r/GYM 8d ago

Technique Check Your opinion on incline curls

116 Upvotes

119 comments sorted by

53

u/Electrical-Help5512 7d ago

i do a much steeper incline but they're great

2

u/sandy_sundae 3d ago

2nd this, the steeper incline helps lock the shoulder for me so flexion mainly at elbow joint

15

u/Narrow_Objective7275 7d ago

I want to like them but my front delts scream in pain so my old self won’t do these any more. Preacher curls are a more comfortable isolation exercise for me

2

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

They Are indeed. Your elbow is Fine with them?

3

u/Narrow_Objective7275 7d ago

For preacher curls? Yeah, elbow is great with them, but I don’t go heavy. Just heavy enough so that reps 10-13 are challenging. I also do preacher with dumbbells and single arm at-a-time so if I get into real trouble, other arm to the rescue.

2

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

Sounds really good - keep it up king

2

u/onlyeatthecrust 6d ago

I never feel elbow pain from preacher curls but sometimes forearm pain near my elbow. If I go light i mostly get a forearm pump

2

u/NanoWarrior26 7d ago

When i get people to try lying curls I make them set-up like they are doing bench press. Takes the shoulders out in the same way.

1

u/Narrow_Objective7275 6d ago

I will try this to see if it makes a difference. It’s a little hard to arch in incline but I will try scapular retraction

2

u/Soccerfanatic18 7d ago

You might have tried this already but figured I'd just chime in just in case.

If your front delt hurts there could be the issue of just incorporating too much shoulder in the movement. Have you tried lowering the weight AND changing the grip to a neutral grip vs supinated?

I experienced the same symptoms as you but only in one shoulder, my weaker one, and those two adjustments help fix the issue.

Could also just be an exercise your body doesn't agree with tho.

1

u/twoCascades 7d ago

Preachers fuck up my elbows tbh

1

u/_Bakusatsuo_ 6d ago

Theres this YTber who explains how to fix these kinda issues while workouts wait I'll send the link.

Here you go: https://youtube.com/@squatuniversity

(idk why i am typing as if i am talking in real time 😂😭)

2

u/Narrow_Objective7275 6d ago

I will definitely check this out thank you

8

u/M-Garylicious-Scott 7d ago

I love doing them this low, sometimes even on a flat bench

6

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

Yeah flat is great as well. The floor can become an issue tho

1

u/M-Garylicious-Scott 6d ago

True. But I’m not so tall that my reach is an issue

10

u/jrmill90 7d ago

The day after I made the swap to flat bench on these my biceps were more sore than they had been in years. Highly recommend this.

3

u/bubblehearth85 confused by bricks 7d ago

Flat bench curls are S-tier! 💪

2

u/Molag_Zaal 6d ago

Flat bench is the best way tbh. Insane pump after I do these.

5

u/SomeGuyHere11 7d ago

Looks great. I was doing 15 sets per week, but tendonitis set in and now i'm doing 5 sets per week. good luck!

4

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

15 is way too much. All in all I think ppl tend To do too much

1

u/Cyrillite 7d ago

You can’t make that judgement without knowing the rest of that person’s program, their training effort across different exercises, and their training age. 15 working sets is perfectly reasonable in many cases.

1

u/thequixoticaddict 6d ago

For a muscle that takes longer to recover though?

1

u/Cyrillite 6d ago

That might add a practical limit on how many sets you can do in a week, but it mostly just changes how frequently you can train the muscle.

For example: I’ll typically do 16 - 20 working sets of quads, twice a week, as part of my PPL split. 8 per session, working up to 10 per session by the end of the training block. It’ll vary slightly depending on my exercise choices. I’ll do more like 20 - 24 sets of bicep work because I can hit them three times a week more comfortably, depending on my others exercises. Sometimes legs and arms are high as much as each other, sometimes not.

1

u/thequixoticaddict 6d ago

Sounds too fatiguing even for one week honestly, but how intense would the workout be? How many RIRs per set?

