If you want great biceps and
great arms in general, you need
to know two things...
First,
the biceps grow best when you're
performing heavy compound movements
that work the biceps as a secondary
mover, like chins, pulldowns,
and rows.
Second,
if you're doing isolation bicep
training to supplement that
heavier work, you MUST focus
on keeping tight form, absolutely
at the expense of weight. The
biceps (when not being worked
with the heavy compound stuff)
need that tight form otherwise
other muscles take over the
movement and the tension comes
off the biceps.
I'm
sure you've been to the gym
and seen people who curl a TON
of weight (with not so great
form) yet don't have the arms
to show for it. And then you've
seen the guys with BIG arms
that seem like they hardly use
any weight at all in comparison
but use STRICT form.
There's
your first clue...
Speaking
from my own experience, I can
tell you that my arm size comes
from heavy movements like rows,
chins and and deadlifts. I know
a LOT of guys with much smaller
arms who can curl more than
me...
So
THIS exercise is for anybody
who tends to use too much body
momentum or movement when doing
curls. It's going to be an instantly-humbling
and learning experience for
you :).
You'll
simply be getting yourself into
the squat machine or calf machine
and do a dumbell curl while
loaded. It's a very simple yet
very powerful concept because
what that does is lock your
entire body into position for
the curl.
There
will be ZERO body movement and,
because your body is loaded,
your core and legs will be activated
through the duration of the
movement, teaching you how to
tighten everything up and FORCE
your biceps to be the only thing
working.
It
also has the added bonus of
pinning the shoulders down so
that they can't shift around
during the curl, adjusting the
leverage. Your elbow may come
forward a little as you curl
but the shoulder will not come
up or shift forward to improve
the leverage and make it easier
on you.
So
load the machine with a moderate
weight - you don't need massive
heavy weight or anything.
Grab
a couple of dumbells that you
could normally curl for about
15 reps. You wan to keep the
weight lighter because your
form is now going to be much
tighter, whether you want to
admit to it or not...
Get
inside the machine, facing away
from the stack (I find this
works better for the mechanics
of the curl).
Stand
up.
Now
you're in the upright position
with the weight bearing down
on your body and your arms in
the bottom curl position. Your
torso will be braced and your
legs slightly bent because if
you DON'T hold that position,
your torso will crumple and
you'll lose the position.
This
is what makes it a perfect teaching
tool.
Now
begin the curl. I prefer one
dumbell at a time, to focus
on strict form.
One
thing to to note...on the way
down, DO NOT rotates the forearms.
Keep the palm facing forward
until the dumbell is down at
your side. The moment you start
to rotate (pronate, in technical
terms, is rotating from palms-up
to neutral grip...supination
is rotating to the palms-forward
position from the neutral position),
you lose tension in the biceps.
We
want this exercise to be all
about tension and strict form.
Once
it's down, repeat on the other
side.
You'll
notice with this, even if you
TRY and use body momentum and
movement, it's not going to
happen. Your body is locked
in and braced and your biceps
are going to be on their own.
So
if you want to be more strict
in your own bicep work or if
you're a trainer who has clients
who you can't seem to stop from
shifting around when doing curls,
try this exercise. It'll force
the issue and really teach the
ideal form.
And
yes, it is a humbling experience.
If you're one of those people
who can curl more than me because
you cheat, this will serve you
right ;)
