Are you sick and tired of doing the same old exercises with a straight barbell?
You’re not alone, pal. Whether you’re a seasoned pro in the gym or it’s your first time, you’ll eventually want to shake things up in your fitness routine.
But I know what you’re thinking, “Isn’t the curl bar just for bicep curls?”
Nope.
The number of curl bar exercises out there is enough to make your hair curl — sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Speaking of, the 14 best curl bar exercises are:
- Biceps curl
- Reverse curl
- Arm blaster biceps curl
- Preacher curl
- Spider curl
- French press
- Skull crusher
- JM press
- Laying triceps extension
- Upright row
- Front raise
- Overhead press
- Close-grip bench press
- Bent-over row
In this article, I’ll outline everything you’d want to know about wielding this specialty barbell, including how to use a curl bar, exercises to do with a curl bar, best workouts with a curl bar, and more!
Table of Contents
What Makes a Good Curl Bar Exercise?
There are a couple of key pillars that make a good curl bar exercise:
- Allows for proper loading. Any curl bar exercises worth their salt should be able to be properly loaded regardless of the person’s strength level.
The EZ curl bar makes this happen because it doesn’t tend to weigh more than 20-25 pounds, and it can be loaded incrementally with weight plates. Or, for weighted curl bars with pre-determined weights, the weight goes up on each bar in small increments.
- Target one or several muscles. The great thing about an EZ curl bar is that it’s almost as versatile as a straight barbell. Hundreds of curl bar exercises are available to isolate a single muscle group or hit many of them at once.
Want enough barbell exercises to last you months of training? Take a peek at The Ultimate List Of 55+ Barbell Exercises (By Muscle Group).
Benefits of EZ Curl Bar Exercises
More Comfortable for Your Joints
Straight barbells are great for squats, bench presses, and deadlifts, but they can be downright uncomfortable for exercises like skull crushers and biceps curls.
Adjusting your grip to work around joint discomfort or old injuries is essential, and the curved design of the curl bar allows many grip variations to provide relief.
Easier to Get Into Position
EZ curl bars are almost always lighter than a standard 45-pound barbell. This makes it easier to do a curl bar exercise like a skull crusher, where you have to maneuver and lift it into position.
We have a detailed article about how much an EZ bar weighs.
More Portable
Curl bars also tend to be smaller in size than regular Olympic bars. They’re perfect for small spaces, fitness classes, or those who travel with their gear on the road.
Any curl bar should fit in the backseat of your car, and won’t be a total pain to carry a short distance if needed.
Provides a New Stimulus
Barbells are great, but it’s easy for your training to get stale when every exercise you do involves a straight bar. Even a small change like using a curling bar can give a similar exercise a whole new feeling — and give your body a fresh stimulus to adapt to.
Which Muscles Do EZ Curl Bar Exercises Work?
Here’s the thing about EZ curl bar exercises — you can technically do just about every exercise you could with a straight bar, especially if you’re willing to get creative with your grip.
That said, curl bars tend to have a lower weight capacity and will twist during certain exercises. Because of this, they’re mostly used for upper-body exercises. But most people don’t realize they can do curl bar workouts for the biceps and several other upper-body muscle groups.
Here are the muscles that EZ curl bar exercises work:
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Shoulders
- Lats
- Chest
Remember, there’s nothing to say that you can’t use a curling bar for squats, lunges, or ab work. It’s simply less common to do those EZ curl bar exercises, so I’ve excluded those muscle groups from the list above.
The 14 Best Curl Bar Exercises
1. Bicep Curl
Classic, iconic, timeless — these words are often used to describe the bicep curl. It’s arguably the most common curl bar exercise for arms.
How To Do
- Start by standing tall.
- Grab the loaded EZ curl bar with a close underhand grip and hold it against your hips.
- Tighten your abs by bracing your core.
- Push your arms forward slightly.
- Curl the bar upwards toward your shoulders by bending your elbows.
- Lower the EZ curl bar under control to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for reps. Once your set is complete, set the bar back on the floor.
Pro Tip
Keep your form consistent. Both are okay if you like doing this EZ curl exercise strictly or with a bit of a cheat. However, every rep should look nearly identical to ensure you can confidently increase the weight as you get stronger.
