@madscientistofmuscle: High Incline Barbell Curls...this one puts INCREDIBLE tension on the biceps at the bottom (elbow extended) position where normally in a standing barbell curl you have basically zero tension. The CRITICAL part of this one is DO NOT rest the barbell on your legs at the bottom of each rep. That instantly takes the tension off where the goal of the setup is to add it on. You can graze your legs with the bar but don't rest it on your legs. I find I get better tension with this one than with Preacher Curls because the arms are unsupported by a bench. And yes, while this hold DOES involve isometric front delt action, the biceps DO cross the shoulder joint enough to actually benefit the exercise. Use your chest to pull your arms tight against your torso to help support the bar in this position, too. Start with light weight (even just the bar) the first time you do this one to get an idea of the loading at that bottom position. I'm using 65 lbs here and that was plenty. Next thing... you DO lose some tension in the biceps at the top. I didn't find this to be a big deal because of how effective it was in the bottom half of the range. Can you add a cable or band to this one to get tension as you come to the top? Yep, but I have found a CABLE can actually diminish the tension in the bottom position by pulling forward at the bottom (this seems to cancel out of some of the vertical force that we're really aiming for). A band is actually the better choice for this because you can set it up so that the band goes slack towards the bottom and only engages at the point in the range where you'll benefit from horizontal tension (I'll get a video on that together soon). --- Want to get 4 of my best muscle-building books for dirt cheap? Go to TheBestExercises.com (also link in bio) #bicepcurls #barbellcurls #inclinecurls #bicepexercise #bigarms

Nick Nilsson

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Sunday 17 May 2026 20:26:35 GMT