You might think biceps exercises have no place in an athlete’s training, but that’s not entirely true. Joint injuries as a result of hyperextension are pretty common in sports, and the most common area of concern is the elbow joint. Since the biceps decelerate many athletic movements, biceps workouts decrease the chance of injury at the elbow joint.

I’ll break down the role of the biceps in some athletic movements:

Football

A quarterback’s biceps slow down his arm after he throws the ball. For the guy running with the ball, his biceps help him secure the ball. And for linemen and linebackers, stripping the ball away requires biceps strength. Most important, if you’re an arm tackler, this muscle is your prime mover for grabbing and holding on.

Basketball

After you shoot the ball, your arm becomes slightly hyperextended. Your biceps ensures that your arm allows that force to occur and return back to normal without risk of injury due to hyperextension. Grabbing and holding onto the ball after rebounds and loose balls calls for strong biceps as well.

Baseball

If they don’t take care of their rotator cuff, pitchers can throw their arms out. But the biceps work the same here as for any other throwing motion in sports—it allows the arm to decelerate after a pitch is thrown. If his biceps are strong and durable, a pitcher will have less of  chance of hyperextending his elbow.

Boxing

Throwing and landing punches is the art, but the recoil phase after a punch is thrown and getting back on defense are all about speed of the biceps. Boxers need strong and fast biceps to throw punches and pull them back quickly to protect themselves from counter-punches.

Below, is an effective five-way biceps pump circuit that will have you jacked up, ready to hit the beaches full tilt and—most importantly—keep your arm from hyperextending.

Perform 3 sets of 15 reps of each exercise, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Start with light weight on every exercise. You will complete a total of 75 reps per set. Don’t start with what you’re used to, Curls. Gradually increase weight as you hit your biceps from different angles.

WATCH: 5 Way Circuit-Biceps Pump

Station 1: DB Twist Curls

Sets/Reps: 2×15

Station 2: Fat Bar Curls

Sets/Reps: 2×15

Station 3: Log Bar Curls

Sets/Reps: 2×12

Station 4: E-Z Bar Reverse Curls

Sets/Reps: 2×15

Station 5: BB Curls

Sets/Reps: 2×15

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