New Bicep Exercise - The Sears Curl

avgBdybldr

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Well let me start off with saying that I have yet to see anyone do this exercise (in the gym or magazine). And because I haven't heard of it before, i decided to name it after myself, or until a proper reference to a name is given.


during my last bicep training session this week, i was sitting and thinking between sets. i had done barbell curls already and was working on some db hammer curls. since i am currently logging hyperpump from AMS, i was really thinking about the effects going on in my bicep.

I then realized that I always get a great pump in the "lower" portion of my bicep; were it attaches to the elbow. it was like stone at that point in the workout. and then, when i felt the portion of the bicep closer to the shoulder, it was soft. And in the past, i have thought about this, but brushed it off. I decided i wanted to try to find an angle that allowed me to focus on that portion of my bicep.

so what i found was that w/my arm raised above my head and curling my hand towards my head really focused that part of my bicep. i walked over to the cable stack and put a bent bar on the top cable spot. with my back to the cable stack, i grabbed this bent bar with a "curling grip" and lowered myself to my knees. i than began curling the weight stack from a full arm extension to the back of my head. after the first set, i knew i was on to something. even with a typically "lighter" curling weight, it made that part of my bicep pumped. i did another set, and then i had two guys come over and ask me about the exercise i was doing and why.

this is my description of the Sears Curl. is it just me, or has anyone seen/doing this?
 

ReaperX

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i think we need a picture. trying to visualize this is too hard.
 
Steveoph

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I picture this as standing with your back to a cable stack, and curling from a completely vertical straight arm position to behind the head? Indeed, a picture would be useful here.
 
avgBdybldr

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alright. give me about 25 minutes. i'm going to run to the gym real quick, have someone take a couple shots of this exercise and i'll throw them up here.
 
bpmartyr

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Sounds like the inverse of an overhead tricep press
 

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since tomorrow is biceps day I will give this a run. One of the great things about biceps is angles change everything
 

ReaperX

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This is definitely something new I'm interested in trying. Thanks for the pic. I'll try it out tonight and let you know my results. I'm always up for new techniques.
 
avgBdybldr

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sweet guys. please let me know what you all think once you have tried it. i'm going to incorporate into my biceps training for a number of weeks and see if i can see a difference in the shape/peak in the bicep.
 

ReaperX

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i've always struggled with hitting the upper portion. Preacher hits the lower very well, but getting that top part has always eluded me for the longest time.

The best contraction I can get to that is doing incline dumbbell curls which work so-so. It hits more of the middle (peak) of the bicep head for me.
 

ReaperX

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Maybe even take a bench, and seat it completely at a 90 degree angle to keep the back flat and trying it might be another option.
 
avgBdybldr

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Maybe even take a bench, and seat it completely at a 90 degree angle to keep the back flat and trying it might be another option.
that is an idea, but i have a feeling that the bench itself will prevent you from getting full contraction. i may try it though, just to find out.
 
avgBdybldr

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since tomorrow is biceps day I will give this a run. One of the great things about biceps is angles change everything
alright bud, i'm going to be looking for your thoughts on this exercise today.
 
Nightwanderer

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'the sears curl'. I was half expecting a joke thread about women/shopping. I'll have to give that a shot, although for me it's the spot closest to the elbow that needs more size/definition.
 
pmiller383

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Sorry to burst your bubble but I have been doing these on a lat pulldown cable for a while. They work the short head of the muscle I believe, and are used to build higher peaks. I believe, but could be wrong, this was a favorite bicep exercise of serge nubret. I wish I could find the article on them but I remember reading about this movement on T-nation a while ago. I will definitely refer to them as the sear's curl from now on though
 
avgBdybldr

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Sorry to burst your bubble but I have been doing these on a lat pulldown cable for a while. They work the short head of the muscle I believe, and are used to build higher peaks. I believe, but could be wrong, this was a favorite bicep exercise of serge nubret. I wish I could find the article on them but I remember reading about this movement on T-nation a while ago. I will definitely refer to them as the sear's curl from now on though
thanks man. if you ever find that article, let me know. and you referring it as the Sears Curl is awesome, since that is my last name. rep to you my friend.
 
