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This is one of my very favorite "secret
sauce" exercises for building the
biceps FAST, even when nothing else seems
to work.
You're
using your ENTIRE bodyweight and placing
it directly on the biceps...with a small
adjustment to the setup of the normal
chin-up exercise.
This
will give you a TREMENDOUS muscle-building
pump in your biceps, I can promise you
that. It's one of the few bicep exercises
that is actually a compound exercise and
it has the potential to increase your
arm size significantly with regular use.
And
yes, it is a bit of an ego thing to name
this exercise after myself (I call it
the Nilsson Curl), but to me, it makes
sense because it's really what I'm all
about...it's completely opposite to what
you're supposed to do, it uses equipment
in ways it was never intended, it's a
little bit nuts and it works twice as
good as anything else ;)
Back
to the exercise...
To
do this one, you'll need some basic equipment...the
setup I'm using is a couple of bars set
in the power rack. There's acutally an
even easier way to set it up in the rack
IF you've got a rack that has thinner
rails rather than the thick posts that
mine has (I'll tell you how to set that
up once you see the exercise). You can
also very easily do this one at a playground
on one of the ladders there.
This
exercise requires some upfront strength
to start with for sure...to do this one,
you should be able to perform at least
8 to 10 normal chin-ups. If you aren't
there yet, I have another version that
I'll show you that will be perfect for
you. And if you're stronger, I have another
version for you as well :).
So
set one bar up as high as the racking
pins can be set, then set the safety rails
about 18 inches or so below there - you
can adjust the height as needed for your
arm length. Set the second bar on the
rails, pushed up against the uprights
of the rack.
Now
grip the top bar...your forearms will
be braced against the bottom bar.
If
you're using a rack that has thinner rails,
just set both rails on one side so that
they look like ladder rungs and you're
all set.
Make
sure you keep tension in the biceps and
shoulders. This puts a fair bit of leverage
onto the biceps at the bottom and you
don't want to hyperextend anything.
Now
pull your body up.
Since
your forearms are braced and blocked during
this chin-up movement, your lats actually
become secondary movers and your BICEPS
become the primary movers.
Pull
all the way up until you hit full contraction
at the top. You want to keep your upper
body vertical to keep the tension focused
solidly on the biceps here.
Hold
at the top then lower yourself under control,
especially as you come towards the bottom
and reverse direction. DO NOT slam yourself
down into the bottom position or try to
reverse direction quickly. If you feel
yourself coming down too fast, let go
of the bar and drop to the ground.
What to Do If You're Not
Strong Enough to Do Full Reps
Simple!
You're going to do the exercise with your
feet on the ground.
You
may need to lower the bars a bit, so you
can keep your feet on the ground the whole
way, or you can do how I'm doing it in
the demo and just spot with your feet
for part of the exercise range of motion.
NOW
take your feet off the ground and finish
to the top.
And
like I said, you can also set the bars
lower to keep your feet on the floor the
whole way through.
How
to Add Resistance
As
you get stronger, or if you're strong
enough already, you can add resistance
in the form of a dumbell between your
feet.
Here's
what that looks like.
Now,
if you're ready for some serious fun (and
this is how I did it in the demo video),
start with the dumbell between your feet
and get as many reps as you can, then
go to just bodyweight for as many reps
as you can, then standing for as many
reps as you can.
Your
biceps will be ON FIRE by the end of the
set and you'll probably have a hard time
brushing your teeth for the next few days
but it'll be worth it.
The
Nilsson Curl, used regularly in your bicep
training, will help you add some serious
size to your arms and improve your chinning
strength as a side bonus!
Be sure to add your comments below,
especially after you give it a try!
