

Let’s be honest, everyone’s favourite part about upper body workouts is all about chasing that pump, particularly the biceps. Even though they're a smaller muscle than the triceps, blowing up this forward-facing muscle makes us feel good and look hella strong – it's an incomparable feeling. This three-move biceps workout from Jeff Cavaliere is an excellent finisher, or can be used as a standalone session on those days you simply want to fill out your tee sleeves a little more.
To help leave you with bulging biceps, this finisher uses a 'mechanical drop set'. You may have heard of traditional 'drop sets', where you perform the same exercises back to back while reducing the weight. A mechanical drop set, on the other hand, is where you drop down to a slightly easier version of the exercise you've just completed, whilst using the same load. This means you can still squeeze more out of your muscles whilst using heavier loads, meaning more gains. You're going to need to head on over to a rack of dumbbells for this particular finisher.
A post shared by ATHLEAN-X™ | Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS (@athleanx)
A photo posted by on
For this workout, Cavalerie suggests grabbing a pair of dumbbells that’s equivalent to your 10 rep max for an incline dumbbell curl and set yourself up on an adjustable weight bench. Here’s how Cavalerie’s mechanical drop set works: you’re going to perform all three exercises below for five reps each, lowering the dumbbells for three seconds and lifting up for one second. No rest in between. As soon as you finish that, drop to a lighter pair of dumbbells and repeat these exercises again. You want to aim for four to five rounds using a lighter pair of dumbbells each time. Ready for the pump? Here's your exercises:
- Incline dumbbell curl
- Dumbbell curl
- Preacher curl
Looking for more workouts to beef up the biceps? Give this five-move workout a go from Chris Hemsworth's trainer, Luke Zocchi, that'll only take you five minutes. If, however, you've been struggling to grow your guns for a while now and just aren't seeing results, the 5/20 method could be the answer to your bicep prayers.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts

Bryony’s T3’s official ‘gym-bunny’ and Active Staff Writer, covering all things fitness. She recently completed her Level 3 PT qualification with the PFCA to bring a deeper understanding of training techniques, fitness trends, and wellness advice to her writing. In her spare time, you will find her in her natural habitat - the gym - where her style of training is a hybrid of bodybuilding and powerlifting. Bryony loves writing about accessible workouts, nutrition and testing innovative fitness products that help you reach your fitness goals and take your training to the next level.
-
Two dumbbells and this four-move wrist-friendly workout for upper body muscle
Say bye-bye to wrist pain and hello gains with these smart exercise swaps
-
Forget boring cardio – this three-move barbell workout crushes through calories
And builds plenty of muscle too!
-
This two-move total body boosts heart health and builds muscle endurance
Two moves, 15 minutes and a full fitness fix
-
A beginner-friendly dumbbell workout to boost strength and muscle size
Get started on your strength training journey with this simple four-move workout
-
This bodyweight EMOM workout cranks up your metabolism and builds muscle endurance
20 minutes and a little grit is all you need
-
Three exercises to 'life-proof' your shoulders, according to a mobility expert
Healthy shoulders mean better movement, more strength and less injury
-
Build unshakeable core strength with a kettlebell and these three exercises
Add this to the end of your workout to fire up your midsection muscles
-
Supercharge your aerobic engine with this three-move rower workout
Improve your cardiovascular fitness and burn through calories