“How to get optimal result from the bicep curl” – Delna Pooniwala.
I may have visited several gyms all over the globe & an observation has been that guys are fond of working on their biceps. However, many do not do it the right way.
So here are a few ‘do it right tips’ In order to maximize the tension on your biceps & build your upper arms more efficiently & also, releasing the tension from your surrounding muscles and joints.
Weather you do a standard Barbell curl, cable curl or a dumbbell curl, Do not allow your shoulders and elbows to drift forward. When the shoulder or elbow is drifted forward, the tension is shifted on the anterior deltoid.
Keep your elbows pinned at your sides. Many people want to power their weights up and hence flare their elbows outwards. This causes stress on the joints and surrounding muscles. This technique may enable you to lift heavier loads but would do nothing when it comes to the development of the bicep muscles.
Keep your wrists in a neutral or slightly extended position and do not move it. Moving the wrist, moves the tension from the bicep to the wrist and forearms which would lead to a less effective bicep workout and could also cause injury to the wrist.
Keep your back straight and minimize the use of momentum as this generates greater chances for lower back injuries.
A brilliant technique I always advice is to contract your triceps at the bottom of every rep. Before you lift your weight up, flex the triceps. This ensures that your biceps are fully lengthened on every rep and are being trained through the largest range of motion possible.
When your biceps come to a dead stop before start of a new rep, you know you are not using any momentum and it is pure muscle strength.
Your muscles have no idea what weight you are objectively lifting. The only thing that your muscles respond to is the direct amount of tension that they are placed under. Maximum muscle stimulation does not mean taking heavy weights. You may drop your weights but focus on lifting the weight by the pure force of your bicep only.
