Brachialis muscles flex the elbow joint and are often used in synergy with biceps during regular training. Bodybuilders seek it out for upper arm size and definition. Popular exercises include prone incline curls, hammer curls, and reverse grip curls. Basic biceps exercises also stimulate the brachialis muscle.
The brachialis muscles are muscles of the arm that, like the biceps muscles, flex the elbow joint. Brachilis exercises, therefore, look and feel very similar to biceps exercises, and often involve many different types of curls. Most people don’t care to specifically target the brachialis muscle during strength training because it’s so often used in synergy with the biceps during regular training, but many bodybuilders seek it out because muscle development can affect size and the appearance of the upper arm. Biceps, triceps, and brachialis exercises are the main components of upper arm training for most bodybuilders to develop the greatest size and definition.
One of the most commonly used brachialis exercises is a prone incline curl. This is typically done on a weight lifting bench that has been raised to a fairly steep incline position. The weightlifter typically kneels or straddles the bottom of the bench that is not incline and lies forward on their stomach and chest so that their upper body is leaning forward, prone. From there, a dumbbell, barbell, or other type of resistance is used to perform the curls.
Hammer curls are another example of popular brachialis exercises. These differ from traditional curls because instead of rotating the dumbbell during the movement so that the bar is parallel to the floor, the wrists remain in the same position throughout the exercise, so at the top of the curl, the bar it is perpendicular to the floor as if the dumbbell were standing on its end. Like other forms of curls, hammer curls can be done in a variety of positions, but are usually done sitting or standing.
Other brachialis exercises include reverse grip curls, in which an overhand grip of the barbell or dumbbell is used, concentration curls, where one elbow rests against the inner thigh in a seated or squat position, and many other variations on Basic Biceps Exercises. To some degree, even doing basic biceps exercises will also stimulate the brachialis muscle, and doing brachialis exercises will also work the biceps. Adding a reverse grip set to many of these exercises can not only target the brachialis more but also stimulate both the brachialis and biceps in different areas of the muscle that might not be trained as often.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
