Na, no sucha thing as 'best'. It changes upon needs. I gained around 2" on my arms last year, @ at age 69 to boot. Did EZ curl bar for curls superset with skull crushers. 3 sets. Then, concentration curls, twisting, sitting on bench, superset with 1 arm extensions. Then, after a few months, some _slight_ elbow pain began, switched to seated db curls, then single arm cable curls. That combo packed on close to 1/2 inch in a few weeks.... then, lying db skull crushers, and some cable work. Decades ago, I got to 16.5" guns (over 17 pumped) doing bb. curls super set with bb skull crushers, sets of 10, 110lbs. at a bodyweight of about 175/180 lbs. Why o why would anyone do unstable curls on a swiss ball???? Hit the muscle _directly_ , as safely as possible, with as heavy weight as possible, with as many reps as possible. I've gained & lost arm size several times over the years, and getting a decent set of arms was always done the same way..... paying attention to elbow pain and vary accordingly. Stability ball for me is maybe good for ab work, hamstring work, but that's about it, lol You want big arms? Then train them big to get big!.... and, on stable ground.💪
Good rule of thumb is it’s typically the first half of the “lifting” part of the exercise. For many exercises, it’s the first half of the motion but if you need to lower the weight, its typically the first half of lifting part.
I think the flat bench dumbbell curl is usually called a table curl, seems more popular in arm wrestling training. Been planning this to be in rotation soon!
Every muscle group deserves its own video And video explaining how to optimize traditional movements: setting the leg extension seat as far back as possible
I find Leg extensions confusing. If you put the seat forwards more you get a better stretch on the Quads but if you put it further back you emphasise the rectus femoris more?
@@asw192because the rectus femoris crosses the hip, if you lean backwards it's streched more causing more growth. Still, the leg extension doesnt let you train the muscle in the fully strechted position so its not optimal
Just included the cable bicep curl and cable overhead extension today in my training..... Absolutely amazing! My set-up was a little different as I have a garage gym, but these felt so effective! Your 'Best exercise" series has given me a whole new motivation and love of my training!!!!
I may be wrong here, but wouldn't it be better to create a ~90° angle at the fully stretched position for the Seated behind the back cable curl? If the cable is in line with your arms, there is very little tension in the stretch, right?
You cant have the arm at a 90° angle and be fully stretched at the bicep. There is no less tension regardless of arm angle on the cable in any position. Thats the benfit of using a cable. You just have to have the cable long enough that it is applying tension while in the fully stretched position. Neither of your questions made any logical sense so maybe rewording might get some help.
@@TransNeingerian "There is no less tension regardless of arm angle on the cable in any position. Thats the benfit of using a cable" Are you sure about that? I think physics might disagree with you 😅
I didn't realise incline curls were being so maligned. For me, nothing leaves my biceps feeling more sore. Although I haven't tried the "Milo Wolf Super Special Extra Hard Greek Bench Curls" yet...
Ring Pelican curl is the calisthenics version of this suggested exercise. It’s a lot harder to progress (as many calisthenics movements can be compared to weighted) but once your biceps are strong enough from doing the weighted version, Milo discusses here doing the pelican curl is a good way to progress when you find yourself without a cable stack. Not to mention, it’s quite a flex.
I have to say that preacher curls are probably the most hypertrophic bicep exercise there is (based on the literature we have), but the old BB, EZ bar and DB curls are amazing as well
There is no most hypertrophic exercise because the key is to use a variety of exercises for complete stimulus and avoiding overuse bc if you get overuse injury. Preacher curls are lengthened biased, traditional are slightly mid ranged biased (which if you wanted to pick a “best” mid range is actually the majority), spider curls band/expander/cable curls are shortened biased. I forgot which heads are biased depending on what but an external arm position vs internal and if the arm is behind the body like in an incline curl
I tried to do dumbell preacher curls for 2 days, if I stretch my hands fully and exercise I get an insane pump but the bottom part of my bicep (the part that gets stretched at the start) and a bit of my forearm hurt a lot, so I stopped and went back to behind the body cable curls.
Every time you make one of these videos specializing on a muscle group I seem to get a deeper understanding of the biomechanics involved. I had not really considered the fact that most of my curling is done with the long head in a shortened position.
Doing a series on people who workout at home with only resistance bands and dumbbells would be really beneficial because I don’t have access to a gym unfortunately. btw, love your channel man!!!!
