(3:41)- Drag Curl Vs. Spider Curl –
(7:27)- The “Anabolic Window” – Does It Really Exist? –
(11:32)-
*READ FULL ARTICLE WITH PHOTOS*
In today’s article, we’re talking about biceps. Or rather, what you’re doing wrong if you can’t seem to get them to grow! And even if your biceps ARE growing, we’re still going to be addressing a few points that might help accelerate their growth and MAXIMIZE your time in the gym!
Mistake #1 – Not Understanding How Gravity Works
You don’t need to be Sir Isaac Newton to get your bicep training right, but for the majority of you the most detrimental mistake you’re making when training your biceps is simply not understanding how gravity works. It might sound funny to you, but bare with me for a second. Stand up straight with your arms hanging naturally by your side. Gravity is naturally pulling them towards the floor. Now, there is no bicep engagement here! There is no stretch, there is no contraction, they are literally just hanging out doing nothing. Now, try picking up a dumbbell and doing the same thing. If you just hold the dumbbell with your arm in the same position, there is no tension.
Now your hand, or grip, might get tired eventually, but not because of your bicep fatiguing, but rather your fingers and forearms giving out. But let’s now perform a bicep curl. If your elbow stays back by your side, or in line with your hips, you’ll get a solid bicep contraction when reaching the top of the movement.
However, when going down, the tension starts to decrease as you lower the weight back down to the bottom where there is NO tension. But that isn’t totally true either. If your palms are facing in there is no tension in the biceps, but if you keep your hand supinated with your palms facing forward we can keep the biceps activated at the bottom of the movement.
This is a good time to mention for those of you who are told fully extending is useless, remember that the sticking point of a bicep curl is the initial PULL at the bottom. So if you never fully extend your arm, you are essentially skipping the hardest part of the exercise where your biceps have to work their hardest to move the weight. So skipping that is just a waste of a time.
Now, the way to FULLY maximize your biceps activation during ANY curl is to keep your elbows locked and slightly in front of your torso. Next, as you curl the weight up, you still get maximum contraction, but as you lower the dumbbell back down you can keep more tension on the biceps even when the arm is fully extended, because your upper arm is not pointing directly towards the floor anymore.
It is at a slight angle, and what this does is allow you to keep a nice STRETCH on the biceps at the bottom of the movement. And if you take into consideration the fact that the most amount of muscle damage occurs during the negative, it’d be a shame to waste that opportunity, simply because you’re letting your elbows travel behind your hips as you lower the weight.
Remember that your body doesn’t care about bicep growth, it is always seeking out the easiest path to move the weight you are lifting. So that’s why you will naturally WANT to bring your elbows back and the dumbbells closer to your body as you lower the weight, and even as you curl it up. BUT, don’t be confused because in the past we have talked about DRAG CURLS, which are performed by bringing the elbows back on the way up.
That is a different exercise and if you want to learn more about it check out my recent video on Drag Curls Vs Spider Curls to target the biceps PEAKS! So to wrap this up guys, if you want to maximize any biceps curl, start the movement by holding the weight with your palms facing forward, your elbows slightly in front of your hips, and as you bring the weight up focus on squeezing your biceps as hard as you can, and control the negative so that your elbows stay slightly in front of your hips the entire time.
*CONTINUE READING HERE*
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21 comments
The BONUS TIP is sure to upset some of you. This TENSION everyone talks about is just laughable when compared to how much more muscle engagement you get with working through sticking points and FULL ROM! – Enjoy!
FULL 12 WEEK PUSH, PULL, LEGS PROGRAM!- BUILD MUSCLE & STRENGTH! – http://muscularstrength.com/Push-Pull-Legs
(3:41)- Drag Curl Vs. Spider Curl – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV7hNe4alo4&index=16&list=PLacPhVACI3MNwwM_EgqLrM6B69N_8uiVE
(7:27)- The "Anabolic Window" – Does It Really Exist? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBxOXaD4PaM&t=11s&index=122&list=PLacPhVACI3MPmdZvXralM2yDlAFdJObWC
(11:32)- http://muscularstrength.com/article/Am-I-Not-Growing-Muscle-If-I-Am-Not-Sore
Nice neck veins bruh
This dude keeps talking bullshit
Could u help me to do a warm up before work out?
More misinformation on the standing dumbbell curl… the elbow needs to be stationary and not move forward… the hardest part or the sticking point is 90° or half way up… the least amount of resistance is at the bottom and at the top… which constitutes it as a mid-range exercise… which means it doesn't work the origin or the insertion but rather the belly of the muscle…. so using proper form you'll get a bigger bicep!
More misinformation on the dumbbell curl… the elbows need to stay in line with the torso not in front especially with the guys with the longer forearms!
The drag curl is an outdated exercise from Vince gironda, from the lack of equipment of those days!
More misinformation about a spider curl…. spider curl is a mid-range exercise done on a spider bench!
More misinformation about the dumbbell curl… what you do on the incline curl is not done the same on a inclinel curl, and vices verses!
Misrepresented about frequency… frequency is tied to prioritizing a lagging body part…. you can't prioritize every body part… you will be over trained… overtrain means you'll be unable to recover!
Misrepresentation about the cheating reps, it's Advanced technique, not for beginners like Scott Herman. A cheat rep is done right after a strict rep to make the subsequent rep harder not easier! Doing negative reps is another subject matter…. it's lowering the weight in a controlled manner, using a spotter to lift the weight!
Bilateral vs. Unilateral is a training technique onto itself… unilateral it can be done on any exercise…. it can be done in straight sets or alternating reps… however they are harder to control both on the positive and the negative reps!
Scott Herman information is the most laughable!
Does this exercise help with the bicep peak or brachii
I have been working out for a while now but I don't see an improvement to my back. So what are the best way to build lats and a better back?
I curl both arms at the same time because as you say, it`s easier to do one at a time and I like the pump better when my body struggles to stabilize both. Just a matter of preference.
Dump your dumbest dumbbell bummers.
Reps fuh Jeezis!!
I train each arm separately with dumbells so you can better do negatives and there is no need for any rest period between sets,then later do alternating curls with lighter weights
Wow you nailed it in every way. I find that when I start with really heavy barbell curls even with a bit of a cheat it really nails those deep fibers and it feels different than isolation and then when close the workout and with isolation dumbbells the burn comes really fast and intense. The elbow placement does make a difference. But I always learn something new with you. In this case not supinating the curls means ya get early bicep work. Like a monkey I always did what the book said even though it felt more intense when I did not supinate. I like that you are not just book smart but gym smart meaning you can test it yourself and come up with your own conclusions…earned trust.
Hey scott, just a quick question that in the 1:21 position i get more stretch in my bicep, isn't this helpful for building muscle?