Bro curls?

[Mckevstah]

When i'm at the gym, I see some guys doing what look like bicep curls but with ****ed up form.
Seems to be working for them though, is it something I should consider?

**Basically, they pick a really heavy weight, 20kg dumbbells, and hoist them up, in a sort of hammer curl maneuver, looks like they're swinging them things up, and only a little range of motion. It's hard to explain but im pretty sure you guys have all seen them**

[Hengman]

Chill bro! Don't talk about my bros, bro, or the bros will get mad at you bro.

[LuckSide]

No, you should always be doing exercises with proper form. The "bro curls" largely use your back and make you look like a moron for doing them.

[adamdavidson47]

Sometimes, people do heavy cheating bicep curls for the negative more than the contraction.

[Mckevstah]

Sometimes, people do heavy cheating bicep curls for the negative more than the contraction.

Ahhh right, gotcha, thanks.

[larrycrazy]

"Cheat curls" can be used in addition to your routine.Arnold used cheat curls.The thing is to use proper form when cheating.What i mean by that is don't trow on x amount of weight and break your back to get it up.Use a sensible amount,i'd say for me about 5-10lbs extra and use a little swing of the lower back to get the weight up.And i wouldn't do it every set,usaully on the last set.Dorian said once you fail you can cheat the weight up and bust out a few more negatives.It's just something to add in once in a while to change things up.You just got to be smart about it.And always practice proper form first.If you can't curl with good form,you can't cheat with good form.

Just my two cents

[DivaJana]

When i'm at the gym, I see some guys doing what look like bicep curls but with ****ed up form.
Seems to be working for them though, is it something I should consider?

**Basically, they pick a really heavy weight, 20kg dumbbells, and hoist them up, in a sort of hammer curl maneuver, looks like they're swinging them things up, and only a little range of motion. It's hard to explain but im pretty sure you guys have all seen them**

If you are going to be working your biceps, then work your biceps. Biceps curls is a very technique demanding exercises if you are willing to have good results you need to keep total control over this exercise.

[IDrinkBloodLOL]

20 kg is not heavy.

If you are going to be working your biceps, then work your biceps. Biceps curls is a very technique demanding exercises if you are willing to have good results you need to keep total control over this exercise.

This is not true. If you're curling to have very strong biceps, the form is usually B+ at best. Perfect form means using crap weight, which doesn't help anything.

[larrycrazy]

20 kg is not heavy.



This is not true. If you're curling to have very strong biceps, the form is usually B+ at best. Perfect form means using crap weight, which doesn't help anything.

For them bros it is bro

[DivaJana]

20 kg is not heavy.



This is not true. If you're curling to have very strong biceps, the form is usually B+ at best. Perfect form means using crap weight, which doesn't help anything.

Good luck with your biceps goals of 2013.

[IDrinkBloodLOL]

Good luck with your biceps goals of 2013.

What people don't understand, apparently including you too, is that when you do a move with decent form but ridiculous amounts of weight, it actually tends to increase the amount of weight you can lift using perfect form. The push press generalizes to your military press, parallel squats generalize to full squats, and slightly imperfect curls carry over to strict curls.

Obviously if you turn them into reverse grip cleans you're not really doing anything for your biceps, but I can strict curl more than you weigh for reps any day of the week because I allow myself a little leeway in training my "normal" curls.

[Suprabuc]

I wouldn't. Keep arms tight to sides and never move elbows or swing forward until you need them last 1-2 cheat reps. Sometimes cheat reps are good, but use them sparingly. Never use them for a whole set.

[DivaJana]

What people don't understand, apparently including you too, is that when you do a move with decent form but ridiculous amounts of weight, it actually tends to increase the amount of weight you can lift using perfect form. The push press generalizes to your military press, parallel squats generalize to full squats, and slightly imperfect curls carry over to strict curls.

