DB curls to rectify bicep size imbalances

[|D_J^B_J|]

I know this exercise doesn't do too much for size, but what about for rectifying imbalances?

My right arm is a good half inch larger than my left, and the differences are in my biceps, not triceps. Would doing BB curls and DB curls in my left arm only help to balance them out a little bit, or would I be wasting my time with the DBs?

 

[psychedout]

It would certainly help. I do everything with me left arm to help rectify the balance. I carry my gym bag with my left hand, jerk off with my left, etc. LoL.

 

[Chi town]

Lately on "single arm" exercises, I've been leading off w/ my right arm and making my left keep up. So if I get 10 curls with my right arm, I force my left to get the same #...even if it means spotting w/ my right arm. I've been doing a lot of one arm exercises lately w/ this method and it has made a difference.

 

[gymtime]

Why does a db curl not do much for size?

 

[|D_J^B_J|]

Why does a db curl not do much for size?

My bad. I meant to say it doesn't do much for 'strength'. I guess it would help with hypertrophy, but the BB curl is still far superior both for strength and mass.

From Ian King and Lo Schuler's 'Book of Muscle':
"... Our next best choice might be the many dumbell curl variations, except for the fact that while those certainly create a great pump and inflict damage on the biceps from every possible angle, they don't seem to improve strength all that much ..."

I'll start using my left arm more for carrying and I I'll superset with left arm DB curls/hammer curls for a while and see if that helps.

 

[musketeer]

My bad. I meant to say it doesn't do much for 'strength'. I guess it would help with hypertrophy, but the BB curl is still far superior both for strength and mass.

From Ian King and Lo Schuler's 'Book of Muscle':
"... Our next best choice might be the many dumbell curl variations, except for the fact that while those certainly create a great pump and inflict damage on the biceps from every possible angle, they don't seem to improve strength all that much ..."

I'll start using my left arm more for carrying and I I'll superset with left arm DB curls/hammer curls for a while and see if that helps.

Crazy, barbel is no better than the dumbell. You cannot do seated, incline, or bent over barbell curls. The best mass buillder for the elbow flexors is the Hammer curl. You also cannot supinate to work the biceps primary fuction with a bar.

Saying all of that, I ususally do do barbell curls aither first or second in my routine, so I cant say that they are at all a bad exercise.

 

[Chi town]

You cannot do seated, incline, or bent over barbell curls.

Actually there is an exercise called the "seated BB (or EZ bar) curl". You sit on a bench w/ the bar on your lap and curl it up. You bring the bar down slowly til it barely touches your thighs, then u blast it up again. In fact, I just did those today w/ the EZ bar...medium grip. The whole purpose of the exercise is to maintain constant tension on your biceps thru the entire set.

 

[musketeer]

Actually there is an exercise called the "seated BB (or EZ bar) curl". You sit on a bench w/ the bar on your lap and curl it up. You bring the bar down slowly til it barely touches your thighs, then u blast it up again. In fact, I just did those today w/ the EZ bar...medium grip. The whole purpose of the exercise is to maintain constant tension on your biceps thru the entire set.

Yeah its a top half curl, I've done them - it kinda sucks too! (there's even a picture of Jonie O Jackson doing them in the Muscle-Tech ads) The arm becomes a column of bone a the top of the movement and absorbs most of the force that you are trying to focus on the fully contracted muscle.

It's even more useless with the ez bar because the biceps are not supinated and it's during the top half that they need to supinate. So in fact you are taking the trenision off with an ez-bar on an exercise that is designed to "keep the tension on".

You can also do bent over curls with a bar (try doin them with a EZ bar - you cant), but again, they suck compared to dumbells

 

[Chi town]

I usually do the exrecise w/ the straight bar, but today my wrists were hurtin. Sometimes ya just gotta improvise.

 

[WalkingBeast]

I wouldnt concern yourself too much with a 1/2 an inch imbalance. Ive had the same range difference, anywhere from 1/4 to a 1/2 inch difference on the arms. Its fluctuates for me and at times it will even out. Since I lost some muscle now from the lay off, theyre about even. At my peak it was a 1/4 inch difference. Ive had times with a 1/2 inch difference too. Never concerned me much though. Id just continue training your arms hard and not put too much effort and time into balancing things out. Just be aware of your smaller arm and try to force it to work equally with the larger arm. Especially with any type of curls using a bar. Half an inch isnt too noticeable the larger you build your arms also. My smaller arm often looks bigger to me. KEEP KILLING THAT SHIT!!

 

[musketeer]

Often one arm is smaller even though it appears to be just as strong, because the brachialis (the true arm flexor) is recruited more by the weak arm at the expense of the bicep - which is actually just a synergist.

Focus on how you perform the curls with the underdeveloped arm. Chances are, you curl slightly differently. Try Zottman curls which focus very strongly on the supination aspect of the curl. Also, use exercises that allow for a peak contraction like bent over concentration curls or high pully curls.