Barbell Biceps Curl

Also known as: Barbell Curl, Standing Barbell Curl, Barbell Bicep Curl

StrengthPull

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Body Part: Biceps

Description

Stand tall, hold a straight barbell palms-forward and curl it from your thighs to shoulder height: the standard barbell curl for bigger, stronger biceps. Both heads of the biceps lift the bar, with the brachialis underneath and the brachioradialis on the thumb side of your forearm pitching in. Two hands on one bar let you curl more total weight than with dumbbells, and the straight bar keeps your palms turned fully up, so the biceps works a little harder than on an EZ bar. The EZ-bar, wide-grip, close-grip and palms-down reverse curls are separate variations.

How to Perform

Take a straight bar you can curl without swinging from a mid-thigh rack, or deadlift it off the floor with a flat back.
Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, knees straight but soft and your weight over the middle of your feet.
Take an underhand grip, palms facing forward, hands about shoulder-width so your forearms hang straight just outside your thighs. Wrap your thumbs around the bar.
Start with straight arms, bar on your thighs, shoulders down and back. Lightly brace your abs and glutes so your torso can't rock.
Breathe out and bend both elbows, curling the bar up in an arc. Upper arms stay against your ribs; only your forearms move.
Stop with your forearms about vertical and the bar at shoulder height in front of your upper chest, below your chin. Squeeze for a second.
Take 2–3 seconds to lower the bar until your elbows are straight and the bar touches your thighs. Pause briefly, then curl again.
To end the set, put the bar back in the rack, or bend your knees and lower it to the floor with a flat back.

What Muscles Work

Primary Muscle:

Secondary Muscles:

Tips

Curl for 8–15 reps, or 6–10 on heavier days.
Stay at one weight and add reps until you get the top number on every set with no swing, then add the smallest plates (1.25 kg per side) and build back up from the bottom of the range.
An empty 20 kg Olympic bar is already too heavy for many beginners, so a fixed-weight straight bar or a light technique bar is fine. Fixed bars usually go up in 2.5–5 kg steps, a big jump at curl weights: expect a few sessions at each one, or use 0.5–1 kg fractional plates if your gym has them.
The front of your upper arms works hardest from halfway up to the squeeze, plus the thumb side of your forearms and your grip. If your lower back or the front of your shoulders joins in, the bar is too heavy. If the straight bar pulls on your inner elbows or wrists, switch to an EZ bar or dumbbells.
Can't stop the swing? Do the Barbell Wall Curl with your back flat against a wall. To make it harder, lower in 3–4 seconds, pause for a second with your forearms level on the way up, or move on to the Barbell Preacher Curl.
Substitutes: EZ-Bar Biceps Curl (easier on the wrists), Dumbbell Biceps Curl (each arm lifts its own weight), Bar Cable Biceps Curl (steady pull at the bottom), Close Grip Biceps Curl (same bar, narrower hands).

Common Mistakes

Swinging: your hips drive forward and your torso leans back to get the bar moving. Take some weight off, squeeze your glutes and abs before each rep and keep your knees still; if the swing keeps sneaking in, curl with your back against a wall.
Elbows travel forward and up at the top, so your front delts lift the bar toward your chin. Keep your elbows by your ribs and stop once your forearms are vertical.
Wrists bending back under the bar or curling in at the top. Hold the bar firmly with your knuckles in line with your forearms from the first rep to the last.
Dropping the bar and bouncing it off your thighs into the next rep. Count 2–3 seconds on every lowering and start each rep from a short stop; a heavy bar slamming into straight elbows yanks on the biceps tendon.