The vast majority of athletes pay great attention to training biceps. And not in vain! Their pumping is absolutely necessary to really add the finishing touches to a muscular and aesthetically pleasing physical condition. As for exercise, one of the best is to lift your biceps with a back grip. Many people focus on dumbbell lifts that are quite effective, but if you really want to attack your biceps and give your forearms a good load, then barbell lifts are absolutely perfect and much harder to complete than you think.
From this article, you will learn all about doing barbell lifting with a back grip, and also get some tips and tricks for this exercise.
Execution technique
Stand upright while holding the barbell wide with your hands. The palms should be directed forward, and the elbows should be close enough to the body.
As you exhale, keeping your upper arms still, lift the barbell in front of you, shortening your biceps. Only the forearms are involved in the movement. Lift until the biceps of the arms are fully squeezed and the barbell is at shoulder level. Hold the maximum contraction for one second.
As you inhale, slowly lower the bar to its initial position. Perform the recommended number of repetitions.
Execution Options
Performing a lift to the biceps with a reverse grip in a sitting position allows you to perfectly concentrate on the target muscles and perform movement with maximum amplitude.
You can also do upgrades in a simulator called a crossover. You will need a straight handle that needs to be fixed at the very bottom of the simulator. This option does provide a good cut at the top of the movement.
Grip width
Reverses to biceps with a reverse grip can be performed with different widths of the arms, which allows you to shift the focus to different biceps heads:
- A wide grip will help increase the tension of the short or inner head of the biceps, reducing tension on the long or outer head. This is important because the short inner head is the muscle that is most visible in the mirror during the exercise. The inner head helps develop density and adds depth to the biceps.
- A narrow grip pays more attention to the long biceps head. This muscle is often referred to as the “peak” of the biceps.
Regardless of the grip width, you should keep your elbows closer to the body. Thus, the target muscle is stimulated much better.
Advice
When doing biceps lifts with a back grip, make sure your back is straight. One of the biggest mistakes athletes make is swinging their torso back and forth in order to give an impetus to lift. If you have to lean back to twist, then the working weight is too big for you, so you should reduce it. Suitable weights to do the exercise with the perfect technique will help you work out your muscles and avoid back injuries.
Also, make sure you keep your elbows fixed on both sides of your body at all times. Never let them come forward when you are climbing.
Control weight throughout the exercise. This means that you slowly raise it up, and just as slowly allow it to lower back to its initial position. You should not let the bar go down quickly - you need to control this moment during the exercise.
Conclusion
So, now you know everything about lifting the bar for biceps while standing with a back grip, as well as about other variations of this exercise. Now you can safely go to the gym and work hard to get muscular and strong arms.