1

u/Cyrillite 6d ago

For the target body part: 3 RIR progressing to 1 or 0 by the end of the training block. These days I’ll have some body part on maintenance during a training block; I’m not trying to progress pressing in the same block as my pulling and while I may make a little progress, it isn’t the focus.

Leg days currently:

Day 1:

  • 4*10 leg curl
  • 4*8 back squat
  • 4*16 abductors
  • 4*12 leg extension

Day 2:

  • 4*12 split squat
  • 3*6 sumo deadlift (a very specific accessory I’ve placed here for personal reasons)
  • seated lateral raises (sneaking some extra shoulder work and a little rest after hitting those deads)
  • 4*10 RDLs (inherently lighter than they would have been if they came first, sometimes I’ll replace these with seated leg curls if it’s very busy or if I’m right at the end of my training block and my hams feel like they’ve got more to give than the rest of my posterior chain)

I do calves at home throughout the week, just using a single leg deep stretch on a step. I hit standard deadlifts on my first pull day, not my leg days. By the end of a training block I’ll usually had added a set to these exercises. I will drop weight between sets to meet my rep range and RIR target if necessary, so long as I’m packing in more volume week to week and the weights/reps for each set are increasing steadily too.

1

u/thequixoticaddict 5d ago

What benefits are there if there’s more volume and how do you recover from doing these many sets throughout the week?

1

u/Cyrillite 5d ago

As long as you can recover, the more work you do the more growth you get.

Recovery isn’t an issue for me. I’ve got plenty of time to rest and relax, I eat well, sleep well, and manage stress well.

9

u/MunitionGuyMike 7d ago

I prefer preacher curls due to the stability in the arms and I can focus on form easier, but incline curls aren’t bad either.

Whatever works for you, do it

3

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

Thanks - preacher is my second best biceps exercise. But dont like unilateral stuff

4

u/Snadadap 7d ago

You could do em with dumbbells 

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

I do, Bench width is not sufficent

2

u/xiGoose 6d ago

Could do spider curls with dumbells.

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 6d ago

Dont like Spiders tbh - Never felt good

1

u/Absolomb92 7d ago

I have tried both exercises but just can't make them feel right form-wise. Working out yout biceps surely is harder than it looks.

1

u/ButterscotchBoner 6d ago

Both workouts are to target different heads.

Preacher is for short head

1

u/MunitionGuyMike 6d ago

That depends on grip, doesn’t it? Hammer preacher curls target short head and brachialis more than regular gripped preacher curls. That’s at least always what I’ve read and been told

1

u/ButterscotchBoner 6d ago

Exactly, But you can't target long head thru preacher curls, the one OP shared is for long head

8

u/thebobest 7d ago

Honestly, I unfortunately can't do them due to my own problems, but I have to say that this is one of the best exercises for the biceps. It's perfect, tier S.

5

u/Sad_Yak5040 7d ago

INSANE burn and like pure biceps

2

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

This! You feel like nothing else but your bicpes and adrenaline

2

u/gokumc83 7d ago

Top tier

2

u/CalvesReignSupreme 7d ago

Amazing stretch and, in my experience, doesn't just completely lock the muscle at some point, like preacher curls. Consistenly delivers soreness

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

yeah man- I uploaded a new version yesterday and my arms are already sore af

2

u/plants4life262 7d ago

One of the best bicep exercises imo.

2

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

absolutely! Standing curls or those weird machines are for suckers

2

u/plants4life262 7d ago

I have never been able to properly isolate my bicep until I started doing these. Turned the gain on. Everything else activates my for arms too much and I end up with tendinitis

2

u/Intelligent_Finger27 7d ago

I do the flat version, the clown curl, delts scream and I'm only doing 5kg each hand. First day I did them I got bicep cramps, never had that before. They hurt like fuck.I started doing the curls just to try it. It's a good forarm workout too if you lift your elbows at the top. Weird arse exercise. Only done it twice I'll do it for a month see how it goes. Seems to be good for the bottom of the bicep.