Benefits
- Bicep curls develop strength in your biceps. Unlike other curl bar exercises that isolate your biceps muscle, the standing biceps curl is probably the most practical for pushing the weight to chase after those strength gains.
- Bicep curls build the size of your biceps. This EZ curl exercise gives your biceps a dedicated stimulus to grow, especially without bringing unnecessary fatigue to other muscle groups.
Drawbacks
- Bicep curls don’t target many muscle groups. If you have limited time in the gym, your time is better spent doing compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. Squats, bench presses, and deadlifts will burn more calories, build more muscle, and develop more strength than a biceps curl ever will.
- Bicep curls don’t fully activate the biceps. Having your palm in full supination (like holding a bowl of soup) is required to fully activate your biceps. When you use a curling bar, you don’t reach full supination — potentially leaving some gains on the table.
Not sure what else to do to pump your guns? Check out our article What Else Should I Do On Biceps Day? for four stellar ideas.
2. Reverse Curl
This is like a biceps curl but throws in a 180-degree twist.
How To
- Start by standing tall.
- Grab the loaded EZ curl bar with a close overhand grip and hold it against your hips.
- Tighten your abs by bracing your core.
- Curl the bar upwards toward your shoulders by bending your elbows.
- Lower the EZ curl bar under control to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for reps. Once your set is complete, set the bar back on the floor.
Pro Tip
Stop your reps around mid-chest. When you use a reverse grip, you’ll find that you can’t bring the EZ curl bar as high as when you’re performing a standard biceps curl.
That said, this isn’t a problem. Just stop when you feel like you’ve reached the endpoint instead of moving your elbows forward to try to “finish” the rep.
Benefits
- Reverse curls develop strength and size in your biceps. Despite using a reverse grip, the reverse curl still works your biceps brachii — the main muscle group responsible for making you look like you have a set of guns.
- Reverse curls complement your primary biceps training. This EZ curl exercise is great for targeting often neglected biceps-related muscle groups, hitting your brachioradialis (a muscle in your forearm) and your brachialis (often called the “hidden biceps”).
Drawbacks
- Reverse curls aren’t a compound exercise. If your workouts are a blitz due to lack of time, you’re better off focusing on exercises targeting multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Compound lifts like squats, bench presses, and barbell rows will roast more calories, pack on more lean muscle, and build more strength than isolation exercises like a reverse curl.
- Reverse curls don’t specifically target the biceps. Since your hands are pronated (facing down) during this EZ curl exercise, it targets different muscle groups than a standard biceps curl. As a result, you might want to pick a different exercise if you can only choose one and are looking to grow huge biceps.
If you want to build bicep peaks that rival Mount Everest, you’ll need to target the short head of your guns. Check out the Best Short Head Bicep Workout for a done-for-you bicep routine.
3. Arm Blaster Bicep Curl
This has got to be the coolest-sounding bicep curl exercise… Maybe it’s peaked your interest? You’ll need an arm blaster for this movement, but it’s a pretty inexpensive piece of equipment.
How To
- Put on the arm blaster and adjust it for your body.
- Bring your arms in front of it and rest the back of your arms against the arm supports.
- Grab the loaded EZ curl bar with a close underhand grip and hold it against your hips.
- Tighten your abs by bracing your core.
- Keep the back of your arms pinned against the arm blaster at all times.
- Curl the bar upwards toward your shoulders by bending your elbows.
- Lower the EZ curl bar under control to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for reps. Once your set is complete, set the bar back on the floor.
Pro Tip
It’s essential that your arm blaster fits properly for this exercise. The support pads should rest against your triceps just above your elbow when your arms hang in front of you with the arm blaster on. So, make sure to lengthen or shorten the strap to get the pads in the right spot for your proportions.
Benefits
- Arm blaster bicep curls isolate your biceps even further. The arm blaster bicep curl isolates your biceps similarly to the concentration curl: by not allowing you to push your elbows forward and “cheat.”
- Arm blaster bicep curls teach great technique. By not allowing you to “cheat” your reps, this curl bar exercise reinforces proper technique for your curls. It’s not very natural to swing or dip to generate momentum when using an arm blaster, so you might also feel a better focus on your other bicep exercises.
