Concentration Curl
Primary Muscle Group: Biceps
Secondary Muscle Group: Forearms
Equipment Needed: Dumbbell
The Benefits of Concentration Curl
The concentration curl is a bodybuilding favourite for building bigger and stronger biceps. Some promote the concentration curl claiming it to be an exercise guaranteed to produce a bicep pump and build the mind muscle connection.
The Concentration curl is done slow and controlled. This makes for greater time under tension which helps you to really put the squeeze on your biceps. We recommend that you use lighter dumbbells that you would do with a standard bicep curl, or do fewer reps, but that doesn’t matter – the key is that you’re putting your biceps to work properly. If you get this right, you should see some good muscle gain from the concentration curl exercise.
If you are looking for other exercises that are the best for building muscle or wanting to lose body fat then you should check our Free Workout Plan or our Workout Plans With Coaching for professionally designed workout plans that have been proven to get results.
The Risks of doing Concentration Curl
This is a very low risk exercise but the main thing to watch out for is not to hyper-extend your arm at the bottom of the movement. This can put too much stress on the joint and tendons and could result in an injury.
How To Do Concentration Curl
1. Select the desired weight from the rack, and sit in an upright position on a flat bench.
2. Hinge forward and position your elbow near the base of your knee. Place your free hand on the other knee to stabilize yourself.
3. Using a supinated (palms facing up) grip, take a deep breath and curl the dumbbell towards your shoulder.
4. Once the bicep is fully shortened, slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions on both sides.
For Perfect Technique
Maintain a slight bend in the elbow at the bottom of the movement in order to keep tension through the biceps. Using a slow eccentric (lowering portion) of the exercise can help to improve tension and mind muscle connection.
Variations
Once you have mastered the Concentration Curl exercise you can try alternative exercises that target similar muscle groups such as;
How To Do EZ Bar Bicep Curl
1. The standing EZ bar curl is a variation of the barbell curl, but using an EZ bar. Grasp an EZ bar at around shoulder width apart using a underhand grip (palms facing up).
2. Stand straight up, feet together (you may be more comfortable taking one foot back for stability), back straight, and with your arms fully extended. The bar should not be touching your body.
3. Keeping your eyes facing forwards, elbows tucked in at your sides, and your body completely still, slowly curl the bar up.
4. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top of the movement, and then slowly lower it back to the starting position.
How To Do Spider Curls
1. Start by holding a weighted EZ Bar and position yourself lying face first on an inclined bench.
2. Then extend your biceps down and out in front of you so that you are able to fully contract your arm
3. Contract your biceps and curl the weights up towards your shoulders, squeezing your muscles in the process and isolating the biceps.
4. Hold for a second when you reach the top position then return back to the starting position.
5. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.