Obviously if you turn them into reverse grip cleans you're not really doing anything for your biceps, but I can strict curl more than you weigh for reps any day of the week because I allow myself a little leeway in training my "normal" curls.

What people don't understand, apparently including you too, is that you can't generalize this rule over all exercises. this works for some exercises and muscle groups of course, biceps curls isn't one of them.

[IDrinkBloodLOL]

What people don't understand, apparently including you too, is that you can't generalize this rule over all exercises. this works for some exercises and muscle groups of course, biceps curls isn't one of them.

Bicep curls most definitely is.

I know from years' experience.

[davisj3537]

I saw a bro doing bro curls with the body english you speak of and had a bro spotter. What kind of bro needs a bro spotter? A douche bag bro...

[JOHN GARGANI]

Bicep curls most definitely is.

I know from years' experience.

yeah, and at 25 that is practically a LIFETIME! lol.....

Blood: you are missing her point, really:there are no hard and fast rules in BB when it comes to customizing movements for EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON.

Cheat curls CAN be part of an arsenal, but the problem for many is, what exactly is a "cheat": what goes down as "cheating" for some people, is totally insensible curling that does NOTHING for hypertrophy...

used wisely, and judiciously, Cheat Curls can have their place, but they should never be the totality of arm workouts....

learning to mix and match the strict with the loose, the high with the low reps, the straight sets with the intensity multipliers, this is something that comes from MANY YEARS of experience and not only "listening" to your body, but confirming results with measurements.....

[DivaJana]

yeah, and at 25 that is practically a LIFETIME! lol.....

Blood: you are missing her point, really:there are no hard and fast rules in BB when it comes to customizing movements for EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON.

Cheat curls CAN be part of an arsenal, but the problem for many is, what exactly is a "cheat": what goes down as "cheating" for some people, is totally insensible curling that does NOTHING for hypertrophy...

used wisely, and judiciously, Cheat Curls can have their place, but they should never be the totality of arm workouts....

learning to mix and match the strict with the loose, the high with the low reps, the straight sets with the intensity multipliers, this is something that comes from MANY YEARS of experience and not only "listening" to your body, but confirming results with measurements.....

I just couldn't agree more.

one of the most interesting posts I've read in this forum!

[ironwill2008]

When i'm at the gym, I see some guys doing what look like bicep curls but with ****ed up form.
Seems to be working for them though, is it something I should consider?

**Basically, they pick a really heavy weight, 20kg dumbbells, and hoist them up, in a sort of hammer curl maneuver, looks like they're swinging them things up, and only a little range of motion. It's hard to explain but im pretty sure you guys have all seen them**

Using momentum and a limited ROM to move more weight will usually only serve to hinder your gains, and very well could lead to an injury.

Instead, use good form, and work to progress the weight and/or reps you can lift over time.

[JmanTheJuiceman]

what goes down as "cheating" for some people, is totally insensible curling that does NOTHING for hypertrophy...
.

Using momentum and a limited ROM to move more weight will usually only serve to hinder your gains, and very well could lead to an injury.

Instead, use good form, and work to progress the weight and/or reps you can lift over time.

^^both are great points. I was definitely one of those guys who used to soley believe in: More weight = more size.

Since moving to a more controlled, stricter form of curls, my bicep's have noticeably increased in size and overall "composition" (if you will). But yes, I also agree with the notion that cheat curls can help, IF done correctly.







Inb4 some one posts some random bodybuilder's video to "prove" that loose form works.

[IDrinkBloodLOL]

I just couldn't agree more.

one of the most interesting posts I've read in this forum!

I think I realized why it is that you posting advice on this forum bothers me so much: your lifts aren't up to par. It's not just because you're a girl either.

Let me explain:









Every girl in these videos reports a bodyweight of 110-120 pounds.

