for a D-handle and
BEST BICEPS FINISHING MOVE
STANDING CABLE CURL DROPSET
OUR EXPERTS’ TAKE Yes, you
could choose to “run the rack” and
do a dumbbell curl dropset instead of
this pick. But Carla Sanchez, former
IFBB Pro League fitness pro and
owner of Performance Ready Fitness
Studio in Lone Tree, CO, prefers the
cable version in a pinch. “It’s more
convenient than trying to monopolize a
dumbbell rack in a busy gym, it’s a little
easier to switch weights from set to
set because you’re just changing a pin,
and it’s safer to perform a cable curl to
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FLEX | MARCH ’18
absolute failure alone,” she explains.
HOW TO DO IT
QStand in front of a low-pulley cable
with a short straight bar attached.
Grasp the bar with both hands in a
supinated (palms up) grip, elbows
extended, standing upright and far
enough back from the apparatus that
the stack is slightly lifted, putting your
muscles under direct tension to start.
QMaintaining a tight core and keeping
your elbows at your sides, flex your
biceps to bend your elbows and curl
the bar toward your upper chest.
QHold the contraction at the top for a
hard one count, then slowly lower the
bar along the same path.
QDon’t allow the weight stack to touch
down between reps.
KEY POINTERS Two things will help
you get the most out of this last-gasp,
biceps-blasting finisher. “Make sure to
start heavy enough—I recommend your
6RM weight on the first set, which
means a resistance you can get about
six reps with but no more,” Sanchez
says. “Also watch your form closely,
making sure you continue to rep with
your biceps and not by arching your
back to help drive the movement.”
KNEE-JERK REACTION “Shouldn’t
I do this with dumbbells instead?”