Shoulder Flexion During Curls? It Depends!
Summary
TLDRIn this fitness-focused video, Nicola Camela discusses the nuances of performing curls, emphasizing the importance of understanding muscle engagement. She explains the role of the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis in elbow flexion and how their involvement changes with arm position. Nicola clarifies that adding shoulder flexion to curls can either enhance or detract from the exercise, depending on the muscle group being targeted. The video provides practical demonstrations of standard dumbbell curls, hammer curls, and the impact of forearm rotation on muscle activation, guiding viewers on how to effectively tailor their curl exercises.
Takeaways
- 💪 The decision to add shoulder flexion in a curl exercise depends on your goal and the muscles you're targeting.
- 📏 Biceps are involved in both elbow flexion and shoulder flexion, while brachialis and brachioradialis focus on elbow flexion.
- 🔄 The biceps attaches to the radius, which rotates around the stable ulna during supination.
- 🔄 Brachialis and brachioradialis attach to the ulna and do not move, focusing solely on elbow flexion.
- 👐 Pronating your palm downward stretches the biceps, making it a disadvantage for elbow flexion.
- 👆 Supinating your palm upward gives the biceps a mechanical advantage, allowing it to contribute more to elbow flexion.
- 🙅♂️ In a reverse curl, the biceps is less involved due to pronation, so shoulder flexion is not beneficial.
- 🙆♂️ In a standard curl with palms up, adding a bit of shoulder flexion can engage the biceps more effectively.
- 🏋️♀️ Hammer curls emphasize brachialis and brachioradialis, as they do not cross the shoulder joint, so shoulder flexion is unnecessary.
- 👍 Flexing the shoulder forward during a standard curl can enhance biceps engagement due to the biceps' role in shoulder flexion.
Q & A
What are the main muscles involved in a standard bicep curl?
-The main muscles involved in a standard bicep curl are the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis.
Why is shoulder flexion sometimes added to a bicep curl?
-Shoulder flexion is sometimes added to a bicep curl because the biceps cross the shoulder joint, and adding slight shoulder flexion can enhance biceps engagement during the movement.
How does supination affect the biceps during a curl?
-Supination, or turning the palm upwards, gives the biceps a mechanical advantage, allowing them to contribute more effectively to elbow flexion during a curl.
What happens to the biceps' contribution during a reverse curl?
-In a reverse curl, the biceps' contribution is minimized because pronation (palm down) puts the biceps at a disadvantage, shifting focus to other elbow flexors like the brachialis and brachioradialis.
What is the role of the brachialis in elbow flexion?
-The brachialis is responsible for flexing the elbow, and it functions independently of the position of the forearm, making it a primary mover in elbow flexion.
How do the radius and ulna work during forearm rotation?
-The radius rotates around a stable ulna during forearm rotation, such as in supination (palm up) or pronation (palm down) movements.
Why doesn’t the brachialis contribute to shoulder flexion?
-The brachialis doesn’t contribute to shoulder flexion because it doesn’t cross the shoulder joint; it only crosses the elbow joint.
What is the benefit of performing a hammer curl?
-The hammer curl focuses more on the brachialis and brachioradialis by placing the biceps at a mechanical disadvantage through a neutral hand position (thumbs up), effectively targeting these deeper elbow flexors.
When is it unnecessary to add shoulder flexion to a curling exercise?
-It is unnecessary to add shoulder flexion when performing exercises like the reverse curl or hammer curl because these movements already minimize the involvement of the biceps.
What is the overall purpose of adding or avoiding shoulder flexion in a curl exercise?
-The purpose of adding or avoiding shoulder flexion in a curl exercise depends on which muscles are being targeted. Adding shoulder flexion can enhance biceps engagement, while avoiding it isolates other elbow flexors like the brachialis and brachioradialis.
Outlines
💪 Dumbbell Curls for Biceps and Shoulder Flexion
In this paragraph, Nicola Camela discusses the debate over whether to include shoulder flexion in the curl exercise to target different muscles. She explains that it depends on the goal and the muscles being targeted, such as the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis. Nicola goes into detail about the anatomy of the forearm, explaining how the radius rotates around a stable ulna, and how the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis contribute to elbow flexion differently. She clarifies that when performing a reverse curl with the palm down, the biceps is less involved due to pronation, but in a standard curl with the palm up, adding a bit of shoulder flexion can engage the biceps more effectively. Nicola concludes with a demonstration of a standard dumbbell curl, emphasizing the importance of not overdoing the shoulder movement to keep the focus on the biceps.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Curl
💡Shoulder Flexion
💡Biceps
💡Brachialis
💡Brachioradialis
💡Supination
💡Pronation
💡Elbow Flexors
💡Dumbbell Curl
💡Hammer Curl
Highlights
The decision to add shoulder flexion in a curl exercise depends on the goal and the muscles being targeted.
Biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis are the main elbow flexors, each with different roles in curl exercises.
Biceps attach to the radius, which rotates around the ulna during supination.
Brachialis attaches to the ulna and is the primary mover when the biceps is at a mechanical disadvantage.
Pronation stretches the biceps, making it less effective for elbow flexion.
Supination gives the biceps a mechanical advantage, allowing it to contribute more to the curl movement.
In a reverse curl, the biceps is less involved due to pronation, focusing the exercise on the brachialis and brachioradialis.
For a standard dumbbell curl targeting the biceps, a little shoulder flexion can be added at the end of the movement.
Excessive shoulder movement should be avoided to keep the focus on biceps rather than shoulder muscles.
In a hammer curl, the biceps is at a disadvantage, so the focus shifts to the brachialis and brachioradialis.
Adding shoulder flexion to a hammer curl is unnecessary as it does not improve the exercise for the targeted muscles.
The video emphasizes the importance of understanding muscle mechanics for effective exercise targeting.
Proper form and muscle engagement are crucial for achieving the desired results from curl exercises.
The video provides practical advice on how to perform curls for different muscle groups.
Understanding the role of each muscle in curl variations can help tailor workouts to individual goals.
The video concludes with a reminder to like, comment, and subscribe for more fitness content.
Transcripts
hey everybody Nicola Camela here today
we're talking about the curl and whether
or not you should add some shoulder
flexion into the exercise or whether you
should keep your arms pinned down to
your side and the answer is of course it
depends it depends on the goal and it
depends on the muscles that you're
targeting whether that be the biceps for
the deeper elbow flexors like the
brachialis
and break your radialis let's get into
it
so we've talked about this in other
videos the connections of the biceps
versus the other elbow flexors length
the brachialis and breaking radialis so
you can see the biceps Thank You Harry
you see the biceps attaches to the
radius and the radius rotates around the
ulna when you do that supination
movement the biceps pulls up on it and
rotates it up okay around a stable ulna
so the radius rotates around a stable
I'll not get out of here so the radius
and the ulna sit right next to each
other in the forum the radius is right
there on the thumb side and the ulna is
right there on the pinky side and once
again the radius rotates around a stable
alma the brachialis sits under the
biceps it attaches to the ulna
get out of here the brachialis attaches
to the ulna right in the ona like we
just said stays stationary does not move
the radius rotates around the ulna the
owner does not move so the brachialis so
that's just the biceps rotating the
radius again the brachialis just flexes
the elbow right so when i pronate point
my palm downward like that i'm putting
the end of the biceps on stretch right
just like that so it's at a disadvantage
to contract and contribute to elbow
flexion that brachialis that I pointed
to right there there's now going to be
the main mover once i supinate then the
biceps has that mechanical advantage to
take over that elbow flexion or into no
because the biceps crosses the shoulder
joint which makes it a weak contributor
to shoulder flexion the biceps crosses
the shoulder joint not the brachialis or
break your radius if you are performing
a reverse curl like that the biceps is
not involved very because you're
knocking it out by pronating your arm
and putting your palm down so by moving
your shoulder forward and flexing your
your flexing your shoulder you're not
really engaging the biceps anymore
because you're already knocking them out
by pointing your palm downward however
if you are doing a normal curl with your
palm upward you may want to add that
little bit of shoulder flexion
the mix because you are using that
biceps to perform that curl alright so
first up is a standard dumbbell curl to
target the biceps right so my my palms
are up I have that supination and I am
adding a little bit of shoulder flexion
at the end of the movement right right
there right that little bit of a tip
forward you don't want to get too
excessive and make the movement more of
a shoulder movement than a biceps
movement
you
now we have the hammer crow so the
hammer curl we are getting out of that
supinated position so we are putting the
biceps at a disadvantage to contribute
to this movement so now the focus is
going to be on the brachialis and break
your radialis and as we said before
those muscles don't cross the shoulder
joint
so by flexing the shoulder forward we
wouldn't be really improving this
exercise because the biceps is knocked
out of it so all we're focusing on is
elbow flexion and therefore there is no
need to add shoulder flexion to the
movement
and of course you can't do a video about
curling without flexing at yourself
thank you so much for watching be sure
to LIKE comment and subscribe if you
want and we'll see you next time
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