Powersport, Single barbell curl.

The biceps curl is considered one of the main exercises for developing the biceps brachii muscle. It loads both bundles, as well as the forearm, and is considered basic.

It can be performed by both beginners and more experienced athletes, both in combination with other exercises and as a single exercise, especially if the goal is to gain muscle mass.

Rules for performing exercises

The exercise is considered basic, that is, the main one for the development of biceps. It is included in almost all training programs if it is possible to work with a barbell. Its peculiarity is that it allows you to pump both biceps bundles at once, as well as, to some extent, the forearms.

When performing the movement, you need to follow some recommendations:

• It is better to perform the exercise first, only after it do other movements on the biceps;
• the body must be straight, swaying and bending are not allowed;
• Elbows cannot be moved to the sides;
• It is better to use a small working weight and gradually increase it.

Attention! The exercise is often used in practice, it is not difficult to master due to its relatively simple technique, but its importance cannot be overestimated.

Be sure to watch: How to pump up biceps at home: strong and sculpted arms Training chest and biceps: list of exercises and nuances of pumping Intensive workouts for growing biceps and triceps Arms toned: biceps exercises for girls

Standards for training in powerlifting

Powerlifting is a sport aimed at lifting a barbell in various movements. The classic version involves three movements: bench press, deadlift and squats, but there are other variations, such as strict biceps curls.

The standards will differ depending on gender, weight, and the federation in which the athlete competes. For example, in WRPF the standards for men are as follows:

The movement must be performed once, but with strict adherence to the correct technique. For women, the standards are slightly different:

Standards are assigned when movements are performed at competitions and there are judges of a certain rank. Specific requirements are set by each federation individually.

Interesting Facts

Tsyplenkov Denis - Russian arm wrestler, absolute champion of the World Cup, recorded a world record in standing biceps curls, lifting 140 kg for 5 repetitions and 160 kg for 1 repetition. Yes, of course, many will say that there is no proper technique here, but a certain percentage of athletes in deadlifts and squats with a barbell have lower results than Denis does for biceps curls.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, I think, needs no introduction, in his best years, when his weight was about 115 kg, and his arm circumference was 54 cm, the maximum working weight for lifting the biceps barbell was 120 kg.

That's all for me, I wish you that your T-shirts in the arm area are bursting at the seams. Well, as promised above, I offer a useful video for viewing. Good luck and health!

Features of the technique

The technique for performing the exercise will differ slightly depending on the execution option. The classic standing version is performed as follows:

• stand straight, feet approximately shoulder-width apart. Grab the barbell with an overhand grip, palms up, shoulder-width apart;
• arms are bent at the elbows, approximately to chest level;
• Elbows must be pressed to the body; they are not allowed to be pulled to the sides or brought together;
• The bar goes down slowly.

The technique of performing the exercise may differ depending on the movement option. For example, you can perform a movement with a “crooked” bar, taking it narrower.

In this case, the emphasis of the load will shift slightly to the long biceps bundle. The rest of the technology will remain the same.

Barbell curls for biceps. Execution technique

I will consider the classic biceps curl with a straight bar, because... This is the basic exercise, and all its variations are performed in the same way.

And besides, I will write separate articles about each variation of this exercise, so that it is as clear as possible and broken down into atoms.

So, let's talk about the technique of performing this exercise.

1. Starting position: Hang a weight on a barbell that you can lift for 6-12 repetitions (8-15 for girls), take the barbell at shoulder width, place your legs about the same, you can slightly bend your knees. The palms are facing forward, the hands are EXTENSION, and the elbows are pressed tightly to the body (the elbows are either pushed forward (the inner head works) or pushed back (the outer head works), but, nevertheless, pressed to the body). The abdominal muscles are tense.
2. We draw air into the lungs (inhale), after which, fixing the shoulders and pressing the elbows, we begin UNDER CONTROL, feeling the biceps at each point of the amplitude, and begin to bend the arm using the biceps. At the same time, our hands are still in an extended state (we are not trying to help ourselves with our hands). Continue curling your arm until you feel a peak biceps contraction (your arm can no longer bend) and the barbell is just below shoulder level. Stay in this position for 1 second. Bending your arm, gradually exhale the air from your lungs.
3. We exhale completely at the top point of the amplitude (the point of maximum tension).
4. Slowly, under control, lower the barbell back towards your hips, almost fully straightening your elbow joint, but KEEPING TENSION in your biceps. As you lower the barbell, gradually inhale air until your chest is completely filled.
5. We do the required number of repetitions.

Useful tips:

• The back is FIXED! There should be no swaying of the body, no throwing of the barbell, movement should be carried out only with the help of the elbow joint.
• We lift the barbell in a wide arc, rather than trying to quickly bend the joint.
• At the top point of the amplitude we perform a PEAK CONTRACTION, i.e. We additionally strain the biceps to give it additional load.
• We lift faster than we lower. 1-1.5 s to rise, 2-2.5 s to lower.
• There is no need to throw the barbell; always lower it down under control and smoothly.
• At the bottom of the movement, you should straighten your elbows until you lose tension in your biceps. Where the tension starts to go away, stop. Biceps are always tense!
• Perform a fascia stretch after performing biceps curls (biceps stretch).
• This is the best exercise to train your biceps, start your arm workout with it.
• Additionally, use a weightlifting belt to avoid unnecessary tension in the lumbar spine.

For your convenience, I made a cool picture for you so that you can clearly see how to perform a barbell curl:

As you can see, in the picture above I am performing the barbell curl in its classic form (with the elbows slightly pushed forward) and lifting the barbell in a large arc, and not in a shortened version.

Now I'll show you what I mean.

