The first time I saw that Tina Turner/Ike Turner movie "What's Love Got to Do With It" featuring the actress Angela Bassett, all I could concentrate on were Bassett's arms.
I kept thinking, "Dang! Look at her biceps! I wish I had those." That was way back when, long before I knew anything about strength training or fitness. I just knew her arms looked hot.
Fast forward to Saturday, when I took a picture (above left) with one of the little "Bad Donkeys" (censored version of "Badass," of course) who came to my 2nd Annual BadDonkey Easter Egg Hunt Boot Camp out at Doak Campbell Stadium here in Tallahassee. The picture served as an "aha!" moment - when you see yourself and think, is that me?
In this case, I saw my arms and thought, "Are those mine?!?" Suddenly, I realized all those TRX workouts and strength-training sessions with dumbbells and resistance bands had paid off. The picture was the evidence: I have biceps!
The same "aha!" happens when Badasses start losing weight or getting leaner and stronger - my friend Rose talks about how, one day pushing her grocery cart down the frozen foods aisle, she caught a glimpse of her actual Badass in the glass doors and thought, "Wow! All this cycling is working! I have a butt!"
Which brings me to this week's Monday Move: The 21 Biceps Curl.
This is one of the more challenging biceps moves, but also effective. The "21" refers to the number of total reps you do in one set, but the "21" is also divided into three 7-rep segments that ultimately target the entire bicep. Include this in a strength session focused on biceps and triceps and see how those "potatoes" start to pop on your upper arms!
The Move: 21 Biceps Curl
The Technique: These can be done with dumbbells, a barbell, or resistance bands. Start with your hands, palms up, lowered into the relaxed-muscle position down at your quads. Hands should be about shoulder width apart. Raise your hands just until you start to feel the bicep engage. This is your starting position.
For the first seven reps, go from here up to the halfway point - with your arms at 90 degrees (hands at elbow level, pictured below left). For the next seven reps, go from the halfway point up to the top of the bicep curl (hands up near shoulder level, pictured below right). For the last seven reps, start at the bottom level where you began the set and curl all the way up, full range of motion. These last seven are supposed to burn. If not, add more weight/resistance - but not so much that you can't perform the full curl for the last seven reps.
Incorporating it: Use this as part of a strength session that features three moves for biceps and three for triceps. Such as:
- 21 Biceps Curls
- Hammer Curls
- Concentration Curls
- Tricep Dips
- Tricep Kickbacks
- Overhead Tricep Extensions
Coming Wednesday: A new playlist, with a cardio routine to match it! And Friday, we check in with our guest blogger on his "360 to 30" Badass Journey.
