There’s no doubt that big biceps are a showpiece muscle. But, taking it a step further, you can’t neglect your forearms. In fact, there’s one exercise that targets both the forearms for complete arm development and a small muscle under the biceps brachii that, when developed, can really blow up your biceps! With that in mind, here’s A Tip To Get More From Your Curls!

Hammer Curls!

Hammer curls are one of the key components of biceps and forearm training. They are exactly as the name suggests. You’re doing curls using a hammer grip. For this reason, they are most often done using dumbbells. However, you can also use cables, kettlebells, or resistance bands. There are even some EZ bars available with an angled section designed to put your hands in a hammer-style grip. Plus, as we will soon see, Rich had a very unique variation of this exercise. 

Muscles Worked

As noted, the hammer-style grip means hammer curls are both a biceps and forearm exercise. They directly target the brachioradialis muscle, a muscle of the forearm. However, it also targets the brachialis, the muscle under the biceps brachii mentioned earlier. By working this muscle, hammer curls can dramatically increase the size of your biceps. Also note that this exercise involves the biceps brachii. It’s all in the grip!

Hammers Done Rich Piana Style!

We will use dumbbells for this example. Leave it to Rich to take this exercise and turbocharge it! How did he do this? By combining it with concentration curls! He would do a bent-over, 1 arm at a time concentration curl but, he would use a hammer grip. Talk about a complete exercise reinvention! 

Working Hammer Curls Into Your Routine

Typically, you’ll want to do hammer concentration curls at the end of your biceps routine as a lead-in to forearm work. If you don’t directly train your forearms, it’s time to start. You could easily do 2-3 sets x 10-12 reps of these at the end of your biceps workout, then follow with 2-3 sets x 10-12 reps of wrist curls and 2-3 sets x 10-12 reps of reverse curls. You should train your forearms every time you train your biceps. 

Don’t Forget 5% Nutrition!

If bigger arms are your goal, we've got the 5% Nutrition supplements you'll need! There are pre-workouts such as Kill It RTD, aminos such as All Day You May, and protein powder such as Shake Time. We also have Real Carbs which, when combined with Shake Time, is ideal for your post-workout recovery shake. What did you say? Do you want natural muscle builders? We’ve got ‘em! There's Bigger By The Day, TEST Test Booster, and Core D-Aspartic Acid. Finally, don’t forget Crea-TEN creatine. Try ‘em all for wild results and don’t neglect your forearms!

Recap 

Leave it to Rich Piana to come up with such a unique twist on a classic exercise. And leave it to 5% Nutrition to have the right supplements for you. Add this inventive take on hammer curls to your routine and feel the difference!