The best way to Do the Drag Curl: Type, Advantages & Options

The drag curl is an “old-school” bodybuilding train famed for its capacity to construct your biceps “peak.”

Whereas it is probably not as fashionable as common barbell and dumbbell curls, it’s a improbable train for gaining higher arm measurement and energy.

On this article, you’ll be taught what drag curls are, the best way to do correct drag curl type, the advantages of the train, which muscle groups it really works, widespread errors and the best way to keep away from them, the most effective barbell drag curl alternate options and variations, and extra.

What Are Drag Curls?

Drag curls are a variation of the commonplace biceps curl that emphasize the biceps lengthy head.

The biceps lengthy head is the portion of the biceps on the surface of the higher arm that offers the looks of a “peak” when flexed.

Drag Curl Type: The best way to Do Drag Curls Appropriately

To grasp drag curl type, break up the train into three components: arrange, drag, and descend.

1. Arrange

Whereas standing up straight along with your toes shoulder-width aside, maintain a barbell with a shoulder-width grip and your palms going through away from you. Permit your arms to hold straight down so the bar rests in your thighs.

2. Drag

Drag the bar up your physique by bending your elbows and permitting them to maneuver backward. Proceed shifting your elbows again till the bar reaches nipple top or barely under.

3. Descend

Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.

Right here’s the way it ought to look if you put all of it collectively:

The Advantages of the Drag Curl

Most Biceps Growth

Analysis reveals that combining compound pulling workouts involving the biceps with focused biceps workouts just like the drag curl maximizes biceps progress.

Doing so means that you can prepare your biceps at totally different angles and thru various ranges of movement, which produces extra balanced and full progress than solely utilizing compound workouts.

It additionally ensures you prepare your “bis” with sufficient quantity (units) to stimulate progress with out different muscle groups changing into a limiting issue.

Biceps Peak Emphasis

The lengthy head of the biceps “crosses” the shoulder joint, so it’s most stretched and capable of generate most drive when your arm is behind your physique.

Thus, workouts that place your arms behind your physique, just like the drag biceps curl, are usually the most effective workouts for growing your biceps lengthy heads, which is the portion of the biceps that contributes most to your biceps peak.

Shoulder Stability

The biceps, particularly its lengthy head, performs a function in stabilizing the top of the humerus (higher arm bone) throughout the glenoid cavity (a shallow socket in your shoulder blade that holds the humerus).

Subsequently, strengthening the biceps could assist stabilize the shoulder and maintain it wholesome.

Drag Curl: Muscle mass Labored

The principle muscle groups labored by the drag curl are the biceps brachii, or “biceps.” It additionally works your brachialis and forearms to a lesser extent.

Right here’s how the primary muscle group labored by the drag curl appears in your physique:

Alternating Dumbbell Curl Muscles Worked

Units and Reps for the Drag Curl

Since you use a barbell (or EZ bar) for the drag biceps curl, it’s inherently extra steady and balanced than most different biceps isolation workouts, thus permitting you to raise heavier weights.

For males seeking to construct muscle and achieve energy, doing 3 units of 4-to-6 or 6-to-8 reps works properly, whereas 3 units of 6-to-8 or 8-to-10 reps is extra becoming for girls.

Who Ought to Do the Drag Curl?

The drag curl is a superb train for anybody seeking to maximize biceps measurement and energy. It’s well-suited to those that have entry to restricted gear (for those who prepare at house, for instance) because it means that you can prepare your arms in a novel means with out requiring any specialist gear.

Frequent Drag Curl Errors

Utilizing an excessive amount of weight

Attempting to raise an excessive amount of weight on the drag curl could cause your type to interrupt down, lowering the effectiveness of the train and growing the chance of harm.

Keep away from this by selecting a weight that means that you can full every rep with correct type and concentrate on performing “clear” reps somewhat than how a lot weight you raise.

Letting the burden fall again to the beginning place

Analysis reveals that controlling the eccentric portion (“decreasing” part) of any biceps curl is a extremely efficient method to increase muscle progress. As a common rule, it is best to take the identical time to raise the burden as you do to decrease it to the beginning place—round one or two seconds for every is an effective goal.

Utilizing momentum

Counting on momentum to “hump” the burden up reduces the work your biceps do and, thus, how a lot muscle you achieve. To stop your self from utilizing momentum within the drag curl, maintain your torso, hips, and knees nonetheless throughout every rep.

Letting your elbows drift ahead

Letting your elbows drift ahead turns the train into a conventional curl. Whereas this isn’t essentially dangerous, it lessens the emphasis on the biceps lengthy head, undermining the first advantage of the drag curl.

The Greatest Barbell Drag Curl Options and Variations

1. Dumbbell Drag Curl

The principle advantage of the dumbbell drag curl is it trains either side of your physique independently, which may help you discover and repair muscle imbalances.

2. Cable Drag Curl

The cable drag curl retains extra fixed stress on the biceps than the barbell drag curl, which can assist muscle progress. That stated, some individuals discover the cable variation tough to carry out as a result of the cable pulls you backward, which might make it difficult to stability.

3. Smith Machine Drag Curl

The Smith machine drag curl is nearly precisely the identical because the barbell drag curl; the one distinction is that you simply use a Smith machine somewhat than a barbell. The Smith machine drag curl is a wonderfully viable drag curl different. Nonetheless, keep in mind that it forces you to coach via a barely unnatural vary of movement, which some individuals dislike.

4. Bayesian Cable Curl

The Bayesian cable curl mimics drag curl type however means that you can use cables as a substitute of a barbell. The advantages of the Bayesian curl are that it trains your biceps in a stretched place and retains fixed stress in your biceps all through every rep, each of which profit progress.

5. Incline Dumbbell Curl

The incline dumbbell curl trains your biceps after they’re behind your torso, which emphasizes the lengthy head, much like the drag curl. The incline curl additionally creates intense biceps stress all through the complete vary of movement, which is necessary for growing balanced measurement and energy.

Drag Curl Suggestions

1. Finish each set 1-to-3 reps shy of muscle failure.

As I clarify in my health books for males and ladies, to maximise your outcomes, you need to take most units to inside a rep or two of failure.

Ask your self on the finish of every set of drag biceps curls, “If I needed to, what number of extra reps may I’ve gotten with good type?” If the reply is greater than two, improve the burden or reps to make your subsequent set tougher.

2. When you hit the highest of your rep vary for a set, transfer up in weight.

In case your exercise requires 6-to-8 reps of the barbell drag curl and also you get 8 reps for a set, add 10 kilos to your subsequent set.

If you happen to handle 3 or fewer reps with the brand new weight, scale back the burden by 5 kilos to make sure you keep within the 6-to-8 rep vary.

Observe this sample of attempting so as to add reps or weight to each train in each exercise.

3. Contract your biceps arduous on each rep.

Analysis reveals that utilizing “inner cues” (psychological mantras that draw your consideration towards what you’re doing along with your physique) could increase biceps progress.

As an example, in a examine performed by scientists at Lehman School, individuals elevated biceps activation when the researchers reminded them to “squeeze the muscle” throughout units of biceps curls.

What’s extra, individuals who used this cue skilled twice as a lot biceps progress over the 8-week examine as individuals who used a cue like “get the burden up.”