I think you should have mentioned lying bicep curls as well, where you lie on a bench and then do curls. Similar to incline curls but now you sit all the way back. These fix the resistance curve problem of incline curls and make it very nice.
Hey! First and foremost, a quick "thank you for your work" Dr. Wolf. Keep it up! Second, my schedule is such, that I have to exercise at home every few other workouts. Ever since I discovered your channel (Thanks to Jeff Nippard), I had been thinking how I can improve my biceps workout at home (limited equipment to only dumbbells), so I figured I could do my curls on a chair (dumbbell curl on bench as you said it) and now watching that video, seeing you shout out exactly that odd exercise. Absolute fire TL;DR - Don't sleep on dumbbell on bench, especially good for home workouts!
I’ve been doing incline curls in more of a fly position the past few weeks and the pump is insane. The stretch you get in that position makes it worth a try. Just flare your elbows out at around 45 degrees and choose a 30 degree incline and it’s almost like a preacher curl in resistance curve except your arms are stretched behind the body too.
@@Cavani55 learn what an incline bench is. Learn what a fly is. Learn what a 45 degree elbow flare is. Use the resources already available on the internet instead of burdening other people to hand hold you to understanding basic things.
For the Pulldown or Pull ups it seems obvious to me that doing them underhanded would be ideal since you are essentially doing a curl and getting a really big stretch, the fact that they are a compound movement actually makes them great for people doing PPL or upper lower splits, since you can start by doing an isolation biceps exercise, switch to the compound biceps exercise (chin up, underhand pulldown) and then transition into the rest of your back work while still having worked out your biceps sufficiently well
Awesome video! Your explanations of the anatomy really help me understand why you're making the exercise recommendations that you are. I'd love to see more videos like this!
Based on the research you showed I am doing dumbbells bicep curls in a fully flat bench and let my arms fall a bit for some extra stability This way i am supine and the resistance curve is at the lengthened part. Thus you have to do only lengthened partials (approximately until 90-100 degrees of elbow flexion is where gravity is resisting the movement)
The Crucifix Cable Curls have become my personal favorite in the last month. I get proximal and also distal tendon pain with lots of high stretch biceps exercises and these feel awesome. My second place is the Seated Behind the Back Cable Curl the way you showed in the video.
Real question for you, Dr. Wolf: If the biceps are lengthened when the forearms are pronated, why don't you recommend doing most biceps training with a pronated grip? I know you mentioned it at the end, but it was not nearly as strong a statement as those you've made about the superiority of hamstring curls while in hip flexion, leg extensions (or squat variations) while in hip extension, triceps extensions while in shoulder flexion, etc. I'm confused as to why curls with pronated forearms isn't a straightforward enhancement of the curl for hypertrophy. Great video, and thanks for the info!
From emg studies I have read, pronation shifts the load away from the biceps brachii to the brachialis and brachioradialis. I know that emg activation is bad for predicting stretch mediated hypertrophy, but even if a pronated bayesian curl actually does target the biceps brachii effectively and is theoretically superior for the biceps brachii in terms of hypertrophy, the brachialis and brachioradialis are more often than not going to be the limiting factor. Also something about pronated curls being optimal feels too radical which is probably why it wasn't recommended straightforwardly. Would love for Dr. Wolf to comment on this.
@@keving1085 The pronated grip definitely feels much harder on the brachialis and especially the brachioradialis, but I try not to weigh that over research if there is any. Maybe this is an example of something that's plausible mechanistically but isn't true in practice due to reasons we don't know. I also suspect that because we're much stronger in wrist flexion than wrist extension that supinated curls allow for higher loads than pronated, which leads to more growth. I'm thinking a neutral grip could be the goldilocks.
@@mc80466 The neutral grip is interesting. It allows for more load while more effectively targeting the biceps brachii, but I do still feel my brachioradialis taking the brunt of the load when doing hammer curls, especially during the eccentric. Maybe starting with a pronated or neutral grip so that the brachii are as lengthened as possible at the beginning of the movement, supinating on the concentric, and reversing on the eccentric would be ideal, that way stretch is maximized and the brachii become the limiting factor.
Legend, def wanna try the seated behind the back cable curl but usually cables are the most used equipment. Putting bench there will be impossible for the most times.
I do them one arm at a time, standing. Much easier to stabilize with half the weight. My gym has the double cable rack with 5lb increments up to 60lbs then 10lb increments above 60. I set the cable height low to be inline with my arms as I don't have the shoulder flexibility to go as far back with my elbows as Milo. If that machine is busy there's two 10lb increment racks at another station.
