Bicep/Back is a free 3 min workout plan with 12 illustrated exercises for your abs, arms, back and shoulders. Follow the workout online, save it to your WorkoutLabs Fit account or download it as a printable PDF.
Tap any exercise in the workout to see the muscles worked, clear exercise illustrations and step-by-step instructions. Each workout includes sets, reps, rest times and notes so you can follow the plan without guessing.
The full workout takes about 3 minutes, covering 12 exercises with prescribed sets, reps and rest periods. Using the built-in timers and auto-advance keeps you on pace from start to finish.
What muscles does this workout target?
This routine primarily works your biceps, lower back, middle back / lats, upper back & lower traps, abs, obliques. Tap any exercise in the workout to see a muscle diagram showing exactly which primary and secondary muscles it activates.
How often should I do this workout?
For best results, do this workout 2–3 times per week with at least one rest day in between, and pair it with sessions that target other muscle groups.
Can I download or save this workout?
Yes – you can download this workout as a free printable PDF using the download button, or save it to a free WorkoutLabs Fit account to follow it on your phone, customize the exercises and track your progress.
Set up a barbell on the floor and stand facing it with your legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent.
Bend forward at your waist and grip the barbell with an overhand grip.
Keep your back straight and nearly parallel to the floor.
Keep your head and neck straight. This is the start position.
Without moving your torso, exhale and lift the barbell up towards you.
Keep your elbows close in to your bodyand use your forearms to support the weight.
At the top of the movement, hold for a count of one and sqyeeze your back muscles.
Return to the start position inhaling as you do so.
If you suffer from lower back problems, this exercise is not recommended. Always keep your back straight throughout this exercise. This exercise can be performed using an underhand grip to engage the triceps also.
Primary muscle group(s):
Lower Back
Secondary:
Biceps, Shoulders, Upper Back & Lower Traps
Connect a V-bar attachment to the low pulley on a cable station or cable rowing machine.
Sit down at the station and place your feet on the foot pads or crossbar provided, while keeping your knees slightly bent.
Lean forward, keeping your back straight and grip the V-bar handles with both hands.
Keeping your arms fully extended pull back until your torso is at a 90-degree angle from your legs.
Your back should be slightly arched, with your chest should be pushed out. This is the start position.
Keeping your torso stationary, pull the handles back towards you while squeezing your back muscles.
Keep your arms close to your sides until your hands reach your abdomen. Exhale as you perform this movement.
Hold for a count of one.
Inhale as you return to the start position in a smooth movement.
Repeat.
Do not swing or rock back and forth as you perform this exercise. Doing so can cause lower back injury. <strong></strong> You can perform this exercise using a straight bar instead of a V-Bar. You can use an underhand or overhand grip.
Primary muscle group(s):
Lower Back
Secondary:
Abs, Biceps
Stand tall with a tight core and flat back. Hold a pair of dumbbells at your side with an overhand grip. Bend slightly at the knees as you push your hips back. Keep your chest and head up. Upper body should be almost parallel with the floor.
With your elbows at a 60-degree angle, bring the dumbbells up. Pause when your upper arm is parallel with the floor. Contract the muscle then slowly return the dumbbells to the starting point.
Primary muscle group(s):
Middle Back / Lats
Secondary:
Abs, Biceps
Begin the movement by stepping on to a resistance band with your feet at shoulder-width, toes pointed slightly out.
Bend slightly at the knees and forward at the hips. Maintain a braced core and flat back throughout.
Leading with your elbows, pull the handles of the resistance band back, bringing your shoulder blades closer together. Hold this contraction and slowly release to the starting position.
Sit on a flat bench with your legs spread, knees bent and your feet flat on the floor with a dumbbell between your feet.
Use either arm to pick the dumbbell up and hold it with an underhand grip.
Place the back of that upper arm on the top of your inner thigh on the same side. Your palm should be facing away from your thigh.
Keep your arm fully extended downwards without letting the dumbbell rest on the floor. This is the start position.
Curl the dumbbell forward and up in a smooth arc, contracting your biceps and exhaling.
Continue curling the dumbbell upward until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbell is at shoulder level. Hold for a count of one while squeezing your biceps.
Return to the start position in a controlled, smooth arc inhaling as you do so. Do not swing the dumbbell down.
Repeat for all the repetitions for that arm then switch and repeat the movement with your other arm.
