BICEPS EXERCISES

Nilsson Curls Forearm Braced Chin-Ups

Why Is This Exercise So Effective?

This is a compound exercise for the biceps that uses the lats as a secondary mover. This allows you to use your own bodyweight as resistance for a biceps exercise, maximizing the effectiveness of the movement. The pull-up movement also works the biceps at two joints rather than just one.

How To Do It

This exercise is best done using the safety rails of a power rack. There are other methods of setting up that you can use that are just as effective. I will detail these at the end of this section.

• The absolute easiest way is to use the two, bottom safety rails of the rack.
  
  
• They need to be the type that you can slide completely out of the rack for this method to work, as you’ll be placing them on the same side of the rack uprights.
  
  
• Place one of the rails in the highest set of holes in the rack.
  
  
• Set the other rail in the set of holes approximately one foot down from that top one in the same side uprights.
  
  
• Your setup will look like two rungs in a ladder.

Now you’re all set!

• Grip the top bar and brace your forearm against the bottom bar (you may want to use a pad or a towel wrapped around the bottom bar for your forearms).
  
  
• Keeping your forearms pressed against the bottom bar throughout the entire exercise, curl yourself up.
  
  
• This is the most important point to remember about this exercise, as bracing your forearms is what sends all the tension to your biceps. It does this by reducing the involvement of the lats.
  
  
• Strive to keep your shoulders back during the movement to maximize stability of the shoulder joint. Don’t let those shoulders hunch forward!
  
  
• Squeeze hard at the top. This instruction is kind of unnecessary to be honest. You won’t really have a choice at that point - the tension on your biceps is just incredible!

How to incorporate this exercise into your workouts:

This exercise should be the first biceps exercise you do in your workout. It requires tremendous strength and therefore is best done with fresh biceps.

Common Errors

1. Pulling Straight Up

For best results, pull yourself up in an arc. This will most strongly affect the biceps. Pulling straight up will still work, just not quite as strongly.

2. Using Momentum

Always do this exercise deliberately and under control to maintain maximum tension on the biceps. Moving quickly will only decrease the effectiveness of the exercise.

It is especially important not to use momentum as you come to the bottom of the exercise as your elbows are braced against a rail. You could injure your elbows if you slam down into the bottom of the rep.

3. Letting the Shoulders Hunch Forward

Be sure to keep your shoulders back during the exercise. Letting the shoulders hunch forward can reduce your pulling strength by decreasing the stability of the shoulder joint.

Tricks

1. Using Barbells To Set Up

If you don’t have access to a rack that uses the removable bottom safety rails you can also use two barbells inside the rack.

• Start by setting the racking hooks in the highest holes.
  
  
• Set an Olympic bar in those racks.
  
  
• Load some weight onto that bar to keep it from shifting during the exercise (I use a couple of 45 pound plates on either side but you may choose to use more or less weight).
  
  
• Now set the safety rails in the holes about one foot below the top bar that you’ve already set up.
  
  
• Set another Olympic bar across there and you’re done.

Note: You will be doing this exercise from inside the rack so that your forearms are pushing the bottom bar against the rear uprights. If you work from the other side, your forearms will have nothing to push the bottom bar against and it may roll or slide away.

2. Weighted Nilsson Curls

This exercise can also be done weighted with a dumbbell between your feet or with weight hanging from your waist using a hip belt. The execution of the exercise is exactly the same.

If you wish to do negatives with a dumbbell for extra weight, follow these steps:

• Set the dumbbell on a bench in front of you.
  
  
• Step up on the bench and get into the top position,
  
  
• Grasp the dumbbell between your feet then move it off the bench
  
  
• Lower yourself down.

As a bonus, using a dumbbell between your feet also gives you some really good isometric ab work.

3. Using A Reverse Grip

Doing the Nilsson Curl with a reverse grip will affect the brachialis muscle strongly. Be aware that your elbows will have a tendency to slide out to the sides as you pull yourself up, so you should consciously force them in.