21's Biceps Curl Workout
When we train using the same sets and rep's week after week our muscles will start to get bored and the rate of growth can suddenly slow down. The central nervous system (CNS) is built to adapt which it is constantly doing. As a result, our muscle is able to adapt and it happens quickly if you are healthy.
When we train with weights we increase our core strength and this often manifests itself by speeding up recovery time from hard workouts. A competitive bodybuilder is always looking for a new way to shock his/her muscles into growing again. From drop sets and burn curls to TUT curls, forced reps and partials, the list is endless.
The stronger and fitter you are the faster your system will be able to adapt to increased weight and volume. This can limit your progress as a competitive bodybuilder but a good way to shock your body back into growing again is to do 21's.
To reach the full potential of your biceps you going to have to do 21's at some time or another. 21 refers to total reps doing only one set that is split into three distinctly different movements that are all deliberately isolating the same body-part.
The first 7 reps start from the bottom fully extended to halfway or 90% angle with your hands at the same level as your elbows.
The second 7 reps start from halfway to fully contracted where the weight is level with your shoulders.
The third 7 reps start where you started the first 7 at the bottom, fully extended and you then complete 7 full range movement (ROM) reps to reach 21.
If we examine these three phases of 7 reps, we can see that the bottom half of the contraction is separated from the middle. The range of motion (ROM) is only the road map but the maximum muscle damage is done when slow deliberate contractions are isolated effectively.
Obviously the weight used for 21's will be less than your heaviest curl as in the example above. The weight should be around the same weight that you would use to do 12 or 15 reps doing full ROM. In case you forget the 21's is broken into 3 different 7's will look like this:
1. Lower ROM
Bottom of exercise 7 reps
2. Upper ROM
Top half of exercise 7 reps
3. Full ROM
Full range of exercise 7 reps
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