Find out the secret technique for doing the most effective exercise for your forearms. The result is 100% guaranteed. The forearms go a long way in increasing arm strength. If these muscles are lagging behind in development, then it will be difficult for you to perform other, heavier movements, such as the bench press. Since only bending the arms with a barbell with an overhead grip is effective for the muscles of the forearms, this movement must be performed by you.
The exercise engages the biceps, lateral forearm and brachioradialis muscle. Compared to the classic barbell lift, this movement has several important features:
- To exclude biceps from work as much as possible, it is necessary to pierce the arms.
- Most of the load falls on the brachioradialis muscle.
- The lateral section of the forearm is being worked out qualitatively.
By doing a barbell curl with an overhead grip, you also strengthen the wrist extensors, which greatly enhances the grip. If you are serious about bodybuilding, then at some point you will be working with a lot of weight and here you will need a strong grip. In addition, the movement can be performed by representatives of combat sports, as they can increase the power of their blow.
How to do a barbell curl correctly?
Very often, athletes believe that this is a very simple movement, which on closer examination turns out to be a mistaken opinion. The projectile must be taken with the upper grip at the width of the shoulder joints, placing it at the level of the thigh.
The projectile must be lifted until the forearms are parallel to the ground. During the upward movement, inhale, and lower the projectile on exhalation. Perform the movement at a slow pace. It is also important to exclude movement of the elbow joints, for which they must be tightly pressed to the body.
Since the exercise heavily loads the forearms, it is worth doing it at the end of your session. You can also recommend doing a wrist flexion after this movement to increase the load on the muscles. For great results, perform overhead barbell curls in three sets of 15 reps each.
To reduce the risk of getting grass, do not use a large projectile weight. Beginner bodybuilders can even work with an empty bar or light dumbbells. This way you will be able to master the movement technique well and minimize the risk of injury. Often, athletes try to help them perform the movement with their back muscles, which cannot be done. This will not only reduce the effectiveness of the training, but you can injure your back. If you cannot achieve a stiff back, then reduce the weight of the projectile. Sometimes the movement is performed with the help of a companion, who can hedge in the moment of muscle failure.
Common mistakes when curling the arms with a bar
Most often, when performing bending of the arms with a barbell with a grip from above, during the lifting of the projectile, the hands seem to "wring". This can happen even during training with an empty bar. Most often, beginners make such a mistake, since they do not hold the projectile correctly. During this "wringing" joints get tired very quickly. This can cause injury when handling large weights.
Also, sometimes athletes perform this movement at the beginning of the lesson and then cannot complete the approach qualitatively. We have already said that when you perform a curl with a barbell with a grip from above, then the muscles of the forearm have a lot of stress and they quickly get tired. It is for this reason that the movement is best performed in the middle of the training or at its final phase. At this point in time, the muscles are well toned and will not be very tired.
You must exclude all jerks when performing the exercise. The tempo must not be high so that you can control the entire movement. Any jerk can cause injury to the joint.
Top Grip Barbell Curl Tips for Athletes
You must remember that this movement is for training the muscles of the wrist, not the biceps. For this reason, you must load these muscles before doing overhand curls.
The sports equipment must always be held at the width of the shoulder joints. If you perform a movement with a curved bar, then the emphasis of the load will shift to the biceps. Make sure that the elbow joints are always tightly pressed against the body, which will exclude their movement.
Do not swing the body and help yourself with your back. This can be done, but only during the final repetitions, when you have no strength left for a clean movement. When you can't do eight repetitions, then you need to reduce the weight of the projectile.
This movement will be a great way to end your hand training day. It will make your forearms stronger and more resilient.
Check out the exercise technique in this video:
