The biceps are the favorite part of many boys to exercise! When you go to the gym! You will see a lot of people doing all kinds of two-end curls! Dumbbell curls，barbell curls, reverse curls, hammer curls, preacher curl, EZ bar curland more!
Of course, the biceps and triceps are the key muscles of the entire arm. They are the largest and brightest muscles on the arm, but we seem to forget the forearm muscles.The forearm muscles belong to the small muscle group and are assisted in many movements, such as various pulling movements. Because of this, many people tend to ignore them.
Direct forearm training is painful and boring, but is there an exercise that can eat more with one fish while building eye-catching biceps while also allowing your forearms to take care of it?
The answer is: Zottman curl
What is a Zottman curl?
Zottman curl is a great arm exercise. It increases the rotation of the forearm based on the curl so that you can ensure the exercise of the biceps and strengthen the forearm muscles.
Who invented the Zottman curl?
George Zottman is a strong man in the 19th century. He is known for his incredible arm strength. This curl variant named after him can effectively increase your biceps circumference. It combines traditional curls with positive grip curls to help you create a full range of biceps and powerful forearms.
What muscles does the Zottman curl work?
Major muscle groups:
The dumbbell Zottman curl mainly ecercise your biceps. The biceps consists of two "heads": a long head and a short head. During lifting and pulling, the two heads work together as a cohesive unit.
The dumbbell Zottman curl also targets the brachioradialis muscle, which is one of the strongest and most visible muscles in the forearm.
The main function of brachioradialis is forearm flexion, supination and pronation.
Secondary Muscle Groups:
The dumbbell Zottman curl secondarily works your brachialis, a muscle in your biceps that lies beneath your biceps brachii. The Zottman curl also works your abs and back muscles, as they activate to stabilize your body during the curling motion.
Other smaller forearms muscles are also worked in the Zottman curl.
How to do Zottman curl?
1. Standing position, holding a dumbbell in each hand and placing it on both sides of your body, with your elbows close to your body, making sure that your palms are facing each other
2. Make sure that the upper arm is fixed, and raise the dumbbell upwards. At this time, your wrist should have a turning movement, from the original palm to the palm facing up.
3. Keep curling to the top. At this time, the dumbbells should be almost at the height of the shoulders. At this time, tighten the biceps and hold for about 1 second.
4. Rotate your wrists inward, turning your palms down, and then slowly and controlled lower it
5. When lowering to the bottom, turn your hands back to the opposite position of your palms, and repeat.
Zottman curl technique & precautions
1. When the top is rotated inward, it is not necessary to rotate to a position with the palm facing down. Your thumb should be higher than your little finger.
2. You can try to control the decentralization process within 3-5 seconds, which can better stimulate the tearing of muscle fibers
3. If you can’t do curls with both hands at the same time, it’s okay to do the set with one hand and switch to the other side.
4. The attention must be very concentrated during the whole action
Zottman curl benefits
1. Strength and size gain
Zottman curl is the premier biceps compound exercise. Therefore, your biceps is the best target during exercise, which helps strengthen the biceps muscles and increase biceps hypertrophy. Exercising your biceps is not just for showing off-it can also improve your performance in other sports in the gym, such as barbell rowing and high pull-downs.
2. Forearm activation
The dumbbell Zottman curl combines two exercises into one because it can exercise both the biceps and the forearm at the same time. Although the forearm usually supports the arm during other curling movements, the Zottman curl specifically targets the forearm.
In this way, you can benefit from exercising your upper and lower arms at the same time.
3. Improve aesthetics
Let's face it-almost everyone wants to have a better-looking arm. Depending on your goals, you can use dumbbell Zottman curls to work larger, more toned, or clearer biceps and forearms. This exercise is easy to learn and can help you immediately improve the appearance of your arms.
Zottman curl FAQ
How many sets does Zottman curl? What is the approximate number of times for each group?
Generally speaking, we recommend 3-4 sets, 8-12 repetitions per set, and rest about 1 minute between sets
But because this is a lightweight action, you can also choose multiple repetitions, that is, 15 or even 20 repetitions per set
What is the way of doing Zottman curl breathing?
As with most movements, exhale when curling upwards and inhale when lowering. Of course, because the weight of this movement can't be too much, so if you get used to breathing, the problem won't be too big.
How to improve the difficulty of Zottman curls?
In addition to adding weight, there is a very good way: Combine Zottman curl with dumbbell curl and reverse curl
