Bicep Curls

Bicep curls may seem like a pretty basic exercise with few - if any - options for variation. This is due to the fact that your biceps primarily work the elbow joint, which is similar to a door hinge in that it has a set, fairly simplistic range of motion. Compare this to your hips or shoulders that can swivel around pretty freely. While it is true that you don't have the rich assortment of exercises as you do for back or shoulders, you can still give yourself a boost by mixing things up with your bicep training.

Adjusting angles and resistance paths can make a difference in how your bicep curls target the muscles. Here are some variations to try. For best results, rotate your exercises frequently to keep the muscles guessing.

This is the basic curl most people think of when you say 'bicep curls'. You simply stand with a balanced stance (feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and back straight) holding a barbell in your hands. Relax your shoulders and keep them "neutral"; don't thrust the shoulders forward. Then you curl the barbell up to your chest, squeeze a little at peak contraction, and resist the weight to give it a nice, controlled descent back to the starting position. Hardly rocket science, but effective. You can use a straight or cambered bar for this bicep curls exercise; whatever feels best for your wrists.

Replace the barbell with dumbbells and you have a very similar motion and resistance curve, only you have more freedom to make individual adjustments on this biceps curls move. This can be particularly helpful for those with wrist problems. Likewise, some people prefer the alternating approach, where you raise one dumbbell while simultaneously lowering the other, and vice versa. Just make sure to not have one arm sitting idle while the other is working. The key word is "simultaneous"; this isn't a tag-team effort.

For concentration bicep curls, sit at the edge of a bench with your knees apart and your feet firmly plated on the ground. Lean forward a little, with your back straight, and grab a dumbbell so that it hangs straight down with your elbow against the inside of your knee. Now, bracing your elbow against your knee, curl up using a twisting motion, so that your thumb shifts from pointing backwards (at bottom position) to facing your nose (at top). This is also a great time to employ assisted reps with your spare hand; give your working arm a little boost during the lifting phase after doing 8-10 regular reps to grind out a few more "bonus" reps.

The laws of physics make it so that free weights have a somewhat uneven resistance curve. In other words, early and late in the curl you have a lighter load that you do at the midpoint. Cables, however, do not have this limitation. Thus, you can alternate barbells and dumbbells with short bars and handles using the lower cable pulley every couple workouts.

As the name implies, the biceps actually have two parts. While both connect to the forearm just below the elbow, one of the parts connect to the scapula while the other connects to the shoulder. Thus, you can give the latter a little extra work by leaning back on a bench at about 30-45 degrees, letting your arms hang straight down below/behind you. This gives half the bicep an extra stretch right from the get-go, putting it in a whole new dynamic from what it is used to. You can do this with cables, too; simply attach a handle to the lower pulley and sit on a bench with the back straight up, facing away from the pulley. Let your arm be pulled a bit backwards; maintain that position for your upper arm as you start your bicep curls. Count your reps so that you do the same number on both sides.

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