Drawbacks
- Arm blaster bicep curls require less weight. Since the arm blaster forces you to use a strict technique, you’ll find that you can’t use as much weight because you’ll no longer be able to bring your elbows forward to make your reps easier to complete.
- Arm blaster bicep curls can be uncomfortable. Most arm blasters include a piece of padding on the strap to make it more comfortable against the back of your neck, but it can still dig into your skin during this curl bar exercise.
Don’t let your budget hold you back from bigger arms. Here are the 10 Best Bodyweight Bicep Exercises To Grow Your Arms.
4. Preacher Curl
This curl bar exercise might just have you preaching its benefits after you feel its bicep-pumping powers.
How To
- Crouch over the preacher curl pad with the back of your arms against it.
- Lean forward to grab the EZ curl bar with a medium overhand grip.
- Settle your arms into the pad with a slight bend in your elbows.
- Bend your elbows to curl the bar up toward your face.
- Stop your rep just before you feel the tension release off your biceps.
- Lower the curl bar under control until your elbows are straight.
- Repeat for reps. Once you complete your set, put the bar back onto the bar holder
Pro Tip
Avoid leaning back. When doing the preacher curl, it’s common to lean back toward the end of your set or when you’re close to failure. Leaning back gives you more leverage to grind out a couple more reps.
That said, it takes the emphasis off the muscles you’re trying to target — fight the urge by intentionally leaning forward throughout your whole set.
Benefits
- Preacher curls completely isolate your biceps. The preacher curl is a more comfortable version of the concentration curl. Because your elbows are supported, and the range of motion is so controlled, your biceps are the sole focus.
- Preacher curls eliminate unnecessary energy use. With this curl bar exercise, you’ll be resting against the pad, removing unnecessary core activation. In other words, you’re not focused on anything else besides curling the weight.
Drawbacks
- Preacher curls can still be “cheated.” It’s surprisingly easy to cut corners with this EZ curl bar exercise, which is most often done by not fully extending your arms at the bottom. The natural sticking point of the preacher curl is at the bottom. Try to resist skipping it, or you won’t get the full benefit of the stretch it can provide.
- Preacher curls can be hard to progress. Due to the isolation of your biceps on the preacher curl, it can be difficult to get stronger when your progress stalls. That said, this is a drawback inherent in any isolation lift because less muscle mass is being used to perform the exercise.
Need an alternative for the preacher curl? Check out our article on the 9 Best Preacher Curl Alternatives (With Pictures).
5. Spider Curl
The spider curl would definitely be the favorite exercise of that wall-climbing, web-shooting superhero.
How To
- Put an adjustable bench at a 45-degree incline.
- Grab the loaded curl bar with a medium overhand grip.
- Straddle the bench and walk your feet forward slightly.
- When you’re close enough to the back pad, lift the curl bar over it and rest your chest directly against it.
- Let your arms hang passively as you settle into the bench.
- Curl the EZ curl bar up by bending your elbows.
- Lower the weight with control to the bottom until your elbows are straight.
- Repeat for reps. When your set is complete, lift the bar back over the bench pad as you stand up and set it on the floor.
Pro Tip
Find a comfortable bench pad angle for you. Lifters come in all sizes and proportions, so don’t dwell on having to change the bench angle to something more vertical or horizontal. Somewhere around 45 degrees is a good starting point, but adjust it for comfort so that you can focus on the muscles you’re trying to target.
Benefits
- Spider curls isolate your biceps. The spider curl forces you to lean against a bench, which doesn’t allow you to use your torso or legs to generate momentum. Because of this isolation, your biceps get a wicked workout.
- Spider curls support your back. The spider curl can be one of the best curl bar exercises for those with sensitive backs since your entire torso is supported during the exercise. If you find that standing bicep curls can cause your back to flare up, consider giving this curl bar exercise a try!
Drawbacks
- Spider curls can still be cheated. Although this EZ curl exercise keeps most of your body motionless, it can still be cheated by letting the barbell swing backward at the bottom. This will generate momentum and make the start of each rep easier. However, it dodges the hardest part of the exercise.
