He may have been nicknamed “The Quad Stomper,” but Jay Cutler has never neglected his arms. And, in a recent Instagram post shared that one of the secrets to his humungous biceps was complementing his dumbbell curls with variations like the rope hammer curl. Here’s what you need to know.
The arm is made up of several muscles, including the brachialis, sitting on the inner elbow and spanning the upper and lower arm. It is not as big as the biceps brachii long head (the muscle that gives biceps that peaked appearance), but it is still very significant to the overall structure of your arm’s shape. Since the brachialis muscle is involved with elbow flexion, curls are a great way to tax this part of the arm and stimulate growth. But when progress stalls, the four-time Mr Olympia winner shares one of his secret weapons to keep making progress.
“How do we continue to build the brachialis?” asks Cutler. “Now, the brachialis is the tie-in between your bicep and your forearm. Everyone wants to have more dense forearms, but (also) have more depth from the side.” The Olympia icon explains that he’s already demonstrated various dumbbell movements but for this lesson, would like to show a rope movement to add some variation to your overall plan.
Jay Cutler Demonstrates Rope Hammer Curls
To execute, the big man takes a little step away from the machine and grips the cable via the rope attachment. “Ideally, what we are gonna do is, when we come up from our starting position, keep that tension, but when we come up we’re gonna spread the rope at the top and get that contraction,” he explains. Cutler encourages 10-12 reps per set for hypertrophy, and as can be seen from his own efforts, likes to go heavy to seriously stimulate muscle growth. “Really get that squeeze, really work that thickness in the forearm and that bicep,” he enthuses.
Cutler points out that rope hammer curls will provide enough variation from the regular dumbbell curls to work those muscle fibers from a slightly different angle, giving a “great burn.” He likes to add this exercise to his routine every couple of weeks, “just as a different variance,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong with big arms.” Mr Cutler, we couldn’t agree more!
For more arm-azing tips, follow Jay Cutler on Instagram by clicking here.
