Stronger Arms: Exercises For Men Over 40

By Francis Tunwase

If you’re a 40-year-old guy, you should incorporate the Zottman Curl into your workout routine. Your biceps and forearms will both get a workout when you utilize this routine. Grip strength is a good indicator of general health and mortality rate, so you get to improve that, too!

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The Zottman Curl

Get a set of dumbbells and get set up. Holding the dumbbells at your sides in a neutral grip, stand like an athlete, and contract your abs. Lift both dumbbells above your head by rotating your palms upwards. Get a good biceps squeeze at the top of the curl.

This is the secret to a perfect curl: Turn your palms forward as you drop the dumbbells back to the initial position, but maintain your elbows in and your arm motion limited to the forearm. Slowly put the weights in their initial place. That counts as a single repetition.

In the Zottman Curl, you should take your time with the eccentric (lowering the dumbbells) phase. When curling, it’s common to see people waste time, lose control and get less out of the activity because of it. For maximum benefit, descend the dumbbells slowly and deliberately, as grip and forearm strength are especially important for older men (think: twisting doorknobs, opening jars, hanging activities, etc.).

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Keep your upper arms in line with your torso so that you don’t strain the workout by forcing your elbows forward. Also, if you notice any swaying in your body, you are probably employing too much force. To avoid losing control, you should switch to a lighter dumbbell.

The eccentric motion of the Zottman Curl is what makes it effective, so you can use a lighter weight. Reduce the weight by 10 or 15 pounds from what you would typically use for a conventional curl. Supinate and squeeze hard to target your biceps while lifting the weight.

Make sure to pronate (turn your palms downward) as much as possible when lowering the weight so that you hit your forearms. Lower the weight over the course of five counts. A good starting point is four sets of eight to ten reps.