Pink up for bigger biceps? Do you know at once what this is about? The thumb-pinky relationship is the most important relationship for training the different muscles of the ‘biceps’. Biceps is deliberately in parentheses, as it is of course the different muscles involved during an arm flexion. This article is about the difference between a bicep curl and a hammer curl. The thumb and little finger play a more important role than you think.
BICEPS CURL VERSUS HAMMER CURL
For the sake of convenience, in this article we look at 2 types of bicep curls: the dumbbell curl and the hammer curl. With the dumbbell curl you do an arm bend with the palms facing the ceiling (if you look at your palms you can see them). And with the hammer curl you do an arm bend as if you were shaking someone’s hand (your palm points inward and your thumb is up).
THREE MAIN MUSCLES OF THE ‘BICEPS’
The movements you make during a dumbbell curl and a hammer curl are the same seen from the outside. You bend the elbow joint when the dumbbell goes up. Popularly we say that the biceps do this work for you. And that’s right. However, there are three main muscles that cause arm flexion: the biceps brachii, the brachialis and the brachioradialis. You don’t have to remember these names. When you talk about that big bulge on your arm when you show your muscles, you mainly see the biceps brachii. This is the largest muscle of the three. The brachioradialis is the muscle you feel on your forearm (below the elbow) when you shake someone’s hand. For the sake of convenience we will not discuss the brachialis because it is deeper and is not directly visible from the outside.
IMPORTANCE OF THE LITTLE FINGER DURING THE BICEP CURL
You may be wondering what this has to do with the little finger. I always use the little finger imagery to make someone aware of the muscle you train the most during the bicep curl. All three of the above muscles participate during the curl, but only one does the most work. And that is also the muscle that you train the most during the exercise. If your little finger is above your thumb (the little finger is closer to the ceiling than the thumb) you train more the thick biceps brachii and if your thumb points up you train more the muscle that runs over your forearm (brachioradialis). Make sure your training schedule includes different curl exercises to fully train your arms.
HUH? WHY DOES THE BICEPS BRACHII DO MORE WITH THE LITTLE FINGER ABOVE THE THUMB
“Pink over thumb” is in my opinion the easiest cue to emphasize your big bicep muscle. Your biceps brachii is attached to a rotating forearm bone, the radius (radius). If your palms are facing the ceiling when your elbow is bent and your little finger is higher than your thumb (just do this while reading this article), you will see through ‘anatomical glasses’ the attachment of your biceps brachii on your forearm ( radius). At that point, the big show muscle can generate the most power. If your palms are facing the floor in a bent arm position, the biceps brachii has a very poor pull line. And if your palm is facing inward (shaking hand), the biceps brachii has a moderate pulling line.
PUSHING THE EQUATION TO A CAR
Compare this to pushing a car with a breakdown. If you stand behind the car, you can produce a lot of forward force that causes the car to roll. However, if you are standing next to the car – all doors are closed – you can produce much less force to move the car forward. In both cases you try to use as much force as possible, but if you are behind the car, the car will move more easily. This also applies to your biceps muscle and all other muscles in the body.
To complete the example. In a hammer curl, where the biceps brachii is in a worse position to provide power, the brachioradialis does most of the work. Very simple, because at that moment this muscle is proverbially behind the car.
PINK UP FOR BIGGER BICEPS
To end with the conclusion. If you do a dumbbell curl and your little fingers are above your thumb (with your palm facing the ceiling) then you can be sure that the biceps brachii are doing most of the work. The higher your thumb (hand shake position), the more work you give to, among other things, the brachioradialis. Train them both and get the best out of yourself. You now know exactly how it works! Do you not only want to grow your arms and know exactly how all the muscles get bigger?