- Spider curls can feel awkward. Straddling a bench, leaning against it, then maneuvering a curl bar can make you feel rather clumsy. For this reason, it’s not the best curl bar workout for those who don’t move quite so gracefully.
6. French Press
The French Press is a great exercise for your triceps, but it’s easily confused by coffee connoisseurs.
How To
- Start seated on a bench with the loaded curl bar across your thighs.
- Place your hands on the bar in a narrow overhand grip.
- Reverse curl the bar and press it directly overhead.
- Dip the bar back behind your head by bending your elbows.
- Stop when the bar is a couple of inches from the back of your neck.
- Press it back toward the ceiling in a smooth motion.
- Repeat for reps. When your set is complete, bring the bar back to your thighs.
Pro Tip
Pay attention to your elbow comfort. Like many curl bar exercises for your triceps, the French press can cause elbow discomfort in a small fraction of lifters. If you find that you have achy elbows even after incrementally loading this exercise over multiple weeks, it’s no biggie — try the laying triceps extension instead.
Benefits
- French presses build tricep strength and size. Like the other tricep exercises with a curl bar in this article, French presses activate your triceps to a high degree. Because of this, they’re a great movement to strengthen your elbow extensors and add size to the back of your arms.
- French presses can improve shoulder stability. The French press requires you to balance a curl bar over and around your head throughout the entire exercise. This puts a decent amount of work on your shoulders since they have to stabilize the bar — don’t be surprised if your shoulder stability improves over time after doing this curling bar exercise.
Drawbacks
- French presses can be hard on tight shoulders. If your shoulders lack mobility when your arms are lifted overhead, the French press can be difficult to perform correctly.
- French presses might cause aching in your elbows. Like most of the tricep-targeting curl bar exercises below, the french press can irritate the elbows of some lifters. Keeping the weight and/or reps on the lighter end for the first couple of weeks can minimize the risk and widen your grip slightly to medium width.
7. Skull Crusher
Despite the name, you shouldn’t crush your skull with this exercise.
How To
- Start seated on a bench with the loaded curl bar across your thighs.
- Place your hands on the bar in a narrow grip, like you’re doing a skull crusher.
- Lay back on the bench under control while kicking the bar into position with your knees.
- Finish guiding the bar into the starting position with your arms.
- Start bending at your elbows to allow the bar to descend toward your forehead.
- Stop when the bar is a couple of inches from your face.
- Explosively push the bar back toward the ceiling.
- Repeat for reps. When finished with your set, bring your knees up to the bar and rock yourself forward to return to a seated position.
- Set the bar back on the ground.
Pro Tip
Let your elbow comfort be your guide. This curl bar exercise can cause discomfort in the elbows for a few lifters. Avoid training it for strength gain to minimize the risk of this happening. Instead, stay in the 8-12 rep range and keep 2-4 reps in the tank for most of your sets.
If your elbows are still bugging you after a couple of weeks, try the laying triceps extension instead.
Benefits
- Skull crushers develop tricep strength. As far as curl bar exercises go, the skull crusher is a fan favorite — and for good reason. It activates a large part of the triceps, and if your elbows can tolerate it, you can go heavy to build up the strength of the back of your arms.
- Skull crushers build tricep size. Similar to the point above, skull crushers can also be used to add serious size to your triceps. This is because they stimulate a large amount of the entire triceps muscle group.
Drawbacks
- Skull crushers can be nerve-wracking. Skull crushers bring a loaded barbell close to your face, so if you feel nervous doing them on your own, you might want to use a spotter or safeties in a power rack or just pick a different exercise altogether.
- Skull crushers could cause achy elbows. Although the EZ curl bar tends to feel much better than a straight barbell for skull crushers, a small subset of lifters might still experience discomfort in their elbows. Unfortunately, the most common workaround for this, other than keeping the weight lighter, is to switch to a different exercise.
8. JM Press
People often see this exercise and wonder why JM didn’t want his name spelled with the letter “i”.
How To
- Start seated on a bench with the loaded curl bar across your thighs.
- Place your hands on the bar in a medium overhand grip.
- Lay back onto the bench under control while kicking the bar into position with your knees.
- Finish guiding the bar into the starting position with your arms.
- Allow the bar to descend toward your chin.
- Keep your elbows high as you lower the bar.