While I'm on the fence about it as a panacea for long term hypertrophy, I will say: lengthened partials have drastically reduced joint issues and my range of motion is MUCH better across the board. Also at 45 I just "like" this style of training and it "feels" healthier so I'm sticking with it (although I like some movements where the peak load is not at the stretched position). My question: would you say that lengthened partials are good for building "tendon strength/resilience whatever"?
Great series. Would love a video on myo reps and rest pause, since youve covered drop sets. With all the mentzer fanboyism going around recently, ive been wondering why myo reps havent taken off, as to me they seem (for many exercises) to be the golden time saving high intensity ticket everyone has been looking for all this time.
Would love to see one of these on the muscles of the upper back (traps, rhomboids etc). Lots of videos on lats in the RUclips fitness space but very little on the other muscles of the back.
@@Cavani55 no, you are describing a regular curl on a decline bench. The incline drag curl is very similar to milo's recommendation - it just doesnt require two cables, making it more accessible.
I actually love incline curls, but I basically set the dumbbells up more or less like I’m at the bottom of a chest fly. So I’m looking at the ceiling, shoulder blades pinched together.
Good work on the exercise examples. Been following you a lot and using lengthened partials in my training since I came accross your work on The RP Channel. Exercise example videos have been a missing ingredient!
Great, cheers! Looks like for me training at home, a combination of single handed bench curls (the one where you sit on the ground) plus inclined hammer curls seem to be the best combination.
The gym I go to has small cylinders that can be placed on the stack taking the increments to 5 lbs, as well as some 1.5 lb snap on weights that can be attached to dumbbells
Doctor Wolf, you mention that a lat pull down would also be very effective as a bicep exercise but is this with a straight bar or a “V” attachment? What would the grip look like? Really loving all of your content and the single arm tricep extension in your other video has been a game changer. Thank you!!
Lengthened Partial curls have been a massive training improvement for me. I used to get so much bicep tendonitis and couldnt ever do much volume. Now I train biceps 4 days out of my 6 day micro and only do EZ Bar curls with full ROM. My stubborn biceps are finally starting to grow again.
The flat bench bicep curl is a very novel, logical idea. It seems a person could also change the grip from supinated (palm up) to a neutral (up and down) grip to change whether the short head vs the long head is targeted. Seems like a great way to finish a bicep workout, when a person doesn't need to use as much weight, given that the arm is in a fairly compromised position.
It is, it helps the brachialis grow, and by doing so said muscle pushes the biceps upwards making look it bigger, and your arms look wider from a front view.
Ive done pullups/chinups for biceps with no isolation for many many years but ive seen the biggest growth the last 6 months . I just did extra 6 sets of bicep curls per week.
Suggestion for a new video. Strength training splits There’s very few videos specifically for increasing strength as apposed to building muscle. Example - sets,reps and maximum load
The tension on the seated behind the back cable curl is parallel to the forearm, which isn't good since the biceps act perpendicular to the forearm. Using a cable definitely helps over dumbbells and gravity, but I think this exercise basically has the same downfall. I've tried putting the cable higher up for a higher perpendicular tension to the forearm, but it puts too much stress on the shoulder. What do you think about this, Milo?
Please do lats next. I tried dumbbell pullovers, to supplement vertical pulling, but they caused some pain in my shoulder. Using a wider grip on an EZ bar eliminates that problem, though. Would like to hear your thoughts on machine high rows.
I do long-length partial preacher curls, and I do them to absolute failure with partials all the way to 0. It works really good. I'd like to do the cable thing behind the back, but it's a bit of a hassle at my gym.
In the behind-the-back cable curl, wouldn’t the lift be heaviest not with a horizontal cable but instead with the cable at a 90 degree angle (high pulley) to your fully stretched arms??
What is the purpouse of adjusting seat on preacher curl? I see people doing curls with their armpits touching the pad and others with 4-5 cm above. Is there a ''correct'' technique or its just personal preference?
Instead of taking up a bench to do curls, could I suggest lying on the ground face up? Gives you the same resistance curve and further stretches the shoulder! Maybe you could use a glute bridge position to mimic your fully optimised cable curl? Gets you going without having to wait for a stack. EDIT: just tried a glute-bridge curl at home and it's amazing. Give it a twirl Dr Wolf, I bet you'll like it.
