Waiter Curl — Muscles Worked, How-To, Benefits, and Alternatives

2022-05-29 11:03:19 By : Mr. roberto Baggio

It’s no secret that most lifters love training arms. Big guns symbolize strength, after all. However, most people stick to vanilla exercises like the barbell curl and dumbbell curl in their arms training regimen. No wonder most people have twigs for arms. 

While there is nothing wrong with these exercises, trying new exercises like the  waiter curl  can be incredibly effective in adding size, strength, and definition to your arms, especially if you have  hit a plateau . 

Contrary to what most people think, the  biceps dumbbell curl  doesn’t only train your biceps peak. Compound bis curling exercises train your biceps brachii (long and short head), brachialis, brachioradialis, and forearm flexors. 

While these compound lifts are great for building biceps size and strength, they aren’t the most optimal for building conditioning and separation. 

Enter  biceps waiter curl . 

The waiter curl was developed and popularized by  Jeff Cavaliere of the Athlean-X fame . The exercise target the long head of your pythons using a clever grip on the dumbbell. 

It isn’t clear why Cavaliere named it the waiter curl. However, it’d be safe to say that the exercise got its name because you look like a waiter carrying a tray while at the bottom of the movement. 

Adding the waiter curl to your training regimen can improve your biceps’ long head, making your pythons look more peaked and separated, especially when viewed from the sides or behind. 

The waiter curl primarily works the biceps brachii and more specifically, the long (outer) head of the brachii. Additionally, the lift also targets your forearm flexors and brachialis. 

The brachialis lies beneath the brachii and is one of the largest elbow flexors that provides forearm flexion at the elbow. The waiter curl also activates the forearm flexor, a group of five muscles that help move the forearms through pronating and supinating.

Since there is constant tension on your arms during the isolation lift, it results in brachii, brachialis, and forearm flexor activation.

This is how to perform the lift with the correct form —

Note:  While performing the exercise, you will follow a restricted range of motion. Extending your arms at the bottom will ease tension off your brachii and lead to greater forearm recruitment. 

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Some of the most common mistakes while performing the waiter curl include —

While performing the exercise, many lifters tilt the dumbbell forward, which leads to tension coming off your bicep peak. If the dumbbell is titled even slightly, it’ll put greater stress on your wrists and forearms, beating the purpose of the exercise. 

Keeping the dumbbell vertical throughout the lift is like  performing a strict curl . Furthermore, make sure you’re not using any momentum by swinging back and forth. 

Related:  Nizami Tagiev Strict-Curls 114 kg at the 2022 Siberian Power Show, Ties World Record with Leroy Walker

Since the exercise only involves curling a single dumbbell with both arms, many lifters,  thanks to their inflated egos , end up using more weight than they can handle and messing up their form. 

If you use a dumbbell that is too heavy, you’ll end up wrapping your fingers around it and won’t be able to hold it like a tray. Use a weight that you can hit failure on in the 12-15 rep range. While choosing a weight, factor in the two-second rest at the top of each rep. 

Check Out:   Rep Range For Maximum Muscle Mass

The range of motion while performing a waiter curl is shorter than that of a traditional dumbbell curl. You do not have to fully extend your arms at the bottom of the movement. Furthermore, you won’t be able to fully extend your arms as you’ll hit the other end of the barbell on your thighs. 

Restricting your range of motion while performing the exercise will help you focus on your bicep peak. Remember — the goal of this exercise is to leave with a nasty pump. 

Adding the waiter curl to your exercise arsenal entails the following benefits —

If you have hit a plateau, performing the conventional dumbbell or  barbell curl  isn’t going to make much of a difference. You will need exercises that target your bis differently, and this is where the waiter curl shines. 

Since you’ll be holding the dumbbell with a narrow grip, it’ll help isolate and activate the long brachii head (bicep peak). If you are trying to improve your bicep peak, the waiter curl will be an asset in your exercise arsenal. 

Many people work out at home and have access to limited training equipment. Since the waiter curl requires just one dumbbell, it puts you at the liberty to invest in your garage gym one dumbbell at a time. 

On the other hand, the waiter curl can be a lifesaver for people who train during the rush hour at the gym, especially in facilities with a single pair of dumbbells for each weight. 

Whether you are a newbie or an advanced lifter like Jeff Cavaliere, the waiter curl has something for everyone. 

Since the exercise has a limited range of motion and is a  functional movement  that is not too hard to learn, it can be picked up by the beginner rather quickly. The same cannot be said for exercises like the  Romanian deadlift  or  sumo squats , both of which have a learning curve.

Once a lifter gets proficient at performing the lift, advancing in the weight doesn’t take much time as the exercise involves lifting a dumbbell with both hands. It helps the lifter constantly challenge their muscles, helping ignite muscle and strength gain.

Related:  The Functional Training Split: Overview, Benefits and Sample Workouts

The waiter curl is an isolation exercise that targets your long brachii head. Since you can only use a single dumbbell while maintaining perfect form, the chances of an injury due to muscle overload reduce significantly. 

Most lifters like to leave the gym with a muscle-ripping pump. A sick pump is one of the best indicators, although scientifically not necessary, of a good workout. 

Waiter curl is a great exercise to fill your pythons with blood and lactic acid and keep at it until your muscles beg you for mercy. The contraction at the top will get more intense with every rep. Don’t be surprised if you’re sore for days after the workout. 

Here are some of the most effective waiter curl alternatives and variations — 

Since the incline bench waiter curl is a more intense isolation exercise than the conventional version, you might have to be content with using a lighter weight. 

The seated barbell curl is one of the most underutilized biceps exercises. It is incredibly effective at helping improve your biceps peak and developing explosive strength in the upper half of the curling movement.  

Related:   Grip Tips For More Productive Workouts

Who doesn’t want guns that give you bragging rights? However, building guns like Arnold Schwarzenegger is easier said than done, and sticking to the orthodox biceps curls will only get you so far. 

Waiter curl is a great isolation exercise that will take your biceps game to the next level. Give it a try the next time you are in the gym, and let us know how it went. 

Vidur Saini is a fitness enthusiast with a passion to share his hard-earned knowledge and bust bro-science stereotypes. His unsolicited advice benefits the readers & elicits the bros.

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