
The biceps is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. It is one of three muscles in the anterior compartment of the upper arm, along with the brachialis muscle and the coracobrachialis muscle. The biceps is traditionally described as a two-headed muscle, with a third head arising from the humerus in 10% of cases.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of heads | Two |
| Names of heads | Long head, short head |
| Origin of long head | Supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula |
| Origin of short head | Coracoid process of the scapula |
| Muscle belly | Single |
| Location | Front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow |
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What You'll Learn

The biceps is one of three muscles in the anterior compartment of the upper arm
The long head of the biceps crosses both the shoulder and elbow joints, with its main function taking place at the elbow, where it flexes and supinates the forearm. Both of these movements are used when opening a bottle with a corkscrew: first, the biceps screw in the cork (supination), then it pulls the cork out (flexion). The biceps is traditionally described as a two-headed muscle, but it can have a third head arising from the humerus in 10% of cases.
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The biceps has two heads
The biceps is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. It is one of three muscles in the anterior compartment of the upper arm, along with the brachialis muscle and the coracobrachialis muscle. The biceps has two heads, the short head and the long head, which are distinguished according to their origin at the coracoid process and supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula, respectively. The short head originates from a projection on the scapula called the coracoid and runs alongside the long head on the inside of the arm. The long head originates from a cavity in the scapula called the glenoid. It passes through the shoulder joint to the upper arm through a groove in the humerus (the large bone of the upper arm). The two heads join in the middle arm to form a combined muscle belly. Although the heads work in tandem to move the forearm, they are anatomically distinct, with no conjoined fibres. The biceps is traditionally described as a two-headed muscle, but in 10% of cases, it has been found to have a third head arising from the humerus. In rare cases, four, five, or even seven supernumerary heads have been reported.
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The biceps' main function is at the elbow
The biceps muscle is one of three muscles in the anterior compartment of the upper arm. It is a large, thick muscle consisting of two heads: the short head and the long head. The long head of the biceps crosses both the shoulder and elbow joints, but its main function is at the elbow, where it flexes and supinates the forearm. This is used when opening a bottle with a corkscrew: first, the biceps screw in the cork (supination), then it pulls the cork out (flexion).
The biceps muscle has two ends with connective tissues called tendons that anchor the muscles to bone. The long head originates from a cavity in the scapula called the glenoid and passes through the shoulder joint to the upper arm through a groove in the humerus (the large bone of the upper arm). The short head originates from a projection on the scapula called the coracoid and runs alongside the long head on the inside of the arm. The two heads join in the middle arm to form a combined muscle belly.
Although the heads work together to move the forearm, they are anatomically distinct, with no conjoined fibres. The biceps brachii is one of the most variable muscles in the human body, with a third head arising from the humerus in 10% of cases. In rare cases, four, five, and even seven supernumerary heads have been reported.
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The biceps is a large, thick muscle
The biceps is one of three muscles in the anterior compartment of the upper arm, along with the brachialis muscle and the coracobrachialis muscle. It lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. The long head of the biceps crosses both the shoulder and elbow joints, but its main function is at the elbow, where it flexes and supinates the forearm.
The biceps is traditionally described as a two-headed muscle, but it can also have a third head arising from the humerus in 10% of cases. In rare cases, four, five, or even seven supernumerary heads have been reported. The biceps shares a nerve supply with the coracobrachialis muscle, to which it is adjacent.
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The biceps is traditionally described as a two-headed muscle, but can have more heads
The biceps is traditionally described as a two-headed muscle, with a long head and a short head. The long head originates from a cavity in the scapula called the glenoid, and the short head originates from a projection on the scapula called the coracoid. The two heads join in the middle arm to form a combined muscle belly.
The biceps is also one of the most variable muscles in the human body. While it is usually described as having two heads, in 10% of cases, it has a third head arising from the humerus. In rare cases, four, five, or even seven supernumerary heads have been reported.
The biceps is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Its main function is at the elbow, where it flexes and supinates the forearm. These movements are used when opening a bottle with a corkscrew: first, the biceps screws in the cork (supination), then it pulls the cork out (flexion).
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Frequently asked questions
The biceps muscle is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow.
The biceps muscle has two heads, the short head and the long head.
The short head originates from a projection on the scapula called the coracoid and the long head originates from a cavity in the scapula called the glenoid.
The main function of the biceps muscle is to flex and supinate the forearm.











































