The classic
barbell biceps curls have an overall mass - building effect, the cross-body curls target the underlying brachialis part and the tie - in with the forearm and the incline bench curls increase the peak on the outermost part of the biceps.
Barbell row 2 x 10 - 15 Bench press 2 x 10 - 15 Leg press 2 x 10 - 15 Leg curls 2 x 10 - 15 Barbell shoulder press 2 x 10 - 15 Standing
barbell biceps curls 2 x 10 - 15 Triceps pushdowns 2 x 10 - 15
Examples of mid-range movements are: leg press, bent - over barbell rows, dumbbell bench press, dumbbell overhead press,
barbell biceps curls, dips and pull - ups.
We'll use
the barbell biceps curl exercise.
3 sets of reverse
barbell bicep curls alternated with 3 sets of overhead triceps cable extensions
If you can not imagine this, visualize a person who is doing
barbell bicep curls who is training to failure.
** Acceptable substitutions / additions are
barbell bicep curls for chin - ups and / or tricep extensions for dips.
Last but definitely not least is
the barbell bicep curl.
Not exact matches
Many people focus on dumbbell
curls for their
biceps, which is all well and good, but if you want to really attack the
biceps, as well as give your forearms a heck of a workout too, then the
barbell curl is absolutely ideal, and is a lot harder than it looks too.
This great
biceps finisher includes one set of partial dumbbell
curls, one set of partial peak
curls and one set of standard
barbell curls, without any rest in between.
Make sure you don't lean backwards or swing the weight while performing
barbell curls to avoid de-emphasizing your
biceps during the lift.
Deadlifts (3 x 6 - 8 reps) / Bent over
barbell rows (3 x 6 - 8 reps) * Wide grip pull ups / chin ups (3 sets to failure) *
Bicep curls (3 x 10 reps)
For his
biceps and triceps, he starts by doing 4 sets of 12 reps of preacher
curls, then the same amount of dumbbell
bicep curls, hammer
curls,
barbell curls, triceps pushdowns (with a rope attachment), triceps overhead extensions (also with a rope) and a single set of triceps dips until he reaches muscle failure.
Curl the weight up until the
barbell is at shoulder height and your
biceps are fully contracted.
When performing
barbell curls, don't let your elbows drift up and shift the stress from the
biceps to the front delts — it's crucial to keep them locked all throughout the movement.
Because of this, do heavier exercises like
barbell and dumbbell
curls before engaging into high
curl exercise, to make the most of the overload you place on the
biceps.
Every time you are lifting either the dumbbell or the
barbell, like when you are doing a
biceps curl, you are executing the concentric part of the exercise.
The Austrian Oak always saw
barbell cheat
curls as an opportunity to fully tax arm muscles and as the best way to build sheer mass in the
biceps.
In short, you will develop your «glamour» muscles and your cardio abilities with full - body
barbell exercises, and much more than you would build your muscles than just doing
bicep curls and calf raises separately.
So, while
barbell curls are fun for building your
biceps, heavy rowing movements like the pullup or
barbell row will be just as effective (if not more) and will work numerous other muscles at the same time.
Sample Exercise Setup: Chest — 3 exercises, 1 incline, 1 flat and 1 decline Back — 4 exercises, 1 wide chin up or latt pull, 1 row, 1 pulley or machine row, Deads or pullovers (alternate between these two) Delts — 3 exercises, overhead press, side laterals, bent laterals Triceps — 3 exercises, overhead tricep extension with bar or dumbbell, cable pressdown, machine dip
Biceps — 3 exercises, preacher
curl,
barbell or dumbbell
curl, cable
curl Quads — 3 exercises, press of some kind, extension, hack or press or squat of some kind Hams — 1 exercise, leg
curl Calves — 3 exercises, standing calf raise, bent lower back calf raise (like donkey calf raises where your upper body and lower body are in an «L» shape), seated calf raises Abs - 3 exercises, weighted machine crunch, hanging leg lifts, cable reverse crunches Traps — 1 exercise, shrugs
To put it simply, compound exercises are movements that use more than one joint (squats, deadlifts, bench press, shoulder press,
barbell row etc.), contrary to isolation exercises that use only one joint (think leg extensions,
bicep curls and triceps extensions)
When doing a
barbell curl, for example, getting the load up towards the shoulders, compresses the
biceps, and getting it back down stretches it to its starting position.
