Table Curls

[JamesG]

Anyone else doing these? We did them tonight for the first time and I liked them. I think we are going to keep doing these 1xwk after some advice from sixgun. Who likes them and how much weight do you guys use?

[foggymountainmuscle]

I love these things. I'm hoping to work up to 100lbs. but I've never worked them fresh, usually only after pullups or normal curls. I know I've gotten 75lbs. and am sure I'd be good for at least 80. Heck of a wrist developer as well as an upper body builder. Anyone do them hammer curl style?

Edited December 2, 2005 by foggymountainmuscle

[JamesG]

I havnet tried them that way but maybe we will next wk. We both have regular curls as a weakness so we are hoping the extra weight will help build some good bicep strength. We do ours over an armwrestling table.

[Michael86]

They are a great wrist excercise.

[BigPaulFromCityHall]

is there a photo or a video demonstrating table curls?

any help is appreciated.

[JamesG]

I feel its more of a bicep exercise as its a half curl but maybe Im doing it wrong?

[Darco]

I find they hit the lower half of the bicep if you do enough reps, I used to do singles and low reps with very little success, now I hit sets of 7-30 reps and they seem much more effective and the tendinitos does not flare up like it used to.

My PR in the normal table curl is a 75# for 23 reps. So that probably represnts nearly twice my normal curling ability. I believe 6gun said he hit 80# x 30. I was told that Mike Destroyer has hit some unpostable poundages by Dave D.

My training partner who is considerably good in the top half of the hammer movement and the table passes is very weak in the stardard table curl for reasons unknown.

Edited December 2, 2005 by Darco

[JamesG]

Thanks. Ill try higher reps on this lift then. Im thinking it would help with armwrestling even with the higher reps. What do ya think

[Darco]

I think David Horne once mentioned in chat that he though it was a 'piss poor' exercise for AW but Al Turner used incorperate them into his training quite a bit.

IMHO: I think you can see quick gains on any movement that has not been practiced before* so doing a movement like this for 3-5 weeks no matter how it ranks in terms of importance should give you quick gains that will help in the long run, those quick gains can usually be kept as long as the the muscles incorporated in the lift are used. So if your training AW there is no doubt that they will be. A good example, my PR was done this morning, cold, after having seen the topic I went downstairs and gave it a shot beating my old PR of 21 from a few months back. I had been doing variations of table curls in the hammer and reverse but not the actual TC it's self.

So I think that unless you are involved in a strict preset routine or periodisation you can toss then in for a short while and have them be beneficial.

*(assuming it does not require technique)

[austinslater]

Darco,

Are you doing the reverse curls on the table with a dumbell 1-arm at a time? Maybe it depends on the way you pull but I think table curls do transfer over to armwrestling. partials on a 90 degree straight up and down preacher would probably be better but both will help no doubt. I still need to try the hammer curls and reverse curls on the table. How often and what sets and reps are you doing on these 2 movements? High reps like the regular table curl? Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this buddy.

Austin

[Darco]

Darco,

Are you doing the reverse curls on the table with a dumbell 1-arm at a time? Maybe it depends on the way you pull but I think table curls do transfer over to armwrestling. partials on a 90 degree straight up and down preacher would probably be better but both will help no doubt. I still need to try the hammer curls and reverse curls on the table. How often and what sets and reps are you doing on these 2 movements? High reps like the regular table curl? Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this buddy.

Austin

←

Yes, mostly every thing is done 1 arm at a time, I often hover around 2 x 15 reps, if my training partner is here we might use a block weight for this or a VERY light block weight if we are performing reverse passes with the wrist goose necked. The passes usually go on until we have failled and dropped the weight a few times.

For the hammers I go heavier because I dont feel as much of a strain on the tendons, 4 + reps usually for 3-5 sets, nothing is fixed in stone so it varies alot. The reletivly the template stays the same.

[austinslater]

Darco,

Great idea and it sounds like a fun workout. Im definitely going to add some of your ideas into my own routine. Thanks!

[David Horne]

If you are gonna do table curls use a low pulley instaed of a dumbell. With a dumbell it gets easier as you curl, and when the weight is in the full curl position there is no resistance. This is the position we mostly armwrestle at, so a low pulley cable is perfect for the job.

David

[austinslater]

David I like that alternative although I still feel the table curl as some merit. Its decent for a defensive positioning and coming out of the hole, similar to how Michael Todd pulls. Not ideal but it will help with that. Plus the strength gained at that angle will have some carryover to other angles in my opinion. The cable idea is probably superior though. My favorite partial curl is probably a 90 degree partial as there is tension throughout the whole range and you have the added benefit of using free weights instead of a cable. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[David Horne]

Keep up the good work.

David

[JamesG]

I love these. After reading a few posts from Darco I added them back in and I think the help with armwrestling, especially the losing position if someone gets the jump on you. Is anyone else still doing these?

[Dave H]

I am currently doing 120 pounds or a little better. My goal is to equal or break Dave Pattons PR of 160 pounds.

Dave...

[lifesnotfair]

I am currently doing 120 pounds or a little better. My goal is to equal or break Dave Pattons PR of 160 pounds.

Dave...

Wasn't Patton a 160 lber or so? Big table curl for a light guy.

I saw on an armwrestling forum many pics of the late Al Turner doing 217lbs or so, even at 50-60 years old. He did a lot of weight for 10 reps or so (I don't know how much, but it was over 160 I'm sure), according to someone who has Al's old scrapbook with many articles and pics. I also remember reading that Al said the 3 best excercises for AW are wrist curls, hammer curls and table curls, heh. Just thought I'd mention it since I know you armwrestle or at least like it.

[knyaz]

yes table Curls are a great exercise, along with wrist curls, I used to do them but havent done them in a long time

[filipvk]

Is it a wrist curl or a bicep curl?

[Dave H]

Yes, Dave Patton did the 165 table-curl at 163 pound body weight.

[gripmaniac]

I saw on an armwrestling forum many pics of the late Al Turner doing 217lbs or so, even at 50-60 years old. He did a lot of weight for 10 reps or so (I don't know how much, but it was over 160 I'm sure)

I had to have a look for a pic of this. . .and found:

http://www.armwrestling.com/2006/06ALTURNER.html

No idea exactly how much weight that is. . .but damn it looks more than a little impressive

Does anyone have some other links to more pics ??

Dave

[Steve B.]

This is also a favorite exercise of Dennis Rogers from what i saw on his DVD's.

[lifesnotfair]

"Buy the way Bill Cox says Al could do a 217 lb table curl at 60 years old.I know Al's personnel best

was 223 lbs. I seen him do about 200 lbs and curled it 10 times counting weights,bar and collars. I also have a picture I took of that which I sent to Dave Devoto."

Yep, that's it. In the AW forum mr. Jim Drysdale posted MANY pics and articles from Al's scrapbook, many interesting stuff, Al was "The Godfather of armwrestling" in the late 70's.. he started AW'ing at an old age, but won 11 world championships. An impressive guy with impressive table curling numbers... I'm glad I'm a member of armtv 'cause I could even see him in a tourney from the very early 80's and he answered a few questions and won the sit-down tourney. Too bad it's the only video of him I could see.

[knyaz]

that weight looks impressive