The biceps debate: incorporating different angles in your biceps training is the best way to dig the valleys and scale the peaks

Muscle & Fitness, August, 2006 by David Sandler

WE'VE HIT THE LAB once again because you keep putting us to the test. This month we examine the biceps curl, comparing the barbell version with dumbbells. Keep the questions coming!

* Your question: Which is better for building big biceps--the barbell curl or dumbbell curl?

* What we did: We had 10 highly trained athletes participate in this study of muscle activation through EMG analysis. We measured muscle activity in both the short and long head of the biceps. The athletes performed both the barbell curl and dumbbell curl using 75% of their one-rep max (1RM) for four repetitions each.

* What we found: The barbell curl and the dumbbell curl both involved the short (inner) head and the long (outer) head of the biceps similarly, with the short head being stimulated to a greater degree.

* For discussion: The debate over performing biceps curls with a barbell vs. dumbbells could be of less importance than ensuring that you incorporate multiple angles in your biceps training. Both a barbell and dumbbells will hit the short and long heads of the muscle similarly. However, they both seem to focus the stress more on the short or inner head. Because the long or outer head gives the biceps the peak, be sure you don't rely solely on barbell and dumbbell curls. Instead, include exercises that are known to stress the long head, like the EZ-bar curl and seated incline curl.

* Final thought: Your arms might lag behind because you're doing the same routine every week. First you hit the dumbbell rack and bang out some curls, or you head to the fixed barbells and follow suit, right? Well, next time you hit the gym, start with barbell or dumbbell curls, then move to the incline bench, where your arms are angled in such a way that the long head is highly stimulated, then do preacher curls to focus more on the short head. Keep mixing it up for maximum gains!

BY DAVID SANDLER, MS, CSCS

Testing conducted by David Sandler, MS, CSCS. You can reach him through strengthpro.com