Throughout this exercise, only your forearms should move. This exercise can be performed standing in a bent over position. Here there is no upper arm support so it's important to ensure there is no movement or swinging of the upper arm. This harder version of concentration curls isn't recommended for people who suffer lower back issues.
Primary muscle group(s):
Biceps
Secondary:
Abs, Forearms
Set up an incline bench at 45 degrees.
Holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit on the bench, keeping your shoulders and back firmly against the back rest.
Put your arms down by your side with your palms facing in to your body.
Slowly curl your arms up, rotating your wrist outwards (thumbs pointing away from your body) until the dumbbell is level with your shoulders. (Your palms should be facing your shoulders)
Flex or squeeze your bicep at the top of the movement and hold for a count of one.
Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the start position, turning your palms back in to your body. Repeat.
You can also perform this exercise using one arm at a time or by alternating your arms (Left, right, left, right...)
Primary muscle group(s):
Biceps
Secondary:
Forearms
Set up a preacher curl bench making sure that the seat is set at the right height for you. The seat shouldn’t be so low that you need to raise your shoulders, or so high that you need to lean over the support pad.
Rest you arms on the support pad with your triceps near the top and your elbows midway down the pad.
Grip the EZ curl bar with an underhand grip at shoulder width.
Curl the bar in towards your chin and upper chest in a single smooth arc. Hold for a count of one.
Lower the bar by extending your arms back to the starting position.
This exercise is designed to isolate and focus attention on the biceps. Therefore, resistance is stronger at the start of each repetition. So when you begin each repetition, don't explode upwards too quickly!
Primary muscle group(s):
Biceps
Secondary:
Forearms
Begin the movement by stepping on to a resistance band with your feet at shoulder-width, toes pointed slightly out.
Holding the handles of the band in each hand, tighten your abdominals and straighten your lower back. Keep your chest up and gaze forward.
Using an underhand grip or hammer fist grip, slowly pull the band towards your shoulders. Keep your upper arm in place, moving only your forearms.
Once you reach the top of the movement, pause, and slowly lower the band to the starting position. Do not lock out your elbows.
Primary muscle group(s):
Biceps
Secondary:
Forearms
Holding a water bottle in each hand, stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
Let your arms hang by your side with your palms facing in to the side of your body.
Keep your elbows close to your sides.
Curl the water bottles up towards your shoulders. Do not swing your hips to get the weight moving.
Continue raising the water bottles until they are level with your shoulders with your palms facing in. Your forearm should be in a vertical position.
Squeeze or flex your bicep and hold for a count of one.
Slowly lower the water bottles to the starting position.
Stand straight holing a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip.
Keep your arms fully extended with your palms facing in to your sides.
Keep your elbows tucked in to your sides. This is the start position.
Keeping your upper arm stationary, exhale and curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders.
Continue raising the dumbbells until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
Hold for a count of one and squeeze your biceps.
Return to the start position in a smooth movement, inhaling as you do so.
Repeat.
There are many ways to perform this movement. Other examples include; sitting with or without back support, using alternating arms and also using a cable station's lower pulley.
Primary muscle group(s):
Biceps
Secondary:
Forearms
Stand at the cable station with your feet shoulder width apart and with a slight bend at the knee.
Grasp the rope with both hands and your palms facing inward.
Keeping your core strong and your elbows fixed at your sides pull the rope towards the top of your chest (only the lower portion of your arms should be moving).
Tense your biceps at the peak, and then slowly allow the rope to be pulled back down to the starting position.
Bend your torso from the waist until your upper body is parallel to the floor, while placing your right hand on the bench in front of you for support.
With your left hand, pick up the dumbbell with an overhand grip. The palm of your hand should be facing into you.
Keep your lower back straight. This is the start position.
Using your back muscles, pull the dumbbell straight up to the side of your chest, keeping your upper arm close to your side. Exhale as you do so.
At the top of the movement, hold for a count of one and squeeze your back muscles.
Return to the start position inhaling as you do so. Repeat.
Complete all repetitions for one side before switching sides.
This exercise can be performed using a cable station, with a stirrup handle attached to either the high or low pulley.
Primary muscle group(s):
Lower Back
Secondary:
Abs, Biceps
Stand tall with a tight core and flat back. Hold a pair of dumbbells at your side with an overhand grip. Bend slightly at the knees as you push your hips back. Keep your chest and head up. Upper body should be almost parallel with the floor.
