in this video I'm going to teach you one of the best bodyweight isolation exercises for
the biceps the Pelican curl eccentric in terms of how to do this exercise properly I want you
to start in the bottom position of a push-up with the elbows pinned close to the body from
here create full body tension by squeezing the glutes and the abs once your body is set in a
good position I want you to lean forward towards the ground controlling the entire range of motion
until the elbows are extended straight when your arms are straight squeeze the triceps to make sure
a full range of motion has been used by doing this you can guarantee the biceps have been maximally
lengthened from here dust yourself off it's not pretty it's not graceful get back to the start
position and repeat four reps in terms of shoulder alignment you've got two different options here I
choose the one that's most comfortable for you the first one which I recommend is just keeping
the elbows pinned close to the body with neutral rotation not externally or internally rotated
the other option that you can use is still keeping the elbows pinned close to the body but trying to
focus on maximally externally rotating the shoulders the only problem I have with the
external rotation option is if you're anything like me you're going to have a major difference
side-to-side if you see in this video clip you can see how much more external rotation my right side
has compared to my left this is something that I definitely need to work on now let's take a look
at how the back and shoulder blades should be positioned when it comes to the upper back keep
it extended don't hunch your thoracic spine at all don't make the mistake of looking directly
down at the ground as this will encourage you to hunch instead look slightly forward and think of
elevating the chest scapula position should be forcefully retracted this creates a nice stable
base if the shoulders are set in a good position force transfer to the arms will be greater why
this is important is because if the biceps can contract harder as a result you will be able to
increase the intensity by having the hands closer towards the ground when you train with the hardest
variation possible you will maximize muscle growth here's another tip that I want you to apply and
will help you improve your bicep gains when you're doing Pelican curl II Centrex when you set up for
the exercise start with a false grip and then do your best to stay in a false grip until the elbows
are extended straight by using a false grip you actually shorten the lever arm putting the biceps
in a more mechanically advantageous position this just enables you to create more tension and more
stimulation through the biceps an alternative to the ring Pelican curl eccentric is doing the same
exercise on a straight bar if you have access I recommend using a smith machine as it's easy
to adjust the intensity based on your level of strength one thing I want you to keep in mind when
you're doing the bar variation is to make sure that when you set up you place your feet quite
far back behind the body this will put you in the necessary position to maximize tension through the
biceps I often see people making the mistake when they set on the bar of leaning too far forward and
not having the feet further backwards this makes the exercise too easy and you really won't feel
it the bar version might be a bit uncomfortable for people that have mobility restrictions so
if this happens to you by some rings it will be one of the best pieces of equipment you ever buy
and will serve you for a lifetime in terms of adjusting intensity for this exercise it's very
simple because it's a bodyweight based exercise the hand placement really dictates how difficult
the exercise is the further your hands are away from the ground the easier the exercise will be
and the closer the hands are towards the ground the higher the exercise will be let's talk about
programming for the palek and curl eccentric because it's really important to get the right
intensity and dosage to maximize your results with this one guys keep it really simple I like to use
an 8 second eccentric temper this means once you feel tension on the biceps as you begin to lower
by the time the elbows are extended straight 8 seconds should have passed it's really important
to control the entire range of motion with a slow and purposeful speed avoid the temptation to lower
down quickly especially at the end of the exercise as this is when the biceps can be stimulated the
most don't Rob yourself of the best gains by going fast I found a really good compromise
between volume and intensity with the pelican curl eccentric is to do 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps
using an 8 second eccentric resting one-minute between sets I know on paper this doesn't sound
that challenging however 3 by 3 equals 72 seconds time under tension and 3 by 5 equals a hundred and
20 seconds time under tension as this exercise is focusing on the eccentric contraction the
muscle contracting as its lengthening it will leave your biceps quite sore and will be really
potent for building strength through the entire elbow flexion and extension range of motion I
urge you to include the Pelican curl eccentric at the end of your pulling workout if your goal is
increasing arm size and strength let's be honest who doesn't want bigger arms let's be honest who
doesn't want stronger arms the pallet can curl eccentric is an absolutely great functional quote
unquote functional movement for your biceps especially if you're doing bodyweight fitness
and you're doing a lot of straight arm strength stuff cheers everyone for watching you can show
your support by dropping a thumbs up below on this video and if you're looking for a complete
guide using gymnastics rings to build muscle I encourage you guys to check out Fitness FAQ
TV I've got guides they're completely covering it for you taking all the guesswork out of it you'll
learn exercise progressions program design more more more more and it'll really change
the way you think and approach your bodyweight fitness thanks so much guys keep training hard
keep pushing the limits set those goals push your barriers and I'll check in with you very very soon