Help with bicep curls

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Replies

  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    try going back and forth between hammer curls, regular curls and maybe some bent over db rows and tricep kickbacks for better balance, and do them all with a 12.5 # weight. See if that ups your challenge factor! And dont underestimate push-ups and dips! Those work your body differently than you can get from just dumbbells. If you put it all together, omg dem arms tho ... <3
  • earlyxer
    earlyxer Posts: 240 Member
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    earlyxer wrote: »
    Yea, isolate like dbmata says. It's a good way to get injured, and you'll really feel that hahaha. Try some preacher curls on the bench if you really feel like taking risks - they're almost as bad as shrugs. Otherwise, keep doing what you're doing and slowly increase the weight every week.

    What is wrong with preacher curls and shrugs?

    A much greater risk of tearing your bicep. Also, if you let your arm fully extend on the way down you put pressure on the elbow in a way that it is not suited to support.

    Basically it's this (and it's true of most weight machines) - anything that is designed to artificially restrain your body to isolate a muscle is probably not good! Your body is an integrated machine, so use your whole body when you lift. You'll gain more in balance and whole body fitness. Now, obviously you can't do a bench press that way but you get the point. Let your other muscles join the work as much as you can while still focusing on the group in question. Leg extensions on the machine? Eff that - unless you like to limp.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    you mean squatting on the smith isn't the bee's knees?

    lol, I kid. The smith exists so I have a place to put my towel.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    earlyxer wrote: »
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    earlyxer wrote: »
    Yea, isolate like dbmata says. It's a good way to get injured, and you'll really feel that hahaha. Try some preacher curls on the bench if you really feel like taking risks - they're almost as bad as shrugs. Otherwise, keep doing what you're doing and slowly increase the weight every week.

    What is wrong with preacher curls and shrugs?

    A much greater risk of tearing your bicep. Also, if you let your arm fully extend on the way down you put pressure on the elbow in a way that it is not suited to support.

    Basically it's this (and it's true of most weight machines) - anything that is designed to artificially restrain your body to isolate a muscle is probably not good! Your body is an integrated machine, so use your whole body when you lift. You'll gain more in balance and whole body fitness. Now, obviously you can't do a bench press that way but you get the point. Let your other muscles join the work as much as you can while still focusing on the group in question. Leg extensions on the machine? Eff that - unless you like to limp.

    I just stop doing machine totally because at my school gym I can max out easily on some of them. I've always been a fan of free weights.

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    you mean squatting on the smith isn't the bee's knees?

    lol, I kid. The smith exists so I have a place to put my towel.

    man you're just all sorts of sassy these days- someone withholding the poptarts from you?


    eitherway- I'm kind of loving it LMFAO
  • May_Rose
    May_Rose Posts: 119 Member
    Google preacher curls. They will help take your shoulders out of the equation. Best of luck!
  • earlyxer
    earlyxer Posts: 240 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    you mean squatting on the smith isn't the bee's knees?

    lol, I kid. The smith exists so I have a place to put my towel.

    man you're just all sorts of sassy these days- someone withholding the poptarts from you?


    eitherway- I'm kind of loving it LMFAO

    The only time I ever hurt my back lifting was the first (and only!) time I did a deadlift on a Smith machine. Eff that hahaha.

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    you mean squatting on the smith isn't the bee's knees?

    lol, I kid. The smith exists so I have a place to put my towel.

    man you're just all sorts of sassy these days- someone withholding the poptarts from you?


    eitherway- I'm kind of loving it LMFAO

    yeah, long story but I'm a mental mess right now. That's why I'm working out stupid hard.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    earlyxer wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    you mean squatting on the smith isn't the bee's knees?

    lol, I kid. The smith exists so I have a place to put my towel.

    man you're just all sorts of sassy these days- someone withholding the poptarts from you?


    eitherway- I'm kind of loving it LMFAO

    The only time I ever hurt my back lifting was the first (and only!) time I did a deadlift on a Smith machine. Eff that hahaha.
    I saved a woman from the evils of the smith on sunday. True story.

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