BEST BICEPS
ISOLATION MOVE
LYING
CABLE CURL
KNEE-JERK REACTION
“You know the dumbbell
concentration curl exists,
right?”
OUR EXPERTS’ TAKE
“The cable curl is similar
to a concentration curl in
that momentum can be
eliminated, so no other
muscle group can assist
other than for stabilization,”
says Gerren Liles, a Reebok
One ambassador and
Equinox Master Instructor
based in New York City.
The slight edge goes to
the cable, however, because
the resistance remains
steadfast throughout the
movement—unlike with a
dumbbell, where the
stimulus can dissipate at the
bottom or even the top of a
movement without careful
attention to positioning.
HOW TO DO IT
Q Attach a short straight
bar to a seated cable row
station and lie down, feet
placed firmly on the
platforms with the cable
going between your
knees. Hold the bar with a
supinated (underhand) grip
just inside shoulder width.
Q Keeping your elbows at
your sides, bend your arms
to curl the bar all the way
toward your chin, holding
the peak contraction for
a moment.
Q Lower the bar back
along the same path
under control.
INTENSIFY IT Dropsets
are a killer pairing
with cable movements
because it’s so simple
to lower the weight
each time you hit failure.
92
FLEX | MARCH ’18
BEST BICEPS MOVE
FOR MOUNTAINOUS PEAKS
EZ-BAR PREACHER CURL
KNEE-JERK REACTION “Doesn’t the
incline curl hit the long head better?”
OUR EXPERTS’ TAKE As mentioned
earlier, the long head of your biceps is
most responsible for the “peak” you see
when you flex your arms. And with your
arms behind you, as with an incline
dumbbell curl, the long head is put under
stretch to start, which leads to a stronger
contraction. So why does Roberts like
EZ-bar preachers just a bit better when it
comes to reaching your developmental
“peak”? “EMG activation studies do show
better biceps activation for incline curls
than preachers, at least through the first
two-thirds of the movement,” he says.
“But that’s just one part of the whole
picture. Other variables are more
important to growing the long head, like
the amount of weight you can handle and
the intensity you can put into the exercise.
The preacher wins on both counts.” Use
the inner grip of the EZ-bar, remembering
that a narrow grip will help target the long
biceps head.
HOW TO DO IT
Q Adjust a preacher bench so that the
top of the pad fits securely under your
armpits. Take an inside-shoulder-width,
underhand grip on the EZ-curl bar—
KEY POINTERS
“Press your midback and
lower back into the bench
and brace your abs,” Liles
instructs. “Also make sure
you have a wide enough
handle where your hands
are in line with your
elbows—and work through
a full range of motion. Your
legs should be positioned
so that they leave room to
straighten your arms out
completely.”