DO THE INCLINE DUMBBELL CURLS
Stretching out the long head is very effective in stimulating the biceps growth. The incline dumbbell curls are probably the only exercise that provides this effect. Performing the dumbbell curls on an incline, takes your arms behind the torso. As a result you feel a stretch in your long head forcing it to invest greater effort into the contraction. Developing the long head is absolutely crucial if you want to achieve balanced shape of your biceps. And it also forms the biceps peak.
Perform the incline dumbbell curls after you had performed the barbell curls. We recommend gradually increasing the degree of the incline. Start by adjusting the incline to a 30 degrees angle. Perform a set of 10 reps till failure before continuing to the next angle. For the second set of 10 reps increase the angle to 45 degrees. Try doing this with as little rest between the sets.
Continue increasing the angle to 60 degrees, and perform another set of 10 reps. It’s crucial that you choose weights that allow you completing three sets of 10 reps. So consider starting with lower loads, and increase them only when you are able to handle them with ease.
HAMMER CURLS
Although hammer curls have been considered as a finisher exercise when training your forearms, recent scientific discoveries revealed that they put the greatest emphasis on the long head. Including hummer curls in your biceps training will put greater focus on the long head, adding to the rounded look of your biceps.
If you want to increase the emphasis even more, change the degree of your curls. Instead of doing the hummer curls with the weight directly in front of your body, perform the curl at a 45-degree angle.
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BAND UP
Performing the curls with a resistance band may not look as hardcore as when you do them with heavy iron, but this technique provides something unique to your routine. It’s called linear variable resistance – meaning that the load increases progressively with the movement. To illustrate this, we shall take the biceps curl as an example. In the starting position, and through most of the bottom part of the motion, the bands offer little, to no resistance.
However, as you progress with the upward movement, you also stretch the band requiring greater force in order to handle the resistance. The higher you go, the greater the resistance. This provides you with a unique opportunity to perform the full range of motion, with increased recruitment of muscle biceps muscle fibers at the top portion of the curl. This is something you can’t achieve with the barbells or dumbbells.
Performing the biceps curls with resistance bands offers prompt muscle growth. Namely, due to the mechanics provided by the resistance bands, the biceps become fully involved only in the upper segment of the motion. The first half of the motion, from arms fully extended at 180 degrees angle, to elbows bent at 90 degrees angle, the bulk of the lift is handled by the brachialis and brachioradialis. This is where the biceps steps in, taking the lift through the top portion of the motion.
The problem is that the brachialis and brachioradialis are not capable of handling as much loads as the biceps, thus limiting the amounts of weight you can use. The same principle that applies for the seated barbell curls holds true in this situation as well. You can eliminate this problem by using the resistance bands, which simulate lighter loads for the bottom half of the motion, and greater weights for the top half of the motion. In this way you provide the biceps with maximum overload, and prompt their growth.
Perform the resistance band curls at the end of your workout, completing three sets of 10 to 15 reps.
