Roark`s opinion wanted

[Guest Boog495]

Roark, What is your take on the best method of reverse wrist curl? I find that by holding my elbows to the rear, about flush with the lats, and positioned over the hip area allows for a more strict movement and more tension in the working forearm muscle..... with the elbows forward I seem to have the tendecies to "swing" the bar up losing any benefit. Is there a difference in the two elbow positions or is it just a personnel preference?  Would an arm blaster be of any benefit? Your posts on forearm work is great. I`d like to see you expand on the subject in more detail in the training section. Thanks and have a good New Years!

[Roark]

Varying my reverse wrist curls seems to help at least for me.

Have you tried straight arm reverse wrist curls? Place an

empty bar on the lowest support on the bench press. Sit

on the bench and lean back against the bar, place knees

up on the bench, and keeping the whole arm straight

place the forearms over the knees and perform reverse

wrist curls. Start with very light weights. If an Olympic

bar is too heavy, use one of the cross-support bars from

a power rack, and place plates between your hands on it

and this of course is called a swingbell.

My fave is too kneel beside a bench with forearms resting

perpendicular to  the bench and perform reverse wrist

curls using a wrist roller. Of course, you'll have to roll up a

bunch of slack cord before you get into position, and the

cord will have to go forward over the roller for more feel.

Slowly, or the weight will begin to swing on you.

Another version is to use a lat machine handle- a short one

and while on your back on the floor using the bottom pulley

place your knees braced against the machine upright, hands

over knees and perform reverse wrist curls.

Sometimes I finish with a set of Nautilus pronator/supinator

twists. Good luck on finding one of those! Marvelous

invention though.

Other other tip. Hand pressure against the back of the

other hand, and perform reverse wrist curls- usually after

the other exercises are done.

Hope this helps.

[Guest Boog495]

Good tips Roark! However,I re-read my question to you and I meant to ask your opinion on the "REVERSE CURL". I inadvertantly typed in wrist curl....DUH. Would you mind taking my question to you and apply the info to the reverse curl?

especially the elbow position. Also, do you think holding the bar in a static position, where the elbows are at a 90 degree angle or in other words curl up and stopping and holding when the elbows and forearm are at 90 degrees,be beneficial? I read somewhere that armwrestlers use this movement. I also have a finger rolling question for you and the tool I made for doing this movement... but I will ask later. Thanks

[Roark]

The only thing I  know about armwrestling is

how to lose at it, so I cannot comment on how to

train for it, or whether static movements would be

beneficial. Sorry. Perhaps some of the board members

can fill-in on this subject?

Regarding reverse wrist curls, it appears to me that

getting full contraction at the finish position is critical.

Therefore, standing reverse curls, which allow a

'relaxed' position at the top, are last choice.

My fave is using a wrist strap to secure one hand at a

time to the Nautilus curl machine, and looping the strap

around the machine handle so that my hand is NOT

holding the handle. This effectively bypasses the grip-

which gets plenty of other work- and isolates the forearm

muscles. You can do hammer curls using the strap also.

Lowering the seat will be necessary, but what a great feel.

Again, EZ curl short bar for lat machine, on back on floor,

curling from the bottom pulley position. As you reach the top of the curl just before the upper arm can reach the easy

point in the curl, pause and 'wrist curl' the wrist toward the

shoulder, then lower the curl. A combo reverse curl topped

with a reverse wrist curl. Slow motion, no impetus flipping

of the wrist allowed.

I wondered why you asked about arm blaster (before) and

yes I think they are beneficial in blocking the elbows from

rearward motion during the reverse curl, just stop the curl before reaching the easy, top, part.

Another exercise I like, and this is a strange one:

Grab a light barbell, or an empty Olympic bar to try this:

With the right hand grabbing the bar at the center or

slightly to the right of center, use the left hand only to

keep the bar level during the reverse curl, do not lift with

the left hand, then reverse curl the barbell- a whole new

feel, and by balancing the bar with the non-lifting hand

you allow the curling hand to find a more natural position,

so that the bar may actually be angled down toward the

right- if you are curling with the right hand. Better than

doing it with a dumbell- well different, try it and see if

you like it. Let me know. You'll get strange looks but

good results!

Remember Arthur Jones used to say that one way of

designing an effective machine was to get the target

muscles in their contracted position first, then work

backwards trying to figure out how to get into that

position most effectively. In my opinion there are un-

discovered exercises, we need to think more creatively.

[BarBender]

I have found that an ordinary folding chair is excellent for reverse wrist curls. Stand behind an open chair and hold the backrest of the chair so that the last finger joints are under the rim of the backrest and the thumb is relaxed. Add weight by wrapping a length of chain near the front legs or tie a weight to the chair.

[Guest Boog495]

Roark......Feedback on your reverse curl movements.... I worked the olympic bar movement and liked it and as you stated it was definitely a different feel. However, I wanted a more isolated move so I set my power rack up with the left side pin a few inches higher than the right side pin. This gave it the downward angle you stated and relieved the holding of the bar in my left hand, which I was constantly adjusting,actually spending energy to work. The rack worked good but I have something better. I have a devise called the "landmine", it is sold by Richard Sorinex. It is a universal joint mechanism with a sleeve to insert one end of an olympic bar into. You can see one on his website. Anyway, I put the landmine on my dumbell rack (I have the homeplate model) with it standing up making the sleeve  perpendicular to the floor. Also the height of the top tier gave the slight downward angle. Strict isolation accomplished. Only my right arm was now working and man did it work it! Nice and smooth! I was feeling extreme tension in the lower part of my forearm (from wrist to about 6 inches going up area . Never felt this in the standard standing reverse curl before. I was able to work the bar from the center to the collar moving the hand 3 inches at a time. I moved with the hand to keep the proper alignment. This changed the ratio of how heavy it felt. Lighter at the collar and then heavier as you moved to the center. Also, there was no difference in the way it curled. The plane of motion remained the same. I train at home so I have no access to a curl machine, so I did not get to try the strap curl you suggested. However,  I have a lat machine I will try it on tomorrow using lifting hook straps. Thanks Roark for your suggestions and all the best to you and yourn!

[Guest Boog495]

I would like to add that the "landmine" really showed its` versatility with this movement, as it has with other movements that can be performed. But, it is expensive $$$$$$$$$$! No I`m not hawking it for Sorinex either.. ####, I`ve never met the man.