Are VBar Behind the back extensions a better pick than single-arm cable extensions because the vbar uses two arms? You talked about time efficiency and a single arm exercise takes twice as long.
Isn't the resistance in the cable curl greatest when the cable is perpendicular to your arm, not when the cable is parallel to the ground as you have suggested here?
Love it. So basically if you are doing an isolation exercise for a biarticulate muscle: make sure that the static position (i.e. the joint over which the muscle is not being worked in that particular exercise) is such that the muscle is lengthened with respect to that joint. Should make seated leg curls a GOAT exercise for hamstrings, no?
Just to be clear, palms down is best for biceps? So when I’m doing the seated cable curl, do palms down and not the way the video showed? Or was the example the right palm position? Thanks!!
Wouldn't having the cable higher up in the stack allow for the actual highest tension to be when the arm is its most lengthened? In the most lengthened position as demonstrated by Dr Wolf the cable is pulling the arm, not the bicep as much. For what I understand from physics the exercise should be hardest when the resistance forms a 90° angle with the forearm in this case.
What's your take on "arm blaster" type of equipment for biceps? Do you think it is a decent alternative for a home gym setup compared to regular curls?
In the first exercise doesn't the cable stack just pull you backwards and there is no tension on the muscle there? So that there is no extra working of the muscle when it is lengthend . I think it would be better if the cable stack would be a bit higher giving you a force vector not so aligned with your arm.
Concentration Curls On A Swiss Ball are the best for biceps gainzzz)
do you agree with me?
Nah, I'd say you're better off with a lengthened exercise!
aka yes #broscience
@@DrMiloWolf and what if someone likes to play with these bouncing balls?🏀🏐🏈🏉
@@DrMiloWolf Jason blaha love ballPlay)
Na, no sucha thing as 'best'. It changes upon needs. I gained around 2" on my arms last year, @ at age 69 to boot.
Did EZ curl bar for curls superset with skull crushers. 3 sets.
Then, concentration curls, twisting, sitting on bench, superset with 1 arm extensions.
Then, after a few months, some _slight_ elbow pain began, switched to seated db curls, then single arm cable curls.
That combo packed on close to 1/2 inch in a few weeks.... then, lying db skull crushers, and some cable work.
Decades ago, I got to 16.5" guns (over 17 pumped) doing bb. curls super set with bb skull crushers, sets of 10, 110lbs. at a bodyweight of about 175/180 lbs.
Why o why would anyone do unstable curls on a swiss ball????
Hit the muscle _directly_ , as safely as possible, with as heavy weight as possible, with as many reps as possible.
I've gained & lost arm size several times over the years, and getting a decent set of arms was always done the same way..... paying attention to elbow pain and vary accordingly.
Stability ball for me is maybe good for ab work, hamstring work, but that's about it, lol
You want big arms? Then train them big to get big!.... and, on stable ground.💪
Lengthen being the opposite of the function is a really good way to think about it, I’ll take a mental note of that
Glad you found it helpful!
Good rule of thumb is it’s typically the first half of the “lifting” part of the exercise.
For many exercises, it’s the first half of the motion but if you need to lower the weight, its typically the first half of lifting part.
@@FreshPrince2308thats referring to eccentric not necessarily the lengthening action
Go to the squat rack, ask to work in, proceed to cheat curl their squat weight, social dominance raises testosterone, you get whole body jacked
Asserting dominance is key to growth
I think the flat bench dumbbell curl is usually called a table curl, seems more popular in arm wrestling training. Been planning this to be in rotation soon!
Every muscle group deserves its own video
And video explaining how to optimize traditional movements: setting the leg extension seat as far back as possible
Seconded. Something like “Exercise x is not ideal but if that’s all you have access to here’s how to make it better.”
I find Leg extensions confusing. If you put the seat forwards more you get a better stretch on the Quads but if you put it further back you emphasise the rectus femoris more?
@@asw192because the rectus femoris crosses the hip, if you lean backwards it's streched more causing more growth. Still, the leg extension doesnt let you train the muscle in the fully strechted position so its not optimal
@@asw192 Jessen explained it. It would be optimal if you could remove the upright pad and lay down.
Just superset legextensions with hanging legrises
This series is goated
Eyyyy thank you! Glad you enjoy it.
Just included the cable bicep curl and cable overhead extension today in my training..... Absolutely amazing! My set-up was a little different as I have a garage gym, but these felt so effective! Your 'Best exercise" series has given me a whole new motivation and love of my training!!!!
