Top Strength Coach Says EZ Curl Bars Do Not Build Biceps

Along with dumbbell curls, barbell curls are the most common method of building the biceps with free weights. In fact, many people prefer barbell curls which are more effective for performing cheat curls when loaded with heavier weight. As anyone who has curled will testify, barbell curls with a straight bar can feel a little awkward and when a person tries curls with an EZ Curl bar, they often don’t go back to using a straight bar.

EZ curl bars are cambered bars which allow the palms to be placed in a more neutral position as opposed to absolutely supine making the movement more comfortable. But, does it make curls more effective? According to respected strength coach Mark Rippetoe, author of the ever-popular Starting Strength book, no. In fact, he goes as far as saying EZ curl bars just “don’t work”. I’m sure you now want to know why, so this article will reveal why.

Not every curl (underhand, overhand or hammer/neutral grip) hits the biceps optimally!

When your palms are completely supine (upward), your biceps muscle fibers are in their prime pulling position – hence the reason why they go rock solid when flexed when your palm is turned towards you. The more you turn your palms away from you and flex your biceps, the softer your biceps go because the fibers are elongated and more bunched up.

The more prone (overhand) your grip, the more of a mechanical disadvantage your biceps are in when performing curls.

Therefore, the further away from supine your grip becomes, the more emphasis is placed on the brachioradialis and brachialis elbow flexors and the less on the biceps brachii.

And… that’s precisely what an EZ curl bar does: Forces the grip into a less supine position!

Therefore, to build the actual biceps brachii a more supine grip is preferred. This also holds true for curls with dumbbells – the more supine throughout, the better it hits the biceps brachii.

For sure, the EZ curl bar will build the biceps and overall upper arm size, but it’ll never compare to a straight barbell for building the biceps brachii – so I recommend you do most of your curls with a straight barbell.

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3 Important Tips to Help You Build Bigger Biceps Faster

If there's one muscle group that gets more attention than it deserves, then it's probably the biceps. Ever since Rambo flexed his 'guns' every guy became envious of a set of arms like that. To add fuel to the fire, women just go gaga for big arms. Maybe this is the reason why most guys start their muscle building plan with their biceps - trying to build the proverbial muscles that everybody now associates with being strong.

As young boys we learn that flexing your biceps is a way of showing off. When you walk into any gym these days nothing seems to have changed. The amount of guys perched in front of the mirror doing dumbbell curls is mind blowing.

When it comes to building biceps most guys get it wrong. Maybe it's inexperience or maybe it's just because everyone looks at what everybody else is doing. Here are 3 tips to help you build bigger biceps faster.

1. More Is Not Better
We all tend to figure that if 3 sets is good then 4 or better? Unfortunately that's not how it works. There is an optimal training zone and if you over exert your biceps, you can easily do more harm than good. Don't go for the instant gratification and try to build big biceps over night. Les is more and slow and steady wins the race. As boring as it sounds, it still is the best way.

2. Focus on Muscle Tension
Biceps respond well to constant tension. The problem is that most guys can't isolate muscle groups well enough when they train and they end up not targeting their biceps very well. Poor technique and sloppy lifting is one of the main reasons why guys miss out on the full benefits of their training session.

3. Mix It Up
It's true that some people are more susceptible to forming habits than others, but from a muscle building point of view this is not always a good thing. If you go to the gym every day and train the same routine and the same sets and the same muscles it does lose its effectiveness. Your muscles tend to become fatigued, but when you mix it up you can create far better results. Train other muscles as well. When you do chin-ups and rows your biceps will come along for the ride. You don't need to train biceps every day for 30 minutes.

Biceps definitely is an important showpiece muscle. It's on par abs although it probably gets ten times the attention that most guys give their abs. It's important to remember that building muscle and getting ripped is not just about great biceps.

Although most guys focus their bicep training mainly on barbell curls and dumbbell curls, there are a lot of different routines you can use. Some are even more effective at isolating the biceps. Mix it up. Train your shoulders, your back and your pecs as part of your bicep training. They will help to train a different aspect of your biceps and in the end give you a more defined look and a harder feel.

For more tips on building muscle fast and how to get the body that you never thought you could get, visit http://www.BigStrongRipped.com