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The Hammer Curl is one of the best exercises for building up the brachialis muscles, which lie underneath the biceps. In most people, the leverage of this exercise is better than for regular dumbell curls and you can use somewhat more weight. This variation that I've come up with incorporates explosiveness into the movement. It's a push with the legs and a small swing of the dumbell. Because you're only doing one dumbell at a a time, there isn't the "whole body" swinging that you'll find with barbell cheat curls that can potentially injure the lower back. Don't go too nuts with swinging the dumbell so much that you get no tension on the upper arms. The idea here is to use power and acceleration and really contract the biceps and brachialis hard as you lift the weight. Also, try to control the negative as you lower the weight - try not to just drop it down. It'll be tough to do, though, as you're using much more resistance than the muscle will be able to lift on it's own. Just don't release the tension in the arms and you'll do fine. Grip the dumbell with a hammer grip (also known as a neutral grip). What this means is that your palms are facing in towards your body, like you were reaching out to shake somebody's hand. When you grip on the dumbell, grip it so that your thumbs are pressed right against the dumbell weight plates - don't grip it right in the middle as it will limit your strength in the exercise. When you press your hands right up against the plates, the dumbells will become more like an extension of your arm and grip strength won't be an issue. So basically, start the movement by rotating your torso back and around towards the side you're going to curl. Imagine as though you're winding up, so to speak.
Now start swinging the dumbell forward and up. As you start to curl it up, push hard with the same side calf as you're curling on.
For example, if you're curling with your right arm, you'll be adding momentum with a sharp push with your right calf. It's tough to explain but when you try the exercise, it tends to come naturally. It'll help to watch the video as well.
When you finish one arm, go right to the other arm, alternating with each rep.
Push yourself with the weight on this one! When you get the technique down, you'll be surprised at how much weight you can use with it. I've gone as high as 130 lb dumbells with this one. I'm using 115 lb dumbells in the demo here. As Charles says, don't be afraid to employ acceleration in your training!
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