The brachialis is a
relatively small elbow flexor that, when developed, adds a third dimension to
one’s upper arm development (along with the lateral head of the triceps), very
much the same way a pair of developed rear delts give the shoulders a three
dimensional appearance. When relaxed and viewed from the front, the brachialis
ads thickness and width to the upper arm more so than any other local muscle (especially
noticeable in bodybuilders in the front relaxed pose). Reigning Mr. Olympia
Phil Heath, and former Olympia competitor and bodybuilding fan-favorite Lee
Priest, are perfect examples of this as they each display a pair of developed
brachialis muscles that seemingly pop out of their arms in virtually every
single pose.
Muscle Building
Essentials
To specifically
target a muscle, with the goal of building it up, it’s important to know a few
critical pieces of information to provide direction when structuring a plan,
and they are:
·
Is the muscle fast twitch dominant, slow twitch dominant, or of a
mixed fiber type? The answer to this should dictate the loading parameters used
to build the muscle.
·
What other muscles contribute to the same relative movement, and
how can their contribution be limited, so by default the targeted muscle takes
on the greatest percentage of the load? The answer to this should dictate how the
body is positioned so that the synergistic muscle groups are limited in their
contribution.
·
What joint angles/ranges of motion place the targeted area under
the greatest stress, and which place it under the least stress? The answer to
this should dictate how the exercise is executed.
As it relates to the
brachialis, in most cases it’s predominantly fast twitch, and the primary
muscles which contribute alongside it to create elbow flexion are both heads of
the biceps, but they’re contribution can be limited by performing arm curl
exercises with the elbow positioned in front of the body, or with a
neutral/overhand grip. In terms of elbow flexion itself, the brachialis has a slightly
better angle of pull in comparison to the biceps the more the elbow is extended
(through the first 20-30 degrees of elbow flexion), after which the biceps take
over as their angle of pull begins to improve. Therefore, the best way to
prioritize the brachialis in most cases is with heavy weights, lower reps,
higher sets to make up for the lack of volume per set, while performing
movements with the elbows placed in front of the body, with the palms facing
each other, or the floor, and by performing only the first half of the
movement.
TIP: Regardless
of whether the hand is supinated, pronated, or neutral when performing arm
curls, pausing during the concentric phase of the lift between the
beginning and middle phase (basically 90 degrees or less of elbow flexion) of
the lift will increase the amount of work done by the brachialis, since this is
the range in which it is most active.
The 15% Advantage
Because the sum of
the muscles responsible for elbow flexion is greatest when using a neutral grip,
you should be able to lift roughly 15% more when performing a hammer curl per
se, in comparison to using an underhand (supinated) grip. If this is not
possible, it may suggest that there is a relative imbalance between the
brachialis and the biceps, which can be further identified by comparing
overhand (pronated) curl strength, to underhand (supinated) curl strength. If you
can’t curl at least 80% with an overhand grip, as you can with an underhand
grip, this would suggest that the brachialis is weak, and by correcting this
imbalance through training, the potential for both strength and size gains is
elevated.
TIP: If the elbows
flare out when performing overhand curls, this indicates that the brachialis is
struggling to handle the load, and may be weak.
Exercises
Some of the more
common exercises used to target the brachialis are:
·
Zottman Curls (Standing or Seated/Incline)
·
Hammer Curls (Standing or Seated/Incline)
·
Cross-Body Hammer Curls (leaning in, performed uni-laterally by
curling the dumbell across the body towards the opposite shoulder)
·
Reverse-Grip Preacher/Spider Curl
·
Reverse-Grip Standing Barbell Curl (Straight-Bar or EZ-Bar)
·
Cable Curl w/Rope, Reverse-Grip Bar Attachment, Single-Arm Overhand
If you have any
questions about brachialis training, feel free to contact me at ben@paramounttraining.ca. I'm available for
online consulting and personalized program design, as well as one on one
training if you are located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
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