This means you can move more weight with your biceps using drag curls than you can barbell curls.Īs you can overload your biceps more during drag curls, there’s a good argument that they’re slightly better at building biceps than barbell curls. In drag curls, the weight is “pulled” (or dragged) up your body to the top end of the exercise. The advantage that drag curls have over barbell curls is the ability to move more weight during the exercise.ĭuring barbell curls, the weight is “lifted” from the lowest position to the highest position in the movement.

Which Is Better For Building Biceps?īoth exercises are great for building your biceps. However, the main difference comes in the movement required.īarbell curls use flexion of the elbow to create the movement, whereas drag curls have more of a pulling motion. There are some similarities between barbell curls and drag curls, such as the equipment needed and some of the working muscles in each exercise. Sources What’s The Difference Between Barbell Curls And Drag Curls? In summary, bicep curls work your bicep peak better than hammer curls since hammer curls rely more on forearm activation.8. One of the best things about incline dumbbell curls is that you only need a bench with a movable back and a set of dumbbells to perform them effectively. Your biceps have to work harder to move the weight through the increased range of motion resulting in a harder exercise and more focus on the long head of your biceps. While the movement of incline dumbbell curls is similar to standard dumbbell curls, the increase in range of motion makes quite a big difference. Many gyms have specific preacher curl benches but you can perform them pretty well on any bench that can restrict the movement of other muscles groups apart from your biceps.Ī barbell or EZ bar can be used for the exercise, so it offers a good amount of variety while still being very effective at building your bicep peak. Preacher curls involve having the backs of your arms supported against a pad resulting in a huge reduction in momentum during the curl movement.Īs your legs, back, and shoulders can’t help during preacher curls, the long head of your biceps has to work more to lift the weight. You can then slowly lower the bar back down to its starting position before repeating for the relevant number of reps.īicep curls work both heads of your biceps to some extent, whereas drag curls put a lot of emphasis on the peak-building long head. You need to be careful that you’re actually doing a drag curl rather than a standard barbell curl, but the seated position will definitely make this easier.Ī seated barbell drag curl is performed by sitting on a bench with a barbell resting on your thighs.įrom this position, you should “drag” the bar up your body to your chest with the bar remaining in contact with your body throughout the movement. When performed correctly, a seated barbell drag curl is an impressive bicep peak building exercise. There’s actually a range of exercises that do a great job in working the long head of your biceps, causing increased levels of growth in your bicep peak. Hammer curls and bicep curls aren’t the only exercises that work your bicep peak. Whereas the short head is focussed more on establishing muscle width.Ī well-developed long head results in a larger bicep peak, so this tends to be the area of focus for many gym-goers. The bicep muscle consists of two heads – the long head and the short head.Įach head has more of an impact on different areas of muscle appearance.įor example, the long head of the bicep is more responsible for the peak of the muscle. Working your biceps in different ways using multiple variations can go a long way in giving you that bulging bicep peak you’re looking for.

In fact, it’s usually a good idea to have bicep curls and hammer curls (along with other curl variations) in your arm workouts. That doesn’t mean that hammer curls don’t have a place in building big arms. This makes bicep curls slightly better at isolating the long head of your biceps and building your bicep peak.

The main difference is that in hammer curls, your forearm muscles activate more than they do in bicep curls. Sources Are Hammer Curls Work Your Bicep Peak More Than Bicep Curls?īoth bicep curls and hammer curls are good exercises to perform if you want to build a big bicep peak.

Do drag curls work