Manimalia

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thanks man. if you ever find that article, let me know. and you referring it as the Sears Curl is awesome, since that is my last name. rep to you my friend.

EH, YOU NEVER HEARD OF SOMEONE USING IT BEFORE YOU, WHICH MEANS YOU THOUGHT OF IT OUT OF THIN AIR. IT'S TECHNICALLY YOUR IDEA. that's good. remember that. good job on that, i will try these in a future routine. will let you know how your idea worked.

it's like for me, i once thought of a saying that summed up myself/my place in this immeasurable universe, and it was "I am I." I found out later that an old Chinaman named Confuscious said, "You are you and I am I..."

I felt bad for a minute, but then I realized that since my words were conjured from my own mind, they were indeed mine. Enjoy!
 
avgBdybldr

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EH, YOU NEVER HEARD OF SOMEONE USING IT BEFORE YOU, WHICH MEANS YOU THOUGHT OF IT OUT OF THIN AIR. IT'S TECHNICALLY YOUR IDEA. that's good. remember that. good job on that, i will try these in a future routine. will let you know how your idea worked.

it's like for me, i once thought of a saying that summed up myself/my place in this immeasurable universe, and it was "I am I." I found out later that an old Chinaman named Confuscious said, "You are you and I am I..."

I felt bad for a minute, but then I realized that since my words were conjured from my own mind, they were indeed mine. Enjoy!
thanks for the support.


i hit up the Sears Curls again today to finish up my bicep work. i loved them again. i don't have to go heavy, just concentrate on the contraction. pumped my biceps ridiculously. this will end up being a new staple exercise for a while.
 
rbuecker

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thanks for the support.


i hit up the Sears Curls again today to finish up my bicep work. i loved them again. i don't have to go heavy, just concentrate on the contraction. pumped my biceps ridiculously. this will end up being a new staple exercise for a while.

nice! count me in!
 
TerribleTowel

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Looks interesting. I definitely might have to try this Thursday when I do Bi's again.
 
avgBdybldr

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Looks interesting. I definitely might have to try this Thursday when I do Bi's again.
i think you'll like it. i wouldn't do it as a first or second bicep exercise. very good finishing off the biceps exercise.
 
TerribleTowel

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Also I would be interested in seeing that Serge Nubret article if you can dig it up.
 
metroba

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my gym has a seated machine that does this. I effing love it! Ill try and grab the name of it tomorrow.
 
goslamacamel

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Well let me start off with saying that I have yet to see anyone do this exercise (in the gym or magazine). And because I haven't heard of it before, i decided to name it after myself, or until a proper reference to a name is given.


during my last bicep training session this week, i was sitting and thinking between sets. i had done barbell curls already and was working on some db hammer curls. since i am currently logging hyperpump from AMS, i was really thinking about the effects going on in my bicep.

I then realized that I always get a great pump in the "lower" portion of my bicep; were it attaches to the elbow. it was like stone at that point in the workout. and then, when i felt the portion of the bicep closer to the shoulder, it was soft. And in the past, i have thought about this, but brushed it off. I decided i wanted to try to find an angle that allowed me to focus on that portion of my bicep.

so what i found was that w/my arm raised above my head and curling my hand towards my head really focused that part of my bicep. i walked over to the cable stack and put a bent bar on the top cable spot. with my back to the cable stack, i grabbed this bent bar with a "curling grip" and lowered myself to my knees. i than began curling the weight stack from a full arm extension to the back of my head. after the first set, i knew i was on to something. even with a typically "lighter" curling weight, it made that part of my bicep pumped. i did another set, and then i had two guys come over and ask me about the exercise i was doing and why.

this is my description of the Sears Curl. is it just me, or has anyone seen/doing this?
I do that at least every other workout involving biceps. Except the way I do it, I pull up a bench or seat to the cable, put it on the highest and face it and lean forward on the bench with one arm doing the pull as hard as possible and squeezing while fully flexed.

