What is the difference between the Biceps Roll and the Front Delt Roll?

Both are done face down with one arm straight out to the side and the roller running the same way as your body. On the Foam Roller Front Delt Roll the roller sits under the front of the shoulder just outside the chest, while on this roll it sits further out, under the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow.

How long should I roll each arm?

About 30 to 60 seconds per arm is enough for most people. Move slowly, pause on tender spots for a few slow breaths, and then switch sides.

Will rolling my biceps before curls or pull-ups weaken them?

No. In a trial where healthy young adults rolled the biceps on a foam roller with the arm out to the side, two 60-second sets left biceps strength, elbow position sense and push-up and pulling test scores unchanged right afterward, so a short roll in your warm-up is unlikely to hurt the sets that follow.

Will rolling my biceps speed up recovery after arm day?

Not by much. It can make the arm feel looser for a while, but in a trial where young men did hard eccentric work for the elbow flexors, five minutes of rolling the front of the upper arm with a handheld roller stick did not bring back strength, range of motion or soreness any faster than resting.

What if the front of my shoulder or elbow hurts when I roll?

Keep the roller on the muscle in the middle of the upper arm and off the tendons at the front of the shoulder and in the elbow crease. If the pain still comes back, stop rolling that arm and have it checked by a physical therapist.

Is it normal to feel tingling in my forearm or hand?

No. Tingling, numbness or pins and needles usually means the roller has drifted onto the inner arm or toward the armpit, where the nerves to the forearm and hand run, so flatten your palm, move the roller back onto the front of the arm, and stop if the feeling continues.

Foam Roller Biceps Roll

What Is the Foam Roller Biceps Roll?

Foam Roller Biceps Roll is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the biceps, using your body weight on a foam roller to press into the front of the upper arm. It is a beginner-level movement, although you hold your upper body up on one straight arm with your toes on the floor, so it asks for a little shoulder and core control.

This roll is a warm-up and recovery tool rather than strength work. Lifters who do a lot of curls, chin-ups and rows, climbers, and anyone whose arms feel tight at the front after hard arm training use it when the front of the upper arm feels stiff or the elbow does not want to straighten comfortably. It fits at the start of an upper-body session, ahead of active warm-up drills and lighter warm-up sets, or in a short cool-down after work such as the Dumbbell Curl or the Chin-Up.

With the arm straight out to the side and the palm on the floor, the front of the upper arm faces down, so the roller presses on the belly of the biceps brachii. The brachialis lies underneath it in the lower half of the arm, so it takes more of the pressure as the roller nears the elbow. The roll looks much like the Foam Roller Front Delt Roll, but there the roller sits under the front of the shoulder just outside the chest, while here it sits further out, under the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. The Foam Roller Triceps Roll covers the back of the upper arm and the Foam Roller Standing Forearm Roll the forearm.

Expect a modest, short-lived change. Rolling tends to make the arm feel less tight for a while, but it does not lengthen the muscle, break up knots or replace a proper warm-up. If holding yourself up on one hand is too hard, lower your knees to the floor, or rest the arm on a table and roll the front of it with a handheld roller or massage ball instead.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Biceps Brachii: Primary
Brachialis: High
Deltoid: Low
Pectoralis Major: Low
Serratus Anterior: Low
External Oblique: Minimal
Rectus Abdominis: Minimal
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Minimal

Instructions

Lie face down on the floor and stretch one arm straight out to the side at about shoulder height, palm flat on the floor.
Place a foam roller under the front of that upper arm, a few inches below the shoulder, with the roller running roughly the same way as your body.
Plant your other hand flat on the floor out to the side of your chest and straighten that arm to lift your upper body.
Keep your legs straight behind you with your toes on the floor, and keep your head in line with your spine, looking down.
Let the front of your upper arm settle onto the roller, using your planted hand to control how much weight it takes.
Keep the rolling arm relaxed with your palm flat on the floor, so the roller stays on the front of the arm rather than the inner side.
Push gently through your planted hand to shift your body slowly toward and away from your outstretched hand, so the roller travels between just below the front of your shoulder and just above the crease of your elbow.
Keep the roller out of the hollow of the armpit and off the elbow crease.
Pause on tender spots for a few slow breaths.
Continue for about 30 to 60 seconds, then switch arms.

