ARMS

Dumbbell Concentration Curls

 

Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions

 

Overhead Rope Triceps Extensions

 

Barbell Curls

 

Wide Grip Barbell

 

Overhead Dumbbell

 

Machine Triceps Extensions

 

Incline Dumbbell Curl  

 

Hammer Curls

 

Triceps Kickbacks w/ Dumbbells

 

Triceps Kickbacks w/ Pulleys

 

One or Two Arm High Pulley Biceps Curl

 

E-Z Preacher Curls

Preacher Curl

 

Reverse E-Z Curls

 

Close Grip Bench Press

 

Triceps Pushdowns (with v-bar & rope attachments)

 

Dumbbell Concentration Curls

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Biceps

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: None

NOTES: This exercise is all about putting your mind into the muscle and focusing every bit of your attention on the exercise you are about to do. It will do wonders to heighten your biceps. Perform this exercise one arm at a time.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. You can do the concentration curl either in a sitting position or while standing. Whichever position you choose, bend over at the hips and take a dumbbell in one hand. The dumbbell weight should be light at first so that you can practice perfect form.

 

2. Sit at the edge of a bench and sup­port your arm by resting your elbow on your thigh. If doing this from a standing position, bend your knees slightly and bend at the hips until your back is parallel to the floor. Let the arm with the dumbbell hang straight down while supporting your bodyweight with your opposite hand by placing it on your thigh.

                                                                                            

3. Do not curl the weight straight up to your chest. You must curl the weight with your arm angled in toward your body. This will help make certain that the exercise motion is correct, following the direction towards your shoulders rather than your chest. To start, bend over at the hips and fully extend the arm that you will be exercising while the other arm is resting on your thigh. Flex your bicep and feel how it works before beginning the lift.

 

4. Squeeze the biceps and curl the weight toward your shoulder. At the top, contract the biceps muscle as hard as you possibly can, while keeping your arm pointing at the ground. Hold it for a two-second count.

 

5. Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position, resisting the weight the entire way down. Feel the contraction as you lower the dumbbell.

 

6. Without rest or momentum, once again squeeze the biceps and start curling the weight toward the shoulder with great focus and con­centration. Once you have completed the desired amount of repetitions, switch arms and do the same amount of repetitions.

 

Dumbbell Concentration Curls sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

With the dumbbell in hand, pause for a moment before beginning your first rep and concentrate on your breathing. Slow it down and breathe in the same rhythm that you’ll be lifting in. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. If you’re using the “Two-Step-Rep” scheme, exhale on a count of two, hold for two, and inhale for two.  Start the curls by contracting on an exhale, hold on the hold, and lower on the inhale. By focusing on breathing you are able to concentrate more and give you muscles a rhythm to work to.

Mindfulness

When the going gets tough, imagine that you have an invisible spotter. Your spotter gives the dumbbell just enough assistance to help you complete the rep. You can also imagine that you have the ability to draw the dumbbell up using your minds power. Look at the dumbbell and will it up using the power of your mind.

Incline Dumbbell Curls

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Biceps

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: None

NOTES: The incline dumbbell curl is a great exercise for developing great looking biceps muscles. Due to the full stretch and range of motion of this exercise, it is designed to work the full length of the biceps with added emphasis on the outer head of the muscle. Because it requires strict form and isolation, you should start doing the exercise with a weight lighter than what you’d usually use for a regular dumbbell curl. Remember, form is everything. Make sure to avoid momentum and keep the form strict. Do not sacrifice good form for heavy weight and ego!

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Go to an incline bench and set the bench incline to a 45-degree angle.

 

2. Pick two dumbbells with a weight that you can handle using perfect form. This exercise must be done very strictly in order to receive the desired effects.

 

3. Sit down on the bench and rest the dumbbells on your thighs. Starting this way gives you some quality time to visualize and focus on the exercise you are about to do. This preparation can set up the proper mind-set for even greater lifting performance.

 

4. Lean all the way back into the bench so that your entire back is lying flat against the back pad. Stay that way for the entire exercise and do not take your back off the bench until the exercise is complete. Once you are properly posi­tioned and ready to begin, take a firm grip on the dumbbells by squeezing the handles. Contract your biceps and zone into them. Squeeze the biceps to lift the dumbbells off your thighs and lower them to hang at your sides.

