If there’s one biceps exercise you see both fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders doing, it’s concentration curls. Anyone can do this exercise, regardless of age or strength. The concentration curl is considered a shaping exercise; one that can change the shape of your biceps. Many also see it as the exercise to get a peak on your biceps. This is all nonsense. The shape and peak of your biceps are genetically determined, and training will only strengthen the genetic shape.
However, the concentration curl is a very direct way to train your biceps without involving too many other muscles to lift the weight. That’s why the concentration curl is a must for me in every biceps workout.
There are several variations of the concentration curl that you can see being done, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. I’ve gathered four concentration curl variants for you so you don’t always have to do that one boring exercise.
Seated Concentration Curl
The seated concentration curl is the most performed version of the concentration curls. It is also the easiest: you sit comfortably on a bench and do your exercise.
The correct execution of the seated concentration curl is as follows, assuming you’re doing it with your right arm:
- Grab a moderately heavy dumbbell and sit on a flat bench. Like most people, you can sit at the end of the bench, but it’s wiser to sit in the middle of the bench – with your legs on one side – so you have more space to stabilize your buttocks.
- Spread your legs wide apart and lean forward from your waist. Grab the dumbbell in your right hand. Let your upper arm rest against your right thigh, as low as you can without the dumbbell touching the ground when your arm is fully extended.
- Now, slowly bring the dumbbell to your right shoulder without moving your upper arm, and hold your hand still when your muscle is fully contracted. Try to keep your wrist as straight as possible during the movement, and also keep your upper body and legs in place. Then lower the dumbbell until your arm is fully extended again.
The most common mistakes with the seated concentration curl are:
- throwing the dumbbell to get it up. Your bicep should do the exercise, not a sudden movement
- moving your upper body and the leg where your arm rests against to get the dumbbell up. The dumbbell is simply too heavy then
- pumping with the arm. Your muscle should be fully contracted and stretched, and that can only be done properly when you perform the exercise slowly
Don’t let your ego get in the way; it’s better to perform the exercise correctly than to do it poorly with too heavy a weight.
Bent Concentration Curls
This is my favorite version of the concentration curl, and it’s the version you see Arnold doing in ‘Pumping Iron’.
The bent concentration curl (or hanging concentration curl) is also the most difficult version of this exercise. The exercise is essentially the same as with the seated concentration curl, only the posture in which you do this version makes the execution a lot more difficult. Therefore, this version – in my opinion – also has a better effect than the seated concentration curl.
The correct execution of the bent concentration curl is as follows (again assuming you start with your right arm):
- Grab a dumbbell in your right hand, place your feet shoulder-width apart, and bend forward from your waist while slightly bending your knees.
- Place your left hand on your left thigh or grab a bench or dumbbell rack for stability. Let the dumbbell hang down with your arm straight.
- Curl the dumbbell towards your chest while pointing your upper arm downwards. If you pull your upper arm backwards or push it too far forward, the effect on your bicep is much less direct.
- Hold the dumbbell above for a second while flexing your bicep hard, and then slowly lower the weight until your arm is fully extended.
Also with the bent concentration curl, it’s important to perform the movement slowly. You’d better use a little less weight and perform the movement perfectly than jerk up a heavier weight and drop it quickly.
With this form of concentration curls, the execution is also a bit more difficult than with the seated version because your arm hangs down without support. This quickly makes you tend to extend your elbow backwards to help lift the weight. Therefore, especially in the beginning, make sure to look in the mirror whether you are keeping your upper arm really still. It’s better to move your upper arm slightly forward than to move it backward.
Cable Concentration Curls
The cable concentration curl is a fun variation on the concentration curl, and you can also perform it sitting or standing. I explicitly say ‘variation’ because in my opinion, a cable exercise like this is not a real replacement for the same exercise with a dumbbell. With a dumbbell, you hardly have to compensate for the movement of the weight, something you are constantly doing with a dumbbell.
Compensating engages multiple small muscles in your arm and makes the exercise a more complete workout. The advantage of a cable, on the other hand, is that you have constant tension on your muscle from start to finish.
For the cable concentration curl, always use a low pulley. Make sure to stand or sit in such a way that you maintain tension on your biceps throughout the movement. For example, if you stand too upright, the tension on your biceps may decrease when you are fully up with your hand. So, try it out and adjust.
Barbell Concentration Curls
An exercise you almost never see being done is the barbell concentration curl. This is probably because this variation is not well known, and you almost never come across it in a book or magazine. However, it is a very valuable addition to your biceps training.
The big advantage of this exercise is that you can train both biceps at the same time. Additionally, you can also use a heavier weight, which can lead to additional muscle growth. The disadvantage of the exercise is that you cannot concentrate on one arm, but you already have the other forms of the concentration curl for that.
You can perform the barbell concentration curl standing or sitting, but I’ll assume the seated version here. The standing, bent version is quite difficult to perform, and the seated version allows much more focus on the arms without having to worry about losing your balance.
The correct execution of the barbell concentration curl is as follows:
- Grab a moderately heavy barbell and place it on the ground at the end of a bench. Sit with your legs over the bench at the end of the bench, lean forward, and grab the barbell with both hands. Your hands will be fairly close together.
- Make sure you grip the barbell securely (watch the rings on the barbell). If you don’t do this, you’ll lose your balance and could hurt your wrists and arms.
- Sit a bit more upright so that the barbell hangs loose from the ground when your arms are fully extended, and let your upper arms lean against the end of the bench.
- Now, bring the barbell up until your biceps are fully tense, hold for a moment, and then slowly lower the barbell. Make sure to keep your upper arms hanging down.
The concentration curl comes in all shapes and sizes, and I’m sure I’ve missed some variations. The most important thing is: do this exercise! It’s a very direct way to train your biceps, and it’s the perfect complement to your normal barbell and dumbbell curls. Your biceps will thank you.
