Scott curls are the best exercise for building biceps I have ever seen. I am going to take the liberty of calling them Scott curls even though I didn’t invent the exercise. Over the years however, I have perfected the design of this little bench to where it is as close to perfection as anything I have been able to achieve.
When it’s designed correctly it’s great. If not, it’s lousy. The normal flat faced bench is not very good for biceps work. There are many exercises that will do a better job. But let’s assume you have a well designed bench with at least a convex face. The key to this exercise working its charm requires a few specifics.
They are as follows:
The exercise should always be done standing so you can get your hips under you when you are doing heavy DB and EZ curls.
The most effective system is a tri-series as follows:
First get a set of dumbbells with which you can just make 6 reps. (6 reps has been determined by the National Strength Training Association as being the most effective number of reps for building size.)
Then get a barbell that is about 70% of the weight of the dumbbells. Finally get an EZ curl bar and load it with 80% of the weight of the dumbbells. For example I use 70 lb dumbbells, a 100 Ib barbell and 120 lb on the EZ curl bar.
You are now ready to do some serious work.
It is best if you have a training partner for this exercise because it establishes your pace much better.
Start off with the DB curls. Place a towel on the bench to keep your skin from catching on the cover. This exercise is done in a fairly loose style. Don’t get the armpits right down on the bench, but position the elbows just a little lower than the crown of the bench. For this to work, the face of the bench needs to be not only curved but short enough to keep the dumbbells from hitting the bottom of the bench.
It doesn’t matter if you cheat to get the dumbbells up. You do however, need to let the dumbbells all the way down and completely uncurl the wrists at the bottom of the exercise.
It is okay to pull back with the shoulders to assist in getting the weight back up to the top of the exercise. The 6th rep should really be tough. In fact it should be just about the last rep possible even on the first series.
Once at the top of the 6th rep you then need to do at least 4 1/2 rep burns. Just let the weight down to the point that it is going to fall and bring it back up again. If your bench has a flat face, this movement is terrible. It hurts your forearms and elbows. You need to have the rounded face for this to work its charm.
Next, set the DB’s down and immediately, with no rest, pick up the barbell with a wide grip. Appx. 4 inches wider than your shoulders. You should have the palms heavily chalked to keep them from slipping.
Nestle the armpits clear down on the bench. (The bench needs to be well padded on the crown to eliminate any armpit pain). Let the feet go forward so you are really resting on the bench with the body. Slowly lower the BB with the wrists curled until you come to the complete bottom of the exercise.
Uncurl the wrists totally. Then with no movement of the upper body whatsoever, slowly curl the wrists and force those arms to come up. Do not cheat even a smidgen. Keep the shoulders and the head forward. Look for ways to make this BB exercise of the series even more strict.
The bar will come up very slowly, but it will come up. You must have faith and be willing to endure the pain of this exercise. It is excruciating. But it is the heart of the series. Don’t cheat at all. Do 6 reps with 4 burns on the top as you did with the DB’s.
Set the barbell down and immediately pick up the EZ curl bar with a reverse grip. The weight should be so heavy you can just barely make 6 reps.
Your armpits are not down on the bench for this movement. The form is very similar to the one you used for doing the DB curls. You are trying to use a heavy weight on this exercise just as you were trying to use a heavy weight on the DB curls. It is the BB curls that are done strict.
Do 6 reps and 4 burns with the EZ curl bar also. This is one series. You can then rest only long enough for your partner to do his series. You should do anywhere from 3 to 5 series. It is a killer.
But you won’t believe how much progress you will make on your biceps development. Use this system for a week and then switch back to your Bio-Phase programs to refresh your arms and let them recuperate. Then use it again.
I know of nothing like it to build incredible Biceps.