
Title: 

Bicep Barbell Curl

Introduction & Description:

The barbell curl is the number one exercise for developing biceps. That is a bold statement considering the number of bicep exercisies but it is true. Magnetic resonance scanner images have proven that when the biceps barbell curl is performed with an arm blaster or biceps bomber it stimulates the bicep as no other exercise does. The full bicep is stimulated in this exercise. There are a variety of barbell types also such as the popular EZ-curl bar, the roto-bar and thick bars that require greater grip. Probably the best for bicep stimulation is the EZ-curl with the arm blaster. Biomechanically this stresses the muscle more than the preacher curl also.

Anatomy & Biomechanics:

Muscles stimulated by the barbell curl are biceps, brachialis and forearms. The biceps flex the elbows and supinate the
hands. Supination is only possible with a roto-bar or dumbells. In the barbell curl we are primarily flexing the elbow. By using an arm blaster or biceps bomber the cheating movement of swinging the bar is prevented and the elbows are locked into place allowing for maximum exertion on the bicep muscle belly. This can also be achieved by standing with the back against the wall but unfortunately you will find your elbows are crushed against the wall in the bottom of the movement. 

Step By Step Technique:

The exercise is performed with the elbows locked at the sides and palms facing forward beginning with elbows extended. Width of grip is generally shoulder width. The positive part of the movement is when the biceps contact. This can be performed at a steady pace or explosively. An explosive pace will develop greater power than a steady pace. The weight is lowered more slowly in the negative part while correct form is followed. It is possible to cheat if you dont use an arm blaster and use momentum to swing the weight at the elbows. The thumbs are best kept wrapped around the bar. Generally 5-8 reps are performed for 4-6 sets. This can be done 2-3 times per week. Some regimens recommend a lighter volume session in one workout to stimulate slow twitch fibers and a more power oriented session after a couple of days to stimulate fast twitch.

Dealing With & Preventing Injury:

A commonly unnoticed injury from the bicep curl is micro burst blood vessels. This will appear as a small round lump under the skin and is not serious. More serious and painful are muscle tears. If this occurs training must stop on the muscle group and a sports physician should be seen. Joint injury can occur to the elbow and ligaments if sloppy form is used and jerky movements are allowed to cause damage. This is another good reason to use an arm blaster. The bicep muscle also reponds favorably to deep massage. Being a relatively small and accessable muscle it is very easy to give a stimulating bicep massage to yourself. Bicep stretches are performed by placing the arm at 90 degree's to the body and twisting the torso slightly to stretch the pec, deltoid and bicep. A mild flexing of the arm after this can also help to stimulate blood flow into the muscle.

Variations:

As we have discussed there are many possible variations to this simple exercise even if we limit the discussion to barbell training. First there is the use of elbow stabalizers called arm blasters or bicep bombers. The purpose of these devices we already know. There are also the various types of barbell, EZ-curl and roto-bar. Roto-bar can perform as an EZ-curl, a standard barbell and as a supination device. The EZ-curl places the palms in a biomechanically preferable angle for the joint flexion of the elbow. This makes the exercise more comfortable and efficient. A reverse of the palms places strain on the forearm ulnaris muscle and this is called the reverse barbell curl.
There are also many dumbell variations of the curl and the author has devised a means of stabalizing the elbow while performong these dumbell movements. The barbell version does however seem to be superior for maximal stimulation of the bicep.

Training Tips & Secrets:

Explosive power in the contraction phase of the exercise is a trick I learned from an old street fighting friend many years ago. He had the biggest guns in town and his secret was to pump the positive part of the exercise with as much weight as posible , as fast as possible. He would then lower the weight slowly . Another trick he employed was to cheat with the weight once he was past exhaustion to squeeze out a few extra reps. This is done by slightly swinging the barbell to exploit its momentum. You can not cheat easily with an arm blaster but you can certainly perform explosive reps. Just be sure to warm up the muscle and ligaments first as I cant imagine many injuries worse that a bicep tear or ripped bicep tendon.

Resouce Box