 

5. Make sure that the palms of your hands are facing the wall in front of you for the entire exercise. No supination or hand twisting with this exercise.

 

6. Keep your elbows pointed directly at the floor during the entire exercise. When people usually do any type of biceps curl, they allow their elbows to drift up with the curling movement, allowing the shoulders to flex forward. When this happens, the anterior shoul­ders become the prime movers of the weight being curled instead of the biceps, so be sure to avoid it.

 

7. Once you are in position, focus all of your attention on the exercise you are about to do and on the biceps muscle itself. Begin curling the dumbbells at the same time, making sure that the elbows stay positioned towards the ground without moving upward as you curl.

 

8. Curl the weights up until you can no longer curl while simultaneously contracting the biceps muscles as hard as can. Hold that position for two seconds.

 

9. Slowly and smoothly lower the dumbbells until your arms are fully elongated and back at your sides.

 

10. Without rest and without using any momentum, slowly and steadily begin curling the dumbbells back up toward your shoulders. If you jerk or in any way use momentum to begin curling the dumbbells, you risk serious injury to the biceps muscles.

 

Incline Dumbbell Curls sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Be aware of how far your muscles and joints are stretching at the bottom of an exercise. While a good stretch stimulates growth, stretching too far can cause stress and possibly damage muscles, tendons & ligaments. Pay close attention to the signals from your body; it possesses an infinite wisdom, letting you know when you’ve gone too far.

Mindfulness

Imagine that a rope is tied to each dumbbell. The ropes go up through the ceiling and out of site, where two big burly guys are pulling on the ropes in unison. So when the going gets tough, those big guys are there to help.  The image will help keep your mind off the weights so you can focus on the muscles contraction.

Hammer Curls

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Biceps outer head

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Forearm extensors (brachio-radialis)

NOTES: You can do this exercise either sitting, which will make it more strict, or standing, which will allow you to go a bit heavier. I suggest that you include both versions in your training routine.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Choose two light dumbbells so that you can practice perfect form.

 

2. With the dumbbells in hand, begin the alignment of your body by placing your feet about shoulder width apart with the feet pointing straight ahead of you. Slightly bend the knees.

 

3. Allow the dumbbells to hang down at your sides with your palms and dumb­bells facing the sides of your body. Make sure that your elbows stay pointed at the ground at all times dur­ing the biceps curl exercise.

 

4. Keep your upper body straight by contracting your abdominal muscles slightly, sticking out your chest and keeping your shoulder blades squared off. Keep your head level, and your eyes pointing straight ahead of you. Standing against a wall will help you maintain your posture and isolate your biceps.

 

5. Focus your attention on your biceps and give them a tight squeeze to get into the Zone-Tone. Contract the biceps and curl the dumbbells up with palms and dumbbells facing each other. Your forearm and the dumbbell should look like a hammer about to drive a nail, which is where the exercise gets its name.

 

6. Focus on driving the thumbs to your front shoulders, concentrating on feel­ing the biceps and forearm muscles working.

 

7. Once you've reached the top position of the exercise, contract the biceps and forearm muscles as hard as you possi­bly can and hold that contraction for a count of two seconds.

 

8. From the top position, slowly and smoothly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position. As you reach the bottom of the exercise, the palms of your hands and dumbbells should remain facing each other and held to the sides of your body.

 

9. Make sure that there is a smooth transition when switching directions from both the top position going into the lowering of the dumbbells, and also from the bottom position going into the curling or raising of the dumbbells. Both scenarios must be done with no rest in between either of the direction changes, unless you are so fatigued by the end of the set that you need a few seconds rest in order to get a couple more repetitions.

 

Hammer Curls sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Think strong as you watch your arms pump those dumbbells. Be amazed by your own strength. This creates positive energy that transfers to the muscles in use.

Mindfulness

Envision your arms and the dumbbells as those hammer-shaped pump arms on an oil well. Think about how they pump up and down all day long without a break in rhythm. Transfer the image to your arms as they pump that dumbbell up and down . . . up and down  . . . up and down.

Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Triceps

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Shoulders

NOTES: The lying position provides greater stability to lift more safely, preventing a chance of injury to your lower back. It also allows greater leverage to occur, much like the flat dumbbell press, allowing better strength out­put with a smoother exercise movement. Always make sure to move the dumbbells slowly from start to finish and squeeze the triceps muscles at the top of the movement to really feel the tri­ceps working.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Pick up two dumbbells, making sure that they are light enough for you to practice perfect form. Sit at the end of a flat bench with the weights positioned upright on top of your thighs.

 

2. It is very important to grip both dumbbell handles all the way at the end closest to your thighs. Make sure to slide your hands all the way to the bottom of the handle so that the pinky side of your hand is up against the weight plate. Doing this will help you control the weight better while also allowing you to contract the triceps muscles harder at the top of the move­ment.

 

3. Thrust each dumbbell up, just as you would when doing a dumbbell bench press, and lie back on the bench, placing your feet flat on the floor.

 

4. As you are lying down, keeping the palms of your hands facing each other at all times, press the weights up using your chest muscles (chest press) to the fully-extended position. Begin the exercise in this position to avoid stressing the elbow joint. If you start at the bottom position of this exercise, you can easily create too much pressure on the elbow joint cap­sule and risk long-term injury. Remember, throughout the movement, the palms of your hands and your inner elbows must always face each other. You want to make sure that your whole arm is in a direct line with your front shoulder (anterior deltoid). You must also make sure that your elbows are pointing directly at the ceil­ing at all times during the exercise.

 

5. Begin the exercise with the arms folly extended overhead, holding the dumbbells high to the ceiling. Once you are in the proper body alignment with the dumbbells over­head, contract your triceps intensely and slowly lower the dumbbells down toward your shoulders. Keep the elbows frozen in place at all times. These steps are nec­essary for proper triceps stimulation during this exercise. Remember to con­sciously focus all of your attention on proper form and stimulation of the tri­ceps muscles.

 

6. As you lower the dumbbells, stop just before the dumbbells reach your shoulders and begin to slowly and smoothly extend your arms from the elbows to the hands back up to the starting position of the exercise. Remember to keep your upper arm frozen in place.

 

7. As you reach the top of the exercise, contract the triceps muscles as hard as you possibly can for complete muscle stimulation. Make sure that you avoid excessively locking the elbow joint. Once you reach the position of full elbow extension, do not thrust the elbow joint into a locked position. Instead, contract the triceps muscles as hard as you possibly can. Practice using light weights with this technique as practice will make for perfect execu­tion of the exercise and better results, Also, make sure that there is a smooth transition when switching directions from lowering the dumbbells to raising the dumbbells. Do not rest between lowering and raising the dumbbell.

 

Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Unfortunately, sleep is quickly going out of fashion. Our lives can become so busy that we often crowd our quality sleep into a few hours each night. A lack of sleep can completely put a halt to any hopeful fitness results. It takes thorough rest and recuperation in order to be and act at your best. Lack of sleep will result in lack of concentration and scattered thinking—not to mention physical fatigue. These, of course, result in poor workouts and slower muscular gains. Be sure to get enough sleep and rest between workouts so you can keep your mind on what you’re doing…With all the hard work you put in, you should do everything in your power to get the results you deserve! So be mindful of quality sleep & rest.

Mindfulness

Somebody is watching you. In his book The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (Fireside 1998), Arnold Schwarzenegger tells of a time he was training squats with Franco Columbu, who was not at his best that particular day. He couldn’t do one rep at 500 pounds. But then in came a group of kids that idolized Franco and wanted to see him lift. Franco knew he couldn’t fail in front of them, so he cleared his head, got back under the bar, and squatted those five hundred pounds—eight times! Somebody in your gym is watching you. Be a role model, even if your weights are light compared to others—it’s the effort that counts.

 

Safety Tip: It is a good idea to bring the elbows back, where the elbow are point diagonally behind you versus straight up towards the ceiling. This slight slant backward, will help to take some stress off of the elbow joint and transfer it more to the triceps muscle.

