Pelican Curl

What is Pelican Curl:

The Pelican Curl, also known as the Pelican Push-Up, is an advanced calisthenics exercise working the elbows flexors, particularly the biceps brachii. Unlike ring curl, the pelican curl challenges the biceps in the lengthened position where the biceps have the best leverage, similar to free weight and machine preacher curl.

Key Benefits:

  • Biceps Isolation: One of the very few ways to train the biceps brachii in isolation in bodyweight training.
  • Size and Strength: Targets the elbow flexors, especially the biceps brachii, promoting muscle growth and strength improvement.
  • Enhanced Forearm Strength: Strengthens the muscles in your forearms, improving grip strength and overall hand function.
  • Core Activation: Requires core engagement to maintain stability and control throughout the movement, contributing to core strength and stability.
  • Functional Strength: Improves grip strength, scapula and core stability, and overall fitness, translating to improved performance in daily activities and sports.
  • Versatile and Scalable: This can be performed in a slightly slanted vertical position to a more horizontal position up to an inverted position, increasing intensity significantly and making it adaptable for all fitness levels.

Variations:

  • Ring Curl: An easier bodyweight biceps isolation exercise using gymnastic rings. It is relatively easy to set up and execute, making it more suitable for beginners.
  • Hefesto: An advanced bodyweight skill where you get over the bar through mostly elbow flexion at the bottom and elbow extension and arm flexion strength near the top.

How to perform Pelican Curls:

  • Set Up: Set up the gymnastic rings around a height where you can properly perform the movement and shoulder width apart.
  • Starting Position: Grip the rings with a supinated grip (underhand grip), and you can also do a false grip. Then, position yourself below the rings appropriately, arms fully extended. Maintain core engagement and scapular depression with slight protraction.
  • Execution: Initiate the movement by flexing your elbows as much as you can while maintaining overall body stability. Hold the end position briefly, then return to the starting position with control.
  • Repetition: Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Breathing Technique:

Proper breathing is crucial for maximizing performance and maintaining stamina throughout the exercise. Experiment with what you're comfortable with and let you perform your best. For starters, you can try the following:

  • Inhale: Inhale at the starting position or as you return to the starting position.
  • Exhale: Exhale at the top/end position.
  • Mindfulness: Be extra mindful of your body during the exercise as this exercise is pretty intense and comparable to the free weight and machine preacher curl, loading the biceps mostly in the lengthened position, as well as putting the shoulders in a demanding position.
  • Rings Height: Choose a ring height where you can properly perform the movement within your target rep range, like 4-8 reps, just like how it is with other exercises.
  • Only Elbow Flexion: Try to limit and avoid unnecessary movements, like excessive shoulder flexion, and do only elbow flexion.
  • Shoulder Rotation: Maintain shoulder external rotation for better stability throughout the exercise.
  • Feet Width: The role of your lower body is to support your body weight and provide stability. This makes it more natural to spread out your legs as needed instead of keeping them together. Feel free to do what you think and feel is best for your performance.
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    Additional Information:

    Ways to make it easier:

    • Focusing only on the Concentric or Eccentric phase
    • Decreasing the Range of Motion - partial reps, only go as far as you can handle
    • Increasing the height - The more upright you are, the easier the exercise becomes
    • Using external force for support - resistance bands, a partnerm or something
    • Regressing to an easier variation/exercise

    Ways to make it harder:

    • Playing with the Tempo & adding an Isometric phase (pause/hold)
    • Decreasing the height - the more horizontal or even inverted you are, the harder the exercise becomes
    • Adding resistance - weight vest or backpack
    • Progressing to a harder variation/exercise