[quote]TheDon12 wrote:
Hm . Would you recommend that to someone who’s only curling 45lb Dumbells? [/quote]
Yes. I think the only time I didn’t do it was when I first started lifting and was curling the 35lbs dumbbells for reps.
If you are using 45lbs dumbbells, start with 35’s.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
I swear the key to biceps mind/muscle connection eludes me.
Somehow, I think mine have grown despite my mental hangup, but probably not optimally. It seems I can’t REALLY feel them unless I turn my pinkies in (eg. right hand counterclockwise leading with pinky).
Is that even normal? Also, free standing db curls don’t seem to do it for me. Preacher dbs or cables, and elbows elevated seem to be my sweet spot.
I view this as my biggest weakness.[/quote]
I’m the exact same. I’ve found doing hammer curls across the body has helped though, along with using mostly cables. Really squeezing the shit out of the top of the rep using cables seems to be what works best for me. Also seems to help if I step back a bit from the cable.
[quote]rds63799 wrote:
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
I swear the key to biceps mind/muscle connection eludes me.
Somehow, I think mine have grown despite my mental hangup, but probably not optimally. It seems I can’t REALLY feel them unless I turn my pinkies in (eg. right hand counterclockwise leading with pinky).
Is that even normal? Also, free standing db curls don’t seem to do it for me. Preacher dbs or cables, and elbows elevated seem to be my sweet spot.
I view this as my biggest weakness.[/quote]
I’m the exact same. I’ve found doing hammer curls across the body has helped though, along with using mostly cables. Really squeezing the shit out of the top of the rep using cables seems to be what works best for me. Also seems to help if I step back a bit from the cable.[/quote]
Same here. I have to work really hard to feel the bicep being used at all. Except Chin-ups leave them sore as hell!
[quote]rds63799 wrote:
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
I swear the key to biceps mind/muscle connection eludes me.
Somehow, I think mine have grown despite my mental hangup, but probably not optimally. It seems I can’t REALLY feel them unless I turn my pinkies in (eg. right hand counterclockwise leading with pinky).
Is that even normal? Also, free standing db curls don’t seem to do it for me. Preacher dbs or cables, and elbows elevated seem to be my sweet spot.
I view this as my biggest weakness.[/quote]
I’m the exact same. I’ve found doing hammer curls across the body has helped though, along with using mostly cables. Really squeezing the shit out of the top of the rep using cables seems to be what works best for me. Also seems to help if I step back a bit from the cable.[/quote]
Yes! Me too. The other thing that seems to help me is doing alt curls across the body as well (as opposed to perpendicular to the body), as well as the wrist turn.
My problem seems to be the lower part of the curl, too. I’m starting to believe that for me, partial ROM (mid to top) may be the key. Don’t know. Still working this out lol.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
My problem seems to be the lower part of the curl, too. I’m starting to believe that for me, partial ROM (mid to top) may be the key. Don’t know. Still working this out lol.[/quote]
lol, are you me? Perhaps me from the future? Seems we have the exact same problem.
I was working at the opening of a new gym the other day that had a spider curl bench (it’s like a preacher curl bench that you can sit backwards on so your arms hang straight down, in case you didn’t know) and I gave it a try. You definitely feel the lower part of the curl using that, but my elbow joints didn’t feel right for a week. Seeing as I’ve never had problems from any type of curls before I’m reluctant to try it again. Maybe if you used it at the end of your workout when your arms were already pumped and warmed up it’d be better. I just sort of jumped right in because I was so eager to try it.
The other thing that could work might be 21s. That way you’d be giving the bottom part of the curl special focus. I dunno though, everyone I’ve ever seen doing 21s has been some skinny poser douche but if they’re good enough for Arnie…
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
I swear the key to biceps mind/muscle connection eludes me.
Somehow, I think mine have grown despite my mental hangup, but probably not optimally. It seems I can’t REALLY feel them unless I turn my pinkies in (eg. right hand counterclockwise leading with pinky).
Is that even normal? Also, free standing db curls don’t seem to do it for me. Preacher dbs or cables, and elbows elevated seem to be my sweet spot.
I view this as my biggest weakness.[/quote]
To practice MMC, grab a lighter dumbbell and do either preacher curls or spider curls one arm at a time. Look at your bicep throughout the entire movement. Flex your bicep hard before the movement even begins and focus on moving the weight by contracting the muscle. Hold and squeeze for a few second at the top and lower with control.
