The most uncommon weight training exercise is probably the lateral biceps curls. When someone joins a gym and is unsure of what to exercise for, they frequently fall back on the perennially popular bicep curl. Why? It is easy to do, efficient, and accessible to practically everyone.
Regardless of the bicep curl version you select, this exercise is great for shaping your arms and building upper-body fitness and strength.
However, before including this traditional arm workout in your program, it’s a good idea to become more informed about the advantages and key components of doing lateral biceps curls.
Lateral curls are a dumbbell-based complex exercise that is best for increasing forearm and biceps strength and hypertrophy.
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Lateral Biceps Curls Exercise Details
- Also known as: Dumbbell high curl
- Exercise type: Strength workout
- Body type: Arms
- Level: for intermediate
- Main targets: Biceps brachii and deltoids
- Secondary targets: forearms, Brachialis, and brachioradialis
- Required equipment: Dumbbells, as well as a chair if you want
What are Latral Biceps Curls?
Technically speaking, lateral curls are a single-joint complex exercise for muscle isolation done with dumbbells to stimulate the pull muscles in the arms in a mild to moderate way.
To enable slower and more controlled repetitions, they are frequently performed with lighter weights and a medium volume of repetitions.
We hardly see lifters practice this exercise in the gym, maybe as a result of the movement’s uncomfortable and unattractive appearance.
How To Do A Lateral Curl Properly
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hold one dumbbell in each hand, they are tucked into your side with your elbows extended out (as if squeezing your biceps).
- Allow the weights to stretch your biceps until your elbows are completely stretched while maintaining your shoulders stable.
- Flex your arms to curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders.
- Hold the tension for a few seconds.
- Repeat the movement for 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
Lateral Biceps Curls: Muscles Worked
Both the short head and the long head of the bicep muscle are worked in this exercise, with more tension in the long head, as well as shoulders with less tension.
This is because your hand is pointing upwards when you curl a dumbbell (supinated curl).
Your bicep has a mechanical advantage when you supinate your grip, which allows it to contract and create a force more effectively.
Lateral Curls Benefits
Although lateral bicep curls are not the most popular workout, they can nonetheless be beneficial. They are mostly similar to what you would expect from other bicep workouts.
A few particular advantages of lateral bicep curls involve:
- Bigger biceps: You may build and strengthen your biceps by performing lateral bicep curls with enough force, reps, and sets.
- Improved deltoid stamina: Lifting your upper arms in this technique for long periods of time helps enhance deltoid muscle endurance.
- Isolation: Because the bicep curl is a single-joint action, it is ideal for isolating the biceps.
- Versatility: This exercise has a variety of uses. You can do it using dumbbells. It may, however, be done using resistance bands, or cable machines.
Best Variations Of Lateral Curls
1. Standing High Cable Curl
Also Known as high pulley curls, it is an excellent exercise for targeting the short (inner) head of the biceps, which increases muscular breadth and thickness.
The high cable curl comes in one-arm and two-arm varieties. Both versions are efficient, but the one-arm version gives you the opportunity to put more weight, which might result in bigger and stronger biceps growth.
Creating a horizontal line of pull, maintaining the upper arm stable throughout the movement, and generating a peak contraction at the top of each rep are the crucial components used in this exercise.
It is one of the most powerful exercises for the biceps peak.
2. Wide Biceps Curl
Wide dumbbell curls are a variation of normal curls that focus on the short head of the bicep muscles.
As a result, if you require more total bicep growth or more short-head growth, in particular, broad dumbbell curls are an excellent workout.
If you already have good biceps but a sagging long head, you should concentrate on movements that require you to curl your arms behind your back or head and maintain a tight grip.
However, regularly performing wide grip bicep curls can result in more complete bicep growth than the standard, random curls that most individuals turn to when they don’t have a strategy.
Conclusion: Should you do lateral biceps curls?
When it comes to workouts that will help you acquire a good upper body, you should absolutely attempt lateral biceps curls. These easy yet powerful dumbbell workouts may help you tone the core, biceps, and deltoid muscles in your shoulders.
In brief, this is what you need to include in your gym workout to grow your physique as a weightlifter.
Note that when performing lateral curls with dumbbells, your range of motion under stress is limited.
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