A number of powerlifting federations have recently added the strict curl back into their competitions. It's not counted as part of the powerlifting total, but it can be contested as a single lift. Check out one of my lifters setting an age group federation record for her weight class:
Some lifters really like the curl, others hate it. I happen to like the curl for the following reasons:
Granted, the curl isn't as cool or as practical as any of the Big 3, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't contest it. Any test of strength is good as long as it's reasonably safe and easy to measure. Besides, any so-called "strongman" should sport a respectable curl.
Below is a very successful program I followed to prep for my most recent competition.
You'll curl twice a week. These can be standalone workouts or performed as part of other workouts. However, I wouldn't perform them in an excessively fatigued state if the goal is maximal strength. In other words, don't do them after an hour of blasting your back.
Extension means to work the forearms extensors by rolling your wrist backward. Flexion means work the forearms flexors by rolling your wrist forward (this is tougher).
Position the pins in the power rack so the bar rests just above the halfway point of the ROM (forearms above parallel to the ground).
Below are sample weights and reps for someone with a strict curl of 140 pounds and hoping to get to 150 pounds by the end of the 8-week program.
Weights in normal font are warm-ups; grey colored are the work set; italics are backdown sets.
Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 |
Strict Curl, Cluster | 65x5 85x3 105x10 | 65x5 90x3 107.5x10 | 65x5 90x3 110x10 | 65x5 90x3 112.5x10 | 65x5 90x3 115x10 | 65x5 95x3 117.5x10 | 65x5 95x3 120x10 | 65x5 95x3 122.5x10 |
Preacher Curl | 45x5 60x5 75x5 90x5 65x5 | 50x5 65x5 80x5 95x5 70x5 | 55x5 70x5 85x5 100x5 75x5 | 60x5 75x5 90x5 105x5 80x5 | 62.5x5 77.5x5 92.5x5 107.5x5 82.5x5 | 65x5 80x5 95x5 110x5 85x5 | 67.5x5 82.5x5 97.5x5 112.5x5 87.5x5 | 70x5 85x5 100x5 115x5 90x5 |
Wrist Roller | 25x2 25x2 25x1 25x2 | 25x3 25x2 25x2 25x2 | 27.5x2 27.5x2 27.5x1 27.5x2 | 27.5x3 27.5x2 27.5x2 27.5x2 | 30x2 30x2 30x1 30x2 | 30x3 30x2 30x2 30x2 | 32.5x2 32.5x2 32.5x1 32.5x2 | 32.5x3 32.5x2 32.5x2 32.5x2 |
Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 |
Strict Curl, Drop Set – 3 sets | 115x1 105x1 95x1 85x1 | 120x1 110x1 100x1 90x1 | 125x1 115x1 105x1 95x1 | 130x1 120x1 110x1 100x1 | 132.5x1 122.5x1 112.5x1 102.5x1 | 135x1 125x1 115x1 105x1 | 137.5x1 127.5x1 117.5x1 107.5x1 | 140x1 130x1 120x1 110x1 |
Partial Curl | 80x3 95x3 110x3 120x3 100x3 | 85x3 100x3 115x3 125x3 105x3 | 90x3 105x3 120x3 130x3 110x3 | 95x3 110x3 125x3 135x3 115x3 | 97.5x3 112.5x3 127.5x3 137.5x3 117.5x3 | 100x3 115x3 130x3 140x3 120x3 | 102.5x3 117.5x3 132.5x3 142.5x3 122.5x3 | 105x3 120x3 135x3 145x3 125x3 |
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