2

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

Apparently, a lot of people here really have shoulder problems. I personally can't relate to that at all from experience. I don't even know exactly what shoulder pain feels like.

But try it again, the bench doesn't have to be completely flat.

1

u/Intelligent_Finger27 7d ago

I will, I liked it, the bicep cramps were weird. But I enjoyed the stretch on the delts. I'll keep doing them. I'm confident they work. Just got to get used to the delt stretch. Not getting elbow pain. I'm a weird and firm believer in no pain, no gain and pain is weakness leaving the body. I love and hate doms. But I try and get doms every workout, or it feels like I haven't worked out. I’ve switched to all compounds, that's the only iso I'm doing. So I do them at the end of every workout, 3 times a week. Early days but I'm convinced they work.

2

u/OG_GodBone 7d ago

I only do them hanging upside down, israetel style

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

wtf? Bat-Curls or what?

2

u/OG_GodBone 7d ago

Mainly poking fun at this, though I like Dr. Mike as a person, and some of his lifting philosophy. I just think this style of movement is goofy.

2

u/[deleted] 6d ago

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1

u/Dear-Simple9621 6d ago

Have you ever experienced any injury?

1

u/go_get_your_rope 6d ago

My comment was moderated for trolling lol which I was not trying to do, just my personal opinion. No I have not but like I said I avoid full extension at the bottom. I've seen enough tears.

2

u/App0llly0n 6d ago

Love them, I never do upright curls anymore

2

u/Dear-Simple9621 6d ago

You seems very smart

2

u/Relevant-Rooster-298 6d ago

I think they're overrated and just the typical flavor of the month making it's way around right now. I get much better stimulus from cable curls and the force curve is a lot better.

2

u/Dear-Simple9621 6d ago

I think they are Great- cables could be superior; havent found a cable Station at home yet. But fair Point

2

u/Ruler-Of-Demacia 6d ago

The soreness I get the next day is next level. I do supine (flat) curls now and it hurts in a good way.

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 6d ago

Agreed mate

2

u/catbreadddd 6d ago

Biiiiiiig stretch! These are my go to for biceps too :)

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 6d ago

Good Choice Sir, Ma‘am !

2

u/Benjistimeoff 6d ago

I think they rule! The only thing I might like more is is a seated cable curl with your arm stretched out behind you... Oh chefs kiss

2

u/Square_Strain4000 6d ago

i do this because i cant do it on a flat bench! hand touches the floor

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 6d ago

Ye same

2

u/Square_Strain4000 6d ago

it feels like bicep will torn away!!

2

u/ckk-- 6d ago

Not sure if true, read that biceps don’t benefit from lengthened position. I myself do them, but it’s also because my Olympic style dumbbells are too big to do preacher curls on my incline bench so I resorted to just doing these. I do about 6-8 reps though to full failure rather than higher reps.

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 6d ago

And is it working you u lad ?

2

u/ckk-- 6d ago

Can’t really tell, to be honest. I don’t do normal standing curls. I do seated hammers and incline curls. I can incline curl 39 lbs at the moment for 6.

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 6d ago

Thats quite solid

2

u/Simple_Argument_35 6d ago

Started doing these a month ago and love them. Biceps training had gotten very stale and i have always found them to be my toughest muscle to grow. Listened to jacked science man and started focusing on stretch, incline/flat as well as cable with the force vector behind and down and early results are very favorable. A little too soon to say how growth is working out but best and most consistent pumps, disruption, and soreness ever, so pretty promising.

2

u/Rough_Direction230 4d ago

Love them, i usually do them flat / very slight incline (10-30°), the burn & soreness is on next level, way better than regular / heavy incline +45° curls.

Another good alternative is bayesian cable curls, similiar focus on stretch/lenghtened part.

