Yes, the Biceps Curl Can Really Be a Total-Body Exercise
When it comes to building your biceps, curls are just about everyone’s favorite place to start. But this full-body banded biceps exercise from Paul Sklar, C.S.C.S., takes the classic single-joint movement up a notch and goes beyond just your arms.
“This full body bicep burner [...] engages just about everything,” Sklar writes in the Instagram caption about the move. “Use [it] as a finisher or [as your] main bicep [workout],” he says.
This exercise is like a standing plank and works your core and glutes, too. A strong core is essential for cyclists, since those stabilizing muscles are what helps you maintain your balance and position on the bike.
To try out the movement, you’ll need a resistance band that has a handle on each end. If you need a resistance band for this move, check out this durable option by SPRI.
A post shared by Paul Sklar (@paulsklarxfit) on Dec 16, 2019 at 6:25am PST
Stand with your feet hips-width apart on top of the band, making sure there’s an even amount of the band on each side.
Reach down with straight arms and grab onto the handles with an underhand grip, so that when your hands are at thigh-height, your palms are facing away from your body.
Brace your core and glutes and keep your arms close to your torso. Next, keeping your hips square, step your right foot out to shoulder-width while simultaneously squeezing your biceps to perform a curl with both arms. Do as Sklar does in the video, and pause at the top of the curl, maintaining tension in your biceps, glutes, and core.
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As you lower your hands back down to the start position, step your right foot back to hip-width. That’s one rep. Repeat, this time stepping out with your left foot as you curl.
Continue alternating sides until you can’t properly execute with the level of control Sklar shows in the video. Rest 30 seconds, and repeat for five total rounds.
The number one priority of this full-body exercise is to move with control. If you ever feel like the band is pulling your foot back to hips-width, you’ve gone too heavy. Same goes if you’re not able to complete a full bicep curl.
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