Bicep curls - dumbell or barbell?

nero120

nero120

nero120

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Hey guys,

just wondering what peoples opinions here are about the best exercise for building biceps. At the moment Im doing 3 sets of 6-8 reps on 15kg dumbells (pushing up to 17.5 now for the first set) sitting on an upright bench and curling both arms at the same time.

I've always wondered whether dumbs or bar was more effective, I've heard arguments for both. My arms aren't particularly big but im happy with my progress. Anyone here with big 'guns'? Whats your suggestions for sculpting your guns without resorting to Ron Burgandy style antics? ;)
 
To be honest whether its EZ bar, straight bar, dumbells your going to see the same work being done. The muscle is going to contract. Your performing almost identical movement. The difference is if you opt for alternating dumbell curls its just going to allow you to focus on each arm.

I alternate between a few of those exercises but my favourite has to be straight barbell curl.
 
"1012, 1013, 1014. Oh hi there, I wasn't expecting anybody"

"You just phoned me and asked me to come.."

"I was right in the middle of sculpting my guns... I don't know if you heard me counting there, but I did over a thousand."

:p
 
Baker said:
"1012, 1013, 1014. Oh hi there, I wasn't expecting anybody"

"You just phoned me and asked me to come.."

"I was right in the middle of sculpting my guns... I don't know if you heard me counting there, but I did over a thousand."

:p
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"There's only one way to bag a classy lady like that. And that's to give her two tickets to the GUN SHOW, and see if she likes the goods!"

I love it!
 
Pull Ups are good, especially if you pull yourself right up so your biceps are above/level with the bar/handles/whatever you use.
 
Any sort of pulling movement for the back is going to encorporate the biceps. As you progress with your back lifts your biceps will slowly gain aswell. You'll probably see that you'll be bicep curling more weight aswell.
 
I would say Concentration Curls would be the best exercise, it really isolates the bicep and you can incorporate more wrist movement than with a barbell which in turn moves the bicep more. :)
 
I read somewhere on the net that twisting dumbells as you curl them can be of some benefit ie rotating 90 degrees from a kind of hammer grip to a more standard one? opinions?
 
You won't get big arms by pumping a small muscle. Biceps get enough of a workout when you do heavy rows etc so work on the tri's link if you want 'big guns'. Anyway, it's all relative to working the rest of the body. You won't get big arms without big chest/back/shoulders blah...
 
The_Judge said:
Weighted Chinups, the best bicep exercise there is
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Chinups affect biceps on the last part of the movement, they're primarily [if done correctly] for hitting lats.
 
I've recently started alternating my Bicep ruotine & have started doing the following...

Standing cable curls with a Straight Bar
Standing one arm cable curls
Sitting concentration curls

I do 4 sets of each & by the last set on the concentration curl I can barely lift a weight.

I dont know if having the extra use of a cable pulley would add any extra resisitance but I find them better than doing straight barbell curls...plus I can go a bit heavier without too much fear of dropping the bar on the last few reps.

Neil
 
As others have hinted at it is important not to place too much emphasis on your biceps. Remember your biceps are relatively small muscles, 2/3 of you your arm is taken up by the tricep. If you want bigger arms, you need bigger triceps.

But anyway...

Your biceps will get hit nicely with most back exercises. Make sure you are going heavy on those compounds, you can't grow huge biceps without the rest of your body being huge. The body tries its hardest to stay in proportion.

Basically my advice would be as follow:

1. Hit your back hard and heavy with deadlifts, rows, weighted pull ups/chin ups etc.
2. Eat like a horse
3. Throw in no more than 6 sets of isolation work on the Biceps a week. Barbell/dumbell curls, concentration curls, whatever. Some people even swear by 21's.
4. Squat heavy!!!!

Now the last one sounds ridiculous since squatting is a leg exercise. Trust me though, squatting does so much more for your whole body. Your body likes to keep balanced and by growing your legs you will be helping the rest of your body to follow suit. Also squatting helps stimulate testosterone production.
 
I don’t think it really matters if you use an EZ bar, straight or dumbbells for biceps because the movement is similar. However, you may find an EZ bar easier on the wrists.

My preference is to hit the biceps with intensity rather than weight keeping the movements slow and concise. This works the muscle that has already been used during the week anyway.

I tend to do 3 sets standing using a straight bar holding the bar wide. This puts emphasis on the outside of the bicep. Then use an EZ bar for narrow grip which places the emphasis on the inner side of the bicep. I then finish off with some concentrated dumbbell curls or hammers. I do no more than 7 sets on biceps.

The most important thing is to keep the form. It annoys me to see people trying to curl heavy weights yet swing and sway all over the place. It’s cheating and is not working the biceps at all.

As for triceps, I tend to hit them heavier but without loosing form. The trick for triceps is to keep your arms in and lock your arms so only the elbow is moving. That way, only the triceps are being used and not shoulders or back, which is a common sight.

A lot of people will train biceps or triceps after doing say chest or back. This is good because the muscles are pre-exhausted. I prefer however, to hit the arms fresh in one session usually at the end of the week after a rest day. There is no right or wrong but it works for me.
 
Mr Huddy said:
It’s cheating and is not working the biceps at all.
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The only things he's cheating is himself.

It's pretty much all been said. There's no magic to getting big arms; you either lift weights or you don't. Isolate exercises are generally unproductive in terms of the time spent training and the benefits gained. As Gordy mentioned, squats and deadlifts are core exercises that work the entire body and essential to growth. Real strength comes from the core first and you need strength to lift enough weight to grow you arms etc.
 
Yes Chinups primarily hit your back, everyone knows that. Chinips/Pullups are the staple of any good back routine. However It is still the best exercise for your biceps. Likewise people do heavy heavy dumbell/barbell pressing for their chest/tris when it mainly hits your deltoids. Small muscles like biceps need to be exposed to large weight/resistance through heavy compound lifts/pulls.
 
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