Only commenting to keep Milo out of the rain. Love your content man
I may be wrong here, but wouldn't it be better to create a ~90° angle at the fully stretched position for the Seated behind the back cable curl? If the cable is in line with your arms, there is very little tension in the stretch, right?
I was about to ask the same question, it also confused me.
I'd imagine that would be very taxing on the front delts taking away energy and focus that would otherwise be put into biceps
"Coach, my shoulders hurt"
"Shuddup, this is optimal biceps training!"
You cant have the arm at a 90° angle and be fully stretched at the bicep.
There is no less tension regardless of arm angle on the cable in any position. Thats the benfit of using a cable. You just have to have the cable long enough that it is applying tension while in the fully stretched position.
Neither of your questions made any logical sense so maybe rewording might get some help.
@@TransNeingerian "There is no less tension regardless of arm angle on the cable in any position. Thats the benfit of using a cable"
Are you sure about that? I think physics might disagree with you 😅
I didn't realise incline curls were being so maligned. For me, nothing leaves my biceps feeling more sore. Although I haven't tried the "Milo Wolf Super Special Extra Hard Greek Bench Curls" yet...
Ring Pelican curl is the calisthenics version of this suggested exercise. It’s a lot harder to progress (as many calisthenics movements can be compared to weighted) but once your biceps are strong enough from doing the weighted version, Milo discusses here doing the pelican curl is a good way to progress when you find yourself without a cable stack. Not to mention, it’s quite a flex.
I have to say that preacher curls are probably the most hypertrophic bicep exercise there is (based on the literature we have), but the old BB, EZ bar and DB curls are amazing as well
There is no most hypertrophic exercise because the key is to use a variety of exercises for complete stimulus and avoiding overuse bc if you get overuse injury. Preacher curls are lengthened biased, traditional are slightly mid ranged biased (which if you wanted to pick a “best” mid range is actually the majority), spider curls band/expander/cable curls are shortened biased. I forgot which heads are biased depending on what but an external arm position vs internal and if the arm is behind the body like in an incline curl
I tried to do dumbell preacher curls for 2 days, if I stretch my hands fully and exercise I get an insane pump but the bottom part of my bicep (the part that gets stretched at the start) and a bit of my forearm hurt a lot, so I stopped and went back to behind the body cable curls.
@@kaiserfakinaway5909 Use a slow eccentric and maybe start with a higher rep range to build up tendon strength
Every time you make one of these videos specializing on a muscle group I seem to get a deeper understanding of the biomechanics involved. I had not really considered the fact that most of my curling is done with the long head in a shortened position.
This series is so informative, 10/10 can't wait for the next one
Doing a series on people who workout at home with only resistance bands and dumbbells would be really beneficial because I don’t have access to a gym unfortunately. btw, love your channel man!!!!
I think you should have mentioned lying bicep curls as well, where you lie on a bench and then do curls. Similar to incline curls but now you sit all the way back. These fix the resistance curve problem of incline curls and make it very nice.
You must be a midget because my arms touch the ground, and could easily go back almost another foot, lying on a bench.
Really enjoying your videos. Thanks! The science and anatomy first then the exercises format is great.👍🏻
Hey! First and foremost, a quick "thank you for your work" Dr. Wolf. Keep it up!
Second, my schedule is such, that I have to exercise at home every few other workouts. Ever since I discovered your channel (Thanks to Jeff Nippard), I had been thinking how I can improve my biceps workout at home (limited equipment to only dumbbells), so I figured I could do my curls on a chair (dumbbell curl on bench as you said it) and now watching that video, seeing you shout out exactly that odd exercise. Absolute fire
TL;DR - Don't sleep on dumbbell on bench, especially good for home workouts!
Great series! Cant wait to watch what you think about the other muscle groups!
This is the best info on RUclips you are gonna blow up
I’ve been doing incline curls in more of a fly position the past few weeks and the pump is insane. The stretch you get in that position makes it worth a try. Just flare your elbows out at around 45 degrees and choose a 30 degree incline and it’s almost like a preacher curl in resistance curve except your arms are stretched behind the body too.
Same! Kind of did it by accident and stuck with it. So good.
Been having a lot of success with this too. The leaning back gives a great stretch as does widening the “grip” with hands at about 2 and 10 o’clock.
I dont get it cld u give a more detailed example
@@Cavani55 learn what an incline bench is.
Learn what a fly is.
Learn what a 45 degree elbow flare is.
