Why do people swing their back during bicep curls (specifically flat bar)?

Question

a lot of the time i see people swinging their back creating a lot of momentum in order to help them do bicep curls. my buddies tell me i should keep my back straight the whole time and try not to move it. My goal is to gain as much mass as possible, so should i swing my back and perhaps use more weight, or keep my back still and stick with the weight iam at?

Answer 1

They only swing their back because they are using to much weight in order to look sweet. Keep your back straight and upper arms parallel with your body at all times. They are only cheating themselves to look good in the gym but with proper form you will build muscle much faster and soon look good both in the gym and out.

Answer 2

Well, it's not so simple, depending on your goals. If you're reasonably new to lifting, I agree that you should not be swinging your back at all and you'll see gains no matter what you do...particularly if you are eating and sleeping right. 90% of the guys you see swinging the weight are, indeed, lifting too heavy and have a high likelihood of injuring themselves...and a low back injury can derail your entire gym career. As you advance in the gym and you really have a good "mind-muscle" connection and a very strong lower back and hamstrings, swinging the weight can allow you to lift a little more weight than with perfect form. This is known as a "cheat" set and should be reserved for people who really feel comfortable doing such a thing, and should still be done with a spotter. Plus the extra weight shouldn't be excessively more than you could do with good form. Generally, avoid these sets until you plateu completely in your training and use maybe one or two cheat sets in a workout to try to break the plateu...when you're ready. Consult a good trainer before you do so...

Answer 3

that's called a "cheat rep"

basically they are using momentum to help raise the weight. this would only be something that needs to be done on the last couple of reps on a heavy set. many guys use far too much weight and cheat from the first to the last rep.

in terms of resistance training injury occurs when you substitute weight for form. and I will let you in on a little secret. heavy curls are not the way to get big arms. big arms come from heavy pressing movements to stimulate the triceps which when properly developed are 2/3 of the upper arm. heavy back training also taxes the biceps heavily so there need only be very little direct bicep work. if you focus on training the big body parts like the legs and back all of the little body parts will always get properly stimulated.

Answer 4

Do not swing your back. Those guys you see in the gym swinging the weight do so because the are lifting too much weight and cannot control it. The key to lifting is to isolate the muscle through smooth, slow, and controlled movements. Use weight that is challenging yet still allows you to keep proper form. This will help you build mass and strength faster.

Answer 5

i would not swing my back, if you have to do that you are using too much weight.
if you want mass in your arms try using a preacher curl bench...........you'll get blasted.

Answer 6

cheating... try not to do it