Survey 100 men and ask them what they want- bigger, stronger arms is always on the list. It does not matter why, because it is not going to change anytime soon.
In this series I am going to share some of my favorite drills for building powerful hands and arms. While the elbow only moves in a few ways (flexion/Extention/pronation/supination of the lower arm) there are many smaller factors you can employ to reap more from your curls. Without spending a lot of time here, know that the way you curl affects the entire arm and there is more to know than simply Barbell curls and dumbbell curls.
I do some kind of elbow flexion work weekly. I test and use a handful of drills- Plate Curls on a StrongerGrip Pinch Lever Block, Plate Curls with a plate, Leveraged curls with a StrongerGrip GripBall Dumbbell, and axle reverse curl work. Besides these drills my arms get a lot of work from kettlebell quick lifts, body weight movements like dips and chins, and from strongman feats such as phone book tearing and nail bending.
I believe plate curls are one of the best movements for the lower arm. This movement addresses several areas at one time in a very specific way which has a high nonspecific pay off in strength. The areas of stress during the plate curl are pinch position for the thumb (flexion) fingers (open position flexion) wrist (flexion) and elbow (flexion). The plate curl can be very hard to train if you only have access to weights, because each plate size represents a massive jump forward on the leverage disadvantage. Most men can’t curl a 25lbs plate, and 35lbs plate would feel impossible. Only the strongest wrist and hands can do much with a 45lbs plate.
One of the best ways to train this movement is with a pinch lever block. I have used mine since 2008 and I believe it is one of the key pieces of equipment for anyone who has an interest in getting stronger hands and grip. The primary advantage is you can use any amount of resistance and adjust the leverage by millimeters as needed. To help you understand why this is valuable, you need to know a few things.
When dealing with an off centered object, the weight on the lever arm is heavier as the center of mass moves away from the base of support. Curling a 40lbs dumbbell is not very challenging for most people, curling a 40lbs kettlebell would be very hard, curling 40lbs at the bottom of the leverage block (near the hand) is extremely hard, and curling 40lbs at the end of the block would be world class hand strength. The true weight is 40lbs, but it’s leverage applied to the thumb and wrist is multiplied by the distance from the hand. 10lbs at the bottom of the block would feel like 30lbs, 10lbs at the end of the block would feel like 120lbs.
This can be an incredibly useful method to train the hands.
I know this, when my plate curling is strong I feel strong. My bending and tearing always improves fastest when I dedicate more time to leveraged wrist and arm work. If you enjoy arm wrestling, grip sport, ju jitsu/wrestling or other martial arts this can be a great addition to your strength and conditioning program.
For my personal goals, I am working on curling my 20kg plate for a set of 6, and a 45 wide rim for singles comfortably. Here is a video from this spring of a double with a 20kg plate in strict form.
I do not thing every person should put in the effort for a big plate curl, but I do think plate curls are a key addition to your program. Starting point- get a Pinch Lever Block, and start testing to see if leveraged curl work fits.
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adam
outstanding information perfect timing as i just ordered all those things you talk about from ryan , i just keep getting better and better and am enjoying myself like never before when it comes to training and fitness goals and overall well being this is just the tip of where i am going, preparing for sept cannot wait that will be huge for me thanks adam
See you next month brother
I love doing plate curls, doing 10kg plate for multiple reps now and will start chasing the 15kg plate eventually.
Also I do uneven dumbbell curls, which I think you showed in a video a while back. Basically loading a dumbbell so one side is much heavier than the other. So you are resisting rotation of the wrist and forearm whilst flexing the bicep for the curl.
Very timely post, as I’ve been experimenting with the plate curls a couple of times and was planning to check out what I could do to work them up.
Also very good point about what to use to build stronger arms.
Cheers!
Mat
Adam,
Thanks for introducing me to plate curls.
I have tried them just three times now and can do a set of 4 X 25lbs with each hand.
You are correct about the jump to the 35lbs plate. I can barely budge it right now.
I intend to use the information you provided to rep that 35lbs plate ASAP.
Thank you.
Do you believe you’ll curl a 100 lbs plate someday, Adam? I’m working very often with axle curls. The reverse grip really has a carryover on the usual. I’m pretty sure I’ll curl 60 kgs at the end of this year! My last PR was 11 singles with 35 kgs in 3:30. I’ll get to plate curls as soon as I get my leverage block from Ryan.
Funny thing is that I got interested in curling because I found the most productive way to train- before I didn’t bother, because it was too hard to do with everything else going on.
100lbs plate curl is some king kong level shit. Who knows? I would first have to completely dominate a 45, and load more and weight to the end. thats like a 20 year to knock down
Go for it, man!
Hey Adam, I am getting 8 reps with a 25 but the 35 is not even close. I Just today thought about trying negitives with a 35 ? How do you feel about negs ? Have a good one
Adam,
I don’t have either of the pieces you suggest but I drove a 1″ pipe into a phonebook to make my own pinch lever block. It works great until I put weight on it.
Could I just do regular curls in the curl rack while squeezing a block in my hands and get the same result?
I also put my anal beads in the freezer and I’m using them as a gripball dumbbell. I get a few good reps in before it thaws.
Any other ideas about cheaper homemade alternatives.
Where’s David been?
David has been throwing darts at a map of Tennessee and deadlifting ridiculous amounts of weight.
Hi all, I have also built the plate curl into my workouts since learning about it from Adam’s writings. I don’t have a pinch lever block and I agree that the jumps between plates are huge. For example I got comfortable with the 25, getting to 10 rep sets no problem. But that progression didn’t help me with the 35, couldn’t get a single rep. So I thought “how can I reduce the step?” I thought about clamping a smaller plate on top of the large plate with my grip, but of course that changes the width of the grip and the difficulty. What I settled on was attaching the smaller plate to the top of the larger one, but on the opposite side of the plate from where I grip it. First I attached a 2.5 lb plate, now I have a 5lb plate attached and am getting 5-6 rep sets. So I am a lot closer to the 35 than I was. However the increased diameter of the 35lb plate is another factor.
Go on to ebay and buy some neodynium magnets, cost around $10 inc shipping. You can then easily stick smaller plates onto your main plate and move them further away for more leverage. On the listings they usually say how much weight they can hold, I think the ones I got hold about 2kg each, but I generally use 3 of them to hold the plates on securely.
That is the best method I have found and its cheap and easy and definitely works
Nice fix! I am currently using a bit of old washing line and a wooden dowel
GREAT write-up Adam!
Ryan’s the MAN on pinch blocks. Can’t go wrong
with any of his equipment!
Thanks!!!
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