Use the resources already available on the internet instead of burdening other people to hand hold you to understanding basic things.
@@TransNeingerian bro logically how is the resistant curve the same as a Preacher curl
For the Pulldown or Pull ups it seems obvious to me that doing them underhanded would be ideal since you are essentially doing a curl and getting a really big stretch, the fact that they are a compound movement actually makes them great for people doing PPL or upper lower splits, since you can start by doing an isolation biceps exercise, switch to the compound biceps exercise (chin up, underhand pulldown) and then transition into the rest of your back work while still having worked out your biceps sufficiently well
if you can increase the refresh rate of your background display, it would stop showing that downward traveling line. ie lower Hz
found you through Dr Mike - brilliant videos, keep them coming!
Awesome video! Your explanations of the anatomy really help me understand why you're making the exercise recommendations that you are. I'd love to see more videos like this!
My gym doesn't even have any setup for the cable curls lol. Great that you included exercises that are easier to set up.
Thanks Milo, I'll include some of these in my next meso. And you can do this type of videos for every muscle group, they're really good. 😊
Yo love your content as always and it's definitely helping shape my programs!
Based on the research you showed
I am doing dumbbells bicep curls in a fully flat bench and let my arms fall a bit for some extra stability
This way i am supine and the resistance curve is at the lengthened part. Thus you have to do only lengthened partials (approximately until 90-100 degrees of elbow flexion is where gravity is resisting the movement)
thank you man your the GOAT, followed through dr mike
The Crucifix Cable Curls have become my personal favorite in the last month.
I get proximal and also distal tendon pain with lots of high stretch biceps exercises and these feel awesome.
My second place is the Seated Behind the Back Cable Curl the way you showed in the video.
Real question for you, Dr. Wolf:
If the biceps are lengthened when the forearms are pronated, why don't you recommend doing most biceps training with a pronated grip? I know you mentioned it at the end, but it was not nearly as strong a statement as those you've made about the superiority of hamstring curls while in hip flexion, leg extensions (or squat variations) while in hip extension, triceps extensions while in shoulder flexion, etc. I'm confused as to why curls with pronated forearms isn't a straightforward enhancement of the curl for hypertrophy.
Great video, and thanks for the info!
From emg studies I have read, pronation shifts the load away from the biceps brachii to the brachialis and brachioradialis. I know that emg activation is bad for predicting stretch mediated hypertrophy, but even if a pronated bayesian curl actually does target the biceps brachii effectively and is theoretically superior for the biceps brachii in terms of hypertrophy, the brachialis and brachioradialis are more often than not going to be the limiting factor.
Also something about pronated curls being optimal feels too radical which is probably why it wasn't recommended straightforwardly. Would love for Dr. Wolf to comment on this.
@@keving1085 The pronated grip definitely feels much harder on the brachialis and especially the brachioradialis, but I try not to weigh that over research if there is any. Maybe this is an example of something that's plausible mechanistically but isn't true in practice due to reasons we don't know.
I also suspect that because we're much stronger in wrist flexion than wrist extension that supinated curls allow for higher loads than pronated, which leads to more growth. I'm thinking a neutral grip could be the goldilocks.
@@mc80466 The neutral grip is interesting. It allows for more load while more effectively targeting the biceps brachii, but I do still feel my brachioradialis taking the brunt of the load when doing hammer curls, especially during the eccentric. Maybe starting with a pronated or neutral grip so that the brachii are as lengthened as possible at the beginning of the movement, supinating on the concentric, and reversing on the eccentric would be ideal, that way stretch is maximized and the brachii become the limiting factor.
Legend, def wanna try the seated behind the back cable curl but usually cables are the most used equipment. Putting bench there will be impossible for the most times.
I do them one arm at a time, standing. Much easier to stabilize with half the weight. My gym has the double cable rack with 5lb increments up to 60lbs then 10lb increments above 60. I set the cable height low to be inline with my arms as I don't have the shoulder flexibility to go as far back with my elbows as Milo.
If that machine is busy there's two 10lb increment racks at another station.
While I'm on the fence about it as a panacea for long term hypertrophy, I will say: lengthened partials have drastically reduced joint issues and my range of motion is MUCH better across the board. Also at 45 I just "like" this style of training and it "feels" healthier so I'm sticking with it (although I like some movements where the peak load is not at the stretched position).
My question: would you say that lengthened partials are good for building "tendon strength/resilience whatever"?