- Stop when the bar is a few inches from your chin.
- Explosively push the bar back toward the ceiling.
- Repeat for reps. When finished with your set, bring your knees up to the bar and rock yourself forward to return to a seated position.
Pro Tip
Don’t ignore elbow aches or pains. It’s less common, but some lifters will experience aching in their elbows when doing this EZ curl bar exercise. Reduce the risk of this happening by sticking around the 8-12 rep range and having 2-4 reps in reserve for most of your sets. If your elbows are still achy after a couple of weeks, switch to the laying triceps extension.
Benefits
- JM presses develop tricep strength. Regarding curl bar exercises, the JM press is one of the best for developing tricep strength that’s fairly specific to the bench press. This is because the JM press uses a barbell and a flat bench with comparable mechanics. It’s no close-grip bench press, but it’s still a solid choice.
- JM presses build tricep size. The JM press is great for emphasizing your triceps. After lowering the bar, the only thing happening during the lift is elbow extension — a key component of the bench press exercise.
Drawbacks
- JM presses can feel awkward. This curl bar exercise features a pretty unique bar path, and this can feel weird for many people. It also brings a loaded bar close to your face, which can add a layer of anxiety to the exercise or lift.
- JM presses aren’t always elbow-friendly. Besides skull crushers, JM presses can sometimes irritate your elbows. It’s hard to know where to pinpoint exactly why this happens, but it’s likely just an unlucky side effect for a small fraction of lifters.
9. Laying Triceps Extension
You might be laying down for this exercise, but it’s nothing like taking a nap.
How To
- Start seated on a bench with the loaded curl bar across your thighs.
- Place your hands on the bar in a narrow grip, like you’re doing a skull crusher.
- Lay back onto the bench under control while kicking the bar into position with your knees.
- Finish guiding the bar into the starting position with your arms.
- Scoot up the bench to ensure your head is right at the top.
- Start bending at your elbows to allow the bar to descend toward your chin.
- When the bar is a couple of inches from your face, guide it past your forehead to the back of your head.
- Continue lowering the bar until you reach the bottom of the exercise.
- Explosively push the bar back toward the ceiling.
- Repeat for reps. When finished with your set, bring your knees up to the bar and rock yourself forward to return to a seated position.
- Set the bar back on the ground.
Pro Tip
Catch a bounce out of the bottom. When you reach the bottom of each rep, your triceps will be lengthened like a coil, and this ends up feeling like a “bounce.” This is completely natural — the same thing happens when you squat. Take advantage of it and use the bounce to build some momentum to help you get past the hardest part of the lift, which is around the middle of each rep.
Benefits
- Laying triceps extensions develop the strength and size of your triceps. This curl bar exercise works both functions of your triceps: elbow extension and shoulder extension. According to Mark Rippetoe, the laying triceps extension is “an extremely important assistance exercise for more advanced lifters for the bench press and the press.”
- Laying triceps extensions improve shoulder stability. Compared to the skull crusher, the laying triceps extension significantly increases shoulder movement. The extra range of motion at this joint forces your shoulders to learn to stabilize as the bar moves around your head and back to the top of each rep.
Drawbacks
- Laying triceps extensions can be difficult to set up. Unlike the curl bar exercises mentioned so far, this one can be done with fairly heavy weight. However, a loaded-up curl bar can be difficult to get into position off the floor. As an alternative, use a spotter or perform it with a rackable curl bar in a power rack.
- Laying triceps extensions can feel scary to fail. Unlike the back squat, where you can rest the bar against the safeties, this curl bar exercise doesn’t have a safety catch system. However, bailing from a rep is easier than you might think. If you can’t push the bar back to the starting position, simply lower it to the complete bottom behind your head and gently let go of the bar. For most people, it won’t fall more than a foot. You can set a mat down to protect your gear if you’re lifting on concrete.
10. Upright Row
This is your one-stop ticket to 360-degree shoulders.
How To
- Start by standing tall.
- Grab the loaded EZ curl bar with a close overhand grip and hold it against your hips.
- Tighten your abs by bracing your core.
- Skim the bar up your body by bending at your elbows.
- As you near the top, continue flaring your elbows high and out.
- Stop when you reach the front of your shoulders.
