Exercise Zottman curls (lifts) was invented back in the 19th century by the famous strongman Georg Zottmann. All athletes immediately liked it, as it most quickly contributed to the growth of arm strength. The secret of this exercise is that it simultaneously loads three muscles that work to flex the elbow. Zottman lifts are especially good at pumping, which is located under the biceps. Strengthening this muscle leads not only to a noticeable increase in the volume of the biceps, but also to an almost twofold increase in its strength.
In terms of their effectiveness, Zottman's arm curls are significantly superior to the classic ones.
Target muscles those involved in the work:
- Biceps
- Brachialis muscle
- Brachioradialis muscle
Zottman curl technique:
- Take dumbbells in your hands and stand up straight. Use reverse grip(palms facing forward). Bend your knees slightly and straighten your back. Statically tighten your abs.
- Keeping your elbows in the same position, begin to simultaneously lift the dumbbells upward.
- At the highest point, change your grip to a straight line (palms facing away from you) and slowly lower your hands to the starting position.
- At the bottom point, take a short pause, leaving your elbows slightly bent. Change your grip back to reverse and begin performing a new repetition.
Method of performing Zottman lifts
- Follow this exercise at the very end of the biceps complex. Don't put it as number one because it puts stress on your forearms. Tired forearms will seriously limit your working weights. basic exercises on the biceps.
- Perform Zottman raises in combination with other exercises that target relief and.
- Perform this exercise in 2-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions each. Rest no more than 2 minutes between sets.
- As a rule, at the very end of the approach it is not always possible to perform the movement with both hands. In this case, several repetitions alternately.
- If weak forearms prevent you from fully performing Zottman raises, put this exercise aside and try the Zottman raise. For this purpose, lifts with a barbell with a direct and reverse grip are suitable.
- When the lifts are easy for you, complicate the exercise by moving on to its mirror execution. That is, start with direct grip, and at the top point change it to the opposite. Thus, during each biceps workout, perform both types of Zottman curls - regular and mirror ones.
- Changing the grip most often leads to involuntary spreading of the elbows. The further the elbows are from the body, the lower the effectiveness of the exercise. Make sure your elbows are as close to your body as possible at all times.
Video on the topic: How to properly perform the Zottman Arm Curl exercise?
Zottman Curls- an exercise that is accessible to everyone and does not require anything other than dumbbells. Unlike bending on an isolation bench from a lower block, in addition to the biceps and forearm, it also develops the shoulder muscles.
Zottman curls - execution technique
- Take dumbbells in both hands and stand up straight. Stretch your arms along your body, press your elbows to your torso, and turn your palms towards each other. Thus, you will take the starting position;
- Get started perform arm curls on exhalation. Please note that the upper segment of the limb, namely the part up to the elbow, must remain motionless, since only the forearm is involved in the work. Turn your hands so that your palms face up (this is called a supinated grip). Continue the amplitude until the biceps brachii muscle contracts completely, until the dumbbells take a position parallel to the shoulder joint;
- While contracting your biceps, do a small stop;
- After, without changing the basic position, unfold your wrists 180 degrees, that is, palms down (this position is called a pronated grip). Please note that the level of the little finger should be lower than the level of the thumb;
- Now lower slowly the projectile, holding it with a pronated grip;
- The moment the dumbbells are near your hips, form a neutral grip. That is, turn them so that your palms face your torso.
Bodybuilders know firsthand how difficult it is. The thing is that there is not enough exercise for them. These are presses up with reverse, neutral (hammer) grips, lifts from the Scott bench with palms on top, “spider” curls.
One of the most effective and undeservedly forgotten practices is the Zottman lifts, which received the same name after the author’s surname. Georg Zottmann - famous strongman In the 19th century, he proposed his own method for developing the forearms, which many still use today.
Although the technique is known by different names, the execution algorithm remains the same. At first glance, it seems that it is no different from standing arm curls. However, in comparison with them, movements of the limbs are made in a circle and with turns of the wrists.