Great series. Would love a video on myo reps and rest pause, since youve covered drop sets. With all the mentzer fanboyism going around recently, ive been wondering why myo reps havent taken off, as to me they seem (for many exercises) to be the golden time saving high intensity ticket everyone has been looking for all this time.
Another banger from the king 👑
Was waiting for this one! Thank you. Good to know I’m on the right tracks!
I’m so glad I found this channel. Please do other muscle groups. Also, do you think forearm isolation is necessary?
Beautifully explained and presented. Bravo sir
I was waiting for this video series!
Would love to see one of these on the muscles of the upper back (traps, rhomboids etc). Lots of videos on lats in the RUclips fitness space but very little on the other muscles of the back.
7:22 wouldn’t the lift be hardest at about 90 degrees here?
No because the cable machine splits the tension equally throughout the range of motion
It would. People here dont understand torque
Yup. If you set the cable higher you can get that 90 degree angle at the lengthened position
Chinup over pulldown.
Incline bench db drag curl over preacher curl and single db bench curl.
Bro in lncline drag curl is ass its legit hardest at the shorten position which is worse den mid position and lengthen position
@@Cavani55 no, you are describing a regular curl on a decline bench.
The incline drag curl is very similar to milo's recommendation - it just doesnt require two cables, making it more accessible.
@@TransNeingerian tf who does a curl on a decline bench uk what a decline bench is right A decline bench is like below the flat bench bro wtf u on
@@Cavani55 the person that says an incline drag curl is hardest in the shortened position.
@@TransNeingerian bro exactly an incline drag curl is hardest in the shortest so why tf r u tryna do a curl which does that
Love this series
I actually love incline curls, but I basically set the dumbbells up more or less like I’m at the bottom of a chest fly. So I’m looking at the ceiling, shoulder blades pinched together.
Good work on the exercise examples. Been following you a lot and using lengthened partials in my training since I came accross your work on The RP Channel.
Exercise example videos have been a missing ingredient!
Great, cheers! Looks like for me training at home, a combination of single handed bench curls (the one where you sit on the ground) plus inclined hammer curls seem to be the best combination.
The gym I go to has small cylinders that can be placed on the stack taking the increments to 5 lbs, as well as some 1.5 lb snap on weights that can be attached to dumbbells
Doctor Wolf, you mention that a lat pull down would also be very effective as a bicep exercise but is this with a straight bar or a “V” attachment? What would the grip look like? Really loving all of your content and the single arm tricep extension in your other video has been a game changer. Thank you!!
Thanks for the content like this exactly when i needed it in my training
Lengthened Partial curls have been a massive training improvement for me. I used to get so much bicep tendonitis and couldnt ever do much volume. Now I train biceps 4 days out of my 6 day micro and only do EZ Bar curls with full ROM. My stubborn biceps are finally starting to grow again.
Great lesson and suggestions, thanks Dr. Milo! Question: do lengthened partials have the same impact for noob gains vs. intermediate/advanced lifters?
A great video thank you for all the alternatives!
The flat bench bicep curl is a very novel, logical idea. It seems a person could also change the grip from supinated (palm up) to a neutral (up and down) grip to change whether the short head vs the long head is targeted.
Seems like a great way to finish a bicep workout, when a person doesn't need to use as much weight, given that the arm is in a fairly compromised position.
How would you rate standing single arm cable curls with this execution pattern? Setting up the bench is the biggest problem. Better than the preacher?
@WolfCoaching can you do a video on exercises for lat growth?
You can pick the loaded barbells behind you for preacher curls that would help.
I noticed you're doing your incline DB curls with a hammer grip - is this intentional, and recommended?
It is, it helps the brachialis grow, and by doing so said muscle pushes the biceps upwards making look it bigger, and your arms look wider from a front view.
Just love this series.
Great info. Keep teaching Doc.
cool, will try those behind the back cable curls
Please make videos on training frequency in relation to a functional split for every muscle.
What about setting up like you would for a fly and doing bicep curls?
In the video you say the wrist should be pronated but you show exercises that supinate the elbow. Is the pronation said by mistake?
Gonna add the cable one to my program, cheers 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Ive done pullups/chinups for biceps with no isolation for many many years but ive seen the biggest growth the last 6 months . I just did extra 6 sets of bicep curls per week.
Suggestion for a new video.
Strength training splits
There’s very few videos specifically for increasing strength as apposed to building muscle.
