weight trainers, does this advice about ez curl bars make sense? (link)

[abc]

LINK


they say you should use a regular straight bar to do curls.

 

[rubenswm]

check t-mag.com

 

[diskop]

Is that a man with long and ugly fingernails, or a woman with very very masculine forearms?

 

[tcsenter]

weight trainers, does this advice about ez curl bars make sense? (link)

You're supposed to vary your exercises, using dumbbell, straight bar, and "EZ bar" curls for the best results. Relying upon a single exercise to maximize benefit to any single muscle group is not very wise.

The author states that the EZ bar makes the exercise "easier" on the biceps muscle. The purpose of the EZ bar is to reduce strain on the wrist joint, forearm, and to reduce the chance of injury to the biceps tendon because in full supination, the biceps muscle is being fully isolated and the biceps tendon is the shortest. This is not necessarily 'better', especially if it increases the risk of injury, which it does. People blow their biceps tendons all the time this way.

No matter the amount of pronation or supination of your hands, if you grab a bar with your arms roughly at shoulder length apart, keeping your elbow fixed at your side, and lift that bar towards your chest moving only the forearm at the elbow joint, your biceps are doing 95% or more of the work. The forearm muscles will provide support for the forearm and wrist joint, but they do very little of the "lifting".

There is such an exercise as the 'reverse grip' curl, instead of placing your palms facing up in supination, you grip the bar with your palms facing down in pronation. This is by far the more difficult exercise and should be part of anyone's arm routine. It benefits both the biceps and upper forearm.

Regardless of the position of your hands, if your biceps are lifting 50lbs, they are still lifting 50lbs.

 

[SnapIT]

Straight bar has an advantage, the EZ is closer to the hammercurl, the straight bar works the outermost portion of the biceps better, with dumbells... you can vary as much as you want...

I use straight bar and dumbells...

If the ez does not hurt your elbows, there is really no reason to use an ez...

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Doesn't the reverse curl mainly hit the inner head (Biceps brachialis I think?) whereas normal curls work the outer head?

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

Regardless of the position of your hands, if your biceps are lifting 50lbs, they are still lifting 50lbs.

The author from the link is correct. EZ curl bars make biceps work easier by placing the muscles at a greater mechanical advantage than a straight bar curl. The EZ curl bar also allows the brachioradialis to participate in the motion to a greater extent. The brachioradialis is one of the few forearm muscles that crosses the elbow. Any muscle that crosses a joint can potentially assist in a movement. In the hammer curl, the biceps are twisted about the vertical axis and are somewhat compromised allowing the brachioradialis to become a prime mover. The brachioradialis is strongest in the midpoint between supination and pronation (which is equivalent to the hand position when using EZ curl bars).

The combination of a more active brachioradialis and mechanically disadvantaged biceps brachii makes EZ curls an inferior exercise to straight bar curls.

 

[Maverick2002]

Depends on what you want to do. Like several people mentioned, the EZ bar works the inner biceps more whereas the straight bar works both in a more balanced fashion.

Naturally, the inner part of your biceps are a lot stronger and more developed than the outer part (think about it: when you lift an object you bring it inward, not outward). This is also why reverse grip pull ups (palms away from you) are harder than "regular" pull ups (palms facing you).

However, even straight bar curls (what I do mostly) won't work your outer biceps enough; that's why you do reverse curls with a straight bar (palms away from you). They're a lot harder but they really hit the outer part and also strengthen your wrists and foreams.

I'm no weight trainer; just been going to the gym for over a year (and I was mega skinny when I started, now I'm 40lbs more, all lean muscle).

 

[tcsenter]

The author from the link is correct. EZ curl bars make biceps work easier by placing the muscles at a greater mechanical advantage than a straight bar curl.

The second sentence somewhat conflicts with your last stating the biceps are put at a mechanical disadvantage when using the EZ curl bar. Also, the EZ curl bar puts the wrists slightly off full supination, about midway between a hammer curl (vertical fists) and full supination. Biceps brachii does not become mechanically disadvantage until it approaches mid-pronation, mid-supination, or 'half-way'.

From full supination of the forearm, biceps brachii first becomes elongated in the first few degrees of pronation, but along a straight axis, before it starts to twist around the radius (vertical axis). IOW, it is pulled straight for a few degrees before it is pulled 'around' the radius, due to the supra-medial prominence of the radial tuberosity in full supination.

