How To: Barbell Bicep Curl | 3 GOLDEN RULES

We're going to be going over proper form for a barbell biceps curl But before we get started with the three golden rules I do want to do a quick form check just so you guys understand what proper form looks like Now you can utilize this exercise.

For example if you want to place more emphasis on the inner head of your bicep or the short Head you would do a really wide grip.

If you wanted to place more emphasis on the outer head or long head of the biceps you've grabbed a closer grip What we're gonna do is try to hit both heads equally and use a nice neutral grip Just like this so our arms are about Shoulder-width apart now to perform this movement all you're going to do is you're gonna bring your arms forward slightly like this You know make sure your arms are fully locked out.

One of the easiest ways to know that you did a bicep curl full range of motion is at the bottom of the movement you flex your triceps Once triceps are flexed you're going to bring the weight up Curl all the way to the top Squeeze and flex those biceps as hard as you can and then slowly control and return to the starting position.

Flexing those triceps and repeat four reps and now for the first golden rule when it comes to bicep curling.

1. What should you use a straight bar or an EZ curl bar well let's start with the EZ curl bar? There's actually two functions of your biceps one of those functions is obviously to flex the arm And the other function is to supinate the forearm now. What happens when you use an EZ curl bar well The reason why it makes the curl easier is because it places a little less tension on your wrist and when you grab the inside Handles. You'll notice that instead of your hand being totally straight It's turned in slightly, but what does that mean in terms of biceps activation well technically you're still Supinating your a forearm like this. But you're not super kneading it all the way out so Obviously we're going to get some flexion in the biceps when we curl There is a bit of supination happening at the top But we're not able to maximize it so if you have good flexibility And it doesn't bother you to use a straight bar then that's what you want to do golden rule number one when possible use a straight bar to maximise most both deflection in the biceps as well as Supinating your forearm as much out as you can.
2. The second Golden Rule has to do with keeping tension on your biceps And that means you never want to let your arms hang fully down during your repetitions Gravity does play a factor when doing bicep curls if you want to keep tension on your biceps however, what most people do is to try to compensate for this is they do half reps and then obviously guys if you're doing a half Rep, you're not working your biceps through the entire range of motion which can also create weakness over time we don't want that we want to build our biceps as big and as massive as possible and Utilize every single repetition to do that So what do you do? Well the fix is actually easier than you think. When doing your curls when you get to the bottom of the movement instead of hanging down by your side like this? What you're going to do is keep your elbows slightly in front of your hips This slight change in angle from being straight down To being about an inch or two in front of your hips is gonna place a great deal of tension on your biceps. When your arm is fully extended at the bottom of the movement and if you're able to maintain the same position as you do all your repetitions you're gonna be keeping constant tension on your biceps. Try this throughout all your reps and see much faster gains you make.
3. The third golden rule when it comes to the barbell bicep curl do not be afraid to use a bit of momentum when you need to obviously as a beginner you probably shouldn't be using any momentum. You should be utilizing weight that you can handle for all of your repetitions. So if you're doing eight repetitions you should be able to go all the way up and all the way down with good form for all eight. As you become a bit more advanced and you're able to push your body a bit hotter your mind muscle connection is much stronger you should be able to utilize a technique like momentum to squeeze out a few extra reps. If You're trying to do eight repetitions now you don't want to use momentum on all of your reps, maybe the last two to three max so let's say you're doing your reps and by the time you get the six your struggling and you barely get that sixth rep when you get back to the bottom of the movement? Just kind of sit back a little bit and use a little momentum to bring the weight up Reset your form and then fight the negative on those last few reps. Remember you always get the most muscle damage for regrowth during the negative portion of the movement so if you're using a bit of momentum to skip the concentric portion or the way up it's not going to be detrimental to your gains because you're still taking advantage of the most important part of the rep just make sure though if you do use momentum it is imperative that when you do it you get to the top of the movement don't just drop the weight get it to the top and then take a second to control flex your core and really focus on controlling the negative so you dont just drop the weight.Those are the three golden rules for the barbell biceps curl now watch the video.