This is pretty much the best pure short-head of bicep exercise I can think of, but it's not good for mass building by any means.

Going from a spider curl to this exercise is kind of like going from a standing curl to a spider curl. The activation of the certain parts of the bicep generally depend on where the humerus is angled in respect to the torso.

For example, in order of highest brachialis/long-head activation to highest biceps/short-head activation, a general order of exercise is as follows:
1)Incline hammer curls. 2) Hammer curls. 3) EZ Bar curls. 4) Barbell curls. 5) Preacher curls. 6) Spider curls. 7) Teh SEARZ KURL!
 
CodyMartin

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I'll be doing bi's on Saturday -- I'll give this a go!
 
TheCrownedOne

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I'll give this a shot tonight. Thanks, brother :thumbsup:
 
pantera101

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EH, YOU NEVER HEARD OF SOMEONE USING IT BEFORE YOU, WHICH MEANS YOU THOUGHT OF IT OUT OF THIN AIR. IT'S TECHNICALLY YOUR IDEA. that's good. remember that. good job on that, i will try these in a future routine. will let you know how your idea worked.

it's like for me, i once thought of a saying that summed up myself/my place in this immeasurable universe, and it was "I am I." I found out later that an old Chinaman named Confuscious said, "You are you and I am I..."

I felt bad for a minute, but then I realized that since my words were conjured from my own mind, they were indeed mine. Enjoy!
:aargh: GET THAT KID AWAY FROM THOSE KILLERS THAT SOME CALL DOGS!!!!!!!!!........I love your avi pic!I'm doing this curl right now to see how it feels,and it feels great avgbb'r!
 
lector606

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Dude, I hate to break it to you, but when it comes to biceps, EVERYTHING you can possibly think of has been done by some 110 pound kid who comes to the gym with his 5 other 110 pound friends and refuses to do anything but curls (come to think of it, decline situps and pec deck are also favourites) for hours at a time. I'm sure you've seen that there is one who is maybe 115 who is the "leader" and puffs his chest out and tells them all how to get huge, and what new exercises are the best for just getting ****ing jacked. They also use the famous "spotter curl" exercise to throw off people who might be trying to get their secrets - it looks like one of them is doing a bench press, but really, the spotter (s) are the ones getting a workout, curling the weight during every rep.

No kidding, I actually saw a group of maybe 4-5 kids doing the exercise you've described in the gym the other day... They probably had a combined weight of 600 pounds, and that's only because a couple of them were kind of tall. Sorry man, they beat you to it.
 
TerribleTowel

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He wasn't saying it has never been done, just saying that in his experiences in the gym and in his research he had never seen it before. So in his own right he came up with it on his own. Maybe he wasn't the first (we've already established that), but it was an original idea. I personally, along with obviously a lot of other people in this thread, have never seen this curl variation before and applaud him for bringing to our attention.

I also hate those bench press curlers, where the spotter looks more exhausted after the set than the guy actually doing the benching.
 
avgBdybldr

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Thanks for the support everyone. As a response to Lector606 and Terrible Towel, your right. I understand that this exercise was not "my creation". I also understand that I haven't ever heard a specific name given to it either, thus one of my motivations to start this thread. The other reason I started this is because i am sure there are a lot of guys (like myself) who have never seen this. I'm sure there are guys that wonder how to hit that specific point in their bicep (like myself), but weren't sure how. I was trying to add a little knowledge/experience to this board.
 
pantera101

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Thanks for the support everyone. As a response to Lector606 and Terrible Towel, your right. I understand that this exercise was not "my creation". I also understand that I haven't ever heard a specific name given to it either, thus one of my motivations to start this thread. The other reason I started this is because i am sure there are a lot of guys (like myself) who have never seen this. I'm sure there are guys that wonder how to hit that specific point in their bicep (like myself), but weren't sure how. I was trying to add a little knowledge/experience to this board.
Mission acomplished.Thats what this sight is all about.I will do it now and who knows how long it would of taken before I read about it,or seen it somewhere else.....Thank you!
 
