Starting Strength St. Louis

Everyone wants bigger arms, so they start with curls.

But here’s the backwards part: if you’re not strong yet, curls don’t have much “ceiling.” You can only load them so heavy, and the stress is mostly local… which means the growth signal is limited.

Heavy pulls change that.

When you build a real deadlift (think 185 → 405 and beyond), you’re forcing adaptations that curls can’t touch:
- High-tension isometrics through the elbow flexors as the arms stay locked in under load
- Grip + forearm demand that thickens the whole lower arm and builds “arm stiffness”
- Systemic stress + recovery capacity (you can handle more hard work, and you can actually recover from it)
- Higher loading potential later — once you’re stronger overall, your curls can finally be heavy enough (and consistent enough) to matter

And the funniest part? If you get strong enough, your arms often grow without curls at all — because the training stress is big enough that your body has to build more tissue to keep you alive under the bar.

So yes… you can curl.
But if you want curls to actually WORK, earn them by getting brutally strong first.

Deadlifts build the base. Curls are just the accessory.