in the gym we can often see a lot of people holding dumbbells in their hands and doing the dip head curl. If you already have some training base, you must know that the majority of them are simply imitating the movements and do not know what they are practicing.
And i'm sure you've also gone past this stage to a stage where you're looking for the feeling of power and using various variations to prevent yourself from going on borrowed time. For example, you may choose to use a preacher's bench or a smith bar to prevent yourself from borrowing. So today we recommend a variation of the bicep - the upward sloping bicep.
the upward incline dumbbell bend is an isolated squeeze stretch that targets the short and long heads of the biceps. In this movement, the brachioradialis (upper lateral forearm) and brachialis act as the supporting muscle groups.
The supporting muscle groups help the target muscle group to complete the movement. The anterior deltoid muscle bundle plays a stabilising role in this movement. The stabilising muscles help the body to maintain posture or hold the joint in place by contracting without moving significantly. Leaning the body back places the biceps in a less mechanically favourable position, increasing the difficulty of bending dumbbells.
how do i perform an upper incline dumbbell bend?
1. Choose an adjustable bench, ensure there is enough space around it and adjust the back pad of the upper incline plate so that it forms a 45-60 degree angle with the floor.
2. The body becomes more upright and feels more like a traditional dumbbell bend. Adjust the seat pad so that the body feels comfortable and does not slip off the bench.
3. Choose the appropriate dumbbell weight. If you have done traditional dumbbell curls before, be prepared to start with a lower initial weight. Choose two dumbbells of equal weight; not 10kg for the left arm and 15kg for the right arm.
4. Unbalanced weights will not improve the effectiveness of your training and can lead to injury. If you are performing this movement for the first time, then choose a conservative weight, one that you can safely lift for 8 to 12 reps.
5. Once you have chosen the right weight, pick up the dumbbells and sit on the mat, letting them hang from your sides. Keep your arms straight, but not hyperextended, chest up and shoulders down and hips close to the seat cushion.
6. Use a solid grip (thumb wrapped around the fingers) or an empty grip (thumb wrapped around the same side of the fingers), using a counter grip (palms facing each other). You can also choose a square grip (palms facing each other) or a butt grip.
7. Once you have set the starting position, take a deep breath, tighten your abdominals and squeeze your biceps as hard as you can to lift the weight towards your shoulders. Move in an arc, keeping the elbows and upper arms in a fixed position. Try not to allow the upper arm or elbow to move; doing so will reduce the stress on the target muscle.
8. Continue to bend the dumbbells until the forearms are perpendicular to the floor. The upper body position will vary from individual to individual and will depend greatly on the strength, form and shoulder flexibility of the upper arms. Some guys like to lift the dumbbells until their forearms are perpendicular to the floor, which may require moving the elbows forward or even shrugging the shoulders.
9. Bend the dumbbells towards the shoulder as much as possible but do not allow the elbows and shoulders to change position. This principle will maximise the engagement of the target muscle groups in the movement. Continue bending the biceps, holding them in the highest point position for 1 to 5 seconds.
10. After the top contraction, lower the dumbbells to the starting position at a slow and controlled pace. The movement pattern in the lower release phase should be the exact opposite of the upper lift phase before completing the required number of reps.
11. Alternating dumbbell bends or bending two dumbbells at the same time can be performed. Choose a breathing pattern that feels most natural and comfortable.
12. This movement can be done using regular sets, pre-fatigue sets, decreasing sets, rest-pause sets, supersets, triple sets, giant sets, pause movements, half movements, forced sets or slow centrifugal phases.
as with other movements, the two most important parts of the movement are quality posture and constant progression. Movement progression can take many forms (e.g. Increasing weight, sets or reps, shortening rest periods, improving the quality of the movement, etc.), but strive to improve with each exercise.
Upper incline dumbbell curl tips
1. Use the right angle of the incline plate
for those with shoulder flexibility issues it is recommended to use a bench angle of 60 degrees or more upright, rather than the usual 45 degrees. This will remove some of the stress given to the shoulder and rotator cuff muscles, as well as ensuring that the biceps benefit from the upward slant bend.
2. Keep the elbows open outwards as little as possible
in addition to using the appropriate weight in this movement, make sure that the upper arms and elbows remain as vertical to the ground as possible throughout the movement. If you find yourself needing to open your elbows and upper arms to complete the movement, then you are using too much weight. Keeping the elbows and shoulders in the same plane will stimulate the biceps to the maximum.
3. Avoid borrowing force
perform the upper incline dumbbell curl within the full range of motion controlled by the muscles. Do not put on large weights of dumbbells all at once. Keep your core tight throughout the movement and do not shrug your shoulders.
Do not use borrowed force to throw the dumbbells from the lowest to the highest position. This borrowing greatly increases the likelihood of injury and greatly reduces the stimulation of the target muscles.
4. Maintain a sense of stretch
if you want to increase the intensity, try holding the triceps stretch at the lowest point of the movement, for 5 to 10 seconds. Focus on squeezing the muscle to increase the tension and the amount of time the biceps are stimulated. Increasing the time under tension is a good variable to use to regulate progressive overload and increase muscle growth.
As well as dumbbells, barbells are a very good option, although they are not as flexible as barbells at the start of the movement and you will need a small partner to help you plunge the barbell after diving onto the incline plate.
even a pair of dumbbells can be switched out for a number of workouts, and after a number of attempts you will find that each movement has different advantages. The upward incline dumbbell bend has enough advantages to make you fall in love with this movement, and in short, the results speak for themselves and are worth adding to your training programme.
