There’s no end to the list of biceps curl variations vying for your attention—which is great if your goal is to build bowling ball-sized muscles. This one, demoed by Jeff Cavaliere, C.S.C.S., a physical therapist and strength coach best known on social media for his Athlean-X training program, definitely deserves a spot in your regular rotation.
That’s because the lying cable biceps curl isolates the biceps, and the even-bigger brachialis muscle first and foremost by teaching impeccable form: You’ll know when your shoulders are squeezed back and down (good) and when they start to drift and roll forward (not so good). You’ll also be able to feel proper core positioning, keeping your ribs flat and from flaring up toward the ceiling, while keeping the arch in your low back to a healthy minimum.
Plus, this back-on-the-floor position also removes any possibility for rocking at the waist—an incredibly common form mistake that takes stress off of the biceps and places it in the back and shoulders. After all, when you’re on the floor, where are you going to rock?
“If you do it right, you should feel those baseballs ‘balling up’ at the top… or is it the bottom?!?” Cavaliere says in a recent Instagram video post of the curl.
Apart from checking off the above form to-dos, get the most out of this variation by setting up so that the attachment point is directly over your elbows. Use a neutral grip with your thumbs placed on the ends of the rope attachment (think of it like a hammer curl). This ups recruitment of the brachialis muscle. Move slowly with each rep. Don’t let your elbows ever hit a full lockout, increasing time under tension and removing any between-rep break.
Fight the temptation to go really heavy here. Because, in this exercise, all movement happens at the elbow, so opting for medium to light loads for moderate to high reps reduces any chance of aggravating the relatively small joint. Try 3 sets of 8 reps, or until failure. You might have a harder time finishing all the reps than you think.
Source: Read Full Article