily engaging the muscles responsible for extending the elbows and adducting/flexing the shoulder joint. The key muscles heavily recruited during a standard pushup include:

• Pectoralis Major (Chest): The primary muscle responsible for pressing your body up and away from the ground.
• Anterior Deltoid (Front of Shoulder): Assists the chest in the pushing movement and stabilizes the shoulder joint.
• Triceps Brachii (Back of Upper Arm): Crucial for extending the elbow, pushing your body away from the floor, and locking out the movement at the top.

These muscles work synergistically to perform the concentric (pushing up) and eccentric (lowering down) phases of the exercise.

Biceps and the Pushup: A Supporting Role?

The biceps brachii, located on the front of the upper arm, has two primary functions:

• Elbow Flexion: Bending the elbow (e.g., during a bicep curl).
• Forearm Supination: Rotating the forearm so the palm faces upward (e.g., turning a doorknob).

During a pushup, the elbow joint performs extension (straightening), which is the antagonistic action to elbow flexion. While the biceps may act as a minor stabilizer during the pushup, or engage minimally in an isometric fashion to help maintain joint integrity, it is not performing its primary functions of elbow flexion or supination against significant resistance. Therefore, the stimulus for growth (hypertrophy) is negligible.

Why Pushups Aren't Optimal for Biceps Hypertrophy

Several principles of muscle physiology explain why pushups do not effectively build biceps:

• Type of Contraction: The biceps' primary role in a pushup is, at best, isometric stabilization, not dynamic contraction (shortening and lengthening under load). Muscle growth is primarily stimulated by dynamic contractions, especially the eccentric (lengthening) phase.
• Lack of Direct Resistance: For a muscle to grow, it needs to be worked against sufficient resistance through its full range of motion. The pushup does not provide direct resistance to the biceps' primary actions.
• Recruitment Order: When performing an exercise, the body recruits muscles based on the demands of the movement. In a pushup, the primary movers (chest, triceps, deltoids) are heavily recruited, while the biceps remain largely dormant for the pushing action itself.

Effective Biceps Building Exercises

To effectively build and strengthen your biceps, you need to incorporate exercises that specifically target their primary functions: elbow flexion and forearm supination. Examples include:

• Bicep Curls (Dumbbell, Barbell, Cable): These exercises directly load the biceps through their full range of motion, providing excellent stimulus for hypertrophy.
• Hammer Curls: While still targeting the biceps, these also engage the brachialis and brachioradialis more significantly due to the neutral grip.
• Chin-ups/Supinated Pull-ups: These are compound exercises that heavily engage the biceps, especially with a supinated (palms facing you) grip, as they involve pulling your body up by flexing the elbows.
• Inverted Rows (Supinated Grip): Similar to chin-ups, but performed horizontally, these can also provide a good bicep stimulus.

For optimal growth, these exercises should be performed with proper form, progressive overload, and a full range of motion, focusing on both the concentric and eccentric phases.

The Value of Pushups

Despite not being a biceps builder, the pushup remains an incredibly valuable exercise for overall upper body and core strength. Its benefits include:

• Compound Movement: It engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, promoting functional strength and coordination.
• Core Stability: Maintaining a rigid plank position throughout the pushup heavily engages the core muscles, improving stability and posture.
• Accessibility: Requires no equipment and can be performed almost anywhere, making it a highly convenient and effective bodyweight exercise.
• Scalability: Can be modified for various fitness levels, from incline pushups for beginners to decline pushups or weighted pushups for advanced individuals.

Conclusion

In summary, while pushups are an exceptional exercise for developing pressing strength in the chest, shoulders, and triceps, they offer minimal direct stimulus for biceps growth. To effectively build your biceps, incorporate targeted elbow flexion exercises like curls and chin-ups into your routine. Remember, a well-rounded fitness program includes a variety of exercises that target all major muscle groups for comprehensive development and injury prevention.