HIGH-PULLEY
CABLE CURLS
Set the pulleys at the
highest elevation.
Stand in the middle
and use both hands
at the same time
to curl inwards with
elbows facing out
laterally. Not only is it
a means of recruiting
muscle fibers from
a different angle, it
is also a functional
pose for competitors.
MACHINE PREACHER CURLS
Cancel the debate over machines
versus free weights, the answer
is both. For the final exercise, we
have selected a machine preacher
curl. This machine allows the user
several advantages during a drop
set. For one, it’s a stabilized activity,
allowing you to direct focus to the
biceps muscle. (Neal Spruce, the
creator of the National Academy of
Sports Medicine and owner of Apex
supplements, once used this line to
explain to me the impossibility of
pure muscular isolation: “To isolate
your serratus anterior, you will need
a razor blade and a table to throw
it on after you cut it out.”) Two, a
spotter (although recommended)
is not required, so this exercise is
safe to go to failure. There is con-
stant resistance as the weight stack
moves against gravity throughout
100 percent of the range of motion.
Lastly, the pin-and-stack nature
of the machine makes for easy
adjustments of the weights during
drop sets.
ironmanmagazine.com | APRIL 2017 63