When done correctly, bicep curl helps build muscle mass in arms, forearms and shoulders. It is a weightlifting exercise in which you bend your elbow to lift a weight towards your shoulder, targeting the bicep muscle. Bicep curls exercise also targets the muscles on the underside of your forearms, namely the brachioradialis and pronator teres, which further stabilize your weight for this exercise. Besides stabilizers such as deltoids and rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder, this also helps maintain the shoulder joint stability when lifting weights.
Bicep Curls Exercise: The Correct Way
Bicep curl practice helps improve your arm stamina significantly and can help shape and tone your body. But most importantly, you should know how this exercise needs to be performed accurately. Provided below are step-by-step instructions that you should follow while doing bicep curls exercise:
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart and stand upright. Bend your knees just a little bit.
- With your arms completely extended down by your sides and your palms facing inward (toward your body), hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Throughout the workout, keep your upper arms still and your elbows close to your sides.
- The dumbbell is curled slowly towards your shoulder, keeping a straight wrist and a motionless elbow.
- After the exercise reaches its peak, you will pause and then carefully bring the dumbbell back to its starting position.
- The same way you curl the opposite arm, you should also curl the opposite arm.
- For the number of repetitions that are needed, switch the arms.
- Do not lift the weights above the head and keep the back straight. Focus on the movement of the dumbbells with your biceps.
- Concentrate on your breathing, exhale when you lift the weight, and inhale when you lower it.
Ways of Doing Bicep Curls
The bicep curls exercise can be performed using dumbbells, barbells, resistance bands or a bicep curl machine. Various techniques give different levels of resistance to the biceps. Following are different biceps curl exercises that can be done to target the biceps, resulting in the growth and shape of the biceps: Following are different biceps curl exercises that can be done to target the biceps, resulting in the growth and shape of the biceps:
Dumbbell Curls While Standing
Stand straight with your hands inward and a dumbbell in each. Close your elbow to your side and keep your upper arm stable, then bring one dumbbell to your shoulder. After returning the dumbbell to its original position, switch arms to continue the exercise. This exercise makes your arms stronger and firmer, and at the same time, it works on your biceps.
Hammer Curls
You have to put your palms facing inward and hold a dumbbell in each hand as if you are holding a hammer. Make sure your elbows are close to your sides, then curl the weights towards your shoulders. Repeat the movement with lower weights again. This exercise works the brachialis, which is a muscle, located under the biceps, that is responsible for the elbow flexion, as well as the biceps.
Preacher Curls
Either sit or stand at the preacher’s curl bench. Holding a bicep curl barbell with an underhand grip, your hands should be shoulder-width apart and your upper arms should be on the pad. Keeping your upper arms on the pad, wrists behind you, curl the barbell up towards your shoulders. Repeat the same by lowering the barbell back down. Through the isolation of the biceps, the growth and strength of these muscles are boosted.
Concentration Curls
Make your legs spread out and sit on a bench. By using one hand, you can hold a dumbbell and position the back of your upper arm against your inner thigh. Bend the dumbbell to your shoulder while keeping the elbow straight. Repeat after you have lowered the weight to the ground. This activity increases the peak contraction of the biceps while at the same time, it helps to concentrate them.
Cable Curls
Stand in front of a cable bicep curl machine with a low pulley attached to a straight bar. By putting your hands shoulder-width apart, you will be able to take an underhand grip on the bar. Make sure that your elbows are close to your sides, and then lift the bar up to your shoulders. Move the bar and set it down for the second time. In the course of the workout, the biceps are constantly being strained.
Reverse Curls
The overhand grip with the barbell in the hands, shoulder-width apart, is the way to hold the barbell. The elbows have to be kept close to the sides, and the barbell has to be curled towards the shoulders. The bar is repositioned and lowered again. This exercise is beneficial for the enhancement of the whole arm strength and definition by focusing on the brachioradialis muscle (forearm muscle) and the biceps.
Conclusion
Eventually, after doing this exercise, you may feel tired and may have some pain in your biceps and forearms, which is normal and required for muscle strength and growth. Nevertheless, you should force more repetitions if you can execute the curls correctly. Pause before starting the next set. Do not attempt to lift too much weight in the beginning, and if you feel pain, then stop. Biceps building is common practice, but do not try heavy weights unless you are ready for it.
