Close-grip EZ Bar Curl
Also known as: Close Grip EZ Curl, Narrow Grip EZ Bar Curl, EZ Bar Close Grip Curl
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Description
Curl an EZ bar from thighs to shoulders with your hands underhand on the inner bends, close together: the close-grip version of the standard EZ-bar curl. Both biceps heads drive the curl, helped by the brachialis underneath and the thumb side of your forearm. In the standard version your hands sit on the outer bends at about shoulder width. Use it for variety or when narrow hands feel better on your shoulders; if your wrists or inner elbows complain, move back out. Close relatives: the straight-bar close-grip curl and the EZ preacher curl.
How to Perform
- Load a weight you can curl without hip drive. Take the bar from a mid-thigh rack, or deadlift it up with a flat back.
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, toes turned out slightly, knees straight but not locked.
- Take the two inner bends, next to the center, palms forward and thumbs wrapped. Your hands end up 6–8 in (15–20 cm) apart.
- Arms hang straight, bar on your thighs, elbows at your sides. Your forearms angle in toward your hands in a V; that's normal here.
- Brace lightly, breathe out and curl the bar in an arc toward your upper chest. Elbows point down and stay by your ribs, never flaring.
- Stop when your forearms are vertical and the bar is at shoulder height, just under your chin. Squeeze your biceps there for about a second.
- Take 2–3 seconds to lower to straight elbows, pause a beat at your thighs, then curl again. Rack the bar after the last rep.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Tips
- Sets of 8–15 suit this curl, or 6–10 on a heavier day. Keep the same bar until you can do the top number on all sets without swinging, then add 2.5 kg (1.25 kg or 2.5 lb per side) and work back up from the bottom. Expect to handle about what you use on the standard EZ curl, or a little less.
- Your upper arms should burn at the front, hardest from halfway up to the squeeze. A mild stretch along the inside of your forearms is normal with hands this close; sharp pain in your wrist or inner elbow is your cue to switch to the outer bends.
- If your torso still rocks with a lighter bar, try the Barbell Wall Curl, which works with an EZ bar and a close grip too. Once the reps come easily, slow the lowering to 3–4 seconds or move on to the EZ-Bar Preacher Curl.
- Substitutes: EZ-Bar Biceps Curl (outer bends, easier on sore wrists), Close Grip Biceps Curl (straight bar, for when the EZ bar is taken), Barbell Biceps Curl, Bar Cable Biceps Curl (hands close on the bar, and the cable keeps pulling at the bottom).
Common Mistakes
- Gripping the outer bends, or one inner and one outer, so the grip isn't close and the bar tilts. Set both hands on the inner bends, equally far from the center, before the bar leaves the rack.
- Elbows flaring out as the bar rises because your hands are close together. Keep them pointed down and brushing your ribs, and let your forearms angle in instead.
- Leaning back and driving your hips forward to get the bar moving. Take weight off, brace your abs and glutes and keep your knees still; if you still swing, do the set with your back on a wall.
- Pulling the bar to your chin as your elbows rise and the front of your shoulders takes over. Finish each rep when your forearms are vertical and the bar is level with your shoulders.
- Short reps at the bottom, or letting the bar drop and bounce off your thighs. Lower to straight elbows every time and start each rep from a brief stop.
Recommended Exercises
Explore exercises related to Close-grip EZ Bar Curl for biceps training and similar movement patterns.
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