Overhead Dumbbell Extensions

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Triceps middle and inner heads

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Triceps outer head

NOTES: You can do this exercise either while seated or while standing. We recommend you do it seated as you will be less likely to cheat using momentum. One very important thing to remem­ber with this exercise is to keep the elbows pointed to the ceiling above you at all times during the movement. This will help create a full range of motion for the triceps. You also need to hold the upper arms close to your head as you extend the weight overhead. Finally, one of the most important things to remember and perfect with this exercise is your handgrip on the dumbbell. It is not easy to get a perfectly even grip for both hands with this exercise. If you fail to grip the dumbbell evenly, you may end up directing the force of the dumbbell resistance to one arm and ignore the other and create a muscle imbalance between the two arms. To fix this, you must learn to either grip the top, inner portion of the dumbbell with a separate even grip for both hands or with an overlapping grip having one hand overlap the other. Switch the overlapping hand between sets.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Choose a weight that is light enough to practice perfect form, but heavy enough to benefit both arms. Place the dumbbell on top of your thigh. You can also have someone hand the dumbbell to you from behind. This is especially useful when using very heavy weight to avoid injuring the shoulder joints.

 

2. Sit on a bench with a 90-degree angled back pad. Sit all the way back into the seat, making sure that your back is flat against the pad at all times during the movement.

 

3. Before lifting the weight into posi­tion overhead, make sure that your feet are placed flat on the floor and pointed straight ahead. Make sure that your knees are also pointing straight ahead. Keep the head level and facing straight ahead at all times during the movement.

 

4. Position the dumbbell overhead or have someone hand it to you from behind. Grasp the dumbbell with your grip of choice. If you find one hand has a dominant grip over the other, switch the hand in the dominant position between sets so your arms get a balanced workout.

 

5. Point your elbows straight to the ceil­ing above you while holding your arms and elbows close to your head for tri­ceps isolation.

 

6. With the dumbbell overhead and in position, contract your triceps tightly and lower the dumbbell while keeping the elbows pointed directly to the ceiling. It is important to do this because it isolates the triceps muscle and provides a full range of productive motion. It will also help you avoid hitting the dumbbell on the back of your head while extending and lowering the dumbbell.

 

7. As you lower the dumbbell, focus on the triceps muscle and feel the stretch. Always take this negative portion slow and stay in control. Pay close attention to the contraction of your triceps.

 

8. Lower the dumbbell to a point where your forearms are slightly below paral­lel to the ground. You should feel a big stretch in the triceps.

 

9. Without any rest and avoiding the use of momentum, squeeze the triceps and press the weight back up to the top position. Keep your elbow locked in place and your body in correct alignment.

 

10. All of your attention must be on the triceps muscle, focusing on the isola­tion of the muscles. As you approach the top of the movement, contract the triceps mus­cles as hard as you possibly can while avoiding intensely locking out the elbow joints.

 

11. Hold this contraction for a two-sec­ond count and begin your descent, low­ering the dumbbell in a slow, controlled and fluid manner.

 

Overhead Dumbbell Extensions sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

*Just as you can contract the triceps to stimulate the biceps using the successive induction principle, the reverse is also true. Try isometrically contracting your biceps to increase output from your triceps.

Mindfulness

Try counting your reps backward. Sometimes counting out the number of reps you have left makes it easier toward the end of the set because now your mind/muscle link is all about: “Only three more, I can handle it . . . only two more, I can do it . . . last one, this is easy!”

Machine Triceps Extensions

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Triceps middle and inner heads

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Triceps outer head

NOTES: This exercise has the advantage of making it easy to keep proper form no matter how much weight is being used. The machine also isolates the triceps very thoroughly. If you’re not familiar with how the triceps should feel during an exercise, the triceps machine is a good way to get familiar with it.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Select a weight that allows you to practice perfect from, then sit in the machine’s seat with your triceps resting on the arm pad, much like preacher curls.

 

2. With your arms bent at a 90-degree angle or slightly more, take hold of the machine’s handles. Your upper arms should be directly below your forearms.