John Smeton

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Sorry to burst your bubble but I have been doing these on a lat pulldown cable for a while. They work the short head of the muscle I believe, and are used to build higher peaks. I believe, but could be wrong, this was a favorite bicep exercise of serge nubret. I wish I could find the article on them but I remember reading about this movement on T-nation a while ago. I will definitely refer to them as the sear's curl from now on though
Bicep peaks are genetic. If you never had a peak you probally never will unless you do synthol. I have a slight peak in my right arm and no peak in my left. genetics play a big role friend.
 
jminis

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Did these today and have to say I liked how it hit that upper part of my bi. Thanks for the suggestion brother
 
avgBdybldr

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Bicep peaks are genetic. If you never had a peak you probally never will unless you do synthol. I have a slight peak in my right arm and no peak in my left. genetics play a big role friend.
i don't completely agree with that. yeah, genetics are king. but until your at your full genetic potential, how do you know that you can't force that peak? i've trained for peak w/particular exercises and have seen a difference.
 
avgBdybldr

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Did these today and have to say I liked how it hit that upper part of my bi. Thanks for the suggestion brother
i'm glad to hear. your welcome; and that's the reason on started the thread.
 
goslamacamel

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Even if it doesn't help with a peak (and I have long muscles, so I have no peak at all) it's still awesome for mass building to hit the short head hard. My biceps seem to have started to stick out medially more and more since I incorporated this kind of bicep exercise into my routine about 2 months ago.
 
Emerge

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I did these today, and I was able to do 50, 60, & 70 pounds at 12 reps pretty easily.

How much weight did you use relative to your standing bar curl?
 

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I'll be giving this a shot in a couple of days. :)
 
Frank Reynolds

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Sorry to burst your bubble but I have been doing these on a lat pulldown cable for a while.
That is how i do them.. On the lat pull down.. Been doing them for the last couple months.
 
swole210

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Sorry to burst your bubble but I have been doing these on a lat pulldown cable for a while. They work the short head of the muscle I believe, and are used to build higher peaks. I believe, but could be wrong, this was a favorite bicep exercise of serge nubret. I wish I could find the article on them but I remember reading about this movement on T-nation a while ago. I will definitely refer to them as the sear's curl from now on though

Yeah me too! I 've seen these done, and been doing them for QUITE some time. I think the first time I did these was like 10-11 years ago. Good exercise though to provide a very different angle and feel!
 
pantera101

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I was going to tell everyone I did them today for the first time but used the latpull down and it was quite nice!Much better than dragging a bench over to the standing cables as someone mentioned.
 
goslamacamel

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I was going to tell everyone I did them today for the first time but used the latpull down and it was quite nice!Much better than dragging a bench over to the standing cables as someone mentioned.
My gym has these little seats people use for box squats or whatever, that's what I use to do them 1 handed on an overhead cable. Much easier to get a contraction than with a pulldown bar.
 

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i tried doing this earlier in the week just to see how it works. I am having a hard time keeping my form while using a substantial amount of weight. I can certainly feel the contraction which appears to be at the top, however the positioning/exercise is way too awkward for me.
 
goslamacamel

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i tried doing this earlier in the week just to see how it works. I am having a hard time keeping my form while using a substantial amount of weight. I can certainly feel the contraction which appears to be at the top, however the positioning/exercise is way too awkward for me.
Yeah, it's usually best to keep very light weight on the machine, otherwise you'll tend to pull the humerus down, decreasing the angle between the torso and humerus, which then defeats the purpose of the exercise.

Shoot for a 180 degree angle btwn. humerus and torso. However, it'll realistically be more like 145-160.
 

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my biggest tendency is to move my elbows forward while pulling down.
 

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