An Old Way To New Biceps
For those of use with naturally wide clavicles, curling and pressing motions are usually more of an exercise for the deltoids than for the chest or biceps.
The Problem
Wide shoulders are hardly considered a ‘problem’ in bodybuilding—but they can be an inconvenience. I used to feel every chest and bicep movement in my anterior and medial delts (the front and side of the shoulder muscle). Over the years I devised some workarounds, with some assistance from other trainers and orthoscopic specialists, that really take the stress off the delts and puts it where it belongs. In this first example, we’ll be putting the stress on the bicep.
The Solution
If you’ve ever read Vince Gironda’s book Unleashing The Wild Physique you may remember his “barbell body drag curl” movement. I never gave this much thought until I tried it one day out of boredom. To my surprise, and Vince’s credit, it is truly an outstanding movement for the biceps. It also takes the pressure off the deltoids entirely. Last and certainly not least, you’ll get a killer pump from the puppies!
The Technique
You’ll be using a light barbell. Don’t worry—your muscles have no idea how much weight is on the bar. Men, start with the 45lb bar (or lighter if you haven’t been training long). Ladies, find a 25lb straight bar.
Begin the movement in a normal curl stance: bar at your thighs with your grip about shoulder-width. During this exercise you’ll bend slightly at the waist, unlike normal barbell curls.
Now, here’s where it gets tricky. Instead of curling the weight up in an arch away from the body, as in a normal curl, drag the barbell up, keeping your elbows back at all times. Keep the bar in contact with your body throughout the curl. You’ll drag the bar up to about mid-chest level (or a little higher if you can) and control it back down to your thighs. Concentrate on flexing your biceps the entire time.
After about 4-5 reps you’ll really feel this in the belly of your bicep and you won’t feel it in your delts. Just feel your way around the movement and you’ll find the groove that suits you best. Standard barbell curls didn’t do much for my biceps, but my front delts grew like crazy! Now my biceps are growing. Give this movement a shot. I aim for 10-12 reps.
A Variation
Vince actually performed this with a reverse grip. To me this works the brachialis more than the belly of the bicep. (The brachialis is the muscle that runs between the bicep and tricep on the outside of the arm). However, increasing the size of the brachialis will definitely make your arm larger, so give this movement a place in your routine. The only difference in form is that you grip the bar with your hands facing toward you rather than away from you when the bar is in the starting position. This movement works great performed body-drag fashion or traditionally, arching the bar away from the body. Concentrate by focusing on the side of the arm rather than the forearms to contract and lift the bar.
My Personal Biceps Routine
I start with seated dumbbell curls. I’ve learned to concentrate during this movement and twist the dumbbell as the movement progresses in order to minimize the stress on the delts. I usually use 6-8 reps with heavy weight. I do not alternate between arms as that tend to tire me out rather than work my biceps. In other words, I lift both dumbbells at the same time rather than one at a time.
I then proceed to body drag curls. I tend to do these in the 10-12 rep range.
I finish with reverse curls (done in a normal curling arch) for 2 sets of 10 reps.
That’s it! Let me know how this works for you.
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