Mike Mentzer recommends the close grip palms up lat pull down as one of the "best biceps exercise in the world" and "better than any curl you can do." Most people think of lats when they think of the lats pulldown exercise, but the exercise also works the rear deltoids and the biceps. Mike Mentzer states that the Close Grip Palms Up Lat Pull Down works at the elbow joint and the shoulder joint. He calls out this exercising as causing the muscle to contract "uniformly" at both ends. Another mechanism involved is that when a biceps contraction occurs overhead (ie., with the elbow overhead), the biceps in the raised arms brings the origin and insertion of the biceps closer together even before the biceps contracts. This puts a little slack in the biceps, which changes force production in the biceps because of the principle of the Length-Tension Relationship. Optimal Length of Muscle - Additional Commentary from ArlingtonAthletics.com: Force generation in...
Arnold Schwarzenegger emphasizes the importance putting your mind in your muscle that your are training and staying in the zone (no phone calls, even between sets) on Arnold Schwarzeneggers official YouTube channel ( @ArnoldSchwarzenegger ). Mind in your muscle -- Mind - Muscle Connection. Stay in the zone. Enthusiasm began immediately when Arnold entered the gym. Supersets - the importance of antagonist exercises. Calf Raises -- his weakest feature became the best in bodybuilding. Conditioning. Good form, cheating, and more cheating. Favorite Superset of Only Two Exercises ... Barbell curl with an EZ curl bar would be his favorite exercise, and triceps pressdown with a cable. Arnold's best barbell curl was three reps of 275 LBS. All content, videos and links mentioned are for information only, and are not necessarily endorsed or specifically recommended by ArlingtonAthletics.com for your specific condition or situation.
When working the Arnold Press you need to start with the dumbbells and elbows held slightly in front of your body with your forearms perpendicular to the floor, and then press straight up until the dumbbells are in front of your forehead, which is your cue to rotate your elbows out to the side to transition from front deltoid work to middle deltoid work. DO start with your forearms perpendicular to the floor with arms and elbows in front of you. DON'T start with your elbows bent to sharply (acutely) which lets the dumbbells rest on your upper chest and takes the tension off the front deltoids at the beginning of the exercise. DO rotate your elbows outward to your sides when the dumbbells move to the level of your forehead, and continue with the middle deltoid phase of the lift. DON'T rotate your forearms and wrist; you're supposed extend your Notice the dumbbell handle orientation in 3 positions ... 1. Start (bottom) with handles parallel to the plane of your chest wit...