With your elbows at a 60-degree angle, bring the dumbbells up. Pause when your upper arm is parallel with the floor. Contract the muscle then slowly return the dumbbells to the starting point.
Primary muscle group(s):
Middle Back / Lats
Secondary:
Abs, Biceps
Begin the movement by stepping on to a resistance band with your feet at shoulder-width, toes pointed slightly out.
Bend slightly at the knees and forward at the hips. Maintain a braced core and flat back throughout.
Leading with your elbows, pull the handles of the resistance band back, bringing your shoulder blades closer together. Hold this contraction and slowly release to the starting position.
Primary muscle group(s):
Middle Back / Lats, Upper Back & Lower Traps
Secondary:
Biceps
Stand tall with a tight core and flat back. Hold a pair of water bottles at your side with an overhand grip. Bend slightly at the knees as you push your hips back. Keep your chest and head up. Upper body should be almost parallel with the floor.
With your elbows at a 60-degree angle, bring the water bottles up. Pause when your upper arm is parallel with the floor. Contract the muscle then slowly return the water bottles to the starting point.
Sit on an exercise mat with your legs fully extended and your upper body upright.
Grip a weight plate between both hands.
Hold the plate out in front of your abdominals keeping your arms bent slightly.
Cross your your ankles and raise them off the floor slightly.
Bend your knees towards you slightly.
Lean back about 15 degrees to balance your body. This is the start position.
In a smooth motion,turn your torso to the left and touch the plate on the floor. Make sure you exhale as you do this.
Return to the start position inhaling as you do so.
Repeat the same movement, this time to your right side, again exhaling as you do so.
Return to start position and repeat.
When performing this exercise, use smooth controlled movements. Jerking or using momentum to swing the weight can cause serious lower back injury.
Primary muscle group(s):
Abs, Obliques
Secondary:
Glutes & Hip Flexors, Quadriceps
Lie flat on an exercise mat on the floor keeping your lower back straight with no arching of your spine and with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Place your hands lightly on the sides of your head.
Curl your torso upwards so your shoulders are slightly raised off the floor..
Raise your knees until your thighs are at a right angle to the floor and your calves are parallel to the floor. This is the start position.
Slowly move your legs in a pedaling action as if you are riding a bicycle.
As you do so, exhale and bring your opposing elbow close to each knee by crunching to one side. Left elbow to right knee. Right elbow to left knee.
After each crunch, return to the start position inhaling as you do so.
Without pausing, repeat the movement to the other side.
Repeat without pausing for the desired number of repetitions to each side.
Do not use your hands to pull your head and neck up during this exercise. Doing so may cause injury. Concentrate on a slow rhythmic cycle from side to side with perfect form for each repetition.
Set up a barbell on a weight rack, so that it is at the same height as your shoulders when seated.
Position a flat bench with your back facing the barbell.
Keeping your back straight, take the barbell from the rack using on overhand grip, with your hands wider than shoulder width apart. They should be wide enough that your elbows are bent at 90 degrees at the low position.
Lift the bar up and slightly over your head by pushing up and locking your arms. This is the start position.
Inhale and slowly lower the bar down to shoulder level in a straight line. Hold for a count ofone while squeezing your triceps and shoulder muscles.
Exhale and push the bar back up to the start position.
Repeat.
To lessen the stress on your rotator cuffs, you can use a spotter to hand you the barbell when starting this exercise. This exercise can be performed standing. However, for people who suffer lower back problems, it is better to perform the seated version. This exercise can be performed by lowering the bar behind your neck,however it's not recommended for people with shoulder problems as it hyper extends the rotator cuff.
Primary muscle group(s):
Shoulders
Secondary:
Abs, Glutes & Hip Flexors
Hold a barbell with an overhand grip in a standing position. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart. Maintain a tight core and flat lower back throughout.
Bring the barbell to shoulder height with your palms facing out. Begin by pushing the barbell straight overhead. Focus on contracting the shoulders while driving the glutes forward for stability.
Once you reach the top, slowly bring the barbell to the starting position but do not allow it to rest on your shoulders. Immediately, move into the next repetition.
Primary muscle group(s):
Shoulders
Secondary:
Biceps, Forearms, Triceps
Keep a tight core and flat back as you remain seated in the shoulder press machine.
Look straight ahead as you hold on to the handles.
Slowly, press the handles up above your head.
Do not lock out your elbow.
Slowly, bring the handles back down but do not let the weight stack touch.
Repeat the movement.
