🏋️ 10 curl variations to boost your biceps

Remember, it's acceptable to curl in the squat rack sometimes, but it is never OK to spoil Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

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The one glaring hole on Lou Ferrigno’s resume is that he never won the Mr. Olympia. In 1992, he returned to bodybuilding after a 17-year hiatus to rectify that.

Need to shake up your arm day? We’re examining 10 curl variations primed to give your next biceps workout the extra oomph it needs.

Powerlifter Nabil Lahlou really earned his "French Phenom" nickname with this record-breaking 711-pound deadlift.

Featured

Sweet Lou's Swan Song

Lou Ferrigno — who turned 71 this week! — helped thrust bodybuilding into the mainstream in a way no one outside of Arnold Schwarzenegger could compete with. Ferrigno gained legions of fans thanks to his role in Pumping Iron, and then he became a bona fide pop-culture icon when he was cast as the Incredible Hulk in 1977.

Still, despite all that success on the screen, Ferrigno’s career lacked one final accomplishment: the Mr. Olympia title.

At the age of 41, Ferrigno decided to return to the Olympia stage after 17 years to give it another shot. Though he still touted a world-class physique, the bodybuilding world had evolved since Lou last competed. It was a comeback everyone wanted to see — but it was a story with an all-too-familiar ending for the veteran.

Training Tips

Hitting All the Angles

It’s hard to dislike biceps curls. They’re simple to do, lead to a killer pump, and won’t leave you questioning your existence like a 20-rep set of squats will. The thing is, biceps curls may be simple — but there are plenty of variations that may better suit your particular training goals.

Some curls are better for arm thickness, some build up your forearms, and some are simply easier on the wrists. Feeling overwhelmed by the borderline unnecessary number of curl variations that exist? Don’t sweat it. We’re breaking down 10 variations worth knowing about.

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Powerlifting

Lahlou's Phenomenal Lift

French powerlifter Nabil Lahlou has done it again. On November 5, the 67.5-kilogram athlete scored a new all-time raw deadlift world record of 322.5 kilograms (711 pounds) at the 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Freaks Come Out at Night contest.

Lahlou’s new raw world record eclipsed the previous record of 318 kilograms (701.1 pounds) that he set for the 67.5-kilogram weight class less than a month ago. Oh, and it’s 4.8 times his body weight. We can keep rattling off praise to heap upon Lahlou, but there are only so many hours in a day.

Everything Else

Rob Kearney Looks Back

• Rob Kearney gave an honest assessment of his eighth-place performance at this year’s Rogue Strongman Invitational.

• The reverse pec deck might be the best rear delt exercise out there. Just make sure you’re doing it right.

• There are more powerlifting feats to talk about as Phillip Herndon (110KG) scored a new all-time raw squat world record of 395 kilograms (870.8 pounds).