THE 4 VARIATIONS OF THE PULLEY CURL TO BUILD YOUR BICEPS
Huge arms are every man's dream. Another sure thing: we all want strong arms. What is not so clear is how to get them. In order to develop a powerful physique, you will absolutely need to do some basic exercises. You know, the ones that force your guts out. For your biceps, you will need to do standing curls with the barbell, EZ bar, or dumbbells.
You will also need to use the pulleys which offer continuous tension and which therefore put your biceps under tension from the start to the end of the movement, which is essential to force them to strengthen. These exercises will allow you to localize the effort on the biceps and will promote intense muscle congestion.
Curl to the pulley vis-à-vis
The vis-à-vis pulley curl is a great exercise for building up your biceps. Bodybuilders use it to increase bicep brachial muscle mass and for better definition of the biceps and other flexor muscles in the elbow.
How To Curl The Opposite Pulley?
- Attach the handles to the two high pulleys of the device and, if possible, adjust them so that they are about 30 to 40 cm higher than shoulder level.
- Grasp the handles with supinated hands (palms up) and stand in the middle of the device with solid support. In the starting position, your arms should be slightly bent or fully extended to each side, and horizontal or slightly higher.
- Inhale and block your breath by bending your elbows to pull the handles towards the head until your forearms are well above the vertical
- Hold the position for 1 to 2 seconds while exhaling and return to the starting position while controlling the return.
- Pause lightly, keeping muscles tight, and repeat to do the required number of repetitions.
- The body and the arms should remain still during the entire movement. This is especially true for the shoulder muscles which hold the arms in place.
6 Training Tips
- To use the biceps brachii, the anterior brachialis and the long supinator as much as possible, keep your arms in place. If you raise or lower your elbows during the performance, you will strain other muscles, resulting in less contraction of the muscles involved.
- To pull evenly from both sides, make sure your body is centered and balanced. Note that when you are working only or mostly one arm at a time, especially with heavy loads, your torso will tend to rotate or tilt towards the pulley, which affects the biomechanics of the movement.
- By inhaling and holding your breath briefly during the concentric phase, you automatically stabilize your bust, which helps keep your bust straight and still. You will also be able to exert greater force with less risk of injury.
- Adjust the pulleys so that the handles are higher than the level of the arms after bending the elbows. This ensures full amplitude at the elbow joint and full muscle contraction. If your arms are raised too much, the amplitude is reduced.
- When you keep the arms at shoulder level, the long portion of the biceps is in line with the pull-up and contracts at the shoulder joint for stabilization, and at the elbow to move forward. arm. This is why this exercise is great for providing a new stimulus to the long biceps.
- Keep your wrists firm so that they don't flex backwards when you curl. For extra strength, bend them slightly, which will also strain your upper forearm muscles. Keeping the wrists firm or slightly flexed not only prevents the risk of injury, but also maintains a lever arm for maximum resistance.
Which Muscles Are Used?
The curl with the opposite pulley solicits the biceps brachialis, the anterior brachialis and the long supinator with the assistance of the pronator teres. The biceps brachii is more pronounced in its location on the anterior part of the arm and, when it is well developed, we can see the separation between the long portion and the short portion which also act at the level of the shoulder joint.
With sufficient resistance, the biceps are also involved in the forearm supination. Below the biceps and closer to the elbow, is the anterior brachialis, considered to be the main architect of elbow flexion since it is involved in all flexion movements of this joint. Located on the forearm on the side of the thumb, the long supinator outlines the outer contour of the upper part of the forearm.
Standing curl on the pulley
Execution
Stand close enough to the low pulley apparatus, feet shoulder-width apart and facing slightly outward. The legs should be straightened without the knees being locked.
- Hold the bar with your hands supinated (palms up). Try either a straight bar with a swivel sleeve or an angled bar.
- Bend your elbows 10-20 degrees.
- Take a deep breath and raise the bar, blocking your breath, with your elbows fixed against your body or slightly forward.
- Squeeze the biceps more intensely at the top of the stroke as the hands reach the level of the upper chest.
- Take a break at the bottom, then repeat until the end of your set.
- Keep your back straight and abs toned during your ascent and descent.
6 Training Tips
- Stand close enough to the counterweights so that the part of the cable from the pulley to the bar is almost vertical. If you are too far from the device, the angle of the cable will not effectively mobilize the muscles against the traction exerted by the plates.
- To properly solicit the biceps and the anterior brachialis, adopt a supine grip. An overhand grip will significantly reduce the intervention of the biceps and will focus primarily on the anterior brachialis. Partial supination with the EZ bar is also effective.
- Keep the elbows still against the bust or slightly forward. If you let them move forward during the run, the anterior deltoids will participate in the movement.
- Maintain optimal tension on the elbow flexors by keeping the body straight. If you lean forward, you will tend to pull your torso back at the top of the movement, which will take some of the tension in the biceps and move it across your lower back. The upright posture with the back flat and the abs in static contraction limits the pressure on the intervertebral discs, which makes the exercise safer and more effective.
- To help stabilize the body, hold your breath during the entire forearm flexion on the upper arm and also when holding the high position for a moment. This respiratory blockage also gives more strength and helps overcome greater resistance.
- In the starting position, keep the elbows slightly bent to relieve some of the stress they would experience if the arms were fully extended. It also makes it possible to work with heavier loads, resulting in a more marked development of the strength and mass of the biceps and the anterior brachialis.
One-sided variant at the low pulley
Concentrated pulley curl
How To Do Concentrated Pulley Curl?
- Standing in front of the pulley with your feet about one foot apart, flex your legs to get into a squat position .
- Place your arms on your knees, palms facing upward and elbows stretched out in front of your knees.
- Take a deep breath and lift your buttocks so that you can take the bar attached to the low pulley.
- Lower your buttocks until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Bend your elbows until the bar practically touches your face. Go back down while controlling the load then repeat to do the desired number of repetitions.
3 Training Tips
- It is difficult to breathe in this position; we therefore suggest that you work with heavier loads and do shorter sets. This way you can hold your breath.
- On the other hand, if you're able to breathe out and inhale during the streak, then do it.
- Do not round your back during the movement. This places unwanted strain on your lower back area. Finally, try to keep your butt still during the movement. It is easy to lower the buttocks by flexing the arms, but it makes the exercise easier.
Lying curl on the low pulley
The low pulley lying curl can also be done lying on the bench in a horizontal pull as shown in the photo above. Like all pulley exercises, the muscle remains under tension throughout the range of motion. As this exercise requires strict work, it is best to do long sets to really “finish” the biceps.
How To Do The Curl Lying With The Pulley?
- If you are using an appliance with a low pulley, set the pulley to the lowest notch.
- The feet should be placed on either side of the cable, resting firmly against the appliance.
- Take a barbell with rotating sleeve, hands placed supine and shoulder-width apart.
- Breathe in sharply and bring the bar straight up to your chin, but don't go so far to fully contract your biceps.
- Return to the starting position by controlling the load and exhaling.
3 Training Tips
You can vary the muscle stimulus a bit by using different bars and different grip widths.A good tip: change your take slightly from one set to another so that each is a little different from the next.Pulley work is very practical for carrying out decreasing series . Do not hesitate to ask your partner to decrease the load as you go.