Big
arms...big biceps...massive guns...THAT
is what this exercise is all about.
So if that's not what you're looking
for, it's best you move on ;)
This
is one of those exercises where you'll
take a BIG exercise and make some
body position adjustments in order
to change the focus to one of the
smaller muscle groups.
By taking
advantage of the strength of the whole
body to move bigger weight then focusing
that weight more on a smaller bodypart,
you can really put a LOT of growth
into that smaller bodypart.
For
this combo, you're going to be doing
barbell deadlifts...with a focus on
BICEPS.
You're
going to be using a weight that there
is zero chance you could do a curl
with and use the deadlift to get the
bar into a position where the tension
goes right onto the biceps at the
top.
You'll
definitely need to be comfortable
and familiar with deadlifts (and preferably
stiff-legged deadlifts, too) in order
to get the most out of this one. It
is going to put some tension on your
lower back because of the position.
That
being said, because you're using a
relatively lighter weight for this
type of deadlift than either the normal
or SLDL versions, the stress on the
lower back itself is pretty minimal.
To give
you an example, I can deadlift 500+
lbs fairly easily but I'm using 185
lbs on the bar for this first example
and 225 for the second. It's the biceps
we're focusing on so we're really
not trying to challenge your deadlift
here.
If you're
going to use less than 45 lb plates
on the bar, you can also do this one
in the power rack, so you don't have
to start down and bent over quite
so far.
So step
up to the bar and squat down and take
a curl grip on it, just outside your
legs. Use your grip to pull your torso
down towards the bar and get as much
bend in your elbows as you can.
Now
begin the deadlift, keeping your elbows
LOCKED in that bent position. The
idea is to stand all the way up while
keeping your arms bent. THAT is what's
going to hit the biceps, especially
at the top.
Be sure
to keep your core area and lower back
nice and tight while you're coming
up. Again, because the weight is relatively
lighter on the bar, you won't have
to worry too much about back strain
- just do your best to maintain an
arch in the lower back and keep the
core tight. Just fyi, that WILL be
tough to do because of how deep you
have to bend to grab the bar. The
idea here is to TRY to maintain the
arch, even if biomechanically, you
can't.
As you
clear the knees with the bar, bring
your torso to upright, keeping your
elbows LOCKED! Your elbows will go
behind your body. Hold this contraction
for a few seconds.
Then
lower the bar slowly to your thighs
then set it back down on the ground.
Repeat!
If you're
familiar with the Body Drag Curl exercise,
this exercise is very much like the
top position of that only with a lot
more weight and without the actual
curl. You're basically doing the deadlift
in order to avoid the curl part but
still get the benefits of the dynamic
isometric tension on the biceps.
And
yep, "dynamic isometrics"
is sort of an oxymoron because technically,
isometric means "without moving."
Your biceps are contracting isometrically
as you do the exercise but the tension
is dynamically changing because of
your changes in body position.
This
is a very powerful concept and it's
going to allow you to hit your biceps
VERY heavy with this exercise.
I mentioned
another version of this exercise,
too, and that one is done with the
Super Deadlift bar.
Click
here for my review of the Super Deadlift
Bar
It's
essentially a bar that puts you in
the center of the resistance - the
bar bends around in a U shape so you
can stand in the middle. It's great
for deadlifts and it will allow you
to do a neutral-grip version of this
exercise.
The
execution is exactly the same, only
your hands will be facing inwards.
This is going to hit the brachialis
more, like a hammer curl.
As you
can see with these two versions, you're
going to be able to get a lot more
weight up to a much higher position
than you ever could with a normal
Body Drag Curl.
This
is a VERY effective exercise for the
biceps - it'll spur some excellent
arm growth by allowing you to use
whole-body strength to pile more weight
directly on the biceps.
Naturally,
don't start with a weight that's going
to cause injury. Since it's a new
exercise, always start on the side
of caution and use a weight you might
normally do for a 1 rep max (something
you know your biceps can handle without
injury). THEN move up from there.