Common Mistakes

Rolling the inner arm
Letting the thumb turn up toward the ceiling brings the inner side of the arm onto the roller, where the main artery and nerves of the arm run, instead of the biceps.
Rolling into the armpit
Shifting too far toward the outstretched hand drives the roller into the hollow of the armpit, so stop each pass just below the front of the shoulder.
Rolling over the elbow crease
Going past the lower end of the biceps presses on the elbow joint, the biceps tendon and the nerve and artery that cross the front of the elbow.
Collapsing onto the roller
Letting the planted arm go slack and the hips sag drops too much weight onto the arm, so keep pushing through your hand to control the pressure.
Rolling too fast
Quick back-and-forth passes skim over the muscle, so move slowly and pause briefly on tender spots.
Tensing the arm
Bending the elbow, pressing the palm hard into the floor or holding your breath keeps the biceps tight, so let the arm go heavy and breathe slowly.

Injuries

Foam Roller Biceps Roll is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Only part of your upper body weight rests on the roller, and you can ease the pressure at any moment by pushing through your planted hand. The part of the arm that needs care is the inner side: the main artery of the arm and the nerves that run to the forearm and hand pass along the groove between the biceps and triceps, close to the skin, from the armpit down to the crease at the front of the elbow. Pressing into the armpit, the inner arm or the elbow crease squeezes those structures instead of the muscle.

Keep your palm flat on the floor so the front of the arm faces down, keep the roller on the front of the arm rather than letting it slide to either side, and keep it between just below the front of the shoulder and just above the elbow crease. Turning the thumb up toward the ceiling rolls the inner arm onto the roller, so keep the hand flat. Roll the muscle rather than grinding on the tendons at either end, which sit at the front of the shoulder and in the elbow crease. Use pressure you can breathe and relax through, and if the shoulder of your planted arm aches from holding you up, lower your knees to the floor.

To make it gentler, drop your knees, use a softer roller and take more weight through your planted hand, or rest the arm on a table and use a handheld roller or massage ball. To make it firmer, let more weight settle onto the roller, or pause on a tender spot and slowly bend and straighten the elbow a few times by sliding the hand along the floor.

Stop and move the roller back onto the front of the arm if you feel tingling, numbness or pins and needles in the forearm or hand, a pulse under the roller, or the hand going cold or pale, and stop completely if it keeps coming back. Skip the roll and check with a doctor or physical therapist if you have a recent biceps strain or tear, a recent fracture, recent shoulder or elbow surgery, a known or suspected blood clot, a clotting disorder, or take blood thinners, and do not roll over bruising, open wounds or an area that is hot, swollen or inflamed.

Overview

Primary Focus: Biceps
Equipment: Foam roller
Modality: Stretching
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between the Biceps Roll and the Front Delt Roll?: Both are done face down with one arm straight out to the side and the roller running the same way as your body. On the Foam Roller Front Delt Roll the roller sits under the front of the shoulder just outside the chest, while on this roll it sits further out, under the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow.
Q: How long should I roll each arm?: About 30 to 60 seconds per arm is enough for most people. Move slowly, pause on tender spots for a few slow breaths, and then switch sides.
Q: Will rolling my biceps before curls or pull-ups weaken them?: No. In a trial where healthy young adults rolled the biceps on a foam roller with the arm out to the side, two 60-second sets left biceps strength, elbow position sense and push-up and pulling test scores unchanged right afterward, so a short roll in your warm-up is unlikely to hurt the sets that follow.
Q: Will rolling my biceps speed up recovery after arm day?: Not by much. It can make the arm feel looser for a while, but in a trial where young men did hard eccentric work for the elbow flexors, five minutes of rolling the front of the upper arm with a handheld roller stick did not bring back strength, range of motion or soreness any faster than resting.
Q: What if the front of my shoulder or elbow hurts when I roll?: Keep the roller on the muscle in the middle of the upper arm and off the tendons at the front of the shoulder and in the elbow crease. If the pain still comes back, stop rolling that arm and have it checked by a physical therapist.
Q: Is it normal to feel tingling in my forearm or hand?: No. Tingling, numbness or pins and needles usually means the roller has drifted onto the inner arm or toward the armpit, where the nerves to the forearm and hand run, so flatten your palm, move the roller back onto the front of the arm, and stop if the feeling continues.