 

3. Flex your triceps isometrically and draw your concentration into the muscles. Tighten your abs and begin to force the handles away from your chest in a downward arc. Throughout the movement, keep your elbows in. If the elbows float outward, other muscles will come into play and you’ll loose isolation of the triceps.

 

4. When you reach the fully extended position, in which you should maintain a slight bend in the elbows to maintain tension, squeeze the triceps hard for two seconds.

 

5. Return to the starting position while resisting the weight along the way.

 

6. Without any rest and avoiding the use of momentum, squeeze the triceps and press the weight back up to the top position. Keep your elbow locked in place and your body in correct alignment.

 

7. All of your attention must be on the triceps muscle, focusing on its isola­tion.

 

8. Hold this contraction for a two-sec­ond count and begin your descent, low­ering the dumbbell in a slow, controlled and fluid manner.

 

Machine Triceps Extensions sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Don’t forget to visualize every rep. In addition to feeling the muscle work you have to envision the effects of that movement. See the muscle pull at the same time you feel it and your body will do what it’s supposed to.

Mindfulness

When your muscles are searing with pain, make someone else hurt. To get your last few reps in, tell yourself that the burning you think you feel actually belongs to the person next to you and you don’t feel a thing.

Overhead Rope Triceps Extensions

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Triceps

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Shoulders

NOTES: This exercise hits all three triceps heads along their full length, giving them an incredible workout. Because you’ll be standing with the cable trying to pull you backward off your feet, it’s absolutely crucial to maintain a proper stance throughout the exercise with a staggered stance and slightly bent forward at the hips. Otherwise you risk injury to your back.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. With the rope attachment connected to a low-pulley cable, stand with your back facing the pulley machine and take hold of the rope behind your head using a neutral grip with palms facing each other. The pinky side of your fists should be facing up at the rope ends and against the stops.

 

2. Stand with your feet staggered, shoulder width apart and one foot about six inches in front of the other. Bend your knees slightly to reduce stress on the lower back.

 

3. Your elbows should be next to your ears and pointed at the ceiling. The forearms are bent at a 90-degree angle to the upper arms.

 

4. Contract your abs to bend forward slightly at the hips and, with the elbows locked in place, contract the triceps isometrically to focus on their movement.

 

5. With your concentration on the triceps, contract them and extend your forearms until they form a straight line with your upper arms. Avoid locking out the elbows. Though your hands may have been touching while behind your head, they will separate as you draw them upward.

 

6. Hold the extended position for two seconds with a tight squeeze of the triceps. Slowly lower the forearms to the starting position. Remember not to move your upper arms and keep your elbows stationary next to your ears.

 

7. At the bottom of the movement, when your arms are bent at 90 degrees do not stop, but contract the triceps for the next extension. Make the transition between reps a smooth one with fluid motion.

 

Overhead Rope Triceps Extensions sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

When using heavy weights on this exercise, use the Full Body Tension technique (See the Mindful Exercise technique on page X) to keep your body rigid from the neck down. If you don’t keep your back and hips stabilized, heavier weights will pull you out of alignment and could cause injury.

Mindfulness

In your training journal or on a whiteboard or chalkboard, draw a small circle for every set you’re planning to do. Every time you finish a set, cross out or blacken in one of those circles. Let the sense of accomplishment you get from seeing what you’ve already done motivate you to finish the sets.

Barbell Curls

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Biceps

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Inner forearm muscles

NOTES: This is the most basic of the biceps exercises and does an excellent job of developing the overall size of the biceps. Barbell curls can be done with either a straight bar or an E-Z or cambered bar. The E-Z bar allows you to lift heavier weight with less stress on the wrists than straight bar curls. If you have a pending strain such as tennis elbow or tendonitis, I recommend E-Z bar curls over straight bar curls. 

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Using a palms-up grip with your hands approximately shoulder width apart, hold the bar across your thighs. Position your feet shoulder width apart and point them straight ahead. Next, bend your knees slightly.

 

2. Slightly contract the abdominal muscles. Stand straight up and stay that way throughout the movement. Stick your chest out and keep the shoulders back, which will help you maintain a straight back.

