Biceps - can't feel them. It feels like forearm is working

MonarchX · 08-30-2007, 07:28 AM

What are some exercises for biceps BESIDES curls.

When I curl I feel like my forearm is working but my bicep is not fully contracted.

I feel my bicep gets a better contraction when I do wide-grip pull ups than when I do any specific bicep exercise...

NY Money Mike · 08-30-2007, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonarchX

What are some exercises for biceps BESIDES curls.

When I curl I feel like my forearm is working but my bicep is not fully contracted.

I feel my bicep gets a better contraction when I do wide-grip pull ups than when I do any specific bicep exercise...

you are probably doing wrist curls with your bicep curls... try not to let your wrist move

ThickAsABrick · 08-30-2007, 08:12 AM

+ if using DBs, try keeping your hands supine throughout (even at the bottom)

phuz · 08-30-2007, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NY Money Mike

you are probably doing wrist curls with your bicep curls... try not to let your wrist move

definitely! especially when doing barbell curls, its very easy to let the wrist fall inward, but you have to focus on keeping the wrist straight for the entire range.

BluntD · 08-30-2007, 08:19 AM

Has it really taken this long for someone to come in blazin with the "OMG DO WEIGHTED CHINZ BEST BICEPTS EXERCIZE EVAR!!11!1!!!1"

jmusclehead · 08-31-2007, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonarchX

What are some exercises for biceps BESIDES curls.

When I curl I feel like my forearm is working but my bicep is not fully contracted.

I feel my bicep gets a better contraction when I do wide-grip pull ups than when I do any specific bicep exercise...

Curls are the best for biceps. It sounds like your wrist may be falling inward on the curls. Try to keep your wrist straight throughout the lift. The tension will remain on the bicep that way. I don't get much out of bb curls like some others do. I use drag curls, spider curls and hammer curls. This combination is working the best for me and am making good gains.

negid · 08-31-2007, 09:06 AM

If you have access to a cable machine, then you could try these.
They really isolate the bicep and are much harder to cheat on.

Lying Cable Curl

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Biceps
Other Muscles Worked: Forearms
Equipment: Cable
Mechanics Type: Isolation

Tips: Grab a short cable bar that is attached to the low pulley with both hands, using an underhand grip. Lie flat on your back in front of the weight stack with your feet flat against the frame of the pulley machine. Your legs should be straight. Rest the bar on your thighs and slightly bend your arms. Without moving your elbows, curl the bar up slowly toward your chest. Squeeze the biceps for a second and then slowly return to the starting position. Don't bend your knees or lift your head off of the ground!

SightSeeker · 08-31-2007, 09:08 AM

Try some hammer curls. I've got some great gains on regular DB curls after I started doing them. I went from doing sets with 40's to 50's after I started working those into the routines.

owned4u · 08-31-2007, 01:11 PM

Barbell Rows with palms facing away.

SDFlip · 08-31-2007, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by owned4u

Barbell Rows with palms facing away aren't a biceps exercise

fixed

hulkinout · 08-31-2007, 01:54 PM

What I found has helped me is to try to keep the pinky side of my hand higher than my thumb when I curl; even if it's only a few millimeters' difference, that minor adjustment can help take emphasis off your forearms. And as others have said, keep your wrists straight and your hand in line with the forearm, not cocked forward.

To completely take your forearm out of curls, you can also try bending your wrist backward. Naturally, you'll need to use smaller weight.

See if any of these help. Good luck!

HulkHagen · 08-31-2007, 02:06 PM

What kind of bar/grip are you using with your curls?

dtraynor · 08-31-2007, 05:12 PM

or you can just eliminate the wrist all together, completely isolating the biceps, by letting your hand hang down in a relaxed state, don't even think about using the forearm. I'm not much of a body builder...but I have some friends that do this and they swear by it...not sure where they got it from though. Who knows.

alkell · 08-31-2007, 06:13 PM

Hi Monarch, I experience the same thing, although I do contract the muscle at the top of the curl which gives me a better feeling of working the bicep.

I'll check my wrist positions next time, now someone has said it, it sounds so obvious, I was thinking way out stuff like perhaps my forearms need to catch up with the strength of my biceps, doh!

alkell · 09-01-2007, 11:42 PM

Hey Monarch, I checked my form and I am keeping my wrists straight, so googled the question and found the following quote

"I wouldn't worry so much about feeling a "burn" in your biceps. The burn sensation is really fatigue. Once you reach a certain level, your biceps muscle is stronger than the smaller muscles and tendons, so you end up feeling it more in your lower arm and forearm. The smaller muscles and tendons give out before your biceps. This is actually a sing of progress. Conratulations!"

jazzman21 · 09-02-2007, 12:41 AM

What i've found recently is that by squeezing my arms to my sides as close as possible not flaring my arms out and/or rocking them back and forth everytime you do a rep helps. Also, more importantly I found that when I only go halfway down on a rep and then come back up instead of going all the way down and coming up, it puts way more stress on the bicep muscle. Anyone else try this?

Squeebo · 09-02-2007, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by negid

If you have access to a cable machine, then you could try these.
They really isolate the bicep and are much harder to cheat on.

Lying Cable Curl

Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Biceps
Other Muscles Worked: Forearms
Equipment: Cable
Mechanics Type: Isolation

Tips: Grab a short cable bar that is attached to the low pulley with both hands, using an underhand grip. Lie flat on your back in front of the weight stack with your feet flat against the frame of the pulley machine. Your legs should be straight. Rest the bar on your thighs and slightly bend your arms. Without moving your elbows, curl the bar up slowly toward your chest. Squeeze the biceps for a second and then slowly return to the starting position. Don't bend your knees or lift your head off of the ground!

Why not just do the same thing standing?

Squeebo · 09-02-2007, 01:15 AM

Dumbbell hammer curls work for me. I always feel like I'm hitting my insertion tendons more than anything else with barbell or EZ curl bar curls.

negid · 09-04-2007, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squeebo

Why not just do the same thing standing?

Because when you do them laying on the ground like that it's pretty much impossible to accidently rock your back and cheat your biceps out of a great workout.

dparm99 · 09-04-2007, 06:38 AM

When doing curls relax your grip on the bar, don't grip it too tight and don't cock your wrists at all.

Sleazenille · 09-04-2007, 09:32 AM

If for whatever reason your NOT doing wrist curls, i have another suggestion. Alot of people wouldnt know this, or even think about this but your hands, wrists and forarms take a majority of the beating when lifting with your arms. So its always a good idea to exercise your grip and wrists so your forarms arent tired from not being able to keep up with your biceps. Although your biceps might be able to handle heavy weight, theyll be better prepared of your forarms can as well. its just a suggestion, i wish you good luck.