Exercise of the Week: Gironda Curls

It has been awhile since I’ve done an “Exercise of the Week” blogpost.  Maybe I should change the name of this series to “Exercise of the Quarter,” since I’ve been doing this about once every 3 months.  Anywho…

Today’s exercise is called “Gironda Curls.”  Also known as the Gironda Perfect Curl.  You can perform these using either a barbell or dumbbells.  They’re named after legendary bodybuilding coach, Vince Gironda.  I throw these bad boys into my training once or twice a year.  When working any body part, variety is a good thing.  But variety without effectiveness is a waste of time.  When changing around exercises, make sure the exercise selection is done for the right reasons… variety AND effective exercise selection = smart and fun training. That’s a good recipe for success.

The Gironda Curl

Here’s a video of me performing Gironda Curls during a recent training session…

You can read the notes going across the bottom of the screen to get a few tips on how to keep the exercise safe and effective.

What I like about Gironda Curls

-Like I mentioned above, they provide good variety.

-It is a unique exercise because you are changing angles throughout the course of the set.  In the bottom portion your biceps are in a stretched position… kind of like an include curl.  In the top position your are leaning forward and this helps you get a good squeeze… kinda like a preacher curl.

-You don’t need a lot of weight to make this exercise difficult.  Sometimes it’s good to get in some quality exercises without ALWAYS loading up the bar and over-stressing your joints.

When you are working a muscle, quite often more weights = more effectiveness.  But like bodybuilders discovered years and years ago, sometimes it’s just as effective to lighten the load and get a good pump.

As I’ve mentioned previously, if you’re a newbie, don’t worry about this kind of stuff.  Just get stronger at the basic lifts (squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, push-ups, etc).

After you’ve put in a couple years adding weight to the bar, THEN you have “earned the right” to perform some of these more unique exercises that require you to lighten the load.

If you have any favorite “unique exercises,” what are they?

Until next time…