Curling your arms on the upper block is a biceps workout. Bending arms from the upper block in a crossover - an exercise for trained biceps Lying on a horizontal bench

The biceps curl is a rather unusual exercise: you will have to lie on a bench and pull the handle from top to bottom.

We take the starting position
A bench will be needed, which should be placed next to the exercise machine with the upper block. You should use a straight handle and lie down so that at the top point the handle is above your head. The arms should be almost perpendicular to the body (accordingly, be in an almost vertical position). In this case, you should rest your feet on the floor and take a stable position. You need to grab the handle with your palms facing your body.

Doing the exercise
If you manage to take a stable position, then while performing biceps curls in the upper block, only your arms will work. If you have taken the correct starting position, then you only need to bend your arms while exhaling. It is necessary to extend your arms and return to the starting position, respectively, while exhaling.

But there is an important feature here that you need to pay attention to. The handle should move in a semicircle, and only the muscles of the forearms work. The shoulders should not move; the shoulder muscles perform an exclusively stabilizing function and are not directly involved in the movement itself.

This should be emphasized: if you perform biceps curls on the upper block incorrectly and include the shoulder muscles in the work, then the biceps will work much less than they could. Therefore, firmly fix the body and especially the shoulders; only the biceps should work.

Video “Biceps curl on the upper block”:

The biceps curl is an isolation assistance exercise that can be performed at the end of a workout to target the target muscle group.

Muscles involved

This exercise loads in isolation:

• Biceps or biceps brachii.
• Brachialis muscle or brachialis. It is located under the biceps and, together with it, is involved in bending the arms at the elbow joints.

Additionally included:

• Brachioradialis muscle - runs along the outside of the forearm.
• Pronator teres.

If you do the exercise correctly, no other muscles should receive noticeable stress. Contraindications for performing bending are injuries to the elbow joints or wrists.

Execution technique

You can work on your biceps using the cable resistance of a block machine in a variety of ways. As for the top block specifically, there are two options:

1. Crossover curls while standing or sitting.
2. Bicep curls on a block while lying on a horizontal bench.

Standing or sitting

The crossover biceps curl looks like this:

1. Attach semicircular handles to the cables passing through the upper blocks. Grab the handles with a reverse grip and stand between the supports of the machine exactly in the middle. If you plan to do the exercise while sitting, place a bench between the supports and sit on it. Ideally, the blocks should be at a height of 30-40 centimeters above your shoulder level.
2. In the initial position, the arms are slightly bent at the elbows, tense and in the same plane with the crossover racks. Turn the brushes slightly toward you. Keep your wrists and shoulders toned throughout the movement. When they relax, it is easy to get dislocated or sprained.
3. Squeeze your biceps as much as possible and pull the handles of the cables towards you so that your hands are at the level of your temples. You can bend your wrists slightly. At the final point, hold for 1-2 seconds and slowly return to the starting position under control.

When performing the exercise, your arms from shoulder to elbow are in a constant position parallel to the floor. By controlling your actions so that movement occurs only in the elbow joint, you will maximally load the target muscle group.

Crossover biceps curls are performed synchronously with both hands. In this case, the body remains strictly in the center of the simulator and does not deviate from the plane of its racks.

Lying on a horizontal bench

Place a bench next to the support of the cable machine.

1. Attach a straight handle to the cable passing through the top block. Grab the handle with a reverse grip and lie on the bench with your head facing the counter. The hands can be placed shoulder-width apart or narrower - the exercise is performed either way.
2. In the starting position, the head hangs slightly over the edge of the bench, the feet are on the floor, and the arms are slightly bent at the elbow joints. The wrists and shoulder joints are fixed, the shoulders are perpendicular to the floor.
3. Tighten your biceps and pull the handle toward you to forehead level, bending your elbows. Stay at the point of maximum tension for 1-2 seconds and smoothly return to the starting position.
4. Do the required number of repetitions.

Doing arm curls on a block while lying down is convenient because the body is in a fixed position. You can use not only a straight pen, but also an EZ pen. To perform it, it is not necessary to have a large frame for crossovers with two racks in the hall, because only one block is used here.

Inclusion in the training program

Curling the arms on a block machine is usually done at the end of the workout in order to reload the biceps after performing the basic exercises.

The weight used is medium or light. The muscles are already quite tired from previous exercises. It is recommended to do 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

Isolated biceps curls are an exercise done with free weights or in a machine. A very popular exercise among bodybuilders, the result directly depends on how correct the technique is. If your lower back, elbow joints or shoulders begin to hurt, then mistakes are probably being made. It can be performed both sitting and standing. In the first option, the barbell will not allow you to produce the full amplitude, so it will be more rational to use dumbbells.

