Getting a Grip on Drag Curls: Not All That's Gold Glitters
A drag curl is a type of biceps curl that requires the weight to be kept close to the body, effectively 'dragging' it up.
The premise behind drag curls is to make the curl easier at the start and incrementally harder towards the top-most point.
Drag curls focus more on the brachialis muscle and the long head of the biceps.
Your biceps are not optimally engaged during drag curls, diminishing the overall workout's effectiveness.
Regular biceps curls, correctly executed, are far more beneficial and effective.
Drag curls may unwittingly encourage poor form and improper lifting mechanics.
You see lads and lasses; the drag curl is a type of biceps curl that's garnered much debate from weight-lifting gurus far and wide, and I'm not surprised. While it may seem just a tad differently styled, this simple tweak in what we all consider a basic exercise can potentially have broad implications on the desired outcome. You're supposed to 'drag' the weight close to your body, shifting the tension rhythm a pinch - it’s easier at the lift-off and gets tougher as you proceed to the top.
The reason drag curls are touted is they place the focus more squarely on your brachialis and the long head of your biceps, resulting in some debonair-defining peaks. So it might work well for sculpting that envying arm silhouette for your weekend out, but trust me, it's not the be-all and end-all if you're looking for complete biceps development.
Now, here's the bone I have to pick with drag curls. The very muscle it's supposed to work, the biceps brachii, doesn't get its due workout. During a drag curl, the amount of elbow flexion is substantially lower than in a regular curl. This results in reducing the role of the biceps brachii and making the workout less effective overall. Why settle for less when you are already in it?
Let's compare it with the regular chap, the bicep curl. A standard, well-executed biceps curl tones the entirety of your upper arm muscles, stimulating both the long and short heads of your biceps in a wholesome, well-rounded manner that drag curls just can't match. You remember the phrase 'old is gold?' Well, consider regular curls the gold standard.
Most importantly—and this is where I really get my hackles up—drag curls can easily lull you into the wrong form. I've seen it a million times in the gym where someone, in their earnest endeavor to lift more weight than they can handle, ends up compromising on the form. More weight does not always equal more muscle, especially if it entails sacrificing proper lifting mechanics. Inherently, the form factor is massively critical, and the languidness with which drag curls can often be performed might end up causing more harm than good.
So from a personal trainer’s perspective, while the drag curl might initially seem like a novel alternative to the humdrum routine of the regular curl, it doesn't effectively pack the punch we need for all-round biceps development. It's about quality, not just quantity, and in this respect, I advocate keeping the good old-fashioned bicep curl in your playbook while assigning drag curls to the extra-time if you are into experimenting. Stay fit and keep pumping, but remember, it's not just about lifting; it's about lifting right.