Does arm position change bicep growth?
The effects of shoulder extension angle on elbow flexor hypertrophy in the cable curl exercise
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
We tested if doing curls with arms stretched back or in a normal position changes bicep growth.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 560 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
We tested if doing curls with arms stretched back or in a normal position changes bicep growth.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 560 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Larsen S, Sandvik Kristiansen B, Østerås Sandberg N, Bao Fredriksen A, van den Tillaar R, Wolf M, Swinton PA, Nygaard Falch H
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Claims (10)
When the total mechanical workload is the same, training muscles while they are stretched does not consistently lead to more muscle growth than training them while they are shortened.
If new guys do a specific arm curl workout for 10 weeks — going until their muscles are totally tired — their arm muscles get about 7% to 9% thicker, no matter how their shoulders are positioned, as long as the movement and resistance stay the same.
This idea says that a smarter math method can help scientists better tell when a workout doesn’t work — not just when they don’t have enough proof either way.
Doing more than a basic set of arm exercises and using more than one type of movement does not lead to noticeably greater muscle growth compared to a minimal routine.
Just because a study doesn’t find a clear difference in arm muscle growth between two curl types, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a real difference — the study might just be too small to catch it.