There are quite a few exercises for biceps, and even if you want to do them all in one workout, it’s impossible to do them all, so you should choose a few of them and change them after a couple of weeks. This will prevent the muscles from getting used to repeated movements and producing good results. Let's note the most common and effective exercises:

– in my opinion, it is the most popular and fundamental. The barbell must be grasped with an underhand grip and feet shoulder-width apart. When doing the exercise, you need to press your elbows to your body and minimize their movements, thereby increasing the arc of lifting the barbell. It must be raised as high as possible. It will be equally important to lower your arms to the starting position so that they are fully straightened. When performing the last approaches, you can help a little with small movements of the torso.

Having taken the dumbbells, we immediately shift its center of gravity; to do this, we move our hand so that the little finger touches the inside of the disc. After this, we lower our arms parallel to the body so that the palms look at the side of the thigh. When lifting, you must maintain an even posture and roll your shoulders back. Halfway through the rise, we begin to turn our palms up. Having raised to the maximum point, try to turn your hands to the sides as much as possible, then lower your arms to the starting position until the muscles are fully stretched. When performing, it is extremely important not to raise your elbows and keep them as close to your body as possible. Don't let the trapezoids help you get past the critical point. The technique must be followed if you want to benefit from this exercise.

– the bench allows you to perform isolated biceps curls with a more strict technique than regular curls. Leaning your chest against the machine, lower your arms down, while they remain slightly bent. Thus, even at the lowest point the tension will remain. You should not tilt your torso back when lifting, but when you reach the top point, specifically tense your muscles. Then lower it to the starting position, in a half-bent state.

– the exercise will allow you to create maximum biceps height on the inside. This exercise is often done at the end of a workout; it will pump up the biceps muscle.

Sitting on a bench, place your free hand on any stationary object or on your knee. Then take a dumbbell in your other hand and bend it towards the deltoid muscle. Then slowly lower the hand to the starting position until the muscle is fully stretched.

– attach the free crossbar to the cable of the device. Grasping it with an underhand grip, place your hands approximately shoulder-width apart. Then we lift them up until they are slightly below the chin. We constantly strain our biceps, especially at the top point. After which, we slowly lower our hands down.

Isolated biceps curls- This is not such a common exercise, and it is done quite difficult in a crossover. We get into the simulator, set a comfortable weight on the blocks. Your arms should be parallel to the floor. Bend your forearm towards your shoulder, pulling the handle of the block. Try to perform the exercise at the same pace for each hand.

There is no point in listing all possible biceps exercises. They all start from the basics of technology:

1. Do not use your elbow under any circumstances; always leave it in its original position.
2. Keep your arms as close to your body as possible and do not move them away as you rise.

For maximum convenience, it is best to stand in front of a mirror and monitor the execution. Most biceps exercises are done using a barbell or dumbbell. You can resort to the use of modern simulators. The main thing is not to stop at the same exercises, constantly replenish your arsenal. On the same Scott bench you can do exercises with dumbbells, only now your arms work separately. Constantly imagine and develop new exercises for your body.

Just from the name of this movement it becomes clear that the target muscle is the biceps. Also, in addition to it, the brachial muscle (brachialis), pronator teres and brachioradialis muscle take part in the work. With strict adherence to the technique of performing the movement, the main load will fall on the biceps. The movement should not be performed if there is damage to the elbow joint or wrist.

How to properly perform biceps curls on a block?

The exercise can be performed in a crossover in a standing or sitting position, as well as on a horizontal bench while lying down.

How to perform crossover curls?

Turn your hands slightly towards you and try to maintain tension in the muscles of the shoulder girdle and wrists throughout the movement. Ignoring this advice will significantly increase the risk of joint dislocation. Tightening your biceps, begin to pull the handles towards you until your hands are in the temple area. In this position, you should pause for one or two seconds.

Make sure that during movement your arms from the shoulder to the elbow joints are in the same position, namely, parallel to the ground. This will eliminate other muscles from working and improve the quality of working out the target muscle.

How to perform arm curls on a horizontal bench?

This option for performing an exercise for training biceps on a block is very convenient, since the body is located in a horizontal plane and is fixed. Instead of a straight one, you can use an EZ-handle.

We have already said that this movement must be performed in the final phase of your lesson. You should not use it as a main one, as it will be more effective after basic movements. You should also use light or medium weights, since the muscles will already be very tired during the previous movements. Perform 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions each.

The most common mistakes when training biceps

If a large weight is used, the athlete's body may begin to sway, which as a result significantly reduces the load on the biceps. Try to keep your body level or perform the movement on a bench. Only a slight tilt of the body back is allowed, but not to the sides or forward.

If, when performing other movements on the biceps, when performing curls on the block, the elbow joints remain mobile. At the same time, they should not swing, and only a slight extension forward in the upper extreme position is allowed. It is also necessary to ensure that the exercise is performed with muscle strength, and not due to the movement of the hands.

As with any movement, you need to be careful with your technique. Of course, this primarily concerns beginners, who often rush to progress the load without fully mastering the movement. You must understand that only a technically correctly performed movement can benefit you. Moreover, if you violate the technique and use heavy weights, the likelihood of injury will increase dramatically. Only by performing the biceps movement on the block technically competently can you get the desired result.

