Hammer Curl The hammer curl has always been considered an exercise for the biceps. This is quite natural as it is a bending movement. The inclined overgrip, however, affects the strongest the arm-radial muscle of the forearm. It has already been pointed out that partial rotation of the arms inwards in using a curved bar works this muscle stronger than the straight bar.
The inclined overgrip which is used in hammer curls activates it even stronger and for this reason the exercise is included in the complex for forearms. Through it we work for the arm-radial muscle as well and to a lesser extent – for the biceps. Don’t forget that the arm-radial muscle is examined separately as it takes part in neither the front nor the back muscle group.
Using both arms or alternating them Like with other dumbbell curls, the hammer curl can be performed with both arms simultaneously or alternating them. We recommend alternating the arms as in this way we achieve isolated influence on the respective area of the arm-radial muscle. Alternating the arms allows us to reach full amplitude and lessens the risk of swinging during the performance.
The elbows must maintain the correct position Alternating the arms provides the opportunity for the elbows to be held back, down and close to the body. As we are able to concentrate on one arm only, the tendency for moving the elbow to the side at the beginning of the concentric phase is weakened. It is less probable as well to lift it up and forward. It will be good also to hold your wrists flat, because if they are upwards, your elbows will move up and forward. 1. Take the correct initial position standing with your feet at shoulder width and toes slightly pointing to the sides. Bend the knee and pelvic joints to keep your back tight and stable. The head must be kept slightly raised. 2. Take the dumbbells with a hammer grip and hold them on either side of the body with slightly strained arms. Be careful not to hold them way too far from the body because this will make you incline at the beginning of the concentric phase. You have to place them in such a way that the bar be to the inner side of the thighs. 3. Begin the concentric phase raising your arms with the elbows in static position. You must start by sending strong nerve impulses to the forearms in order to reduce the load on the shoulders at the end of the lifting. 4. Finish the concentric phase raising the dumbbell to the final point at the level of the shoulders. Don’t move your elbows forward. Hold for a second and tighten the arm muscle. 5. Begin the eccentric phase by sending strong nerve impulses to the muscles of the forearms (more precisely to the arm-radial muscle and the arm muscle) in order to prevent the gravitational forces from taking control over the movement. 6. Finish the eccentric phase by slow lowering of the weight. Be careful not to change the position of the elbows. 7. Counteract the desire to swing the dumbbell downwards and maintain control on the muscles so as to avoid momentum of the movement at the beginning of the concentric phase.
Important: 1. Hold your elbows down, back and close to the body during both phases of the movement. 2. Don’t use momentum to swing the dumbbell upwards. Use instead strong muscle contraction of the arm-radial and the arm muscles to make the best of the exercise without any risk of injury in the pelvic area. 3. You must have full control on the movement during the eccentric phase and not allow the dumbbell fall down and do the next concentric phase helped by momentum.