In these few degrees, biceps becomes elongated, but not mechanically compromised.

The EZ curl bar also allows the brachioradialis to participate in the motion to a greater extent. The brachioradialis is one of the few forearm muscles that crosses the elbow. Any muscle that crosses a joint can potentially assist in a movement.

While increased involvement of brachioradialis has been cited as the reason why the EZ bar allows you to lift more, you'd need to have pretty big brachioradialis to explain the increase in lifting capacity, brachioradialis would hardly contribute in this position. As a stabilizer, yes, but contributing to flexion, very little until the forearm approaches the half-way point between supination and pronation.

Naturally, the inner part of your biceps are a lot stronger and more developed than the outer part (think about it: when you lift an object you bring it inward, not outward). This is also why reverse grip pull ups (palms away from you) are harder than "regular" pull ups (palms facing you).

The inner head of biceps brachii originates at the coracoid process of your scapula and predominates in flexion of the shoulder, whereas the outer head of biceps originates at your upper humerus and predominates in flexion of the forearm.

In order to work the inner head, you'd need an exercise that more heavily focuses on flexion of the arm at the shoulder joint, similar to doing pecks. For the outer head, you need to focus on flexion of the forearm at the elbow joint.

 

[dabuddha]

one little tip i learned when curling is to keep your back against a wall... no one told me bout it before so it was a godsend

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

The second sentence somewhat conflicts with your last stating the biceps are put at a mechanical disadvantage when using the EZ curl bar.

Damn . . . that's not somewhat conflicting . . . it is certainly conflicting. EZ curls reduce the activity of the biceps and increase the activity of the brachioradialis and brachialis.



EMG analysis of muscle activity
I'm too lazy to look up old issues of M&F but the simple fact is that straight bar curls activate the biceps brachii more so than EZ curls. Per this example . . . the activity of the short head varies most dramatically with supination and pronation. The take home is spend more time with the straight bar than EZ curl. For the tech at heart . . .

Biceps brachii does not become mechanically disadvantage until it approaches mid-pronation, mid-supination, or 'half-way'.

Doesn't matter . . . but it's a bit more complicated. The mechanical advantage is important on a macro and micro level. At a macro level any deviation from fibers pulling linear against resistance reduces the mechanical advantage. On a micro level if you supinate your arm you can see the biceps shorten. The overlap at full supination reduces actin/myosin cross-bridges available for further shortening of the muscle fibers (hence less force generated). Regardless, the biceps (on balance) are strongest pulling in a straight line at full supination. As you pronate you quickly reach a point where force potential increased by lengthening of the biceps brachii is more than matched by force decrease caused by loss of macro mechanical advantage. The brachioradialis activity increases as you move towards the midpoint. I've never seen EMG analysis of the brachialis but due to its origin/insertion it is capable of flexing the forearm from all orientations. To test this out, try doing all of your chins with a fully pronated (reverse-grip). You will feel a burn (then ache, the next day) in your upper arm but it is deep to your biceps and close to the elbow . . . that's your brachialis.

So EZ curls reduce the recruitment of biceps brachii while increasing the relative load and activity of the brachioradialis and brachialis. Most people can lift more with EZ curl bars but you are doing less biceps brachii work. Then again, well developed brachialis look nice between bulging triceps and biceps . . .Ronnie Coleman . . . check out rc11 and rc23

 

[abc]

so ez curl bars work out a different muscle... is that agreed?

 

[tcsenter]

so ez curl bars work out a different muscle... is that agreed?

EZ curl bars 'slightly' (IMO) reduces work on the biceps and bring brachioradialis and perhaps brachialis more into play, yes. But that doesn't mean you can't benefit from using an EZ bar. There are far too many dudes out there with extremely developed biceps who swear by it, but remember that nobody gets those biceps using a single type of bar or exercise. If you want some serious biceps isolation, the straight bar curl isn't it anyway (standing or otherwise).

Although, I wonder about two things: how the slight lengthening of the biceps using the EZ bar changes its tension potential at various parts of the exercise and whether there is a part of the exercise where the EZ bar may actually be superior than straight bar (through beginning, middle, or end of the range of movement)?

And if brachioradialis is stealing 10% of the work, there is a solution...just add more weight. heh

Then again, well developed brachialis look nice between bulging triceps and biceps . . .Ronnie Coleman . . . check out rc11 and rc23

Yeah, I wonder how Coleman justifies his use of steroids...being a police officer and all.