Here are two options for performing barbell curls:

1. The first (classic version): more difficult in terms of lifting, because a large load is additionally created at point “B”. This option will allow you to take less weight, but the time the muscle is under load is longer, all other things being equal.
2. Second option (reduced amplitude): I will give it to you not to make your life easier, but so that you can take more weight, but at the same time the movement (bending) must be carried out more slowly to compensate for the shorter time under load due to the smaller amplitude of movement.

For example, if you are already stuck with one working weight and cannot progress the load even by 2.5 kg, then it will be useful to perform the exercise in the second version, which will give you further progression and help you take on a new weight.

How to lift while sitting on a “prayer bench”

The exercise can also be performed on the so-called “prayer bench,” which is more often called the Scotus bench. The execution technique will be as follows:

• sit on a bench, adjusting the height to your own height;
• rest your elbows on a special support;
• take the barbell from below, lift it upward with force by bending the elbow;
• Slowly lower the barbell back after reaching the top point and pause for a couple of seconds.

In this case, it is better to choose a light weight. The bench helps to isolate the biceps as much as possible by fixing the arm in a stationary position.

What is the difference and types of grip

You can change the load by changing the grip, that is, the distance between the hands when holding the barbell. A different grip allows you to shift the emphasis of the load to individual parts of the muscles.

Important! Also, the grip may differ depending on the position of the palms. They can grasp the barbell from above or below, respectively, certain parts of the biceps muscle and forearm are included in the work to a greater or lesser extent.

In general, with any grip, all parts of the biceps are used, as well as the forearm; only the degree of load changes when performing a certain version of the exercise.

Narrow

The narrow grip is most often used with a curved bar, but can also be used with a straight bar. In this case, the brachialis is worked to a greater extent, as well as the outer part of the biceps muscle.

The technique for performing the exercise with a narrow grip will not differ fundamentally from the standard version with a medium grip. You also need to stand up straight, take the projectile, lift it sharply, pause and lower it slowly, while not bending your arms anywhere except your elbows, and also moving your back or arching it.

Wide

When performing the exercise with a wide grip, the main load falls on the inner part of the biceps, that is, its short brachialis muscle. The rest of the body, as well as the forearm, also receives some load; we are only talking about shifting the emphasis of the load.

Overhand raises (reverse)

You can also perform exercises with a reverse grip. In this case, you need to take the barbell not with your palms up, but with your palms down. Otherwise, the general technique for standing biceps exercises is followed.

When performing biceps curls while standing with a reverse grip, the load is shifted to the forearm, as well as the brachialis.

Execution options

Standing biceps curls are best performed at the beginning of a biceps workout. The number of approaches is no more than four, and repetitions from eight to twelve.

Most often, when performing extreme repetitions on the last breath, the athlete begins to neglect the technique, which is unacceptable and can lead to injury. It is recommended to ask a gym buddy to back you up on the last reps.

Lifting a barbell with a curved bar . The main advantage of using such a bar is the removal of stress from the hands. Personally, I am not a supporter of this execution option, I am a conservative (basic) athlete, so I prefer the basic execution variation;

Variations in grip width . A narrow grip better loads the long head of the biceps, and a wide grip, on the contrary, loads the short head;

Overhand grip . Serves to work out the forearms, brachialis, helps to increase grip strength of the hand;

Strict barbell curl . This is the name for any variant of performing an exercise in which the so-called “cheating” in common parlance is completely eliminated due to the swinging of the body and raising the elbows. You can eliminate “cheating” using a specialized biceps support (see the picture below) or rest your back against a regular wall.

We pump our arms correctly with a projectile

When performing the exercise, it is important to follow a number of recommendations, which will allow you to fully load the muscles and ensure their development:

• It is better to perform the movement first if we are talking about the standard version of lifting with a medium grip. After this, other exercises can be performed: dumbbell lifts, deadlifts, and so on;
• Compliance with safety regulations plays a primary role. You should not increase the working weight if you cannot perform the movement with normal technique with the previous one;
• elbows should remain motionless throughout the entire exercise;
• It is best to use a straight bar as the main exercise.

It will be enough to perform 4 sets of exercises of 8-12 repetitions. Then you can include 1-2 other exercises, performing them for 10-15 repetitions. One biceps workout per week will be enough.

Main conclusions

Before pumping up your biceps, you should do a warm-up, as well as other exercises, if they are planned for this training day. It is better to train the biceps at the end or together with the triceps, combining them into a general arm workout.

The technique for performing the movement is simple, but requires a little practice. It is better to start with a small weight, gradually increasing it.

Lifting the barbell is carried out with the first movement, as it works the entire muscle at once, after which isolated movements are added.

Lifting the barbell on a Scott bench

Another option for performing the exercise is to use the so-called Scott bench. This is a special simulator that allows you to fix your arms, which provides more isolated movement and allows you to maximally load the biceps, eliminating the load on other muscle groups. Accordingly, performing such an exercise seems more difficult, and the appropriate weight must be selected.

Load when performing exercises on a bench

When using a bench, the technique for performing the movement will look like this:

1. It is necessary to adjust the bench according to your own height and limb length.
2. The hands are placed on a special lining so that the triceps rests on it, and the arms are lowered as much as possible.
3. Next, the athlete takes the barbell from a special rack or accepts it from the server. Starting position - arms are lowered down, but not fully extended at the elbows.
4. The athlete bends his elbows, pauses briefly at the top, then slowly straightens his arms. However, they should never straighten completely. To rise - inhale, to extend - exhale.

When using a bench, it is recommended to perform more repetitions with less weight. The optimal range would be from 10–12 to 20, and more when working on terrain.

Video: Biceps on the Scott bench. Exercise technique