- Lower the bar with control back to your hips.
- Repeat for reps. When you’ve finished your set, put the bar back on the floor.
Pro Tip
Experiment with your grip width. For most lifters, a narrow grip will feel fine. But for some lifters, moving the hands out to a medium grip width will feel better. The goal here is to find what hand placement feels best for your shoulders and stick with it to allow your body to adapt.
Benefits
- Upright rows build your entire shoulder. This curl bar exercise requires a large range of motion at the shoulder joint. For this reason, the upright row is an excellent lift for developing your front, side, and rear delts.
- Upright rows develop your traps. If you’re looking to build a set of traps like Bane in The Dark Night Rises, you’ll need exercises like shrugs and heavy deadlifts. However, the upright row involves your middle and lower traps to a high degree, which will give your upper back more thickness.
Drawbacks
- Upright rows can exaggerate a round-back posture. Since the weight is directly in front of you during the upright row, it’s common to slip further into a rounded-forward back position. To avoid this, try to actively focus on standing tall with your shoulders back while the bar is in your hands.
- Upright rows can be hard on your shoulders. For years, this EZ curl bar exercise was considered one to avoid at all costs because it impinges your shoulders — this is a myth. Upright rows can be done safely by nearly anyone when they’re loaded incrementally and the lifter is given time to adapt to them.
Still experiencing discomfort when doing upright rows? Check out Upright Rows Causing Shoulder, Wrist, or Elbow Pain? Try This.
11. Front Raise
Great news — you don’t need bench presses to get those shoulder striations.
How To
- Start by standing tall while holding a loaded bar against your hips.
- Tighten your abs by bracing your core.
- With straight arms, raise the bar until it reaches shoulder height.
- Lower the bar under control until it returns to the starting position.
Pro Tip
Stop your reps at shoulder height. Nothing magical happens at this height, but you do get most of the benefit of this EZ curl exercise by the time the bar is even with your shoulders.
Plus, shoulder height is easy to identify for every rep, almost like touching the bar on your chest during a bench press. This keeps every rep consistent, which helps when it’s time to add more weight.
Benefits
- Front raises isolate your front delts. Your front delts (shoulders) are worked whenever you lift your arms in front of you. Because this exercise requires you to lift a barbell to shoulder height with extended arms, your front delts are the sole focus here.
- Front raises work your core. Few curl bar exercises put a barbell at a farther distance from your body than the front raise. As a result, you’ll find your core (abs and low back muscles) get a good workout from this exercise as well.
Drawbacks
- Front raises put more work on your lower back. Since the barbell swings far in front of you, your lumbar muscles have to contract to stop you from over-arching your back. For those with sensitive backs, consider doing this EZ curl bar exercise with your back against a wall for extra support.
- Front raises can’t be loaded heavy. With this isolation movement, it’s hard to load up the weight without letting your form suffer. When the bar gets too heavy (which doesn’t take much!), people tend to use momentum to get it up or bend their elbows, turning it into an upright row. Remember to keep it light to keep the focus on the right muscle groups.
12. Overhead Press
Few exercises are more impressive than lifting a heavy barbell overhead.
How To
- Start by standing tall while holding a loaded bar against your hips.
- Tighten your abs by bracing your core.
- Reverse curl the bar to your shoulders.
- Gently push your chin back as you push the bar upwards.
- As the bar clears your forehead, let the bar travel slightly behind you.
- Continue until the bar is pressed directly overhead.
- Lower the bar with control until it returns to the front of your shoulders.
- Repeat for reps.
Pro Tip
Pick a grip that gives you a straight wrist. With most curling bars, you’ll need to grip the bar wide to make this happen because that’s the only spot on the bar’s shaft that isn’t curved. If you use a curved part of the bar, you might have some wrist discomfort since you’ll be supporting the full weight of the bar with a wrist position that isn’t straight.
Benefits
- Overhead presses build shoulder strength. Since this curl bar exercise targets your shoulders and triceps, you can apply progressive overload to develop your pressing strength while building muscle.
- Overhead presses work your entire shoulder. Unlike an exercise like the bench press, overhead presses target your entire shoulder musculature (front, side, and rear). This is because you have to push upwards and balance it overhead at the same time.
