Bicep curls are more than likely the first exercise you think about when it comes to weight lifting or bodybuilding. Bicep Curls are one of the main exercises used to add muscle mass and thickness to your arms. It’s important to note that the bicep is actually a reasonably small muscle group when compared to others and should not be trained more than once or twice a week.
The bicep muscle only makes up about a third of your arm. Your triceps on the other hand take up around two thirds of your arm so don’t get too obsessed with working your biceps. Train them hard and sensibly and you will see results. Here’s how to do bicep curls with proper form:
Grab a weight. For bicep curls you can use dumbbells or barbells. In this exercise guide we will focus on the barbell bicep curl. Similar rules apply for dumbbells so don’t worry if you are using dumbbells for your bicep curls, this guide can still apply to you. Grab/load up a barbell with weight you can lift for at least 8 reps.
As a rough note, try lifting in the 8-12 rep range. Once you get more experienced you can lift heavier and drop the rep range down as low as 3 reps if you wish to do so although low reps are normally associated with bigger compound exercises such as the bench press, squat and deadlift. If you’re looking to perfect your bicep curl form to begin with, focus on a lighter weight which allows you to hit 8-12 clean repetitions.
Grip. Grip the bar with an underhand and slightly wider than shoulder width grip. Give the bar a good squeeze to get comfortable. Alternatively you can use an overhand grip but this is not classed as a traditional barbell bicep curl. Using an overhand grip transforms the exercise into what is known as a reverse bicep curl.
Stand upright. With the bar in your hands, let your arms hang down in an extended position where the bar rests on upper thighs and stand in an upright position with chest puffed out. If you are keeping strict form (always best) you will want to maintain this upright position throughout the movement.
However, when the weight gets heavy your body is more inclined to lean forward. I have found a slight lean forward when lowering the bar back down can help the lift feel a little more comfortable. This lean should be very slight and not over exaggerated. Do not jerk the weight up!
Elbows slightly bent. Most exercise guides ask you to fully extend your arms in the starting position just before you lift the weight up. In my experience (and a lot of others by the sound of it) placing your arms in a fully extended position before attempting to lift the weight makes the movement feel uncomfortable and takes away some of the stress from the target muscle, transferring it to joints and tendons. Keep those elbows slightly bent for maximum comfort.
Lifting the weight. Squeeze the bar hard and curl the weight up to around chin level. When you’re lifting the weight you want to try and focus on lifting it straight up instead of up and outwards. Lifting the bar up and outwards makes the lift harder, more uncomfortable and wastes valuable energy. Keep those elbows still and slightly bent while driving the weight upwards.
Lowering the weight. Lower the weight using a similar mind set as lifting it. You want to lower it downwards instead of outwards and down. This helps ensure that when you return the weight down towards thigh level your elbows remain slightly bent in order to push out that next rep with good form. Remember to keep squeezing the bar, even when lowering it. This makes the lift feel more stable and controlled.
Head position. Quick note on head position. Throughout the lift try and focus on looking forwards infront of you. Looking down can throw your form off and round your back.
So there you have it, that was how to perform the barbell bicep curl with good strict form. Be sure to check out some of our other exercise guides should you be needing any assistance in a particular lift. If you cant find the exercise your looking for, feel free to contact me and I will try my best to add it!
