The neutral-grip position that you hold the dumbbell in recruits more of the elbow flexor muscles in your forearms along with muscles like the flexor carpi radialis and extensor carpi ulnaris. Most people think of hammer curls as a biceps exercise - because it mainly is - but it can help you create crushing grip strength, too. ( 2)( 3)( 4) When performed properly, hammer curls add bulk to the forearms and help add inches onto your biceps - making it a top pick for bodybuilders wanting to round out their physiques on stage. All three muscles span across the lower and upper arm and act as strong elbow flexor muscles, helping bring the arm from a resting extended position to fully flexed at the elbow. The gains in arm size come from the multiple muscle groups involved: brachialis, brachioradialis, and biceps brachii (most notably the short head). This slight angle change increases activation of muscles like the brachialis, brachioradialis, and short head of the biceps brachii, further enhancing grip performance and muscle building potential of the arms. The hammer curl has you curl with a neutral wrist, which is a sturdier position since it aligns with your elbow more naturally. Whether you’re a bodybuilder wanting to grow your arms, or a strength athlete wanting to increase your upper body strength and resistance to injury, the hammer curl affords many benefits to supplement your arm training. While keeping the elbow under the shoulder or slightly in front of the shoulder, return the dumbbells to the initial starting position under a slow and controlled tempo.Ĭoach’sTip: When lowering the weights, think of following the same arcing path you used when curling the dumbbell up to the top position. You won’t engage the biceps using momentum. If you have to swing the dumbbells, then your weights are too heavy. Maintaining a controlled tempo throughout the rep can help improve exercise technique and increase the tension placed on the target muscle(s).Ĭoach’s Tip: You’ll feel the urge to lean back to swing the weight up. Once you have reached the top of the hammer curl, keep squeezing the biceps. Lift the dumbbell above 90 degrees at the elbow where the thumb is at shoulder height. The arc of the dumbbell should create almost a half-circle from the front of your hip to the front of your deltoid. Otherwise, you risk losing tension in your biceps. With the shoulders set, squeeze the handles and maintain rigidity in the wrist - all you want to do is flex and extend your elbow.ĭon’t let the elbows swing too far forward or too far back. ( 1) Due to the decrease in overall strength while using Fat Gripz, it’s recommended to perform additional training volume to target grip strength specifically. Keep your wrists tight, and squeeze your shoulder blades together so your shoulders lock into place - your biceps should be the only muscle engaged.Ĭoach’s Tip: If your goal is to strengthen your grip, increasing the overall grip diameter of the dumbbell - by using Fat Gripz - can help increase the muscular activity of your forearm muscles. Stand tall while holding a dumbbell in each hand. This guide covers the standard two-arm dumbbell hammer curl - a variation that allows you to line up the working arm with the resistance, increasing tension in the arms and reducing the risk of injury to the elbow and shoulder.
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