are your arms bigger or smaller than 40cm now?
Are you bored of practicing doublestacks at home with dumbbells? A variation on the regular bend can make training the second head more fun and efficient.
Here are some of the more common movements used by masters and champions. Of course, no matter how you do the variations, it's important not to be greedy with the weight and to have good control.
1. Overhead bend
there are not too many variations of the deadlift, but one way to make it more challenging is to do it on an incline bench. You can do this movement on an upward incline bench. But as a result, you will need to exert more force against gravity, so reducing the weight is the recommended approach.
sit on the upper incline bench with two dumbbells in your hands on your lap. Holding the dumbbells in both hands at your sides, palms facing each other and lying down, bend your elbows and bend the weights up towards your shoulders, pausing when you reach the top. Lower slowly, keeping your elbows slightly bent at the bottom. Repeat for 3 sets of 10-16 reps each.
2. Alternating dips head bends
if you are looking for an easy way to vary your dips head training, try doing alternate bends. By alternating arms, you will be able to use a little more weight as one arm is rested while the other arm is working.
with your feet hip-width apart, hold a dumbbell in front of your thighs with your palms facing outwards. Bend your right elbow and bend the weight towards your shoulder, keeping your elbow still. Lower the weight, keeping the elbows slightly bent at the bottom as well to keep the muscles tense. Switch to the left hand and repeat, completing 3 sets of 8-16 reps each. Avoid resorting to inertia, keep the movement slow and controlled with the weight, do not throw.
3. Yoga ball arm rest bend
the preacher's bench is just a variation of the traditional bicep. By placing your arms on an incline to form an angle, you will be able to really stimulate both heads of the bicep and for this movement, the weight you use should be relatively low.
of course home training certainly won't have a priest's bench, you can look for alternatives to be able to build up an angle, and if you have a yoga ball that's fine too. Take two dumbbells and kneel in front of the ball, then lean your upper body up and place your elbows on the ball. Lower the weights until your arms are almost fully extended. Contract your second head to lift the weights until your forearms are perpendicular to your upper arms. Repeat for 3 sets of 10-16 reps each.
this movement may strain the front side of the elbow, so do not use too much weight and if you feel pain, stop this exercise. Avoid injury by controlled lowering, do not shorten the stroke and try to lower the weight until your arm is nearly straight, do not lock the elbow joint. You can also try this exercise unilaterally.
4. Hammer bend
like the traditional curl discussed earlier, the hammer curl focuses on developing the biceps, and because the wrist is internally rotated, the forearm is also stimulated more in this movement. Changing the position of the hands also makes the movement more difficult, so you can combine the hammer bend with the conventional bend to develop the entire biceps and forearm muscles.
stand with your feet hip-width apart, abs tight, and hold a medium weight dumbbell in your hand on the front of your thighs. Rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing each other and contract your biceps to bend the weight towards your shoulders. Keeping your elbows stable, move the dumbbells as high as possible. Lower the weight slowly, keeping your elbows slightly flexed at the bottom of the movement, without locking the joints and keeping the muscles tense. Repeat for 3 sets of 8-15 reps each.
5. Concentration curl
the concentration bend, as the name suggests, is not just a strict movement, it also uses all your energy on the contraction of your biceps. This is a great finishing move to completely drain every ounce of bicep muscle fibre.
sitting position with a dumbbell in your right hand. Lean your torso forward, keeping your abs tight and your right arm elbow close to your right inner thigh. Contracting the biceps, without moving the elbow, bend the dumbbell towards the shoulder without touching it. Lower down, again keeping the elbows slightly bent to ensure constant tension. Repeat for 3 sets of 8-16 reps each.
6. Barbell concentration curl
the concentration curl is a great dip head exercise, and the barbell version adds some more intensity. The barbell concentration curl requires a bend over, which shortens the stroke and requires the abs and back to work harder to maintain stability. Because the stroke is smaller, the movement will feel better, so if you haven't done this movement before, start with a lighter weight.
sit on a bench and hold a medium weight barbell in your hand with a grip shoulder width apart. Bend over, keeping your back flat and your abs tight, with your elbows close to your inner thighs. Start the movement with your arms straight and the barbell dangling over your mid shin, contracting your biceps to bend the barbell as high as possible. Lower slowly, keeping the elbows slightly flexed at the bottom. Complete 3 sets of 10-16 reps each. Keep core tight and back straight throughout.
7. Reverse grip curls
while traditional biceps exercises, such as curls, work the biceps and forearm muscles, reverse grip curls put more emphasis on the forearms. The reverse grip curl requires you to externally rotate your wrist, so the forearm does more of the work, while the bicep is more of an assist. This movement is great for those who play grip-intensive sports such as golf, baseball and tennis.
holding a barbell in both hands in front of your thighs with your palms facing your thighs, bend the dumbbell towards your shoulders while rotating your wrists so that your palms are facing outwards at the top. Lower slowly and repeat for 3 sets of 8-16 reps each. You can also use a barbell to complete this movement.
8. Barbell biceps
the barbell bicep is a classic movement for developing both heads of the bicep and can be complemented by the dumbbell bend as you can use more weight compared to the dumbbell. If you have a ready-made o-bar at home, make use of it.
feet hip-width apart, abs tightened. Hold the barbell in both hands and drape it over the side of the body. Bend your arms, contract your biceps and bend the barbell towards your shoulders. Keeping the elbows stationary, lift the weight as high as possible, holding it at the top for a moment without locking the joints and keeping the muscles tense. Repeat for 3 sets of 8-15 reps each.
9. Dumbbell curls
finally, we introduce the dumbbell bend, the most traditional movement. With the help of dumbbells we can work each side of the arm independently and separately, which can help us improve the left-right imbalance.
keep your feet hip-width apart and your core tight. Hold the dumbbells in both hands and drape them over the side of the body. Tuck in your biceps and bend your arms. Keep the elbow position fixed while raising the dumbbells to a fully tightened position at the second head. Lower the weight slowly, keeping the elbows slightly flexed at the bottom, i.e. Not locking the joints to ensure muscle tension. Repeat for 3 sets of 8-15 reps each.