If you are on the taller side you may find these tips to be of a benefit like I did.
I really like offset grip DB curls. That’s where you grab the DB with your thumb right against the weights.
The more I focus on supinating as much as possible, the better contraction I get. Might help those that have trouble really getting a good MMC.
Supinated BW chins for high reps, full extension keeping the MMC on the arms and not the back SS with Hammer curls
I am on the fence about adding additional biceps work after back training, or making sure the time spent doing back work and biceps work is spaced out enough in the week to allow some recovery. Same with tris. I see some splits that are using pressing movements on two and sometimes three consecutive days. Chest, then tris, then shoulders including pressing movements.
[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
I am on the fence about adding additional biceps work after back training, or making sure the time spent doing back work and biceps work is spaced out enough in the week to allow some recovery. Same with tris. I see some splits that are using pressing movements on two and sometimes three consecutive days. Chest, then tris, then shoulders including pressing movements. [/quote]
I train arms the day after back and there is no drop in performance on biceps exercises. I think you’d be ok.
[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
I am on the fence about adding additional biceps work after back training, or making sure the time spent doing back work and biceps work is spaced out enough in the week to allow some recovery. Same with tris. I see some splits that are using pressing movements on two and sometimes three consecutive days. Chest, then tris, then shoulders including pressing movements. [/quote]
I’m not even close to being on the fence from my experience. After doing those popular “compound only” programs, all I had to show was some growth in the chest, back and still tiny arms (even after weighted chinups). I’d say most people need direct arm work, either on their own day, or with chest/back.
[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
I am on the fence about adding additional biceps work after back training, or making sure the time spent doing back work and biceps work is spaced out enough in the week to allow some recovery. Same with tris. I see some splits that are using pressing movements on two and sometimes three consecutive days. Chest, then tris, then shoulders including pressing movements. [/quote]
I used to do the back/bis & chest/tris split. Now my 4-day split looks like this:
Back
Quads/Hams
Chest/Shoulders
Calves, Arms, Abs
I like training biceps and triceps together much better. Meadows also recommends this strategy.
[quote]RATTLEHEAD wrote:
If you are on the taller side you may find these tips to be of a benefit like I did.[/quote]
thanks for the video
I haven’t had trouble growing biceps so much as being able to do them pain free
The main thing that helped was John Meadows’ advice
basically my routine is:
pinwheel, hammer, or reverse ez bar curls first
preacher (usually DB) curls second
whatever I feel like as a finisher
reverse cable wrist curls for forearms (Dante has a video on youtube demoing these)
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
[quote]RATTLEHEAD wrote:
If you are on the taller side you may find these tips to be of a benefit like I did.[/quote]
thanks for the video
I haven’t had trouble growing biceps so much as being able to do them pain free
The main thing that helped was John Meadows’ advice
basically my routine is:
pinwheel, hammer, or reverse ez bar curls first
preacher (usually DB) curls second
whatever I feel like as a finisher
reverse cable wrist curls for forearms (Dante has a video on youtube demoing these)
[/quote]
Really think Meadows in on to something with that order template. I am about 10 weeks into my first mountain dog training cycle, and I swear that I have gotten a compliment on my arms every few days the past couple of weeks. Tape measurer says only 1/4 inch gain but my arms LOOK completely different.
I would like to mention that I have also been dieting very slowly, down about 7 lbs over all and GAINED a quarter on my arms which has blown me away. Pic in the hub is prior to MD arms though.
nice! My gunz need at least a few months to catch up, but I had stretch marks come in all over my biceps while dropping 20 lbs. The best part is just having healthy wrists and biceps. I can’t just walk into the gym and blast away at curls. Even with a good warmup and heavy wrist wraps I’ll get pain, unless I sequence the lifts like Meadows has said.
super saiyan/matty/steel nation all have big arms from what I’ve seen so I’ll have to try their tips out
[quote]pushharder wrote:
Much of the time I cannot consistently do intense isolated bicep curls of whatever flavor with “heavy” weight without aggravating my elbow joints. When that happens I’m out of the serious bicep improvement game for weeks and sometimes months.
FWIW, when it comes actual bicep PWO soreness nothing hits them harder then heavy Kroc Rows.[/quote]
Hey Push,
Can you post the image of your Kroc Row setup again? I can’t seem to find it and I need to come up with a home made Kroc Row setup myself.
Thanks!