novice curl programming question

[CimmerianInTraining]

Hi,

I'm a novice -- this is my third week, so I really, really don't know what the heck I'm doing. I'm 43 years old, 5'11", and 210 pounds, most of the excess weight in the form of a beer belly.

I'm doing fairly well on the squat, alternating press / bench, and deadlift portion. Today my work sets were squats were 130 and my deadlifts were 135. Last bench was 90 and today's presses were at 60.

I decided to add curls as well, not because I want BIG BICEPS BRO, but because I cannot do even a single chin-up. Last week I did a curl warmup of 45, then 3 sets of 5 @ 55 and felt good. The day before yesterday I upped it to 3 sets of 5 @ 60 and failed at the third rep of the third set, so I figured I'd do the same thing today. Guess what, I did the same thing... 1x5 warmup @ 45, 2x5 work @ 60 and failed on the third rep of the third set.

What should I do? The weight room @ the gym doesn't have smaller then 2.5# weights. Do I keep failing @ 60# until I get it, should I back down to 55# and do four sets instead of three, or is now the time to buy the smaller weight set and toss it in my gym bag because I'm gonna need it anyhow?

thanks for your time.

ps. CROM.

[Adam Skillin]

Hi,

I'm a novice -- this is my third week, so I really, really don't know what the heck I'm doing. I'm 43 years old, 5'11", and 210 pounds, most of the excess weight in the form of a beer belly.

I'm doing fairly well on the squat, alternating press / bench, and deadlift portion. Today my work sets were squats were 130 and my deadlifts were 135. Last bench was 90 and today's presses were at 60.

I decided to add curls as well, not because I want BIG BICEPS BRO, but because I cannot do even a single chin-up. Last week I did a curl warmup of 45, then 3 sets of 5 @ 55 and felt good. The day before yesterday I upped it to 3 sets of 5 @ 60 and failed at the third rep of the third set, so I figured I'd do the same thing today. Guess what, I did the same thing... 1x5 warmup @ 45, 2x5 work @ 60 and failed on the third rep of the third set.

What should I do? The weight room @ the gym doesn't have smaller then 2.5# weights. Do I keep failing @ 60# until I get it, should I back down to 55# and do four sets instead of three, or is now the time to buy the smaller weight set and toss it in my gym bag because I'm gonna need it anyhow?

thanks for your time.

ps. CROM.

Love the username. The problem here is with the assumption that the bicep curl is the best assistance exercise to help you achieve chin-up abilities. The best assistance exercise for the chin-up is probably the deadlift, but after that, I'd put pretty much any kind of rows WAY ahead of bicep curls.

The bicep curls will never be able to progress as quickly as compound movements that utilize much more muscle mass. This should be obvious, at least if you think about it a little bit.

[idlehands]

chin-up negatives i've heard will speed you to chin-ups.
1. set bar in powerrack
2. grab bar like a chinup
3. pull feet up
4. resist like hell until you are at the bottom of the "chin-up"
5. feet on the ground, stand up , try again

do 5x3 a couple times a week and you'll be chinning in no time!

[CimmerianInTraining]

Thank you. I suppose it is obvious, but at first thought, it seems like a chin-up is an upside down curl with your body as weight. Thinking more though I suppose most of a chin comes from lats and other muscles?

Anyhow, I'll take your advice and stop wasting time on curls for a while. I love deadlifts anyhow so I'll keep doing those every session like the Starting Strength book says. If you don't think it's a bad idea I'll try a chinup once a week or so and see if I can magically do some in a few months.

[Adam Skillin]

Thank you. I suppose it is obvious, but at first thought, it seems like a chin-up is an upside down curl with your body as weight. Thinking more though I suppose most of a chin comes from lats and other muscles?

Bingo, my man!

Anyhow, I'll take your advice and stop wasting time on curls for a while. I love deadlifts anyhow so I'll keep doing those every session like the Starting Strength book says. If you don't think it's a bad idea I'll try a chinup once a week or so and see if I can magically do some in a few months.

Curls are fun, but getting your deadlift up is probably the right course of action, for now, with general strength as your goal. I will agree that there's no harm in trying to manage a chin here and there as your strength progresses.

[Chebass88]

Curls are REALLY tough to progress (in my opinion). Here are my thoughts:

1. Use an assisted pullup / chinup machine. Do your work on it, making sure to record how much counterweight you use. Over time, reduce the counterweight until you are able to do them unassisted. This is what I did to get my first chinup.

2. Inverted rows, barbell rows, dumbbell rows, etc. Row, Row, Row. Alternate or use in place of chins.

3. Forget 3x5 for the curl. Program the curl like a bro. Do ~4 sets of 8-12, increasing by 5lbs when you get 4 x 12. Do these at the END of your training, as doing them first can fatigue you for benches or presses. When you get bored, do sets of 5 or 3.

4. Do curls with DBs instead of the barbell. Again, just for fun after other exercises done. Progress when you get 4x12 or 5x10 or whatever rep scheme you decide to go for.

5. Do them (curls) regularly. For me, my arm strength drops off pretty quickly - missing a week is missing a lot. Much faster loss than squats or deads or even the bench.

[Rob Waskis]

Anyhow, I'll take your advice and stop wasting time on curls for a while.

Easy there broseph, step back from the ledge and quit that crazy talk...

You can do curls as long as you remember that they're just curls.

[CimmerianInTraining]

4. Do curls with DBs instead of the barbell. Again, just for fun after other exercises done. Progress when you get 4x12 or 5x10 or whatever rep scheme you decide to go for.

By "curls with DBs" I assume you mean dumb bells not douchebags? : - )

Do you alternate hands or pull both hands up at the same time?

[Chebass88]

By "curls with DBs" I assume you mean dumb bells not douchebags? : - )

Do you alternate hands or pull both hands up at the same time?

Yes, dumbbells. If you can curl a douchebag, you're already curling ~150lbs...

Do either and both. The curl is a fun thing to do after you've done your big exercises for the day. As long as you progress, that is the objective.

[Mugaaz]

I got to pull ups just by progressing my weights on the pull down machine and dropping excess bodyweight. I have no idea how effective negatives are. I tried them a couple times but they are super inconvenient to do in any crowded setting.