Primary muscle group(s):
Shoulders
Secondary:
Chest, Triceps
Sit on a bench/chair with your back straight and the dumbbells in a hammer grip so that the dumbbells run lengthways along the side of your face.
Drive both weights, simultaneously upwards, until your reach a full overhead extension.
Carefully lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position, maintaining the hammer grip all the way through the movement.
Be sure to keep your core strong and lower back connected to the bench/chair at all times.
Connect a V-bar attachment to the low pulley on a cable station or cable rowing machine.
Sit down at the station and place your feet on the foot pads or crossbar provided, while keeping your knees slightly bent.
Lean forward, keeping your back straight and grip the V-bar handles with both hands.
Keeping your arms fully extended pull back until your torso is at a 90-degree angle from your legs.
Your back should be slightly arched, with your chest should be pushed out. This is the start position.
Keeping your torso stationary, pull the handles back towards you while squeezing your back muscles.
Keep your arms close to your sides until your hands reach your abdomen. Exhale as you perform this movement.
Hold for a count of one.
Inhale as you return to the start position in a smooth movement.
Repeat.
Do not swing or rock back and forth as you perform this exercise. Doing so can cause lower back injury. <strong></strong> You can perform this exercise using a straight bar instead of a V-Bar. You can use an underhand or overhand grip.
Primary muscle group(s):
Lower Back
Secondary:
Abs, Biceps
Stand tall with a tight core and flat back. Hold a pair of dumbbells at your side with an overhand grip. Bend slightly at the knees as you push your hips back. Keep your chest and head up. Upper body should be almost parallel with the floor.
With your elbows at a 60-degree angle, bring the dumbbells up. Pause when your upper arm is parallel with the floor. Contract the muscle then slowly return the dumbbells to the starting point.
Primary muscle group(s):
Middle Back / Lats, Upper Back & Lower Traps
Secondary:
Biceps
Stand tall with a tight core and flat back. Hold a pair of water bottles at your side with an overhand grip. Bend slightly at the knees as you push your hips back. Keep your chest and head up. Upper body should be almost parallel with the floor.
With your elbows at a 60-degree angle, bring the water bottles up. Pause when your upper arm is parallel with the floor. Contract the muscle then slowly return the water bottles to the starting point.
Primary muscle group(s):
Middle Back / Lats
Secondary:
Abs, Biceps
Begin the movement by stepping on to a resistance band with your feet at shoulder-width, toes pointed slightly out.
Bend slightly at the knees and forward at the hips. Maintain a braced core and flat back throughout.
Leading with your elbows, pull the handles of the resistance band back, bringing your shoulder blades closer together. Hold this contraction and slowly release to the starting position.
Place your right leg forward and rest your left leg on the ball of your left foot.(Similar to a lunge stance)
Bend your knees slightly as you bend over to get in the starting position.
Keep your back straight.
Rest your right hand on your right knee for stability.
Grip the kettlebell with a neutral grip in your left hand.
Pull the kettlebell up to your stomach, retracting your shoulder blade and flexing your elbow. Keep your back straight. Lower and repeat.
Complete all the repetitions for one side before switching.
Primary muscle group(s):
Lower Back, Upper Back & Lower Traps
Secondary:
Abs, Biceps, Shoulders
Place a dumbbell on each side of a flat bench.
Place your right knee on the end of the bench.
Bend your torso from the waist until your upper body is parallel to the floor, while placing your right hand on the bench in front of you for support.
With your left hand, pick up the dumbbell with an overhand grip. The palm of your hand should be facing into you.
Keep your lower back straight. This is the start position.
Using your back muscles, pull the dumbbell straight up to the side of your chest, keeping your upper arm close to your side. Exhale as you do so.
At the top of the movement, hold for a count of one and squeeze your back muscles.
Return to the start position inhaling as you do so. Repeat.
Complete all repetitions for one side before switching sides.
This exercise can be performed using a cable station, with a stirrup handle attached to either the high or low pulley.
Primary muscle group(s):
Middle Back / Lats
Secondary:
Abs, Biceps
Begin the movement by stepping on to a resistance band with your feet at shoulder-width, toes pointed slightly out.
Bend slightly at the knees and forward at the hips. Maintain a braced core and flat back throughout.
Leading with your elbows, pull the handles of the resistance band back, bringing your shoulder blades closer together. Hold this contraction and slowly release to the starting position.
Workout done!
Exercises done
of 12
Total time
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