Bicep Curl Functional?

I wasn’t really sure where to post this, so i just put it here.
I was just wondering why the bicep curl was deemed a “nonfunctional” exercise. To me it seems that every time you pick something up off the floor and bring it to your chest, to be carried or lifted overhead, you are curling that thing from the waist up. Therefore, having a strong bicep curl would transfer quite well to “real-life” strength.

I would appreciate an answer to this question.
thanks, Skwadder

Yes, strong biceps are very functional…therefore, any lift that makes them stronger is “functional” also.

A stronger muscle is a stronger muscle.

Strong biceps are certainly ‘functional’ you wont see some-one banging out reps and reps of dead hang chins without functional biceps strength.
The biceps also stabilize in the bench press and I have read about power lifters making gains in their bench press after neglecting to train them (their biceps) for long periods of time.

What you have probably read is more directed to the newbie trainee and means that every workout shouldn’t consist of various types of curls for numerous sets ad reps. When starting out the biceps will get enough stimulation from chins and rows, if anything a couple of sets of curls will be adequate-until you reach a more advanced level.

your argument is that if curling isnt considered functional then neither are strong biceps. These 2 things are not necessarily connected. And I dont think that when someone lifts a heavy awkward object off the floor he curls it (not in any strict sense). More the biceps provide more of an isometric hold. Zercher squats are great for strengthening the biceps.

Ask any powerlifter who has torn a bicep deadlifting.

[quote]yarni wrote:
your argument is that if curling isnt considered functional then neither are strong biceps. These 2 things are not necessarily connected. And I dont think that when someone lifts a heavy awkward object off the floor he curls it (not in any strict sense). More the biceps provide more of an isometric hold. Zercher squats are great for strengthening the biceps. [/quote]

Bro your arms are huge… How much you zercher squat?

In the movie “Swedish Power”, Magnus Samuelsson says “my arms have always been my strength”.

Curls are only functional if you do them on a bosu ball while standing on 1 leg.

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:

[quote]yarni wrote:
your argument is that if curling isnt considered functional then neither are strong biceps. These 2 things are not necessarily connected. And I dont think that when someone lifts a heavy awkward object off the floor he curls it (not in any strict sense). More the biceps provide more of an isometric hold. Zercher squats are great for strengthening the biceps. [/quote]

Bro your arms are huge… How much you zercher squat?[/quote]

How does a zercher squat help strenghthen your biceps?

[quote]yarni wrote:
your argument is that if curling isnt considered functional then neither are strong biceps. These 2 things are not necessarily connected. And I dont think that when someone lifts a heavy awkward object off the floor he curls it (not in any strict sense). More the biceps provide more of an isometric hold. Zercher squats are great for strengthening the biceps. [/quote]
the distance from weight to pivot while zercher squatting is tiny, hence the force output required by your biceps is tiny. unless you are zercher squatting ridiculous weights, or doing it wrong with the weight nearer your wrist than elbow, zercher squats are not going to do much for your biceps.

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:

[quote]yarni wrote:
your argument is that if curling isnt considered functional then neither are strong biceps. These 2 things are not necessarily connected. And I dont think that when someone lifts a heavy awkward object off the floor he curls it (not in any strict sense). More the biceps provide more of an isometric hold. Zercher squats are great for strengthening the biceps. [/quote]

Bro your arms are huge… How much you zercher squat?[/quote]

How does a zercher squat help strenghthen your biceps?
[/quote]

Well you just gotta make sure you stretch before hand to get that extra boost of testosterone…

This whole “functional” thing would make a lot more sense if people just called it “skill/technique work”.

Functional strength is something you can attribute to Olympic lifting etc where strength is emphasised…not just the actual skill (as if that movement in itself, like on a bosu ball or whatever, somehow magically makes you stronger and more functional than doing the isolation exercises alone)

Functional training got the bad rep. when the fitness crew used and abused it. It’s completely lost it’s meaning

^^^ Not that any of that even matters in a bodybuilding forum anyway

An organism’s function is to reproduce

women love big arms

therefore bicep curls are functional

[quote]Skwadder wrote:
I wasn’t really sure where to post this, so i just put it here.
I was just wondering why the bicep curl was deemed a “nonfunctional” exercise. To me it seems that every time you pick something up off the floor and bring it to your chest, to be carried or lifted overhead, you are curling that thing from the waist up. Therefore, having a strong bicep curl would transfer quite well to “real-life” strength.

I would appreciate an answer to this question.
thanks, Skwadder[/quote]

Speaking for us Strong Men, biceps are very important for numerous events and thus need to be trained directly.

The only section of the iron game I can think of where you don’t emphasize biceps is Olympic Weightlifting, since a thicker arm means worse leverage for the wrists when setting up to press overhead.

[quote]buddaboy wrote:
Strong biceps are certainly ‘functional’ you wont see some-one banging out reps and reps of dead hang chins without functional biceps strength.
The biceps also stabilize in the bench press and I have read about power lifters making gains in their bench press after neglecting to train them (their biceps) for long periods of time.[/quote]

Yea but is dead hang chins and the bench press functional?.. How could you argue the functionality of the biceps curl by stating it’s relevance to unfunctional exercises. What movements do you do throughout the day the imitates the bench press?

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:

[quote]yarni wrote:
your argument is that if curling isnt considered functional then neither are strong biceps. These 2 things are not necessarily connected. And I dont think that when someone lifts a heavy awkward object off the floor he curls it (not in any strict sense). More the biceps provide more of an isometric hold. Zercher squats are great for strengthening the biceps. [/quote]

Bro your arms are huge… How much you zercher squat?[/quote]

HAHAHA !

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:

[quote]yarni wrote:
your argument is that if curling isnt considered functional then neither are strong biceps. These 2 things are not necessarily connected. And I dont think that when someone lifts a heavy awkward object off the floor he curls it (not in any strict sense). More the biceps provide more of an isometric hold. Zercher squats are great for strengthening the biceps. [/quote]

Bro your arms are huge… How much you zercher squat?[/quote]

How does a zercher squat help strenghthen your biceps?
[/quote]

The same way that masturbating does.

[quote]angus_beef wrote:

[quote]buddaboy wrote:
Strong biceps are certainly ‘functional’ you wont see some-one banging out reps and reps of dead hang chins without functional biceps strength.
The biceps also stabilize in the bench press and I have read about power lifters making gains in their bench press after neglecting to train them (their biceps) for long periods of time.[/quote]

Yea but is dead hang chins and the bench press functional?.. How could you argue the functionality of the biceps curl by stating it’s relevance to unfunctional exercises. What movements do you do throughout the day the imitates the bench press? [/quote]

Have you ever pushed fat people?

Bas Rutten once commented that he only realized how important his biceps were when throwing hooks and uppercuts, when he injured them. Something about them transferring force from the torso.

Strong arms, believe it or not, are VERY useful in submission grappling.

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:

[quote]yarni wrote:
your argument is that if curling isnt considered functional then neither are strong biceps. These 2 things are not necessarily connected. And I dont think that when someone lifts a heavy awkward object off the floor he curls it (not in any strict sense). More the biceps provide more of an isometric hold. Zercher squats are great for strengthening the biceps. [/quote]

Bro your arms are huge… How much you zercher squat?[/quote]

Well as you correctly inferred, my arms are HOOGE (I base my personality on them). Therefore I can zercher squat numbers that I am far too modest to print here. haha