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Gee, I love concentration curls. But today i have been reading and I find out that some people think this exercise is useless... Wow, I had no idea. I can really feel it in the bicep when I do it, I find it hard to believe this exercise is useless. Can some fo you comment on this, or help me out here - What do you think?

Metadyjital wrote:Gee, I love concentration curls. But today i have been reading and I find out that some people think this exercise is useless... Wow, I had no idea. I can really feel it in the bicep when I do it, I find it hard to believe this exercise is useless. Can some fo you comment on this, or help me out here - What do you think?

My experience is that concentration curls by themselves are useless. However, when put together with, say, standing barbell curls, they seem to do a bit more. My guess is that a concentration curl really only focuses on one part of the bicep, and you hit failure too early; when you recruit other muscles to help, it's almost like they're 'spotting' that one muscle in your bicep, lightening the load just enough to let it work past where it could alone. There's some scientific name for this, but it's evading me.

Try both. Mark's bicep workout in the THT program (check the eBook Total Anabolism on his site) took me up 20 lbs in my curls in six months, and he has both in there.

uggghh - okay. Maybe I'll give em up for a while... Loved those dog gone things. I noticed my question hasn't bartered to many responses - guess I am really on the late show with this info.

I downloaded this from Musclehack "Build Big Biceps With This Workout" article
Set 1 – Alternate Dumbbell Curls
Set 2 – Alternate Dumbbell Curls
Set 3 – Alternate Dumbbell Curls
Set 4 – EZ Bar Curls (or straight bar curls)
Set 5 – EZ bar curls
Set 6 – EZ bar curls
Set 7 – Incline Dumbbell Curls
Set 8 – Incline Dumbbell Curls
Set 9 – Incline Dumbbell Curls

is this what you would recommend. My bench really does not incline as much as some other benches - I'll have to figure something out on that...

Metadyjital wrote:uggghh - okay. Maybe I'll give em up for a while... Loved those dog gone things. I noticed my question hasn't bartered to many responses - guess I am really on the late show with this info.

I downloaded this from Musclehack "Build Big Biceps With This Workout" article
Set 1 – Alternate Dumbbell Curls
Set 2 – Alternate Dumbbell Curls
Set 3 – Alternate Dumbbell Curls
Set 4 – EZ Bar Curls (or straight bar curls)
Set 5 – EZ bar curls
Set 6 – EZ bar curls
Set 7 – Incline Dumbbell Curls
Set 8 – Incline Dumbbell Curls
Set 9 – Incline Dumbbell Curls

is this what you would recommend. My bench really does not incline as much as some other benches - I'll have to figure something out on that...

That's what I've been doing with a lot of success, except 2 sets of alternate dumbell curls and 2 sets of incline dumbell curls. Well, 3 sets of dumbell incline curls - I do 1 set normally, break, do the second set, and then do a third set without stopping of negative resistance curls (just get the weights up, then lower them as slowly as possible). That last set helps me, might help other people, but some folks aren't big fans. Depends on the body I guess. Do what works for you!

Heres an artical from the AST Sports Science 12 Week Max-OT On-Line Training Course

Bicep Exercises Not To Do

Seated Dumbbell Curls

Seated Dumbbell Curls tend to increase the isolation of the biceps. They will limit the
weight you can use and therefore limit the overload.

Concentration Curls

What's the first thing you do when you start concentration curls? I'll tell you, you go for
the lighter dumbbells. Red flag number one. Concentration curls are not an effective
muscle building exercise. They limit overload.

Preacher Curls

Same thing here as with concentration curls. Isolation limits overload. Limited overload
limits growth.

One Arm Cable Curls

Twice the effort for minimal overload. Again, not efficient. One Arm Cable Curls take
twice as long, almost twice the energy and effort, and produce less muscle overload.

looks like the Musclehack article is the way to go then? Seems like it

krs wrote:Heres an artical from the AST Sports Science 12 Week Max-OT On-Line Training Course

Bicep Exercises Not To Do

Seated Dumbbell Curls

Seated Dumbbell Curls tend to increase the isolation of the biceps. They will limit the
weight you can use and therefore limit the overload.

Concentration Curls

What's the first thing you do when you start concentration curls? I'll tell you, you go for
the lighter dumbbells. Red flag number one. Concentration curls are not an effective
muscle building exercise. They limit overload.

Preacher Curls

Same thing here as with concentration curls. Isolation limits overload. Limited overload
limits growth.

One Arm Cable Curls

Twice the effort for minimal overload. Again, not efficient. One Arm Cable Curls take
twice as long, almost twice the energy and effort, and produce less muscle overload.

This is an excellent series of articles - well worth reading the whole set. The last part on single-arm work is a particularly good point: it's double the time and energy used vs. a barbell (or even dumbells). They definitely make you think about which exercises you should be doing and which not.

Personally speaking I think barbell curls are definitely a better choice, and next up standing alternating dumbell curls. It's the whole principle of compound movements being better than isolation movements that I like. You can lift more weight, and the more weight you lift the more your body adapts to support it. Plus I just like curling barbells more than dumbells, don't know why, just feels better.

Agree with you the articals make interesting reading. Since using optimize form really injoy barbell curls. I use both straight bar and ez bar 3 sets each then 2 sets of incline dumbbell curls even thou the artical says not to do seated incline curls. I do like that strecth from incline curls even if you have to use a lighter weight and have been making great progress using incline curls but straight barbell curls are king and should always be part of your bicep routine.

does anyone think that bicep curls in general are a complete waste of time for new lifters? The bicep is a tiny muscle so working it by itself won't produce much testosterone or growth hormone. Im gonna stop doing useless bicep curls for now. Instead, i think it is much more effective to do extra sets of barbell rows, lat pulldowns, and chinups. Anyone agree? I think bicep curls will only benefit the advanced bodybuilder who wants to add a little more to his bulging arms. But i think for newb lifters like me, sporting puny 14.5 inch arms, they are absolutely useless

If your a beginner your gonna make your some of your biggest gains than any other time so I think barbell straight curls, dumbbell curls, hammer curls are all good exercise to introduce into your weight training routine but optimize form in stead of strict. One problem with getting big arms is you need to get your calories and diet right If your not gaining mass all the back work or chin-ups are usless, yes you will be strong but not much size people with big arms don't have small frames. One question if you think barbell curl is a waste of time I guess you don't do tricep curls either relying only on bench press and shoulder press?