| Detail March 1, 2004
|
Chantal Dicaire shows
that strong biceps aren't just for bodybuilders. Fitness and figure competitors need them
too.
(photo January 2004 by Doug Schneider) |
|
Long-Forgotten Exercises that Work:
Barbell "Drag" Curls
No other exercises are as synonymous with weight training
as the bench press and the barbell curl -- two of the most basic exercises of all. In
fact, the first time someone enters a weight room, or buys a weight set for their
basement, there’s a good chance that those are the first two exercises they’ll
try. Bench presses work the chest and barbell curls build the biceps; these exercises
aren’t just for bodybuilders because they’re equally valuable for fitness and
figure competitors, too.
But even though these exercises are universally well known,
there’s not just one way to perform them -- there are a surprising number of
iterations of each. And while the barbell curl seems straightforward enough to do --
simply hold a barbell at shoulder width on the thighs and then raise it to the neck area
by bending the arms -- you’d be surprised at what you can do to improve the
effectiveness. In fact, there’s one variation that some consider the most effective
of all: the barbell "drag" curl.
Originated decades ago by legendary trainer Vince Gironda,
the barbell drag curl differs from the standard barbell curl in one crucial way: instead
of the bar traveling in an arc in front of the body as it goes from the thighs to the neck
area, the bar travels along the body. In essence, you drag it from the
thighs to the neck area. Obviously, when the barbell descends downward for the
"negative" portion of the movement, it follows the same path, dragging
down against the body. The result of performing it this way is improved isolation of the
biceps, which helps build the biceps better than the standard barbell curl. But why is
this so?
You only have to perform the standard barbell curl once to
realize that when the bar is being curled up, the biceps aren’t the only thing doing
the lifting -- the shoulders, in particular the front deltoids, come into the motion too.
Simply watch someone’s elbows when they’re doing the regular curl. You will see
the elbows move forward a least a couple of inches -- that’s the front deltoids
getting involved in the lift.
Certainly, having the shoulders involved doesn’t mean
that the standard barbell curl is a useless exercise -- biceps will build whether the
shoulders are helping a little bit or not -- but with the shoulders involved in the lift,
the exercise’s effectiveness at isolating the biceps is diminished.
In contrast, when the bar is dragged up the body,
the front deltoids no longer contract to help lift the weight. By dragging the barbell up
the body, the elbows now shift backward instead of forward, and the biceps are doing all
the work. The difference isn’t subtle.
With the biceps better isolated they can actually be worked
more effectively, but there’s one more added benefit of doing the drag curl: the
contraction at the top is better.
When you reach the top position of the standard barbell
curl, the bar generally falls toward the body, taking tension away from the biceps. The
trainer has to deliberately squeeze the muscle hard at the top to get maximum
contraction, otherwise the biceps can actually "relax" -- and you don’t
want this to happen since muscle is built through stimulation, not relaxation. On the
other hand, with the drag curl the barbell is not in a position to fall toward the body --
by the nature of the movement, at the topmost position the trainer gets a strong
contraction whether she likes it or not!
The barbell drag curl is an extremely
effective exercise that is easy to do -- no special equipment is required, there’s
only a change in the way you move the bar -- but there is one mistake most people make
when they first try it: trying to use too much weight.
You have to remember that with regular curls, the shoulder
is helping a little; with drag curls, the shoulders don’t help at all. As a result,
you won’t be able to lift quite as much weight drag curling as regular curling.
I’ve noticed that most people can use about 80% of the weight for drag curling that
they use for normal curling. So, if you can curl 50 pounds, try 40 pounds to start. Better
yet, try 30 pounds just to make sure you’re really doing the movement right -- proper
execution is key. I guarantee that if you do the drag curl properly, you’ll feel your
biceps in ways you couldn’t previously imagine.
...Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com |
