Bicep stretches are upper body movements that expand and contract the forward-facing muscles of your upper arm, called the biceps brachii. The biceps muscle consists of the long head and short head, which work in tandem to support elbow flexion and shoulder lifts. Stretching your biceps activates the muscle, stimulates blood flow, and can increase your range of motion and flexibility. Some people perform bicep stretches as a warm-up or cool down before or after an upper-body workout routine or standalone wellness activity. 

Bicep stretches are one of many arm stretches, alongside shoulder stretches, triceps stretches, forearm stretches, and wrist stretches.
When done properly, bicep stretching can:

1. __Activate bicep muscles and blood flow__. The best stretches will stimulate your muscles, reduce muscle tightness, and increase blood flow to the area. A bicep stretch can make it easier to use the right muscles when lifting weights (whether you’re lifting dumbbells, a barbell, or moving boxes) or begin a strenuous exercise program like [yoga](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/yoga-exercises-guide), strength training, or a sports session. 
2. __Increase your short-term range of motion__. Bicep stretching exercises increase your range of motion, allowing you to perform deeper stretches or fully activate a specific muscle. If you feel a lot of stiffness or tightness in your arms or are about to do an arm workout and want to perform as much of the motion as possible, bicep stretches are a great way to relieve tightness and increase short-term range of motion.
3. __Increase long-term flexibility__. Over time, consistent, safe bicep stretches can increase your long-term flexibility, allowing you to perform deeper stretches and hold stretches longer. 
4. __Relieve muscle soreness__. While athletes commonly stretch before or after a workout to relieve muscle soreness, some personal trainers argue that bicep stretching doesn’t significantly affect sore muscles or pain relief. However, researchers suggest that stretching your biceps may offer relief in the form of a placebo effect since it activates your muscles and can help you believe that your soreness will subside.
Here are some tips to keep your bicep stretching safe and effective:

1. __Use bicep stretches before a workout__. Bicep stretches are a common routine for weightlifters, who typically perform them before attempting a biceps exercise like bicep curls. Stretching immediately before a lift sends blood flow to the biceps and establishes a deeper mind-muscle connection, helping to focus your lifting efforts and maximize the effectiveness of a particular lift. 
2. __Warm-up__. Even though bicep stretching may seem like a relatively low-energy stretch, avoid stretching “cold,” or from a completely sedentary or resting state, which can shock your muscles and increase your risk of injury. Instead, warm up before you stretch by taking a quick walk, jogging in place, or doing another brief cardio workout to increase your heart rate and get the blood pumping to your biceps muscles.
3. __Breathe during the stretch__. Deep breathing is an essential part of stretching because it helps relax your muscles and increase blood flow. As you perform each biceps stretch, take a break and focus your attention on your inhales and exhales. You can even time your stretches to several breaths to help recenter yourself on your [breathing](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/box-breathing-guide).
Here’s a formula for a basic bicep stretch routine:

1. __Warm-up__. Avoid stretching “cold,” or from a completely sedentary or resting state, because it can shock the area and lead to undue strain or injury. Instead, warm up before you stretch by taking a quick walk, jogging in place, or performing another brief cardio workout to increase your heart rate and encourage blood flow to your muscles. 
2. __Begin with a low-strain stretch__. Begin your stretching routine with a gentle standing bicep stretch that doesn’t put extra weight on the muscle, like the bilateral bicep stretch. To perform this stretch, stand straight with your legs about shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Next, interlace your fingers, palms facing away from you, and extend your arms ahead of your body, about shoulder height (or where it’s comfortable without feeling shoulder pain). Hold for several breaths, then raise your interlaced hands to point above your head and hold for several more breaths. Other common low-strain standing biceps stretches include wall and doorway bicep rotations. 
3. __Attempt a deeper stretch__. A common deeper biceps stretch is a seated bicep stretch. To perform this stretch, come to your starting position by sitting on the ground with your knees pointed upward and your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands behind you, palms on the floor, fingers facing away from you. Next, slowly slide your body forward (keeping your back straight) while your hands stay in place. You should feel this bodyweight stretch in your biceps, as well as a gentle shoulder and chest stretch. 

If you feel pain or muscle strain during any of these stretches, stop immediately and consult a physician, licensed physical therapist, or certified personal trainer.
Throw on some athleisure, fire up a [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com), and get ready to sweat it out with exclusive instructional videos from Nike Master Trainer and *GQ* fitness specialist Joe Holder. Want to improve your cardiovascular endurance? Give Joe’s HIIT workout a go. Trying to get a little swole? He’s got a strength training workout for that. From fitness tips to nutrition hacks, Joe will have you feeling healthier in no time.
Bicep stretches are a low-impact body movement that can help prepare you for a range of activities, from carrying loads of groceries into the house in one trip to doing a few reps at the gym.

Bicep stretches are a low-impact body movement that can help prepare you for a range of activities, from carrying loads of groceries into the house in one trip to doing a few reps at the gym.

