![]() ![]() The cross body hammer curl is a brilliant bicep-building exercise when you perform it with the correct technique. Read More: How to get more defined biceps The verdict: Are cross body curls worth doing for bicep development? Cross curls can typically only be performed effectively with dumbbells. ![]() Normal hammer curls are easy to perform with other equipment.Cross hammer curls are more conducive to a strong mind– muscle connection because you only need to focus on working one arm at a time.Regular hammer curls are better for forearm development.Cross body dumbbell curls emphasize your biceps, whereas regular hammer curls prioritize your brachioradialis.You can lift more weight on cross body hammer curls.But whichever exercise you decide to be the most important is the one that you should perform first. Of course, you can perform both movements in your workout. This quick cross body hammer curl vs hammer curl comparison will help you learn which variation is best for your goals. But lifting technique isn’t the only difference between these two exercises. ![]() The dumbbell cross body curl is sometimes called the chest curl because you have to lift the weights across your torso rather than straight out in front of you. īesides overloading the muscles with higher resistance levels and thus potentially stimulating faster hypertrophy, the increased strength will also carry over to your other outer bicep workouts so that you can lift heavier weights across the board. Since you can lift heavier weight and thereby do more training volume on pinwheel curls (aka cross-body hammer curls), your biceps will naturally gain strength faster. The crossbody hammer curl is one of the best dumbbell curls in this regard, because by turning your arm inwards, you’re placing more tension on the long (outer) head of your biceps, which is the head that most people need to develop-and also the head that’s responsible for developing those coveted peaked biceps. This is great if you’re in the pursuit of thicker forearms, but sometimes you just want to focus on your upper arms. Traditional hammer curls typically emphasize the brachioradialis over the biceps. Here are the benefits that you can look forward to when you lift with the proper form. The cross body dumbbell curl may not be as popular as the standard hammer curl, but that doesn’t mean that it’s any less effective for building arms of steel. But just be sure to keep your elbows and shoulders relatively still so that the tension stays firmly on your biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis. So, by all means, lift heavier than you would on regular hammer curls or incline dumbbell hammer curls. This is because you need the muscle to be the limiting factor in at least one exercise so that it gets close enough to muscular failure in order to grow bigger. Taken to the extreme, if weight was the most important determinant of muscle growth, then we’d all just be performing deadlifts for our biceps.īut as we know, for a muscle to reach its potential in the shortest amount of time, you generally have to isolate it. While it’s true that you can lift heavier weights by swinging the dumbbells up with momentum provided by your legs and hips, this lifting technique actually results in less bicep stimulation.īecause the extra resistance that you’re curling is simply distributed over a wider variety of muscles-the ones that you’re using to cheat the dumbbells up. ![]() As such, when you’re performing dumbbell exercises for the biceps, you should do everything in your power to keep the tension on the target muscles. The cross body curl, also called the pinwheel curl, is an isolation exercise. However, the fact that many lifters are stronger on the crossbody curl often leads them down the path of ego lifting and other mistakes that can limit bicep development and/or cause injuries. Repeat the same motion with your other arm and do 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps in total (per arm).Ĭross-body hammer curls are actually easier to perform than regular hammer curls because you only need to focus on training one arm at a time.Hold the contraction for a split second and then lower the dumbbell until your elbow is fully extended.Keep curling until your forearm and bicep make contact.Curl one of the weights across your body toward your opposite shoulder.Hold two dumbbells by your sides with a neutral grip.How to do cross-body hammer curls correctly Secondary Muscles: Forearm extensors, forearm flexors.Main Muscles: Biceps brachii, brachialis, brachioradialis.Also known As: Pinwheel curls, chest curls, inside curls.The verdict: Are cross body curls worth doing for bicep development? Cross body hammer curl exercise details ![]()
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