Biceps facts for kids

Location of the biceps muscle in the arm. It has two main parts, shown in different colors.

Muscles found in the front of the arm.

The biceps is a strong muscle in your upper arm. It's officially called the biceps brachii. This muscle helps you move your arm in important ways. It has two main parts, often called "heads," that work together.

The word "biceps" means "two-headed." This is because the muscle connects to your shoulder in two different places. In many animals, the biceps only connects in one spot. But in humans, these two connections allow for more complex arm movements.

What the Biceps Does

The biceps muscle has a few key jobs. It helps you bend your elbow. Think about lifting something or bringing your hand to your shoulder. The biceps is working hard then!

Bending Your Arm

When your biceps muscle shortens, it pulls on your forearm. This action bends your elbow joint. It's like pulling a rope to lift a weight. This movement is called "flexion."

Twisting Your Forearm

Another important job of the biceps is to twist your forearm. This movement turns your palm upwards. Try turning your hand from palm-down to palm-up. That's your biceps at work! This action is called "supination."

Connecting to Your Bones

The two parts of the biceps muscle start at different spots on your shoulder blade. They then join together and connect to a bone in your forearm. This setup allows the biceps to control both your elbow and forearm movements.

Biceps in Other Animals

Many animals that walk on four legs, called quadrupeds, also have a biceps muscle. However, their biceps is usually simpler. In humans, our biceps is more complex. This allows us to do many different and tricky arm movements. These movements are important for things like throwing, writing, and using tools.

Images for kids

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  The Preacher curl is a popular exercise to strengthen the biceps.

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  Panoramic ultrasonography of a proximal biceps tendon rupture. Top image shows the contralateral normal side, and lower image shows a retracted muscle, with a hematoma filling out the proximal space.

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  How the biceps and triceps muscles work together.

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  An animation showing how the biceps and triceps move when you bend and straighten your arm.

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  You can sometimes see the line where the two parts of the biceps muscle meet.

See also

In Spanish: Músculo bíceps braquial para niños