Which kind of bicep curls is easiest on lower back?

Atom Smasher

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I've got bone-against bone in my spine (car accident) and although I can handle bench presses and Lat Pulldowns with no problem, curls kill my lower back.

I was wondering if preacher curls or some kind of concentration curls would be easier on the back.

Of course I could experiment but I might pay a heavy price if I'm not careful, so I thought I'd turn to you guys to see if there are bicep excersises that are known to cause less strain on the back.

Thanks.
 

Pimp-sicle

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Hey Atom:

The low back shouldn't be involved in bicep curls period, if it is your "swinging" the weight to help lift it which is the reason there is stress on your back in the first place.

What's your goal here?

Too many people waste time dedicating too much time to bicep curls. If you want big/bigger arms do compound movements with good form; squat, deadlift, bench etc.

If low back pain is constant figure out why you have pain in the first place. Posture, improper alignment and muscle imbalances in the kinetic chain are the usual causes.

Look down at your feet when you are standing normally. Are you toes pointed out like a duck? Or maybe they're pointed in? They should be straight ahead for proper alignment.

Biceps are a secondary muscle group that are indirectly worked when you lift period. Most people overtrain their arms and then wonder why they don't grow.





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Atom Smasher

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Thanks for the info. I should have mentioned that I was in a car accident 18 months ago which obliterated a disk (L2/L3). Now the vertebrae are literally bone-against-bone.

So I'm starting out slowly. I'm able to do bench presses and lat pulldowns so far.

But curls put some kind of strain on my back and makes it very painful after trying curls. Squats and such are out of the question.

I thought maybe preacher curls or some other kind would be less strain on the back. My options for exercises are very limited, so I want to do whatever I can to work around my back damage.
 

AbrahamLincoin

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Atom Smasher said:
I've got bone-against bone in my spine (car accident) and although I can handle bench presses and Lat Pulldowns with no problem, curls kill my lower back.

I was wondering if preacher curls or some kind of concentration curls would be easier on the back.

Of course I could experiment but I might pay a heavy price if I'm not careful, so I thought I'd turn to you guys to see if there are bicep excersises that are known to cause less strain on the back.

Thanks.
Hi,,,
First of all its quite said to know about bone-against bone in my spine condition.You can try a metal bar with a unique zigzag shape,this is the easiest one in my view.You can do it the bar rather than the straight bar.
 

Pimp-sicle

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Atom Smasher said:
Thanks for the info. I should have mentioned that I was in a car accident 18 months ago which obliterated a disk (L2/L3). Now the vertebrae are literally bone-against-bone.

So I'm starting out slowly. I'm able to do bench presses and lat pulldowns so far.

But curls put some kind of strain on my back and makes it very painful after trying curls. Squats and such are out of the question.

I thought maybe preacher curls or some other kind would be less strain on the back. My options for exercises are very limited, so I want to do whatever I can to work around my back damage.

Atom: Sorry to hear about your condition, but its great to see you have gotten back to a level where you are active and improving your physique.

Preacher curls are not a good movement for you as they put strain on your lower back due to there be no back support and leave your back in a less than 90 degree angle.

I would focus on seated movements.

Get on an incline bench and do dumbbell curls.

Do seated alterate curls

You really don't need too much volume to make your arms grow, they are involved in nearly every exercises, especially the compound movements. Focus on doing arm work seated, then if your able to build up your triceps with things like skull crushers, close grip bench and it should give you some nice progress.




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speed dawg

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This is an easy answer: chin ups and pull ups.

I too have a herniated disc. I do no weight lifting that compresses the spine and when I do (for functional purposes, not working out) I make sure to engage my ab muscles and keep them tight to protect that area.

Either way, chin ups work your biceps better than any other exercise, ESPECIALLY better than overrated curls. Use a thick bar, lift your legs and you can literally knock out forearms, biceps, abs, and middle back with one single exercise if you do it slow and under control. Plus, this exercise allows the spine to decompress, which is what you need.

It basically is the main exercise you should be doing, especially with a bad back.
 

AbrahamLincoin

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AbrahamLincoin said:
Hi,,,
First of all its quite said to know about bone-against bone in my spine condition.You can try a metal bar with a unique zigzag shape,this is the easiest one in my view.You can do it the bar rather than the straight bar.
boot camps in orlando
 

Fuglydude

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Sitting helps as do chins. You can also try sitting/lying on an incline bench.

Espi clean out your inbox... I can't reply to that message you sent me.
 
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