Stronger and muscular arms is a goal of many people as it makes you look strong and can help you in performing daily activities more easily. The most favorite part of your arms is the bicep.
Bicep brachii also known as bicep is a large muscle present on the front part of the upper arm and is divided into two parts, the long head, and the short head. Bicep muscles play an important role in the movement of your elbow joint. There are many different exercises that target’s either the long head or short head of your biceps, but only a few exercises targets both the heads together.
The best exercise in terms of intensity and bicep muscle development is the dumbbell concentration curl.
Dumbbell concentration curl is a weight training compound exercise that works for both the long and short heads of your bicep muscles. This exercise builds strength better than other bicep curl variations as in this movement your elbow remains fixed. Due to the fixed elbow position, your bicep muscle gets proper contraction that results in greater muscle growth.
Benefits:
1) Strengthens Both The Arms Equally
This exercise works for one arm at a time, this leverage can promote equal development of the muscles. When you perform an intense exercise using both your arms then your body shifts some tension off from the weaker to the stronger arm. But in dumbbell concentration curl only one arm is used at a time to lift the weight, this gives an equal amount of tension to both the arms.
2) Develops The Connection Between The Muscle And Mind
The muscle mind connection is the feeling of contraction of the muscle. This exercise has a greater range of motion which helps you to concentrate better on the working of the muscle. Unlike its other variations like
hammer curl, the dumbbell concentration curl can focuses on the tension generated in the specific area of the muscle. Focusing on a specific region while doing physical activity increases your muscle growth.
3) Target’s Both The Bicep And Forearm Muscles
Like most of the bicep curl variations, the dumbbell concentration curl also target’s the bicep and forearm muscles. Working these muscles together develops the size and muscular endurance of your arms. With stronger arms, you can do other upper body strength and weight training exercises more effectively.
4) You Cannot Cheat During The Movement
The best advantage of this exercise over its other variations is the fixed position of your elbow. In traditional bicep curl exercise, you can make the movement easy by moving your elbows along your arm, this can cause slow growth of your bicep muscles. In dumbbell concentration curl, you cannot cheat even if you want to as your elbow is fixed at your thigh.
Equipment Required:
For performing this exercise, you need a flat bench and a dumbbell with weight according to your fitness level.
How To Perform:
1) Sit on the side of a flat bench with your back straight. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and bend forward to place your elbow on the inner side of your right thigh, closer to the knee.
2) Place your left hand on the left thigh and make your feet wide enough for the proper movement of the dumbbell. With your elbow fixed and wrist stable, raise the dumbbell towards the shoulder of the same arm, forming an arc. Inhale while lifting the dumbbell towards the shoulder.
3) Stop the movement when the dumbbell reaches closer to the shoulder. Hold the position and lower the dumbbell back to the start. Exhale while lowering the dumbbell.
4) This is one repetition of the dumbbell concentration curl exercise. After doing 10-15 repetitions with the right arm, follow the same procedure with your left arm. You can perform 3-4 sets of this exercise with moderate or high repetitions, depending upon your fitness level.
Common Mistakes:
1) Over Curling
Curling the dumbbell high enough to touch your shoulder can take tension off your muscle. You should stop curling up your arm when your elbow starts moving forward and your tricep losing contact with your thigh.
2) Upper Arm Position
While doing this exercise you need to keep your upper arm perpendicular to the ground. When curling the dumbbell you’ll get an urge to lean back and move your upper arm to make the movement easy. Try to keep your upper arm fixed for the entire set to get the maximum benefit from this exercise.
Variations:
1) Standing Concentration Curl
The standing concentration curl is a weight training variation of the standard seated concentration curl exercise that is performed by standing when there is no bench available. Due to the form of this exercise, it generates great tension on your muscles even with lighter weights. Standing concentration curl is a great way to build your bicep peak if you keep the tempo slow.
2) Hammer Concentration Curl
The hammer concentration curl is a variation of the traditional concentration curl exercise that is performed by facing your palm inward and curling it up towards your shoulder. This exercise keeps your wrist stable and elbow fixed which increases the intensity therefore higher muscle growth. Due to the high level of difficulty of this exercise, it is ideal for athletes and bodybuilders.