 

3. Keep your head level and do not move it from that position for the rest of the exercise.

 

4. Lock your elbows to the sides of your body and focus your attention on the biceps. Flex them a few times before lifting to develop the mind-muscle connection. Then squeeze the biceps and curl the bar up toward your shoulders in an arc-like motion.

 

5. Keep the elbows pointing directly to the ground as you curl upward to avoid involving the shoulder muscles. As you curl upward, concentrate and focus all of your attention on the biceps muscles and feel them contract.

 

6. As you reach the top of the move­ment, with the bar close to your shoul­ders, contract the biceps muscles as hard as you possibly can. Hold this position for a count of 2 seconds.

 

7. Slowly lower the bar while making sure that the biceps resist the weight on the way down. Stay focused on the biceps.

 

8. As you reach the start position with the arms fully straightened, do not rest. Begin curling the bar once again in a smooth controlled and fluid motion without using momentum.

 

Barbell Curls sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

*When your curl reps get tough, remember the successive induction principle and contract your triceps isometrically before and during a repetition to give your biceps permission to unleash all their power.

Mindfulness

Before you begin your first set of this exercise, think about the last time you had a great workout. Recall the energy and enthusiasm you felt and the sense of power you had. Suck the energy, enthusiasm and power of that memory in to the very fibers of your muscles. You’ll feel your energy and confidence pick up and prepare you for a great set.

Wide Grip Barbell Curls

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Biceps

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Inner forearm muscles

NOTES: The wide grip barbell curl develops the inner biceps more, whereas the shoulder-width grip works the outer bicep more. Wide grip curls are best done with a straight barbell rather than the E-Z bar.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Using a palms-up grip with your hands approximately 2 to 4 inches wider you’re your shoulder-width grip, hold the bar across your thighs. Position your feet shoulder width apart and point them straight ahead. Next, bend your knees slightly.

 

2. Slightly contract the abdominal muscles. Stand straight up and stay that way throughout the movement. Stick your chest out and keep the shoulders back, which will help you maintain a straight back.

 

3. Keep your head level and do not move it from that position for the rest of the exercise.

 

4. Lock your elbows to the sides of your body and focus your attention on the biceps. Flex them a few times before lifting to develop the mind-muscle connection. Then squeeze the biceps and curl the bar up toward your shoulders in an arc-like motion.

 

5. Keep the elbows pointing directly to the ground as you curl upward to avoid involving the shoulders muscles. As you curl upward, concentrate and focus all of your attention on the biceps muscles. Feel the muscles con­tracting as you curl the bar upward.

 

6. As you reach the top of the move­ment with the bar close to your shoul­ders, contract the biceps muscles as hard as you possibly can. Hold this position for a count of 2 seconds.

 

7. Slowly lower the bar while making sure that the biceps endure the negative resistance on the way down to the bottom position. Stay focused on the biceps.

 

8. As you reach the start position with the arms fully straightened, do not rest. Begin curling the bar once again in a smooth controlled and fluid motion without using momentum.

 

Wide Grip Barbell Curls sidebar

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

When working your biceps think about scrunching the muscle up into a ball and squeezing it at the top of the curl. Visualize the muscle pulling together to make a softball size lump on your arm. This will take your mind off the difficulty of the set, train the muscle to contract tightly, and cause it to grow in an aesthetically appealing way.

Mindfulness

Stay motivated during your workout by remembering your goals. Why are you doing this? What will you be able to do once you have those strong biceps that you’re working so hard for? Picture it vividly in your mind and know that if you’re going to have it you’ve got to work hard, hard, hard, but you’ll surely get it!

Reverse E-Z Curls

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Brachialis (outer bicep)

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Forearm muscles

NOTES: The exercise alignment and execution is the same as that of curls using an E-Z  bar, except that the hands are holding the bar with the palms facing the thighs on the outer handles of the bar for direct forearm stimulation.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. First, take your hand position by placing your hands with an overhand grip on the outer handles of the bar. Using a lighter weight than for standard barbell curls, hold the bar across your thighs with your palms facing towards your body. Position your feet shoulder width apart and point them straight ahead. Next, bend your knees slightly.

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;