Kettlebell Bicep Exercises

Performing a Biceps workout with free weight is simply one of the most pleasurable gym experiences an athlete can have. There doesn’t seem to be anyone, regardless of gym experience who doesn’t love training their Biceps, but all experienced trainers are more than aware that keeping things fresh on biceps routines is very difficult.

The role of the Biceps is to simply pull the lower Arms upwards, hence why all Biceps exercises involve a curling upwards of the lower arm. In a gym scenario we are all left to basically produce curling movements using dumbbells, barbells and various cable machines – even the Lat Pull Down has been adapted to become a Biceps curl towards the head from an ‘arms straight up in the air position’.

Most athletes will vary the angle they curl the arms upwards to add variety to the training and keep the muscles guessing but trainers worldwide are now starting to implement the use of Kettlebells into their clients Biceps workouts.

There are a number of Kettlebell Bicep exercises that you can perform to really drive the progress of this fantastic little muscle group. The most obvious of which is too simply swap your Alternative Dumbbell Bicep curls to the Kettlebell Curl. Anyone who has actually done this will testify to just how difficult it is in comparison to curling using Dumbbells. On average you will only be able to curl around 60% of what you normally do with a pair of Dumbbells (for instance, if you curl 20K Dumbbells for 8 reps, you will probably be able to perform 8 reps with 12K Kettlebells). The biggest plus to performing the Kettlebell Curl is that it dramatically increases the Biceps peak and is often the first remedy prescribed by a knowledgeable personal trainer for an under developed Bicep peak.

Other fantastic Kettlebell Bicep exercises that you can try include reverse curls where you hold the Kettlebell handle with palm facing down or a Kettlebell Hammer Curls in which you take the same grip and stance as a Dumbbell Hammer Curl but the location of the weight throughout each repetition is constantly shifting and really focuses on the Forearms. Athletes wanting to concentrate on the inner portion of the Biceps will often hold one heavier Kettlebell with both hands on Kettlebell handle and curl in this manner to focus the majority of the stress on the inner Biceps.

I suppose the moral of the story is to experiment with kettlebell exercises as just about every exercise can be adapted to use a Kettlebell and place the body under greater and/or a different amount of stress to help further develop the Biceps.

Increase your Biceps Peak with Kettlebell Curls

The Biceps are without a doubt the most popular muscle group for Men, Woman and even Children. Ask anyone to 'show me your muscles' and a Bicep pose is the initial pose that will occur.

Double Biceps Pose

No one is quite sure why we instantly opt for this pose but there are probably many reasons with cultural impact certainly being amongst one of them. We learn from our peers growing up and if our first encounter of the question posed above is responded to by an Adult or authority figure with a Biceps pose we have 'learned' that this is the correct response. As to whether this is the reason why the Biceps exercises are the most popular is up for debate, again many reasons will probably contribute to this such as the feelng of the 'pump', the relatively simplicity of the Biceps movements, the Biceps response to weight training and the list goes on and on.

Many problems can occur in Biceps development as they are such a fast growing muscle group due to the fact that new trainers tend to target them and the fact they are only a two headed muscle. The fact they are such a small muscle group contributes to the simplicity of the movements and the fact that they do not tend to cause an Oxygen deficit on the indivdual when training them. As mentioned many problems occur in Biceps development, not least Elbow and Wrist injuries as the Biceps grow stronger a lot faster than the wrist and elbow joints meaning as we increase the weight and Biceps continue to get stronger, the joints often suffer and become sore and tender. The other main problems are the shape of the Biceps heads themselves, two common problems are the shortening of the Biceps (this is when a gap is present between the elbow and peak of the Biceps, this can be casued by performing half reps in which the Biceps are not stretched to full capacity during curling movements) and the other is flat or lack of Biceps peak.

Alack of Biceps peak is far from impressive but far from a disaster - it has probably been caused by not concentrating and forcing extra contration of the Biceps during curling movements, you do really need to dliberately squeeze the Biceps during the top portion of a curling movement.

If you have been training a while and are not happy with your lack of peak in the Biceps, Kettlebell Curls will be the movement to save you!

Due to the nature of the Kettlebell the Biceps heads are not allowed to rest at all during the set (at the top of a Dumbbell movement th Biceps momentarily relax - this is when a forced contraction is needed) and this forces complete contraction throughout the repetition. The weight being distributed directlyunder the hand throughout the movement forces a peak to develop in the Biceps.

As this exercise is also far harder than a Dumbbell curl you will be using a far lighter Kettlebell for the movement (if you can Dumbbell curl 20Kg in each hand you will probably be using 12kg Kettlebells) which will also help with any injuries to the wrist and elbows which are caused by heavy loads when curling with Barbells and Dumbells.

The best online demonstration is found on Strength and Physique Blogspot and highlights just how simple themovement is but also shows how effective it is at placing straing on the centre of the Biceps to develop that peak we all strive for.

You do not have to be a massive fan of Kettlebell Workouts to include this movement as you can easily stick with your traditional Biceps routine (no doubt on a a Monday with your Chest routine) using Dumbbells, Barbells and Cables and simply put the Kettlebell curl in at the end to just take your development to the next level.