Chef Rush gives a complete rundown on how to perfect performing standing incline and sitting concentration curls.
Andre Rush is a bodybuilder who has gone viral in recent years. Mostly for being known as the Bodybuilding White House Chef. Specifically, he has incredibly massive arms that some have even called the biggest arms in the world. That’s why we connected with Rush to go through an in-depth workout guide on how to build the ultimate arms and biceps. In this GI Exclusive, Chef Rush details runs down how to perfect concentration curls.
In part one of Chef Rush’s World’s Biggest Arms Ultimate Workout, Rush detailed exactly how to utilize trisets to help blast your arms and take them to the next level. In the second part of this training mini-series, Rush moves onto the next two exercises in his arm day workout plan: standing incline concentration curls and sitting concentration curls.
The goal behind bicep curl variations in general is to provide enough support to your arm so that you only have to focus on the movement of curling your bicep. Chef Rush explains in full detail with our video above but we also break it down for you below.
Chef Rush Concentration Curls Breakdown
Let’s take a look at how Chef Rush does his concentration curls.
Standing Incline Concentration Curls
This is a favorited exercise of Mr. Olympia champion and bodybuilding legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger. While you can do standing concentration curls without a bench, Chef Rush prefers to use the bench in order to give even more support for the movement. He first finds the correct incline setting on the bench to find the best support for the movement – but without making the curl too easy to perform.
At this point, using the bench as support, you simply perform the movement by curling the dumbbell up from your elbow joint and squeezing your bicep. The key concept here is to look at your elbow like a hinge with the forearm being the only moving part of your arm. when your bicep is at the maximum contraction, squeezer for a second and then reverse the movement.
Chef Rush points out that there are two key elements to this exercise. One is to focus on the hinge-like movement. The second is to perform the movement slowly. The fast your perform the movement the more momentum your utilizing. This not only can lead to injury but also puts less stress on the muscle and thus leads to less growth.
As for reps, Chef Rush usually does about 15 reps per set. He does point out that reps are different for each individual. Instead of focusing on how many number of sets you do, focus on percentage. Aim to complete 100% your max reps. If you do 15 easily and feel like you didn’t struggle enough, do more. Find the right balance of reps and sets so that you know you truly exhausted the muscle.
Sitting Concentration Curls
The sitting concentration curl is largely the same as the incline standing. The big difference is that you will not use the bed of the bench to support your arm. Instead you will sit on the bench set at a height so your knees are bent at a 90 degree angle. Your feet should be flat on the floor.
Next, Chef Rush shows how you place the back of your upper arm on the inner part of your thigh. Your leg will now be providing support for your upper arm. With your arm extended holding the weight off the floor – you’re ready to start doing the movement.
Just like we mentioned previously, utilize your elbow like a hinge and only move your forearm to perform the curl. Do this at your 100% capacity for the correct amount of reps. Focus on completing the full movement slowly without using momentum.
Wrap Up
Including the previous part one triset exercise, we’re now building a powerhouse of an arm day workout routine. You can watch Chef Rush explain concentration curls in full detail in our GI Exclusive video above. Stay tuned for part three coming out next week!
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