Example - sets,reps and maximum load
Another amazing video bro. That seated biceps curl looks a little uncomfortable on the shoulder but will definitely try it soon.
The tension on the seated behind the back cable curl is parallel to the forearm, which isn't good since the biceps act perpendicular to the forearm. Using a cable definitely helps over dumbbells and gravity, but I think this exercise basically has the same downfall. I've tried putting the cable higher up for a higher perpendicular tension to the forearm, but it puts too much stress on the shoulder. What do you think about this, Milo?
Started doing lengthened partials exclusively for biceps and they went from never being sore to sore until it's time to hit em again.
Please do lats next. I tried dumbbell pullovers, to supplement vertical pulling, but they caused some pain in my shoulder. Using a wider grip on an EZ bar eliminates that problem, though. Would like to hear your thoughts on machine high rows.
preacher curls on a bench? never heard of this, thanks for the tip
I do long-length partial preacher curls, and I do them to absolute failure with partials all the way to 0. It works really good.
I'd like to do the cable thing behind the back, but it's a bit of a hassle at my gym.
What is your opinion on spider curls as a substitute for preacher curls for a home setup?
On the channel of house of hypertrophy he showed a study in which prechar curl was more effective than behind the back cable curls
Best exercises for the obliques pls, let's get them shark gills
In the behind-the-back cable curl, wouldn’t the lift be heaviest not with a horizontal cable but instead with the cable at a 90 degree angle (high pulley) to your fully stretched arms??
1/3 reps are all I do, as do my trainees. It's one of the best moves I made in 4+ decades!
The short head of the biceps crosses the shoulder joint. It originates on the coracoid process of the scapula.
Hmmm, I wonder if the behind-the-back cable curl would be better with a rope, so that there's resistance against supination
What is the purpouse of adjusting seat on preacher curl? I see people doing curls with their armpits touching the pad and others with 4-5 cm above. Is there a ''correct'' technique or its just personal preference?
no gap between your armpits and pad is correct
Does this mean the hammer curl isn’t needed or is there a lot of crossover/redundancy there?
Could you do a video on the best exercises for glutes please! Lotta conflicting opinions and advice out there for guys that wanna get cheeked up
Doesn’t the short head originate on the coracoid process so it would be stretched with shoulder extension?
Nice work Milo
Very useful. Agree with others - do one of these for every muscle group.
Can you do one for the upper traps?
Instead of taking up a bench to do curls, could I suggest lying on the ground face up? Gives you the same resistance curve and further stretches the shoulder! Maybe you could use a glute bridge position to mimic your fully optimised cable curl? Gets you going without having to wait for a stack.
EDIT: just tried a glute-bridge curl at home and it's amazing. Give it a twirl Dr Wolf, I bet you'll like it.
When doing the standing behind the back cable curl, where is it best to position the arms?
Are VBar Behind the back extensions a better pick than single-arm cable extensions because the vbar uses two arms? You talked about time efficiency and a single arm exercise takes twice as long.
Isn't the resistance in the cable curl greatest when the cable is perpendicular to your arm, not when the cable is parallel to the ground as you have suggested here?
Love it.
So basically if you are doing an isolation exercise for a biarticulate muscle: make sure that the static position (i.e. the joint over which the muscle is not being worked in that particular exercise) is such that the muscle is lengthened with respect to that joint.
Should make seated leg curls a GOAT exercise for hamstrings, no?
Just to be clear, palms down is best for biceps? So when I’m doing the seated cable curl, do palms down and not the way the video showed? Or was the example the right palm position? Thanks!!
Wouldn't having the cable higher up in the stack allow for the actual highest tension to be when the arm is its most lengthened? In the most lengthened position as demonstrated by Dr Wolf the cable is pulling the arm, not the bicep as much. For what I understand from physics the exercise should be hardest when the resistance forms a 90° angle with the forearm in this case.
In one of his books Frank Zane advises against the preacher curl as the risk of injury is too high
What about the risk of bicep tears ? Are theses exercices that load the bicep most in the lengthend position more risky ?
Thanks
Great explanation
Wouldn’t a Bayesian curl be a solution to the force curve of incline curls?
What's your take on "arm blaster" type of equipment for biceps? Do you think it is a decent alternative for a home gym setup compared to regular curls?
In the first exercise doesn't the cable stack just pull you backwards and there is no tension on the muscle there? So that there is no extra working of the muscle when it is lengthend . I think it would be better if the cable stack would be a bit higher giving you a force vector not so aligned with your arm.