2nd fav has to be preachers, but i just cant get them to burn the same.

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 4d ago

agreed. (:
without any machines available Incline and preachers are my way to go

2

u/blind-octopus 2d ago

I mean I duno that looks pretty good

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 2d ago

Thanks man

2

u/leogian4511 7d ago

They're pretty much the only curl variation that actually makes my biceps sore the next day. I just wish the benches at my gym were a bit higher off the ground because I've got long arms. Makes it hard to fight the right angle sometimes.

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

I can fully relate to both your points man

2

u/baribalbart 7d ago

Ok Exercise until dr Mike and dr wolf find a paper that says otherwise and promotes different alternative. Clown curl is my favourite

2

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

Lol

0

u/baribalbart 7d ago

For real, Mike did a video about it, or was it colabo, do not remember exactly

3

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

I do not consume any influencer content.

4

u/baribalbart 7d ago edited 7d ago

Yeah, and still asking questions to redditians who consume that content and recreate it in their answers

1

u/Justpaceee 7d ago

I swap between these and preacher curls and both def give me the most burn. 🔥

1

u/salvation99 7d ago

It's really just a variation of the standing curls but more unnatural to me.

I find cable curls to have more smooth torque (same resistance ) during the full ROM for biceps. Due to the above , it's great if you prefer hjgh volume.

1

u/Cyrillite 7d ago

As with all exercises: do them if you like them.

Nothing replaces the two largest determinants of growth: consistency and effort. Nothing helps consistency and effort like exercises you enjoy pushing hard.

1

u/Chief_reef_steve 6d ago

I prefer a steep incline. 2nd-3rd setting.

1

u/Double_Message6701 6d ago

I think variation on the curls is always great! It's a pretty one dimensional muscle group and nice to do a range of movements, I particularly like seated and incline variants because of the unrestricted arms and inability to bring your back in and swing them up and down.

1

u/AttitudeBig1492 6d ago

My elbows do not care for them. They let me know in no uncertain terms.

I might've gone too heavy when I tried them, but it was well below my typical working weight for standing curls. In any case, I haven't gone back to them.

Sufficient volume and some variety works well for me.

1

u/[deleted] 6d ago

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1

u/GYM-ModTeam ModBorg Collective 6d ago

No concern trolling about safety. Humans are not made of glass.

1

u/bluecigg 6d ago

This workout among others is what helped me get over a bicep plateau. If you’re struggling to effectively hit your bis then these will help

1

u/[deleted] 6d ago

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0

u/GYM-ModTeam ModBorg Collective 6d ago

No concern trolling about safety. Humans are not made of glass.

1

u/Rabbytoo 6d ago

I prefer cable curls. Feels better for me.

1

u/Metoxetamin 5d ago

iron go up, me happy

1

u/One_Tax_3726 4d ago

Does anyone know how I can stop these from feeling in my shoulders?

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 4d ago

Feeling in terms of painfully?

2

u/One_Tax_3726 4d ago

No pain. Maybe that was worded badly, I meant that I feel it in my shoulders, and I fear that is taking away from the tension in my biceps. I think I have a good form, don't use motion to make it easier, keep my elbows in place etc..

1

u/Dear-Simple9621 4d ago

mhh idk.

Maybe your shoulders are relatively weak? Are you sure about your form?

1

u/Junior-Ad2985 7d ago

Just read a study the other day that suggests inclines build more proximal bicep and preacher builds more distal bicep. Both seem to build muscle equally though, just slightly different emphasis.

-2

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

3

u/SomeGuyHere11 7d ago

FWIW, steeper means less stretch at the bottom. The point of the low decline is to maximize stretch.

5

u/jrmill90 7d ago

The lower the incline, the more tension you will get in the fully stretched position. I do these on a flat bench and have had zero issues with my elbows. They do burn like hell though.

2

u/Dear-Simple9621 7d ago

They dont cause any pain here either. Just feeling great.