Bicep and hamstring
curls are great — but multi-step exercises like deadlifts, squats, dumbbell presses (instead of
barbell) will target more muscles and introduces a greater range of motion.
Start by grabbing a
barbell with palms up grip (like a
bicep curl) that is slightly wider than shoulder width.
If we want to progress faster on weighted chin ups can we do them as the first exercise in the back workout and in the arms day do them as the first
bicep exercise and then do
barbell curl or hammer
curls as the second
bicep exercise?
Think Compound first (e.g Squats,
Barbell bench, Rows etc) then Isolation (Leg
curls,
Bicep curls)
Keep in mind, nobody got overtrained from a tough set of
biceps curls, but a few too many deadlifts or even
barbell rows can put you in the dirt quick, so be intelligent when you get intense.
«Traditional»
barbell and dumbbell
curls (where the upper arm rests at the sides) will place a fairly equal amount of stress on both heads of the
biceps.
With this Hybrid Training exercise, you're going to learn how to add additional targeted resistance to the
barbell curl to hit the
biceps MUCH harder and build more muscle faster!
The standard
barbell curl is NOT the most efficient way to build massive
biceps.
Imagine the results you will get from a
barbell curl where the full weight of the
barbell goes onto only one
bicep at a time!
Examples of Exercises that work just one muscle group On the flip side of the coin, triceps push downs only work the triceps, a leg
curl will only work the hamstrings and a
barbell curl will only work the
biceps.
This exercise is the Cable -
Barbell Curl and it's going to turn your
biceps into mush and then into mountains!
In the standard
barbell curl, you get NO backwards - pulling tension at the top and have to focus on squeezing the
biceps hard yourself.
When you do a
barbell curl, you can only use as much weight as your
biceps can handle IN THE WEAKEST PART of the exercise, which is when your elbows are bent 90 degrees.
Legs: Squats, Stiff - Legged
Barbell Deadlift Chest:
Barbell Press (rotate between different bench angles), B / B Bench - press (Medium Grip) Back:
Barbell Rows, Pull - ups, Bent - over B / B Rows Shoulders: Military Press, Upright
Barbell Rows Triceps: Close - Grip Bench - press, Bench Dips
Biceps:
Barbell Curls Calves: Standing Calf Raises, Seated Calf Raises Standing Calf Raises 4.
A mix of
barbell, dumbbell, and cable
curls should be enough to effectively develop the
biceps.
This combined targeted resistance means you'll be matching the actual strength curve of the
barbell curl MUCH closer (using more resistance when the
biceps are in a stronger position).
First pick a
biceps movement that works for you, a movement like preacher
curls, standing
barbell curls or hammer
curls.
More details in
Biceps Curls with
barbells and dumbbells section.
In my foolish youth years of bodybuilding, I overtrained my
biceps with forced
barbell curls to the extent of irreversibly injuring my left wrist.
Friday: Pulling Movements (Back,
Bicep): Deadlift,
Barbell Rows, Wide pull ups weighted, Few reps of barbell
Barbell Rows, Wide pull ups weighted, Few reps of
barbellbarbell curls.
I'd recommend 2 - 3 minutes for the bigger stuff (bench press, squats, deadlifts,
barbell rows, etc.) and 1 - 2 minutes for the smaller stuff (
biceps and triceps exercises, lateral raises, leg
curls, dumbbell flyes, etc.).
Repeat this process until you can't do any more
barbell curls in good form (it is permissible to use a bit of swinging to get a few «cheat» reps of the
barbell curl to really push your
biceps to the limit).
You can also target the long (outer) and short (inner) heads of the
biceps by varying your technique when performing the
barbell curl by increasing or decreasing the width of your grip.
A killer
bicep workout would only include standing
barbell curls, incline
bicep curls and concentration
curls.
Barbell or dumbbell
curls (or any
bicep single - joint exercise)-- 5 sets of 12 - 15 reps / set; going for «pump»