Occlusion Training: Lift Light to Mass Up
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Exercise Execution
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All Bicep Movements
Guidelines for all Bicep Exercises
(unless specifically stated otherwise)
- ideally, the aim should be to keep your shoulders, elbows and wrists running in straight lines throughout – if unable to achieve this when directed to use a barbell, try using a cambered bar or E.Z bar instead; if still unsuccessful, you may be best using only dumbbells and cables for all bicep exercises to avoid injury
- take a shoulder-width grip or slightly wider with wrists neutral or back (NOT forward)
- (unless performing at an incline) keep torso vertical or slightly forward so that hips stay behind shoulders (bring butt back a little) and remember to contract glutes and hams when standing to prevent hip sway (shove feet into the ground)
- aim for full elbow flexion and extension while keeping the elbows themselves in a fixed position throughout, also ensuring to avoid any shoulder movement
- imagine trying to ‘crush’ an imaginary finger placed on the inside of each elbow joint at the top
- no body movement throughout (including upper arm) other than from the bicep and brachialis
- contract triceps at the bottom and touch forearms to biceps at the top
- on the concentric, attempt to squeeze the pinky finger towards the shoulder of the same side as hard as possible, especially at the top
- Optional when using dumbbells:
> at the bottom of every rep, begin with the hands as close to pronation as possible (palms facing behind) whilst avoiding any shoulder rotation
> twist into supination during the concentric (palms up) – if unable to achieve supination, place thumbs outwards and push into the dumbbell to further assist
> rotate back during the eccentric (rotate wrists & forearms, (again) not the shoulders).
Barbell / E.Z Curls – Standard Underhand or Reverse-Grip
Note the tricep flexed at the bottom
Position at the top
Reverse-Grip variation
- Exercise Specific:
- elbows very slightly in front of the body (about 30º or so)
- curl the weight up in the form of an arch (out and up) as opposed to up and down.
- For Reverse-Grip Variation: ensure to keep wrists rigid and neutral throughout.
Dumbbell Curls – Seated or Standing
- Exercise Specific:
- keep elbows slightly in front of torso throughout
- If seated: sit on the edge of a bench with feet together and trunk forward slightly (lean from hips).
Incline Dumbbell Curls
Optimally stretched at the very bottom – notice how the shoulders aren’t overly extended
- Exercise Specific:
- to determine the optimal incline for you, bring the arms back behind to just short of where your shoulder joint becomes excessively extended (maximally stretched while still comfortable); if your arms hang perpendicular to the floor in this position, you’ve found the best position for you, if not, adjust accordingly
- press lower back firmly into the pad
- try to reach behind a little to really stretch / lengthen the biceps at the bottom of every rep.
Prone Incline Bicep Curls / Spider Curls – Dumbbell or Barbell
- Exercise Specific:
- keep elbows very slightly in front of vertical throughout.
Zottman Curls
Pronated at the top ready for the descent
- Exercise Specific:
- curl upwards with palms supinated (facing the ceiling)
- at the top, rotate hands into pronation (hands now facing the floor), then lower.
Dumbbell Hammer Curls
- Exercise Specific:
- execute with palms facing each other and wrists neutral throughout (not forward or back).
Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Marching Curls
- Exercise Specific:
- execute with palms facing each other and wrists neutral throughout (not forward or back) and raise one arm while lowering the other (keep elbows back).
Dumbbell Hammer Curl Variation
At the bottom
At the top
- Exercise Specific:
- keep elbows in at the sides with dumbbells slightly in front and palms facing the body
- contract up, internally rotating wrists and forearms on the ascent while bringing the dumbbells in towards each other; end at the top with palms neutral and dumbbells almost touching in front of the chest.
Preacher Curls – Dumbbell / Barbell / Machine (including One-Arm Variation and Reverse-grip)
Note the legs out behind to help prevent hip involvement
At the bottom with triceps contracted
- Exercise Specific:
- optional: place legs out behind body to assist in removing any extraneous assistance
- optional when using dumbbells: try shoving hands to the top of the dumbbell handles so that the thumbs are against the weight plates (maintain throughout)
- elbows up high on the pad; shove shoulders and triceps into it throughout
- drive the elbows into the pad throughout as well, though at the very bottom (at full extension) attempt to raise the bicep upwards slightly to ensure that it’s fully lengthened (this may result in the elbows leaving the pad a little)
- keep shoulders square to the wall in front throughout and keep the body leaning forward slightly (especially at the top); don’t allow chest to cave
- stop just short of reaching a perpendicular position at the top (where tension is lost)
- For reverse-grip variation: it’s important to keep wrists neutral and rigid throughout
- For one-arm variation: can also be performed using an incline bench as a substitute for the preacher curl pad.
Incline Cable Curls / Low Cable Bicep Curls facing away from apparatus
- Exercise Specific:
- stand / sit far enough away as to ensure that the weight-stack doesn’t touch down throughout, and that the arms / cables are slightly behind the body at the bottom (2 to 3”)
- keep arms supinated throughout.
Low Cable Bicep Curls (bar or rope) / Reverse-Grip Bicep Curls facing towards apparatus
Depicted using a rope as opposed to a bar
- Exercise Specific:
- take a staggered foot stance (one foot forward / one back) for stability
- for reverse-grip variation, keep hands shoulder-width apart and stand only about 6” from the apparatus with elbows in at the sides.
BB Curls with Elbows High / 2-Arm High Cable Bicep Curls facing apparatus
Cable variation
- Exercise Specific:
- take a staggered foot stance (one foot forward / one back) for stability
- keep arms parallel to the ground throughout, driving the elbows together
- For cable variation:
> position the cable around shoulder-height and stand a fair way back from apparatus when executing the movement (to keep maximum tension). Don’t ‘pull’ the weight back, squeeze / contract the weight through the concentric using only the biceps.
Lateral Cable Bicep Curls – Two-Arm or One-Arm
One-arm variation depicted
- Exercise Specific:
- angle of cables can be variable, though between head and shoulders is likely optimal
- don’t allow any internal / external rotation.
Lying Cable Curls using a seated cable row machine
- Exercise Specific:
- take a wide grip on the bar and lie back on the bench with straight legs (if the cable is not long enough, place feet on top of the pads, not against them)
- from here, execute as per a typical bicep curl movement keeping the elbows a little in front of torso (so triceps can be contracted at the bottom).
Standing 10-Second Isometric Bicep Curl
- Exercise Specific:
- great for learning how to fully shorten the muscle
- squeeze the biceps as hard as is possible, aim for a max peak contraction throughout (keep attempting to supinate and squeeze harder and harder through to completion).
Frog Curls
- Exercise Specific:
- sit on the edge of a bench, knees wide
- while holding a barbell (hands shoulder-width apart), pin the outside of the elbows to the inside of the knees, then simply curl the weight (keep elbows in tight, shoulder, elbows and wrists in a straight line).
Concentration Curls
Arm Supported bent-forward variation
- Exercise Specific:
- Unless performing the variation depicted above:
> sit on the edge of a bench and lean forward considerably while keeping the chest up
> rest elbow on the inside of the knee (not on top)
> hands shoulder-width apart, elbows in tight, shoulders, elbows and wrists in a straight line.
Single-Arm Machine Curls
- Exercise Specific:
- Keep back of the arm pressed against the support
- wrist neutral or slightly extended (not flexed)
- keep shoulder depressed throughout.
Machine Preacher Curls
- Exercise Specific:
- drive elbow down into the pad
- keep shoulders depressed
- head and spine neutral (don’t let your chin tuck down or bend your neck forward)
- consciously try to supinate the hand.
