5 Things You Need to Know About Supinated Curls

1. Do More Than Just Flex That Bicep

Most arm curls, while great at building bulging biceps, are fairly limited in their range of motion and muscles targeted in the movement. Arm curls largely concentrate on the flexing (up and down) motion of the bicep but tend to ignore the supinating motion, or rotation. When you reach across your body to, say, scratch your opposite arm or shoulder, you are rotating your arm at the elbow. This is an example of supination. Shifting some attention to this motion when working out can work wonders for your arm development.

2. Turning an Ordinary Old Arm Curl Into a Biceps Blaster

Sit on a bench and grasp a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing toward your body and your hand close to the plates on one side of the dumbbell (there should be a space between your pinky and the plates on the other side). Lift one arm in a biceps curl. At the midpoint of the movement, rotate your wrist so that your palm is now facing up. Complete the motion to your shoulder. Contract your bicep, then slowly lower the weight. Halfway down, rotate your wrist so that your palm is once again facing inward. Now do the same thing with your other arm. Alternate each arm to complete the desired number of repetitions.

3. The Crucial Moment of Rotation

Rotating your wrist too soon when doing a supinated curl will greatly decrease the benefit of this movement. If you turn your wrist while your arm is still straight or too soon after lifting, the stress is off the biceps muscle at that point. It is most beneficial to start the rotation when your arm is bent at a 90-degree angle. This is when the most pressure will be put on the bicep, which is exactly what you want.

4. Hold That Form Please

As with any other arm curl, proper form is critical to get the most out of this exercise. You can choose to sit or stand, though sitting is the more recommended position. Keep your back straight, do not lean while doing supinated curls. Keep your elbows at your sides and pointed toward the floor throughout the curl. Move slowly throughout the exercise. Resist the weight on the negative portion of the curl to really work those biceps. Do one arm at a time; don't lift both dumbbells at the same time.

5. Turn Your Arm Workout to Your Advantage

Supinated curls activate higher levels of biceps stimulation than ordinary palms-up arm curls. They do not, however, do much for the flexion muscles of the biceps, so it's a good idea to stick with regular arm curls as well. Incorporate supinated curls into your arm routine to attack your biceps muscles like never before. One great way to add supinated curls is to push out a few reps of these after you have done ordinary seated alternating dumbbell curls.