Q: I’ve been on the basic Positions-of Flexion biceps and triceps routines you outline in 3D Muscle Building. I’m getting spectacular pumps, and I think my arms have grown already. I’m ready to go to all the POF routines in 3D for all my bodyparts. My question is on biceps. I don’t really feel concentration curls. Is there another ending [contracted-position] exercise I can do instead to help build 3D arms?
A: For the uninitiated, Positions of Flexion is training each bodypart through its full range. For example, for biceps, it’s barbell curls (midrange), incline curls (stretch), and concentration curls (contracted).
POF builds muscle along a number of different pathways—including muscle synergy, stretch overload, and tension/occlusion—with full-range training at 3 key angles.
To answer your question, one of the best substitute exercises for concentration curls to finish off your biceps is spider curls—that is, preacher curls on the vertical side of the bench, NOT the angled side. That perpendicular upper-arm support allows for continuous tension throughout the stroke—no rest at the top or bottom, if you keep the weight moving…
You can do it one arm at a time with a dumbbell or with both arms simultaneously with a dumbbell in each hand or with a barbell. In all cases, we suggest you keep your forearm angled inward as you curl the dumbbell, or use a close grip on a barbell with elbows out, as former Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler demonstrates here…
That “in” grip will emphasize the outer biceps head for more peak. Incline curls are more of an “out” exercise, which emphasizes the inner head for biceps thickness. [Note: For more on the in-for-out/out-for-in technique and POF specialization to build 3D arms, see X-traordinary Arms which is available for FREE with our latest e-book package.]
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
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