T-Mag: The "No Curl" Biceps Program
The Tragic "Lack of Curling" Epidemic
If you've been around weight training for any length of time, you've probably read or tried an arm specialization routine.
There are a bunch of these around with different cool names for what amounts to the same old shit: do a bunch of arm exercises. Yeah, the exercises change and the sets and reps change, but it still amounts to just doing more arm work.
I have a fundamental problem with this.
Do you really think that the reason most guys don't have big arms is purely because of a lack of doing curls? Do we really have an epidemic of biceps curl deficiencies in gyms around the world? Is Johnny really saying, "Duh, flex my elbow a bunch of times? Best...program...ever."
And we've all complained about the guys who do curls in the squat rack and never get anywhere. Yet as soon as one of the popular gurus writes an arm training article, we jump right in. (As an aside, I hate "gurus." In my mind there are only two gurus worth listening to — Yoda and Mr. Miyagi, neither of whom have ever written an arm training article.)
The Real Solution to Puny Arms
My approach to lagging body parts is to look beyond the obvious and try to come up with a real solution to the problem. The key to increasing a trainee's biceps size depends on his ability to handle heavy loads in the barbell curl.
While there's no direct correlation between strength and size (i.e. you can't tell how much a guy can lift by looking at him), there is a correlation between strength increases and size increases. In other words, if your dumbbell curl increases from 40 to 60 pounds, you'll have gained some size.
So if you can handle heavier loads in the curl, you will grow bigger biceps. That much is a given. And if just doing more curls isn't the best strategy, then what is?
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At a certain load, the tower (your back and torso) would buckle. The only difference is, when there's a risk of injury to the spine, your body will shut down the prime mover (in this case the biceps). Your body won't allow that load to get heavy enough to injure you if it can help it.
Why? Because your body is more concerned about protecting your spine than it is about growing massive guns. As wrong as this fundamentally is, we have to go with it. The longer the lever arm, i.e. the further away from the body the load is, the greater the torque through the spine.
Taking this a step further, can you curl more weight standing on two feet or on one foot? Obviously with two feet because you have more support. More support gives you the ability to handle greater loads. Greater loads gives you the ability to grow.
The key outcome we're looking for in this program then is to create a support structure for the body so that when we return to direct arm training we can handle far heavier loads.
So what follows is a program designed to improve your pillars of support: the upper back and posterior chain. Once you strengthen these areas, your biceps will blow up when you go back to regular arm training!
The Program
The "No Curl" Program
A) Snatch Grip Deadlift from box
B1) The YTWL Exercise: 3 sets x 8 reps of each, 2 second pause at the top of each rep, 0 seconds rest
B2) Push-ups with hands on medicine balls: 3 sets x 8 reps, 90 seconds rest, then return to B1
C1) Inverted Row: 3 sets x 8 reps, 2 second pause at full contraction, 0 seconds rest
C2) Single Arm Overhead Dumbbell Squat: 3 sets x 8 reps each side, 90 seconds rest, then return to C1
D) Prone Cobra: 1-2 sets, static hold, 3 minutes.
(liikkeet ihan ekasta linkistä)
Summary
Let's get our heads out of our asses and start to look for logical solutions to our training problems. That usually means ignoring current trends and hype. Hopefully this article challenges some of the dogma involving arm training.
Remember, scrawny arms are a "support system" issue, not a curling deficiency!
Siis suomeks kutakuinkin niin että sun ruumiis on kuin Pisan kalteva torni. Kun hauis käännön keskivaiheilla se taakka on painopisteen "ulkopuolella" uhkaa torni kaatua. Tällöin keholta menee huomattavasti resursseja ruumiin pystyssä pitämiseen eikä siihen hauiskääntöön. Taisi tästä "ruumiin resursseista" asiaa olla täälläkin, tai sitten taas kerran t-magissa. Joka tapauksessa, jos koetat vaikka tehä maksimi kyykkyä samaan aikaa laskien sadasta nollaan päin vaikkapa kolmen välein, suorituksesi huononee huomattavasti. Miksi? Aivoilla ei yksinkertaisesti riitä resursseja jännittämään alakropan lihaksistoa 100% kun pitää jotain "vaativaa" ajatustyötä tehdä. Siispä ratkaisu onkin vahvistaa selän, selkärangan ja keskivartalon lihaksistoa jolloin huojumista tapahtuu vähemmän ja voit liikutella isompia kuormia käsilläsi. Isommat kuormat -> käsiin enemmän voimaa -> voimien kasvu -> lihasten koon kasvu. Korjatkaa jos oon aivan väärässä.
:arvi:
Loput noista lainauksista tuolta linkistä...
Ei kokemuksia, voi olla täyttä paskaa, voi toimiakin...
:piis:
Joku tuolla keskustelussa kyselee vähän samaa mitä itsekkin, ja varmaa kohta joku muukin...
"Nice exercises, I am not quite following the logic of the article.
If the problem is that the back is the limiting factor on the barbell curl the normal solution would appear to be either using some sort of modified movement,like preacher curls, or some sort of supported curls (i.e. chest or back supported), or using the barbell curls when the biceps were already fatigued by another exercise which didn't involve the back.
Further if the back is already being trained to failure in the specific area when doing the barbell curls wouldn't the back already adapt to the demands of the exercise as best it could , and any further back exercises have little effect?"
