There is no shortage of examples of the male bicep becoming the driver of confidence in men and desire for women. Men have been fed this narrative since we were kids, from Popeye winning the love of Olive Oil when he eats spinach and is awarded with bulging biceps, allowing him to be the hero (I won’t go on a tangent about how this was also used to manipulate me into eating vegetables…which I have thankfully overcome as an adult) to Captain America displaying his hulking biceps by holding down a literal helicopter. The bro culture makes memes of men like Arnold Schwarzenegger locking hands with Carl Weathers and showing off the boulders under their tee sleeves, resulting in all of us men wanting to learn how to get the giant arms to show off our hard work.
Of course, that means one of the first things we reach for in the gym when we first get our membership is the dumbbell so we can start our journey towards attaining our own Olive-Oil-rescuing muscle. But, like anything, it is best to listen to experts. Liz Baker Plosser is a fitness and wellness expert who has spent two decades teaching others on the same journey to attain their fitness goals. From being the editor and chief at Women’s Health to appearing on national shows like Live with Kelly and Mark and The TODAY Show, she has become a staple in the fitness industry.
She is also known for having some of the best arms in the industry, so I naturally wanted to get her guidance on how to do the perfect biceps curl.
Strong arms are functional arms. – Liz Baker Plosser, Founder, Best Case Scenario
Why is this exercise important?
Ok, so I know I can be cheeky, and if you read my work regularly then you know I spent the majority of my adult life taking my guidance from movies. But this isn’t about looking good in a t-shirt or becoming a meme because you have big arms. This is about daily function. Joint health and living your day-to-day depend on healthy and strong muscle.
“The biceps curl gets dismissed as a vanity move,” Plosser says. “But strong arms are functional arms. Your biceps help you carry groceries, lift kids, open heavy doors, and pull yourself up. Arm strength also supports bigger lifts like rows and pullups, and building and keeping muscle mass matters more and more as we age. The arm pump is a fun bonus!”
What muscles does it target?
Now for the science. Yes, it targets the biceps. But if you have started to do any research into the muscle groups, you know it isn’t that simple. Every muscle group has majors, minors, inners, outers, uppers, lowers…get the idea? So, here are the muscles targeted by the biceps curl:
- Biceps brachii: the muscle on the front of your upper arm
- Brachialis: a muscle underneath the biceps that adds arm thickness and strength
- Brachioradialis: the top of your forearm, near your elbow
- Forearm flexors: your grip muscles
Tips for proper form
Enough about the what and why, now let’s talk about the how. Form and technique are the most important part (outside of consistency, but even then consistently doing it incorrectly is just as bad not doing it) of your fitness journey. Plosser didn’t build her arms of note by approaching biceps curls incorrectly. Here are her tips for the proper form for the perfect biceps curl.
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides, andvpalms facing forward.
- Pin your elbows to your sides. They should stay put the whole time, acting as hinges.
- Curl the weights up toward your shoulders, squeezing your biceps at the top without letting your elbows drift forward.
- Lower slowly, taking two to three seconds, all the way to a full arm extension. The lowering phase is where a lot of the strength gains happen.
- No swinging. If you’re rocking your hips or leaning back to get the weight up, go lighter.
- Keep your wrists neutral and straight, not curled in or bent back.
Modifications
We’re not all ready for the big time. For instance, if I was standing next to Liz and trying to keep up in the gym, she would dust me. For those of us who can’t keep up with her and need a little modification for us to keep the form and the consistency while also meeting us where we are, she has some ideas to help us try to catch up with her.
- Easier: Do a seated single-arm curl. Sitting makes it harder to cheat with momentum, and working one arm at a time lets you focus on form. Lighter weights or a resistance band work too.
- Harder: Slow the lowering phase to four seconds, add a pause at the halfway point, or try hammer curls (palms facing each other) and incline curls to hit the muscle from different angles.
At the end of the day, fitness is about elevating your life, not your image. But aesthetics are a great byproduct. So whether you want to be able to pick up your kids or look good in a tee, follow Liz’s tips to perform the perfect biceps curl.
For more from her, check out her Substack.
