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Anatomy of the Biceps

The muscle most prominent when someone flexes their guns in the classic “which way is the beach?” pose is the biceps brachii. It belongs to a group of muscles comprising what’s called the anterior compartment of the upper arm. There, you’ll also find the brachialis and the coracobrachialis. We’re going to focus on the first two, which are the prime movers in bending, or flexion, of your elbow.

The biceps brachii is by far the larger of the two flexors, but the brachialis, located underneath it toward the outside of the upper arm, is actually the stronger flexor. That’s due to its proximity to the elbow, making it the prime mover during a biceps curl.

While stretched over the humerus, the biceps brachii isn’t actually attached to it. It’s comprised of two heads — short and long — that flex the arm at the elbow and the shoulder, as well as rotate, or supinate, the hand into a palm-up position. Both heads attach at the scapula, fusing together toward the bottom of the humerus at the upper forearm.

The two muscles are so intermingled, any moves you would perform to hit your biceps brachii will also qualify as brachialis exercises.

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