If you do the same amount of work with your arm in front or behind you, you'll get just as strong at lifting heavy weights — the position doesn't matter.

54

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

54

Community contributions welcome

54

Comparison Between Shoulder Flexed and Extended Positions in Elbow Flexion Resistance Training on Regional Hypertrophy and Maximum Strength: Preacher versus Bayesian Cable Curls

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2025 Apr

This study found that whether you do bicep curls with your arm stretched out behind you or bent in front of you, you get about the same strength gains after 10 weeks — as long as the resistance feels the same. So, muscle length during the exercise doesn’t matter for building strength.

Contradicting (0)

0

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Comparison Between Shoulder Flexed and Extended Positions in Elbow Flexion Resistance Training on Regional Hypertrophy and Maximum Strength: Preacher versus Bayesian Cable Curls

Score: 54

DOI: 10.1002/ejsc.12279

Similar Assertions

If you use the same weight and do the same number of reps, it doesn't matter if you curl with your arm in front or behind you — what matters is just doing it consistently and getting stronger over time.

54

0

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If young men who haven't exercised before do either multi-joint exercises (like pull-ups) or single-joint exercises (like bicep curls) for 10 weeks, their arm strength increases by about the same amount - neither type of exercise is clearly better than the other.

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55

0

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