Experiments in Muscle Testing – Episode 2: The Problem With Bicep Curls

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If the industry-standard form on a bicep curl is completely wrong, wouldn’t someone have figured this out long ago? Surely everyone can’t be doing it wrong???

And how about the latest techniques that Fitness Gurus like {BLEEP} are teaching? If they’re wrong too, why don’t the gurus themselves realize this? Has the whole world gone crazy?

Welcome to Experiments in Muscle Testing Episode 2. Find out the answers to these questions, and more, below.

Okay, What’s Bad Form and What’s Good Form?

Bad form is holding your arms roughly parallel and at a 90º angle to your torso. In the picture below, we have an example of the industry-standard form, accepted everywhere and taught in colleges, universities, gyms and all the major personal training certifications. Unfortunately, its completely wrong.

Bicep Curls: Barbell and Dumbell, INCORRECT FORM

We’ll get into why this is incorrect below. For now…

Proper form involves externally rotating the humerus (the arms) 45º from the torso. While I’ve seen trainers and athletes do it this way, I don’t think they’re aware this is the ONLY way its supposed to be done.

Whats the Difference?

Thoracic stability. With industry-standard form (the bad kind), the arms are internally rotated, the rhomboids are relaxed and the scapulae are winged out. This picture below is an extreme example but it illustrates the point:

WINGED SCAPULAE FROM POOR FORM ON A BICEP CURL

Here’s a picture of the Rhomboids stabilizing the thoracic vertebrae:

Rhomboids Major and Minor, PROPERLY RETRACTED SCAPULAE

And this is what Leonardo Davinci thought the back should look like with properly retracted scapulae.

DaVinci's Back: THIS GUY DID PROPER BICEP CURLS

Whats the Problem with the way we’re doing it now?

With the Rhomboids relaxed and the scapulae winged out, the thoracic vertebrae lose their main stabilizer.  Look at the anatomy image of the Rhomboids above and see how the muscles attach directly onto the spinous process of the thoracic and cervical vertebrae.

Here’s why these vertebrae need so much stabilization: Every nerve in your CNS travels down through a hole in the middle of the vertebrae, called the vertebral foramen.

NOTICE HOW SMALL THE VERTEBRAL FORAMEN IS

If the vertebrae don’t receive full stabilization from the Rhomboids during a bicep curl, there is a resulting strain, not quite like the impact of a nuclear device being let off in the upper atmosphere, but more like underwater nuclear testing: (let’s face it, still a bad idea).

The Problem with Fitness Gurus

It doesn’t matter what they say or how big a name is doing the saying. If the form creates a shut-off response, its wrong, plain and simple. In the picture below, we see an example of form one fitness guru has thought up. Its clever, but the main ingredient is still missing: external rotation to contract the Rhomboids.

IF FITNESS GURUS ARE JUST AS WRONG AS EVERYBODY ELSE, WHY LISTEN TO THEM?

Summary of Why Current “Standard” Form is Wrong

1. Arms (specifically, the humerus) are held at 90º of internal rotation, which we perceive to be “at our sides” or “neutral”.
2. Neutral position of the arms involves relaxation of the rhomboids major and minor
3. Relaxed rhomboids take away stability in the thoracic vertebrae
4. Putting the vertebrae under load without the rhomboids to stabilize them causes “minor” stress, similar to underwater nuclear testing
5. The CNS picks up this stress and goes into a temporary state of shock (eg. The Stress Response)
6. In the resulting inhibited state, there is less muscle activation everywhere. And correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that the entire point of weight lifting?
7. We are able to observe this shock by performing an indicator muscle test immediately before and immediately after the stimuli.

The Solution

Hold your arms out at a 45º angle from your torso while lifting. This will contract your rhomboids, stabilize the vertebrae and then we can all go home. Lol.

THE SOLUTION

The Bigger Solution

I only discovered this because I know how to use muscle testing to determine perfect form. If you take me at my word, you’re no further ahead mentally because you’re still dependent on other people to tell you what to do. Call me independent but I’ve never liked that feeling. All you need to do to figure these things out for yourself is learn how to muscle test.

LEARN HOW TO MUSCLE TEST

Its almost impossible to pick up a motor skill by reading text, but if you want to have some fun and experiment, here are the steps you would take:

How to use CNS Testing to Muscle Test your Bicep Curl

1. Start with an indicator muscle. Find one that tests “strong” so we have a baseline and know what “strong” feels like. I recommend medial or anterior deltoid
2.  Perform one repetition of a bicep curl through your preferred range of motion
3. Re-test the original indicator within 3 to 5 seconds of the lift
4. If the indicator still tests strong, your form is good. If it tests weak, you’re probably in the same boat as everyone else: that of doing your bicep curls wrong.
5. No worries, just fix it. Do the 45º external rotation form and re-test. I think you’ll be pleased with the outcome.

Have fun, and feel free to comment below and share your results with the other readers.

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