Athlean-X founder Jeff Cavallier discusses the six best bicep exercises that provide a comprehensive workout for the biceps. He emphasizes the importance of not limiting oneself to just two exercises and instead using a variety of exercises to target different muscle groups and ranges of motion.
The six exercises are:
1. Cheek curl: A variation of the barbell curl that uses a small amount of momentum to lift the weight, allowing for eccentric overload and increased muscle growth.
2. Chin-up: A bodyweight exercise that targets the biceps and allows for progressive overload by adding weight.
3. Dumbbell cross-body curl: An exercise that targets the brachialis muscle, which is often overlooked in bicep training.
4. Banded dumbbell curl: An exercise that uses a band to provide a different strength curve and target the biceps from a new angle.
5. Incline stretch curl: An exercise that targets the biceps in the stretched position, using lighter weights and a deeper stretch to increase muscle growth.
6. Dumbbell waiter curl: An exercise that targets the biceps in the contracted position, using a unique grip and position to increase muscle growth.
Cavallier emphasizes the importance of varying one's workout routine and not relying on just a few exercises to achieve optimal muscle growth.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The author is discussing the six best bicep exercises.
2. The first exercise is the cheek curl, a variation of the barbell curl that allows for a heavier weight.
3. The cheek curl involves using momentum to lift the weight, but not breaking the vertical line behind the body.
4. The second exercise is the chin up, which is a bodyweight exercise that can be modified by adding weight.
5. The chin up trains the biceps to control the descent and is an eccentrically overloaded exercise.
6. The third exercise is the dumbbell cross body curl, which targets the brachialis muscle.
7. The dumbbell cross body curl involves a pronated grip, which takes away the biceps' supination function.
8. The fourth exercise is the banded dumbbell curl, which applies a different strength curve to the lift.
9. The banded dumbbell curl starts easy but gets harder as the band stretches.
10. The fifth exercise is the incline stretch curl, which targets the biceps in the stretch position.
11. The incline stretch curl involves using lighter weights and pronating the forearms at the bottom of the curl.
12. The sixth exercise is the dumbbell waiter curl, which targets the biceps in the contracted position.
13. The dumbbell waiter curl involves holding the dumbbell flat up towards the ceiling.
14. The author recommends combining the position of the spider curl with the execution of the weight or curl for an intense bicep exercise.