How to Stretch Your Biceps: 4 Benefits of Bicep Stretches

Bicep stretches are upper body movements that expand and contract the forward-facing muscles of your upper arm, called the biceps brachii. The biceps muscle consists of the long head and short head, which work in tandem to support elbow flexion and shoulder lifts. Stretching your biceps activates the muscle, stimulates blood flow, and can increase your range of motion and flexibility. Some people perform bicep stretches as a warm-up or cool down before or after an upper-body workout routine or standalone wellness activity. Bicep stretches are one of many arm stretches, alongside shoulder stretches, triceps stretches, forearm stretches, and wrist stretches.

What Are Bicep Stretches?

When done properly, bicep stretching can:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Activate bicep muscles and blood flow. The best stretches will stimulate your muscles, reduce muscle tightness, and increase blood flow to the area. A bicep stretch can make it easier to use the right muscles when lifting weights (whether you’re lifting dumbbells, a barbell, or moving boxes) or begin a strenuous exercise program like <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/yoga-exercises-guide' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/yoga-exercises-guide","linkCopy":"yoga","category":null}'>yoga</a>, strength training, or a sports session. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Increase your short-term range of motion. Bicep stretching exercises increase your range of motion, allowing you to perform deeper stretches or fully activate a specific muscle. If you feel a lot of stiffness or tightness in your arms or are about to do an arm workout and want to perform as much of the motion as possible, bicep stretches are a great way to relieve tightness and increase short-term range of motion. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Increase long-term flexibility. Over time, consistent, safe bicep stretches can increase your long-term flexibility, allowing you to perform deeper stretches and hold stretches longer. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Relieve muscle soreness. While athletes commonly stretch before or after a workout to relieve muscle soreness, some personal trainers argue that bicep stretching doesn’t significantly affect sore muscles or pain relief. However, researchers suggest that stretching your biceps may offer relief in the form of a placebo effect since it activates your muscles and can help you believe that your soreness will subside. </li></ol>

4 Benefits of Bicep Stretches

Here are some tips to keep your bicep stretching safe and effective:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Use bicep stretches before a workout. Bicep stretches are a common routine for weightlifters, who typically perform them before attempting a biceps exercise like bicep curls. Stretching immediately before a lift sends blood flow to the biceps and establishes a deeper mind-muscle connection, helping to focus your lifting efforts and maximize the effectiveness of a particular lift. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Warm-up. Even though bicep stretching may seem like a relatively low-energy stretch, avoid stretching “cold,” or from a completely sedentary or resting state, which can shock your muscles and increase your risk of injury. Instead, warm up before you stretch by taking a quick walk, jogging in place, or doing another brief cardio workout to increase your heart rate and get the blood pumping to your biceps muscles. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Breathe during the stretch. Deep breathing is an essential part of stretching because it helps relax your muscles and increase blood flow. As you perform each biceps stretch, take a break and focus your attention on your inhales and exhales. You can even time your stretches to several breaths to help recenter yourself on your <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/box-breathing-guide' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/box-breathing-guide","linkCopy":"breathing","category":null}'>breathing</a>. </li></ol>

3 Tips for Stretching Your Biceps

Here’s a formula for a basic bicep stretch routine:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Warm-up. Avoid stretching “cold,” or from a completely sedentary or resting state, because it can shock the area and lead to undue strain or injury. Instead, warm up before you stretch by taking a quick walk, jogging in place, or performing another brief cardio workout to increase your heart rate and encourage blood flow to your muscles. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Begin with a low-strain stretch. Begin your stretching routine with a gentle standing bicep stretch that doesn’t put extra weight on the muscle, like the bilateral bicep stretch. To perform this stretch, stand straight with your legs about shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Next, interlace your fingers, palms facing away from you, and extend your arms ahead of your body, about shoulder height (or where it’s comfortable without feeling shoulder pain). Hold for several breaths, then raise your interlaced hands to point above your head and hold for several more breaths. Other common low-strain standing biceps stretches include wall and doorway bicep rotations. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Attempt a deeper stretch. A common deeper biceps stretch is a seated bicep stretch. To perform this stretch, come to your starting position by sitting on the ground with your knees pointed upward and your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands behind you, palms on the floor, fingers facing away from you. Next, slowly slide your body forward (keeping your back straight) while your hands stay in place. You should feel this bodyweight stretch in your biceps, as well as a gentle shoulder and chest stretch. </li></ol>If you feel pain or muscle strain during any of these stretches, stop immediately and consult a physician, licensed physical therapist, or certified personal trainer.

How to Stretch Your Biceps

Throw on some athleisure, fire up a <a href='https://www.masterclass.com' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com","linkCopy":"MasterClass Annual Membership","category":null}'>MasterClass Annual Membership</a>, and get ready to sweat it out with exclusive instructional videos from Nike Master Trainer and GQ fitness specialist Joe Holder. Want to improve your cardiovascular endurance? Give Joe’s HIIT workout a go. Trying to get a little swole? He’s got a strength training workout for that. From fitness tips to nutrition hacks, Joe will have you feeling healthier in no time.

Want to Dive Deeper Into Your Wellness Journey?

Bicep stretches are a low-impact body movement that can help prepare you for a range of activities, from carrying loads of groceries into the house in one trip to doing a few reps at the gym.

Bicep stretches are a low-impact body movement that can help prepare you for a range of activities, from carrying loads of groceries into the house in one trip to doing a few reps at the gym.
