Bharat SainiLast Updated on August 18, 2020 by Bharat Saini
If you are a keen fitness fanatic, then you might have noticed some retro exercise equipment pieces have been making a comeback both in gyms and on Instagram. In case you were not already aware, an arm blaster is a lightweight piece of workout equipment that is typically worn when performing bicep curls.
An arm blaster is worn in front of the body and features an adjustable strap that rests on the back of your neck and shoulders. Put simply, arm blasters force the elbows in front of your torso when performing a curl, keeping your elbows stationary throughout each movement.
So, what are some of the advantages of incorporating an arm blaster into your bicep workouts? Let us discover 3 reasons why investing in an arm blaster can enhance your fitness progress.
Arm Blasters Keep Your Bicep Muscles Tense
The secret to gaining muscle strength and size involves progress overload. In essence, the principle of progressive overload suggests that a continual increase in total workloads during training sessions can stimulate muscle growth and strength gain. This improvement in overall performance allows training sessions to gradually increase in intensity. Correspondingly, when training your biceps, you need to increase the tension placed on your muscles by adding more weight, increasing reps, and reducing rest time between sets.
Using an arm blaster makes it impossible to rely on momentum to move your muscles. Furthermore, relying heavily on momentum during workouts can have a detrimental impact on results. Swinging at the top or bottom of your repetitions removes tension from the biceps, and this is counterintuitive to targeting your muscles. Consequently, when wearing an arm blaster, your arms are constricted into an optimal curling position. Tempted to give one a try? If so, check out this Armageddon Sports Arm Blaster.
Improved Form
The fundamental purpose of an arm blaster is to promote good form. Essentially, using an arm blaster for your bicep workouts encourages you to develop a habit of keeping your elbows close to your sides. This also helps to limit swinging so that you can focus on completing a full contraction for each repetition. Dumbbell and barbell curls can be tough to master where limiting your swing is concerned. These types of curls target the large muscle that lies between the shoulder and the elbow and, just like all muscles in the body, this muscle needs to be trained regularly if you want to get stronger, leaner, and more toned.
In order to perfect your form, try to stand with your feet hip-width apart. Your knees should be bent slightly, your core should be engaged, and you must maintain good upright posture at all times. Flared elbows and partial reps during curls and bench presses can both hold your progress back, but an arm blaster enforces good curling habits. In short, slipping on an arm blaster forces you to place your arms close to your side, prevents your elbows from swinging backwards, and almost totally limits any outward flaring during each rep.
No More Ego Lifting
We have all encountered people who like to show off in the gym at some point. Ego lifters, or people that try to lift the heaviest weights possible without adequate practice, often neglect form and end up injured. Instead, the golden rule to training your biceps is to embrace a results-oriented mentality that focuses on form first. With this in mind, wearing an arm blaster can help to prevent ego lifting from the onset.
If you try to lift a weight that is too heavy when wearing an arm blaster, you will not be able to get very far. Using an arm blaster forces you to only choose weights that you can curl with strict form from the bottom of the motion itself. The first portion of a curling action is always the hardest, and arm blasters are designed to prevent you from relying too heavily on the swing momentum to lift the weight. Form has to come first and wearing an arm blaster can keep egos in check.
Ultimately, provided that you do plenty of research and invest in high quality workout equipment, your arm blaster should stand the test of time. By incorporating an arm blaster into your bicep workouts and following the guidance above you should start to notice real progress. Above all, keeping your workouts fresh and invigorating is all about switching up your routine until you find what works best for you.
Are sore muscles holding you back from achieving your fitness goals? If so, take a look at these 5 tricks for relieving muscle soreness.
