Lifting Tip: Body Drags Build Biceps

Posted May 11, 2008 at 01:30 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: His Fitness, Strength Training, His Health, Physical Health

I cringe when I’m in the gym and I see a middle-aged guy jerk up a biceps curl. Sure, when you jerk like that you can lift more weights, but you’re not increasing strength and you are putting yourself at risk for serious arm and shoulder injuries. To build biceps for the summer, you should alternate traditional bicep curls with something called “body drags.”

If you prefer traditional barbell curls (which aren’t bad) make sure you do stand straight up and keep your elbows at your sides with a barbell in your hand, curl the weight up until it reaches your upper chest area , lower the weight back to the starting position and do not curl your back or jerk the weights forward.

Now, if you really want to target those biceps and build them up for the summer, Blake from building-muscle101.com suggests trying barbell curls. 

Specifically, he suggests that you try “body drags.” He says, “Basically, you “drag” the barbell up and across the front of your body when doing a barbell curl. Instead of curling directly up with the barbell, you bring your elbows back and start the curl in that position.”

Basically, what this does is take the pressure off the front shoulder and places that pressure on the biceps, helping to target that specific muscle group. To really get the most from this type of movement, Blake says, “You need to lean your upper body forward by about an inch. That is, bend slightly forward. By doing this, you transfer all the stress to the biceps and keep it off your front shoulders. Also try and use a slightly wider than shoulder grip.”

I certainly am going to try out this move in an attempt to target my biceps. How about you? If you try this move, be sure to come back and leave a comment on whether or not you believe this helps target your biceps and prevent cheating.