Working muscles
When bending Zottman work brachioradialis longus and pronator teres, flexors of the fingers. Function synergist performs, stabilizers– wrist extensors and frontal delta. When turning the hands at the top and lowering the projectiles, the brachiaradialis is involved in the work.
What is special about the practice?
Its value lies in the fact that in one technical simple exercise the athlete pumps up almost all the muscles of the arms. The brachialis is especially powerfully loaded. It pushes double-headed tufts upward, giving the arms volume and visual power. Due to supination, the biceps increase. It gives massiveness to the forearms and strengthens the grip, so it makes sense to test the practice on yourself.
How to perform lifts
The Zottman biceps exercise is considered safe as long as the technique is followed.
Ideally, the practice is performed at the end of the training to “finish off” the hands. The principle is based on committing smooth movements without jerking with dumbbells heavy weight. To get started, 5 kg weights are enough.
Zottman bending technique
- IP - a level stance with straightened arms, in which the projectiles are clamped.
- The elbows are pressed to the body, the palms are placed towards each other, the shoulders are motionless.
- As you exhale, tense your biceps and at the same time turn your wrists with your palms facing up.
- The dumbbells are brought to the shoulders, exhaled, and freeze for a second at the top point.
- Moving into the negative phase, they scroll their hands in the reverse order.
- Having reached the hips, they again repeat a circular turn with their hands and lift the shells up.
When doing Zottman biceps curls, the back is always motionless. Only the arm muscles are involved in the process. Approximately after 10 repetitions the athlete feels a burning sensation in his shoulders. Execute 10-12 times in 2-4 sets.
Zottman bending technique in video format:
Variations: sitting on a straight line or incline bench, alternately raising hands.
Classic mistakes
Experts recommend following the principle - from simple to complex. Sometimes the desire for quick results forces you to take heavy equipment. Without practiced movements and formed muscle memory, it is impossible to correctly perform the Zottman press.
- Inertial practice is not acceptable. Every movement requires mental control.
- The dumbbells take 2 times longer to lower than they take to lift. If it takes 3 seconds to lift the projectile, 6 seconds to lower the arms.
- The elbows do not move away from the body throughout the entire set, although at the top point there is a desire to spread them apart.
After recent injuries to the elbows, shoulders, or wrist sprains, the Zottman exercise is not performed.
The practice is suitable for athletes with different levels preparation, because everyone can develop the necessary qualities.
- Beginners– form neuromuscular connections;
- bodybuilders- work a small muscle from different angles;
- powerlifters– strengthen your grip.
Perhaps this is precisely the exercise that many people lack for sports progress.
This exercise actively works brachioradialis muscle, long flexor radialis carpus, pronator teres and flexor digitorum muscles. The load is evenly distributed throughout the entire muscle group, allowing the athlete to lift and rotate the dumbbells.
Curls are indispensable for many athletes, since all machines minimize the load received by the forearms.
Correct technique
Georg Zottmann invented this exercise back in the 19th century, and it has not lost its relevance to this day. However, it is important to perform the bends correctly so that you do not experience any problems with your elbow joints in the future. To do this you need:
- Stand up straight and take a dumbbell in each hand. The arms are fully straightened and the elbows are pressed to the body. You need to make sure that your palms are facing each other. This is your starting position.
- It is recommended to keep your shoulders motionless. As you exhale, bend your arms onto the biceps brachii muscle. It is performed in such a way that the palms are facing upward. To do this, you need to rotate your wrists. The movement continues until the dumbbells are level with the shoulder joints.
- There is a short pause necessary for greater muscle tension.
- The wrists are rotated so that the palms face down rather than up. The thumb is higher than the little finger.
- As you inhale, carefully lower the weight.
- At the level of the hips, a new rotation of the wrists occurs, and the palms begin to face inward.
- The required number of repetitions is performed.
The correct Zottman bending technique on video:
During the flexion, the inconspicuous brachioradialis muscle will work intensively. After performing 10 repetitions with a comfortable weight, the athlete may feel a slight burning sensation in the shoulder area. This means the exercise is being performed correctly.
