1-1/4 Cable Curl (biceps)

An isolation exercise that works the biceps

This is a two-step, double-duty biceps exercise that works just as well with a barbell. For a dumbbell variation, click here.

Step One (A to B): For the first half of the repetition, curl your arms up as shown.

Step Two (C to D): Instead of letting your arms return to the start position as you would in a regular biceps curl, lower them only one-quarter of the way down — then curl them back up again.

This extra move forces your biceps to contract twice on each repetition, increasing their “peak.”

How many?

Do one to three sets, with four to six slow repetitions in each set.

Keep your form.

During the exercise, keep your back straight, head up, and don’t swivel your hips like Ricky Martin. If you can’t lift the weight without doing some kind of body gyrations, reduce the weight and try again.

Here’s a variation with dumbbells.

(A) In either a seated or standing position, hold a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing up. With your left arm, curl one dumbbell until your forearm is parallel to the ground; that arm should form a 90-degree angle with your torso. Hold this position.

(B) With your right arm, do six to 10 curls — each going the full range of motion. Switch arm positions; do two or three sets on each side.

Why this works: When you alternate dumbbells in the full up-and-down motion, every time you curl one arm, your other arm has a chance to take a breather.

“For the most growth, you should be putting your biceps under continuous tension throughout the whole set,” says Michael Mejia, CSCS.

45-Degree Dumbbell Raise

Q: My shoulders look good from the front, but from the back they look like my little sister’s. Are there any exercises that will give me more definition back there? — Gary K., 17

A: If you want to look great on your way out the door, hit the rear head of the deltoid, the muscle at the top of your back, just below your shoulder.

To do that, do the following exercises as a pair, resting 15 seconds after each set. If you’re pressed for time, you can do the pair in between sets of bench presses.

(A) Lie facedown on an incline bench with a light dumbbell in each hand, your thumbs pointing forward.

(B) Lift the weights up and outward at a 45-degree angle. (It’s hard to tell in the photo, but if you looked at this guy from overhead, his arms would be making a wide V — not just pointing straight ahead.)

Spreading your arms at a 45-degree angle is what makes this exercise really tough, so 5 to 8 pounds is enough weight. Do two or three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Then do this move if you have access to a gym: Using a rope attachment, sit at a cable-row station. Keeping your back straight, pull the rope up toward your neck rather than toward your chest. At the end of the movement (when the rope is at chin level), your upper arms should be parallel to the floor. Do two or three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.