Decline Seated Bicep Curls vs. Preacher Curls

[Atom Smasher]

Preface: 18 months ago I was rear-ended while stopped at a light and some of my vertebrae were smashed. One disk is obliterated.

I just bought some adjustable dumbells because my bow-flex just doesn't do it for me. I am VERY limited in what I can do, so I need to start off very slowly and carefully.

Regarding curls, I can't do normal standing curls because it kills my back the next day. That's why I bought the dumbells.

Tonight I tried some decline Seated Bcep Curls, which seemed to go ok. Bench at 45 degrees, starting with arms dropped and extended, curling up and repeating.

But what I notice is that in order to compensate for the width of the dumbells, I have to angle my arms out a little so the dumbells clear my thighs on the way up. Is this angle a problem? When I compare the movements without weights and just laying a palm on my bicep, both straight curls and incline curls feel the same on the bicep.

Would I benefit more from a preacher curl bench? In other words, would preacher curls be more effective than Decline Seated Curls? My biceps have always been notoriously hard to develop all my life, and I want to do what is most effective while accomodating my back injury.

Please weigh in if you have any thougts about this.

Thanks!

 

[PDubb75]

Try starting out with a hammer grip. That is with your palm facing your body when the weight is lowered. As you curl, rotate your forearm, but do so after it clears your leg. That will allow you to keep your arms in tight to give you the best positioning to work the bicep.

A trick I was taught to maximize every curl is to position your hand on the inside of the dumbell, as opposed to the center (so your thumb is pressed up against the inside plate). That change in grip will make the forearm rotation have more resistance, and a better workout.

 

[Atom Smasher]

Sounds good. Thanks for the tip.
It feels good to be moving iron again instead of that silly bow-flex.