Yes, I fully
realize the name of this exercise just sounds
like an oxymoron. I thought of naming it
something simpler like: Dynamic Isometric
Bicep Anterior Deltoid-Focused Flexions.
But that name
was already taken...
Yeah, right.
Anyway, this
actually is a VERY simple exercise, but don't let the simplicity fool you.
It's extremely effective for hitting not
only the biceps, but that area where the
biceps and the shoulder muscles meet.
If you've
ever wanted that shoulder "cap"
look, this exercise will help you fill
that in from the front (for the side, you'll
triceps and some side delt work).
So basically, you're
going to start by curling a barbell to the normal
top curl position. Use a weight you could usually
get 8 to 12 reps with.
Then you're going
to LOCK your elbows into that flexed position
and lower only your upper arms to your sides.
The bar will only
come down to about the bottom of your rib cage...your
upper arms will come down and a little behind
your body. The bar should be right up against
your upper abdomen at the bottom of the rep.
Then, using ONLY
movement at the shoulders, bring the bar back
up to the top position of the curl.
This explains the
name of the exercise - it looks like a curl and
your elbows are in the fully-curled/fully flexed
position but the only actual MOVEMENT
occurs at the shoulders.
So why do we want
to do this?
You're going to
get a GREAT isometric contraction (which
means "without movement") in your biceps
with this one because you're keeping your biceps
tightly flexed through the WHOLE movement.
That's
a critical point.
As you bring the
bar up and down by moving at the shoulder, you're
also moving where the tension is greatest on the
biceps. When the bar is at your stomach, it's
lower on the bicep. When the bar is up at your
chin, it's higher up on the bicep.
This is like a dynamic
isometric movement (which is TOTALLY an oxymoron
- put those two words together and it means an
actively unmoving exercise!) in that the elbow
joint isn't moving.
By changing the
angle of your shoulder, gravity is putting
"rolling" tension on the biceps muscles.
Give this one a
try! I have a feeling it might surprise you with
how well it works. Here's the video to show you
how it looks...
