Workout Tips: How to Properly Do a Barbell Biceps Curl Exercise

In order to perform a barbell biceps curl, you must understand the how the biceps work. By understanding their purpose, you can easily strengthen them by performing a curl with some resistance. The biceps are a part of both the shoulder and elbow. In the shoulder it can act to flex, or bring the shoulder up, abduct, or bring the shoulder away from the body, and adduct, or bring the shoulder close to the body. In the elbow its primarily responsibility is to bend while the palms are facing up.

To perform the barbell biceps curl, one need a barbell which can easily be bought in sports stores. The exercise equipment called barbell is used often to gain muscle bulk, stamina, and strength of a muscle. It is comprised of a metal bar with a set of collars and a minimum of one set of weight plates. The length varies from 4 to 7 feet. The diameter is thin enough to provide a good grip, which is usually measured to be 1 inch. The barbell is adjustable in that it can have different disc shaped weights, which can be removed or added depending on the intended resistance. These discs are then locked by collars to ensure the plates don't fall or don't shake while you are lifting it. Standard collars are usually made of metal and can weigh up to 2.5 kg. The bar can weigh as much as 25 kg.

Before performing barbell biceps curl, one must ensure the weight of the other components so your resistance exercise can be accurate. A barbell biceps curl can be done by first stabilizing the upper arm. It must not be moving. Some trainers will prefer the upper arm to be placed at the side of the body, just to the side of the chest to isolate biceps. If biceps is not isolated, a barbell biceps curl cannot be accurately performed. Instead the chest muscles might be strengthened. After stabilizing the shoulder, one can bend the elbow in an arc or in a curling motion while holding to the barbell.

You should ideally perform barbell biceps curl ten times. If you feel that you can still go on, then they should add more weight. If you cannot even do ten repetitions, then the weight should be reduced. Gradually keep on repeating until you can perform it in ten repetitions while feeling the ideal resistance. Rest for a bit seconds then repeat it for 3 sets.

Sources:

About.com Exercise
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