Meanwhile, you at 135 pounds:

Squats(ATG) 3x8~12, last workout: 145x8 x 2
[...]
Flat Barbell Bench 2x8~12, last workout: 105 x 11
[...]
Deadlifts 1x4~6, last workout: 205 x 6 x 2

I find myself very internally conflicted - on the one hand the advice you give is technically very good. On the other hand, you are in no way qualified to give it.

[TheMarki]

Arnold used cheat curls

[jwagz]

man on that vid of the girl in the green that FREAKING IDIOT in the plaid shirt needs to just stop touching her. she obviously doesn't need the spot. is he trying to get some? i saw a t nation video where the COMPLEX guy warns against using a spot unnecessarily. he says 'i can lift 60 lbs w/ my fingers on a bench press'. lol. good game

[Xuaxace]

I think I said this yesterday in another post but in summary, A mix of cheated and strict work is IMO the best. My cheat work is usually just adding momemtum and then emphasizing negatives so I can overload the weight, this allows me to progress more in my strict sets. So IMO, only doing strict work will make it hard to progressively overload while cheating all the time will make it hard to know how much actually work the muscles are doing as the degree of momemtum is hard to register.

For now, very often, I work my way to a cheat set (say of curls, upright rows etc) and then work back to a few strict sets, have had a lot of success with that method

[GeneralSerpant]

man on that vid of the girl in the green that FREAKING IDIOT in the plaid shirt needs to just stop touching her. she obviously doesn't need the spot. is he trying to get some? i saw a t nation video where the COMPLEX guy warns against using a spot unnecessarily. he says 'i can lift 60 lbs w/ my fingers on a bench press'. lol. good game

[Tillday]

I find myself very internally conflicted - on the one hand the advice you give is technically very good. On the other hand, you are in no way qualified to give it.

Conversely there's plenty of big guys with ****ty info, I had a guy tell me he heard 'from some big guy at the gym' that close grip bicep curls hit your chest.

I don't think there's entirely a right or wrong answer, there's guys like Kai Green that preach perfect form no matter what. Watch his "training with Kai" videos where he basically ends of explaining to every guy in every one they're using too much weight for what he's trying to teach them.

Then there's plenty of successful BBs who cheat reps and get big.

[Halfway]

I find myself very internally conflicted - on the one hand the advice you give is technically very good. On the other hand, you are in no way qualified to give it.

those are actually very respectable lifts

OP, bros dont let bros cheat on their curls. Biceps are a small muscle that can easily be strained if it's already fatigued and no-one wants a distal bicep rupture in their 30's. If a 40lb db isn't going to do it, it probably wasn't on the cards to be done in the first place (genetics are a bitch when it comes to arms)

[jwagz]

lol. this guy...

[JOHN GARGANI]

I find myself very internally conflicted - on the one hand the advice you give is technically very good. On the other hand, you are in no way qualified to give it.

sorry, Blood, but you are on the wrong path here...you are essentially calling her out, but I have to disagree also...

it seems that you are fixated on absolute amounts of weight lifted, and if you are, you are missing the finer points of BB....

hey, if this were a powerlifting thread, you would have a point, but it is a BODYBUILDING THREAD, asking specifically about hypertrophy of the biceps.....

anyone out there who thinks you can only have big biceps if you lift insane poundages is also on the wrong path....

Amount of weight is relative: what is MORE important, is that you are currently lifting AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, as it says in my sig, WHILE IN CONTROL OF THE MOVEMENT....

what is "challenging" for her muscles, or mine, can be very different than from another....as long as you ARE challenging your muscles, in a proper manner, you will get results....

why do you think noobs gain so much so fast initially??? they are lifting featherweights, but it doesn't matter, because , again, IT IS ALL THEY CAN CURRENTLY HANDLE......

in BB, the Play is the Thing, and HOW your lift, along with nutrition and rest are the most important factors....

[Xuaxace]

lol. this guy...

Just watched it and it was a good video...

do you disagree with any point?

[oldballs]

I would love to see the proof that there is some increased risk of injury if I cheat a little.