 

[AndrewR]

EZ curl bars 'slightly' (IMO) reduces work on the biceps and bring brachioradialis and perhaps brachialis more into play, yes. But that doesn't mean you can't benefit from using an EZ bar.

What I find is that if I use the EZ curl bar, the brachioraialis (or, more simply, the top of my elbow) ends up extremely sore and my biceps less so. When I use the standard bar, I can put the stress directly on the biceps without overstressing my elbow. Then, if I want to really isolate the bicep, I use a dumbbell isolation curl to failure.

 

[tcsenter]

What I find is that if I use the EZ curl bar, the brachioraialis (or, more simply, the top of my elbow) ends up extremely sore and my biceps less so.

That's how I 'discovered' I had a brachioradialis. I was like...'GAWD DAMN why is this area of my arm screaming?' Its a muscle I never worked before then and it didn't take much to get it complaining, loudly. haha

In fact, I had already been doing biceps for a few months. When I started lifting, all I had were dumbbells so I did a variety of dumbbell work; curls, flys, presses (mostly curls). Then I went to a friend's house and he had an EZ bar so I used that for the first time. What happened is that I worked my brachioradialis to failure and didn't know it because my biceps were already disproportionately stronger. So I just kept plugging away at that EZ curl bar even after my brachioradialis had been worked to failure, not knowing or even feeling there was something wrong.

GAWD! A couple hours later I thought I had really, I mean REALLY, hurt something. My brachioradialis wasn't just 'burning', it was painful, like a deep tissue injury or something.

The pain/burning lasted for a few weeks like that even though I had stopped lifting. Not good. Even worse, for the next six months, every time I tried to do even some minimalist work on the EZ bar, my brachioradialis would start hurting like that again, because I was re-injuring it. It took more than a year before it healed and I could hit the EZ bar again.

 

[dafatha00]

Originally posted by: tcsenter

What I find is that if I use the EZ curl bar, the brachioraialis (or, more simply, the top of my elbow) ends up extremely sore and my biceps less so.

That's how I 'discovered' I had a brachioradialis. I was like...'GAWD DAMN why is this area of my arm screaming?' Its a muscle I never worked before then and it didn't take much to get it complaining, loudly. haha

In fact, I had already been doing biceps for a few months. When I started lifting, all I had were dumbbells so I did a variety of dumbbell work; curls, flys, presses (mostly curls). Then I went to a friend's house and he had an EZ bar so I used that for the first time. What happened is that I worked my brachioradialis to failure and didn't know it because my biceps were already disproportionately stronger. So I just kept plugging away at that EZ curl bar even after my brachioradialis had been worked to failure, not knowing or even feeling there was something wrong.

GAWD! A couple hours later I thought I had really, I mean REALLY, hurt something. My brachioradialis wasn't just 'burning', it was painful, like a deep tissue injury or something.

The pain/burning lasted for a few weeks like that even though I had stopped lifting. Not good. Even worse, for the next six months, every time I tried to do even some minimalist work on the EZ bar, my brachioradialis would start hurting like that again, because I was re-injuring it. It took more than a year before it healed and I could hit the EZ bar again.

god damn...a year?

anyways, so let me clarify on some things....on the ez curl bars, there is an inner and outer position to hold the bar. which position works out which muscles?

also, what does the reverse curl work out?

 

[tcsenter]

god damn...a year?

Well, I think it would have worked-out sooner, but as I said, I kept re-injuring the muscle.

anyways, so let me clarify on some things....on the ez curl bars, there is an inner and outer position to hold the bar. which position works out which muscles?

I think that is to offer two different grip separation choices, wide and narrow, for comfort reasons. People with wider shoulders would use the outer and those with more narrow shoulders would use the inner. I'm not sure there is enough separation there to alter the muscle groups being worked. I've seen two different EZ bar designs; one having a slightly more pronounce curvature in the middle than the other. Then there is what they call "Super Bar" with a wavey "U" shape curve in the middle.

also, what does the reverse curl work out?

Brachioradialis and brachialis, major upper forearm muscles, and to a lesser extent, biceps. If you extend the wrist near the 'peak' of the exercise, as you can do with standard curls (crunching) but flexing instead of extending, you can include some lower forearm muscles (wrist extensors) into the workout, too.