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 Major Muscles That Act At The Elbow and Forearm

EXERCISES

Barbell Curls

·         Undergrip the bar at shoulder-width.

·         Avoid swaying your torso to help you move the weight... that's Cheating.

·         Press your upper arms against the sides of your torso to keep them in position throughout the set.

·         Use biceps strength to curl the weight in a semicurcular arc to your chin.

·         Powerfully contract your biceps at the finish position, then slowly lower the bar back to your thighs.

·         Experiment with different width grips to work different parts of the bicep muscle. You can also do these kneeling.

Dumbbell Curls

·         Like barbell curls, these place intense stress on the biceps and lesser stress on the forearm.

·         The undergrip is the primary method used to grip the dumbells, but for variation and to add more stress to the forearms, use an overhand (supinated) grip.

·         Press your upper arms against the sides of your torso to keep them in position throughout the set.

·         Use biceps strength to curl the weight in a semicurcular arc to your chin.

·         As the dumbbells reach the halfway point, rotate the wrists so that your palms are facing upwards (pronation) for the second half of the workout.

·         Powerfully contract your biceps at the finish position, then slowly lower the bar back to your thighs.

·         To intensify the work on your biceps, this exercise can be done seated.

·         You can also alternate dumbell curls, lifting one weight as the other is coming down. Try these while seated on an incline bench to rip you a new one!

Hammer Curls

·         Hammer curls work the biceps incredibly intensely; however, they are intended as a brachialis and forearm supinator exercise.

·         Press your upper arms against the sides of your torso to keep them in position throughout the set.

·         Use biceps strength to curl the weight simultaneously upward and foreward in a semicurcular arc to shoulder level.

·         Powerfully contract your biceps at the finish position, then slowly lower the bar back at your sides.

·         To intensify the work on your biceps, this exercise can be done seated.

·         If seated, you can alternate hammer curls.

Concentration Curls

·         Used by professional bodybuilders to add height to their biceps peak.

·         Sit with your feet 4-6 inches wider than your shoulders.

·         Grasping the dumbbell in hand, brace the back of your tricep against the inside of your thigh near your knee.

·         Use biceps strength to curl the weight in a semicurcular arc to your chin.

·         Your arm should be completely straight with the weight at your hand. Your other arm can either be rested on your other knee or wedged the triceps of your working arm.

·         With palm facing forward (supination), slowly contract your biceps to bring the weight up to your shoulder.

·         Tense your biceps as strongly as possible in this peak-contracted position, then lower the weight slowly back along the same arc to the starting position.

·         The real key to this exercise is mental concentration. Stay focused on working those biceps!

Barbell Preacher Curls

·         This is an excellent overall mass builder for the biceps, particularly adding mass to the lower biceps near the elbow.

·         Lean over the preacher bench with your arms parallel.

·         Grasp the barbell or have a training buddy place the barbell into your supinated (palms face-up) hands.

·         The upper edge of the bench should be wedged under your armpits.

·         Use biceps strength to slowly curl the weight directly upward to shoulder level.

·         After reaching the peak, slowly return the weight to starting position.

·         Don't attempt to bounce the weight in the bottom position, as your biceps are vulnerable to injury. Ease the weight down.

·         You can also do this exercise with dumbbells; both arms at a time arcing slightly larger than your elbows' width, or concentrating hard on one arm at a time. You can also do this with a reverse palms-down grip to stress the forearms.

Lower Cable Curls

·         Bodybuilders use this exercise to isolate the biceps.

·         Grasp the handle on each side of you and stand with your hands face up.

·         Use biceps strength to slowly curl the weight toward your shoulder, keeping your elbow in the same place.

·         At the finish position, flex your biceps to give an additional burn.

·         Lower the weight slowly back along the same arc to the starting position.

High Cable Curls

·         Same as the above exercise, exept use the upper handles, pulling the weight from above.

·         Be sure to keep your elbows in the same position as you bring the weight towards your shoulders.

·         At the finish position, flex your biceps to give an additional burn.

·         Slowly uncurl your arms back along the same arc to the starting position.

List of other bicep exercises...

·         Cheating Barbell Curls

·         Barbell Reverse Curls - Same as regular barbell curls but with your palms down.

·         Barbell Slide Curls - Also called drag curls.

·         Prone Barbell Curls

·         Barbell Spider Curls

·         Incline Barbell Curls

·         Standing Zottman Curls

·         Standing Cable Curls

·         Close-grip Chinups - Keep your palms facing you.