Check out the technique of training biceps on a block machine in this video:

Greetings, dear comrades! And today we’ll talk about overhead biceps curls on the upper block.

Wednesday on the calendar 18 October, which means it's time for a technical note on . After reading, you will learn everything about the muscle atlas, the advantages and technique of performing the exercise, we will also find out the degree of its effectiveness and the advisability of including it in the training program.

So, take your seats in the auditorium, we are starting.

Overhead biceps curl on a pulley. What, why and why?

As you know (you know, right? :)) the AB project already has a fairly extensive technical base - the most significant exercises used in training have been considered. Most of them are familiar to you firsthand, and some of them you have to deal with for the first time. Most likely, our current object of study - the exercise of curling the biceps over the head on the upper block, belongs to the category of “what the...?”, i.e. rarely used, and that's good. For the more valuable our material will be.

Note:
For better assimilation of the material, all further narration will be divided into subchapters.

Muscle atlas

The exercise belongs to the isolated class and is aimed at working the biceps brachii muscle.

The muscle ensemble includes the following units:

• targeted – biceps;
• synergists/auxiliary – brachialis, brachioradialis.

A complete muscle atlas looks like this.

Advantages

By performing the overhead biceps curl exercise on an overhead pulley, you can expect to receive the following benefits:

• isolated biceps workout;
• formation of the peak of the biceps;
• formation of hand relief;
• constant presence of the target muscle in work (without turning off at the extreme points of the trajectory);
• good stretching of the muscle in the negative/eccentric phase;
• exclusion of the anterior delta from work (removing the load from the frontal beam).

Execution technique

Bicep curls overhead on the upper block are exercises of entry-level difficulty. The step-by-step execution technique is as follows:

Step #0.

Go to the crossover machine and set the desired weight on each side of the blocks. Adjust (if the machine allows it) the height of the pulleys and make sure that they are located slightly above shoulder level. Taking the handles of each block in your hands, take the middle position in the simulator. The position of the arms and legs is as follows: the arms are slightly bent and parallel to the floor, and the legs are shoulder-width apart. This is your starting position.

Step #1.

Inhale and as you exhale, slowly and under control, by contracting the biceps brachii muscle, bring your arms towards your head (until your forearms touch your biceps). As you inhale, return your forearms to the IP position. Repeat the specified number of times.

In picture form, all this disgrace looks like this:

In motion like this:

Variations

In addition to the standard version of bending your arms overhead on the upper block, there are several variations of the exercise:

• bending while sitting on a bench;
• alternating bends with one hand.

Secrets and subtleties

To get the most out of the exercise, follow these guidelines:

• When performing the exercise, do not move your elbows, only your forearms move;
• in a stretched position, do not straighten your arms completely;
• bring the contraction until your forearms touch the biceps;
• perform the extension phase slowly and under control, and the flexion phase quickly and explosively;
• during execution, do not tilt your body forward/backward, but keep it straight;
• breathing technique: exhale - when bending/contracting, inhale - when extending/returning to the IP;
• numerical training parameters: number of approaches 3 , number of repetitions – 12-15 .

We're done with the theoretical side, now let's look at some practical points.

Is the overhead biceps curl an effective exercise for the biceps brachii?

Research data (American Council on Exercise, University of Wisconsin, USA, 2016 ) according to electrical activity among the eight most popular biceps exercises showed the following results:

• Concentrated dumbbell curl for biceps – 96 ;
• reverse grip pull-ups - 81 ;
• bending the arms on the upper block - 81 ;
• lifting the barbell (EZ bar) with a wide grip – 75 ;
• curling arms on a Scott bench - 68 .

Conclusion: The lat curl is one of the best exercises for working the biceps heads. In addition, unlike its “brothers”, it has an important unique property - the creation of constant tension in the target region, which allows the muscle to work without switching off at the extreme points, thereby creating a better pumping effect.

How can a girl avoid pumping up her arms?

I don’t want hands like a man’s, how can I avoid pumping them up? - this question very often comes to the mail of the AB project. I must say that this is a very correct question, and here’s why. For the most part, the trainers in the gyms are men, and when forming an exercise regimen for girls, they “stick in” the exercises that are closest to them. Often this is curling the arms with a barbell on a Scott bench.

This approach of selecting men’s exercises for women’s purposes is not entirely correct, so young ladies should ask/demand their mentors to include more isolated, block-lever exercises in PT on their hands.

Actually, we’re done with the content, let’s summarize.

Afterword

Biceps curls overhead on the upper block are a rare, but very effective (especially for girls) exercise for working the biceps brachii muscle. If you have never used it in your PT until now, then be sure to try it, otherwise why did we write this article :).

That's all, thank you for the pleasant company. See you soon!

PS: Do you have blocks in your hall? Do you use it?

PPS: did the project help? Then leave a link to it in your social network status - plus 100 points towards karma guaranteed :)

With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.