Elbow CARs
The elbow complex flexes, extends, and rotates the forearm, and keeping all of that strong at end range protects it from the tendon irritation that plagues lifters and desk workers alike. Elbow CARs actively take the joint from full lockout to full flexion while rotating the palm from up to down. Use them to warm up the arms before curls, pressing or pull-ups, or as a daily maintenance drill.
- Equipment
- Body Weight
- Type
- Functional, Recovery, Stretching
- Browse by muscle
- Biceps Brachii Long Head, Biceps Brachii Short Head
- Browse by movement
- Mobility Drill
- Target
- Biceps Brachii Long Head, Biceps Brachii Short Head
- Secondary
- Brachioradialis, Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head
How to do it
- 1
Stand tall and pin the upper arm to your side, elbow bent to ninety degrees, palm facing up.
- 2
Keeping the upper arm frozen against your ribs, curl the hand up into full elbow flexion.
- 3
At the top, rotate the forearm so the palm turns to face down into full pronation.
- 4
Extend the elbow to full straight lockout while keeping the palm-down position.
- 5
At full extension, rotate the forearm back to palm-up supination, then repeat the loop.
- 6
Make a firm fist and move slowly, keeping the shoulder and upper arm completely still.
- 7
Complete equal reps, then reverse the rotation sequence and switch arms.
Tips
- Do not let the elbow drift away from your side; that turns it into a shoulder drill.
- Reach a genuine, active full lockout each rep rather than stopping short.
- Keep the fist tight to build tension and improve control through the rotation.
Variations
Common mistakes
- The forearm rotation from pronation to supination happens as a fast flick instead of a slow, controlled turn, so the rep skips right past the ranges that actually feel stiff.
- Some people do the flexion and the rotation as two separate, disconnected motions instead of one continuous loop, breaking the drill into pieces instead of a smooth circuit.
- Reps on one arm rush through in half the time of the other, so the less mobile elbow ends up with less careful practice than the one that needed it less.
- Breath gets held through the full lockout and the deepest flexion instead of staying steady, bracing the shoulder and neck right at the ranges that need slow, smooth control.
- The starting elbow bend drifts well past or short of ninety degrees between reps, so the drill starts from a different position every time instead of a consistent one.
Frequently asked
- How many reps of Elbow CARs should a beginner do?
- Treat Elbow CARs as prep, not a working set: 2 to 3 slow circles per rotational direction on each arm before you curl, press, or hang from a bar is plenty. Add control before volume, slowing down further at full lockout and through the rotation instead of doing more circles.
- How do you make Elbow CARs easier or harder?
- Make it easier by shrinking the range and skipping the forearm rotation at first, just working flexion and extension with the palm still. Make it harder by adding the full pronation-to-supination rotation at each end, tightening the fist further, or slowing the whole loop down even more.
- What are Elbow CARs good for?
- They protect the elbow's end ranges from the tendon irritation common in lifters and desk workers, making them a useful daily maintenance drill or a lead-in before arm and pressing work. They will not resolve existing elbow pain such as tennis or golfer's elbow, which needs its own targeted care rather than a general mobility drill.
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