Safety
Zottman curls count completely safe exercise. But this does not mean that novice athletes do not need to become familiar with the technique of performing it. First of all, you need to remember that bending is performed smoothly, completely using muscle strength. This is done to protect shoulder joint from excess load. As a rule, it is too weak for almost all athletes, so problems may arise in the future.
To protect your joints from unnecessary injuries, you need to work only with a comfortable weight. It may be different for each athlete, but you need to start training with dumbbells weighing 5 kg. Don’t let the low weight bother you, as it will allow you to practice your technique well.
The back should always remain motionless during bending.. There is no need to pull the dumbbells using your back strength, otherwise the effectiveness of the exercise will decrease. For athletes with weak backs, such movements can be dangerous.
Common mistakes
The main mistakes are not warming up, not breathing correctly, and using too much weight. All of them are allowed by inexperienced or overly self-confident athletes who believe that they have already brought the body into the required shape.
It's important to remember that exhale at the top point of the amplitude. There is no need to do it at the bottom or exhale in the middle of the movement. This can disrupt the breathing process, making it difficult to perform bends.
As for the warm-up, before Zottman curls, a set of exercises is always done, including biceps and triceps. To warm up your joints, you can use dumbbell or barbell bench presses, work in a block machine, or simple rotations hands, developing elbows and shoulders.
Equipment
To do Zottman curls, the athlete will need dumbbells. For convenience, you can wear sports gloves. They will help you hold the weight more firmly, since it will no longer slip out of your tired and sweaty hands.
- The elbow flexor muscle will work much more intensely if the athlete changes position at the moment when the dumbbell is level with the shoulder elbow joint by moving the weight down.
- When the moment begins to approach severe fatigue, the dumbbells can be put aside and shake your hands for a few seconds. This will help tired muscles get some rest. However, immediately after this you need to continue the set, otherwise the exercise will not be effective.
- It is very important to have complete control Roundabout Circulation performed by hand. The fact is that the rotator cuff muscles help stabilize the shoulder joint, but if an athlete jerks, this muscle group can become injured.
- Zottman curls are always performed at the end of an arm workout. You should not try this exercise at the beginning of your workout, as it puts a lot of stress on the shoulder joint.
- It is important to choose the right working weight. If you can do 12 reps without any problems, then the weight is too light. At about 8 reps, the muscles should be “burning.”
- Always stick to correct technique execution. If you can’t learn the movement, then you can try doing bends one at a time.
Champions of the 40s, 50s, and 60s paid tribute to Zottman's curls. But subsequently, too many arm machines appeared on the scene, and bodybuilders switched to pulleys and concentrated curls.
First of all, Zottman curls are good because during the exercise you do not have the opportunity to move quickly, and you also need the greatest concentration and control of the process - otherwise you simply will not be able to maintain your balance.
Execution technique
Zottman Curls - Forearm rotations with dumbbells. Exercise technique:
1. Stand up straight and hold a dumbbell in each hand. The arms are straightened, the elbows are pressed to the body.
2. Make sure your palms are facing inward, towards each other. This will be your starting position.
3. Keep your shoulders still. As you exhale, perform a biceps curl, rotating your wrists so that your palms are facing up. The movement should continue until the biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
4. Take a short break, tensing your muscles.
5. Rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing downwards, thumb should be above the little finger.
6. As you inhale, slowly lower the dumbbells down.
7. At hip level, begin to rotate your wrists again, turning your palms inward. Complete the required number of repetitions.
You can also perform Zottman curls on a Scott bench, even with one arm.
Charles Poliquin (one of the most famous trainers among professional athletes, including Olympic athletes) in his book about arm training says this:
“In my opinion, the Zottman curl is one of the best exercises to build the size of the arms, since all flexors of the elbow joint are loaded. A huge advantage is that the exercise overloads the brachialis.”
- The brachialis is a small muscle located between the biceps and triceps and gives them volume and beauty.
See how else you can perform Zottman curls.
