Once we hit adolescence, biceps are the first muscle group we strive to build.

But the smartest way to make them grow is to place them slightly lower on your to-do list. Multi-joint, upper-back exercises rely heavily on the help of the biceps, so most experts recommend working your back and biceps in the same work-out.

If you prefer exercising your back and biceps on separate days, you need to allow at least 48 hours of rest after each work-out or your biceps won't have enough time to recover and grow.

THE MAIN MOVE

Nothing adds size and shape to the biceps like the barbell curl, a move that lets you lift more weight than any other biceps exercise.

HOW TO DO IT

Grab a barbell with an underhand grip (palms up), your hands shoulder-width apart. Your arms should hang straight so the bar is directly in front of your thighs. Keeping your back straight and abdominals drawn in, curl the bar up in a semicircular motion until your forearms touch your biceps. Pause, then slowly lower the bar to the starting position.

MIX AND MAX

Change your spacing.
Move your hands five to 10 centimetres closer together to stress more of the outer part of your biceps. Move them further apart to place more emphasis on the inner part.

Bend, then curl.
Before you curl the bar, bend your wrists back slightly. Keeping your fists tilted back as you curl redirects the stress away from your forearms and onto your biceps.

Wrap it up.
Place a towel around the bar to force your hands, wrists and forearms to work harder to keep a firm grip, so you're strengthening them as you curl.

Get on your knees.
Reduce the weight you usually use by 20 per cent and try the exercise from a kneeling position. This makes it more difficult to use momentum to "cheat" the weight up and focuses more of the effort on your biceps and less on your lower back.

THE PAY-OFF

Attention getter! The biceps are one of the few muscle groups you can expose almost anywhere, any time. And sculpted arms make others assume that the rest of you is chiselled as well.

A wider back! Back exercises require a lot of help from your biceps. So the stronger your biceps are, the more weight you'll be able to use when training your back.

A stronger grip! Nearly all of the exercises that work your biceps also strengthen the tendons and muscles throughout your wrists and hands, leaving you with a firmer, more powerful handshake.

A perfect stride! Pumping your arms as you run is crucial to maintaining an even rhythm. Strong biceps can improve your pace by giving you more control of your arm swing.

Dynamic sex! To pull off certain sexual positions that require and show off your strength (we're thinking wheelbarrow or any standing variation), well-built biceps will support her legs for as long as it takes.