BEST
BRACHIALIS
BUILDER
DUMBBELL
HAMMER
CURL
KNEE-JERK REACTION
“Doing hammers looks cool,
so I’m in.”
OUR EXPERTS’ TAKE
“Hammer curls should be in every
man’s repertoire, as they’re great
overall arm-mass builders,” says
Dan Roberts, C.S.C.S., founder of
a heavier weight in the half
positions versus what you
can do through the full range
of motion,” Farmer points out.
HOW TO DO IT
Q This is done the same as the
standing barbell curl, except
you’ll manipulate the range of
motion every seven reps.
the Dan Roberts Group in
London. “They put great
emphasis on the brachialis
muscles that run under the
biceps brachii—particularly
when doing them cross-body at
a 45-degree angle.”
HOW TO DO IT
Q Stand with feet at shoulder
width, holding a dumbbell in
each hand with a neutral grip,
palms facing your sides.
Q Bend the elbow of one arm
to curl the dumbbell up and
across your body while keeping
wrist in the neutral position.
Q Squeeze hard when you
reach full elbow flexion, then
lower under control and repeat
with the other arm.
Q “The first seven reps are
performed starting at top
of a finished curl position
and lowering until the elbow
reaches 90 degrees,”
Farmer instructs. “The
second seven start from
a hanging extended arm
position [the bottom of the
rep)], and you raise the bar
up to the halfway point
where the elbows are
90 degrees. The last seven
reps are a full-range,
traditional biceps curl.”
KEY POINTERS “Keep
your core tight throughout,
and avoid initiating the
upward movement of the
KEY POINTERS “The trick to
having perfect technique is to
always ‘squeeze’ up, not swing
up,” Roberts says. “Also, don’t
let the hips and shoulders turn
into the move. As with all biceps
moves, the biggest mistake is
lifting too heavy and doing reps
too quickly. A 2-1-2 tempo is
best.” That means two seconds
up, a one-second pause, and
another two seconds for the
downward motion.
INTENSIFY IT Introduce an
isometric element by holding the
nonworking hand in the “up”
instead of the “down” position—
so as you alternate, each rep
begins with an eccentric action
before the positive contraction.
barbell by using your lower
back and hips to generate
momentum,” she says.
INTENSIFY IT When you get
to the full-rep portion of the
set, switch to a weight that
will elicit failure within seven
reps, with partner assistance
to reach seven if needed.
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