How To Perform The Barbell Curl - By: Nick Andrade

The basic curl is one of the first weight lifting exercises that a lot of people are introduced to when they initially begin hitting the gym. While there are probably at least 3 free weights exercises that will increase the overall size and musculature of your arms quicker than barbell curls alone, a lot of people think that they need to be performing hard core arm workouts that include set after set of isolation style bicep exercises in order to make their arms grow.

If you need a good solid bicep specific exercise that will allow you to build muscle mass and improve the shape and size of your arms, there is no better movement to stick into your arm workout than heavy basic curls. While I typically like to promote compound exercises for building muscle mass, I don't consider the barbell curl to be a compound exercise. It is in my opinion, as close as you’re going to get to a compound movement that targets your biceps.

In addition to incorporating the muscles in your biceps, the straight bar curl also works a few other muscles in your shoulders, back and chest, as well as a bunch of stabilizer muscles. While most of these additional muscles have limited involvement in making the weight move through the course of this exercise, simply getting a few of the bigger muscle groups in your upper body to work together at the same time will produce a more anabolic environment in your biceps and will definitely lead to bigger arms over time.

The main benefit to performing straight bar curls is that you can train with a very heavy weight, which in turn stimulates new muscle growth with each and every. Even with good form, you'll be able to train your biceps with a much heavier weight than you would with any other isolation style bicep exercise. Training with heavy weights through a complete range of motion is the best way to force new muscle growth and increase your muscular strength - so stick with what works here and focus on hitting your biceps hard!

I always make it a point to include heavy straight bar curls into each of my bicep workouts so that I can make sure and encourage new muscle growth each time I work my biceps. If you want to get the most out of this exercise, create your biceps workout so that you're performing heavy barbell curls before you jump into any isolation exercises. This will allow you to make sure that you're working your arms with heavy enough weight to make them grow before even think of incorporating any lighter weight isolation movements. I will
typically perform anywhere from 1 - 4 sets of basic curls followed by 2 - 3 sets of some other isolation style exercise in order to round out my bicep workouts.

How To Perform The Barbell Curl

In order to build bigger biceps, you need to learn how to perform the barbell curl with proper technique. If you neglect your form you will eventually wind up hurting yourself and you may not be able to train at all. So make it a point to learn how to train with good weight training form.

In order to perform the basic curl:

1.) Space your feet out shoulder width
2.) Bend at your knees and grasp the bar with an underhand grip
3.) Stand upright with the barbell hanging in front of you
4.) Hold your back straight with your shoulders back
5.) Curl the barbell up to the top of your shoulders
6.) Pause for a second and then lower the barbell (under control) back down to the starting position

If you're serious about building bigger biceps and you want to do it naturally and quickly, then the simple straight bar curl should be a staple in your everyday arm workouts. While there is certainly nothing glamorous about performing barbell curls, over time you will be able to pack on some serious muscle mass on your arms.

About the Author

Hopefully this quick introduction into how to perform the barbell curl will help you achieve your muscle building goals. If you enjoyed these tips and you're serious about building muscle mass naturally, you'll love the practical advice found in the Muscle Mass Advantage, check it out today and learn how to gain muscle mass and strip off body fat naturally!

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