Spider curl 

Exercise technique:

Lying face down on a bench, it’s about bending your elbows. Your arms should be directly above the ground (arm perpendicular to the ground) and should remain in this position throughout the session.

Be careful not to move your elbows back during the movement, but rather to move them forward if the exercise becomes difficult.

This is a mistake you can make when you put too much heavy load.

It is also important not to fully extend the elbows at the bottom of the movement so as not to place the biceps in a position of “weakness” which can lead to injury.

Muscles worked:

Main: biceps, anterior brachialis
Secondary: Forearm muscles

With the arms located in front of the body, the exercise will more readily localize the work in the anterior brachialis than in the biceps.

Interest of Spider Curl:

If you lack brachialis and don’t have a pulley or machine designed for, then this exercise will be the solution.

Spider Curl variants

The exercise can be done with an EZ bar if you have an elbow valgus:

with a one-arm dumbbell:

In addition, the exercise can be performed on a 90-degree desk to reduce any possibility of cheating.

Danger / contraindication of spider curl

Besides choosing the right bar, there is no risk.