Drawbacks
- Overhead presses put more work on your lower back. This curl bar exercise involves balancing a loaded bar above your head, which puts a higher demand on your core muscles — especially your lumbar muscles. For those with sensitive backs, keep the weight light, then build up over time or perform this exercise seated for more back support.
- Overhead presses can be harder on your wrists. In some cases, the fact that you’re using a wide grip can make your wrists sore. The wide grip is done to ensure there’s a more balanced loading onto your wrists. But sometimes, there’s still enough of a bend in the barbell’s sleeve that your wrist joints take a beating.
If you get back pain after overhead pressing, try the tips in this article: Does Overhead Press Hurt Your Back? Try These 6 Tips.
13. Close-Grip Bench Press
Like the classic bench press, but with an EZ-er twist.
How To
- Start seated on a bench with the loaded curl bar across your thighs.
- Place your hands on the bar in a narrow grip, like you’re doing a skull crusher.
- Lay back on the bench under control while kicking the bar into position with your knees.
- Finish guiding the bar into the starting position with your arms.
- Lower the bar toward your chest by bending at your elbows.
- Continue until the bar or your hands make light contact against your chest.
- Push the bar back to the top to complete your first rep.
- Repeat for reps. When finished with your set, bring your knees up to the bar and rock yourself forward to return to a seated position.
- Set the bar back on the ground.
Pro Tip
Tuck your elbows. When doing the close-grip bench press with an EZ curl bar, you’ll hit your triceps better if you tuck your elbows in close. Think about almost skimming your sides with your arms as you lower the bar to get that juicy tricep pump.
Benefits
- Close-grip bench presses are great for building strength. Since it works multiple muscle groups at once, this curl bar exercise is one where you can push the weight.
- Close-grip bench presses emphasize your triceps. The closer grip on this bench press variation will work your triceps harder, which will help develop their strength and the definition of the back of your arm.
Drawbacks
- Close grip bench presses can be hard on your wrists. Having your hands placed so closely together could cause wrist pain for some lifters. Feel free to try a slightly wider grip to ease off the pressure on your wrist joints if needed.
- Close grip bench presses are harder to set up. Instead of a typical bench press in a power rack, you’re physically lifting the barbell into position. While this is doable with a light enough bar, it’s impractical when the weight gets heavy and you’re better off using a rackable EZ curl bar in a power rack.
14. Barbell Row
Itching for a barn-door-sized back? Look no further than the barbell row.
How To
- Place the middle of your feet under the loaded bar.
- Bend over and place your hands on the bar.
- Sit your hips down until your shins touch the bar.
- Squeeze your chest out to flatten your back.
- Drag the bar up your body, stopping with the bar just in front of your knees.
- Pull the barbell toward you by bending at your elbows.
- Keep rowing the bar in until it makes contact with your body.
- Repeat for reps. When finished with your set, lower the bar back to the starting position under control.
Pro Tip
Keep your form consistent. Whether you like to keep your body 100% rigid or use a bit of momentum during your reps, both are fine — the same goes for your torso angle.
Regardless of your preferred technique style, your first and last rep should look almost identical.
Benefits
- Barbell rows are excellent for developing upper body strength and size. This EZ curl bar exercise uses your lats, rear delts, biceps, and spinal erectors.
- Barbell rows are easily scaled. Whether you need to start with the empty barbell (around 25 lbs) or load it up to over 300 lbs, this EZ curl bar exercise can be scaled to the strength level of nearly any lifter.
Drawbacks
- Barbell rows put more work on your lower back. While your lower back muscles can adapt like any other muscle group, it’s common for them to get fatigued on curl bar exercises like this. I'd recommend starting extra light if you have a sensitive lower back.
- Barbell rows aren’t great at isolating. Since this compound exercise works many muscle groups at once, you won’t see the type of isolation back gains you would from a chest-supported row.
Sample Upper Body Workout with Curl Bar
To help get your upper body muscles pumped and prepped, here are three examples of the best curl bar workouts for strength and hypertrophy.
“RIR” stands for reps in reserve, which is your number of repetitions away from failure.
For example, 10 reps with 1-4 RIR means you could have done 11-14 reps, but you stopped at 10 instead.
Sample Workout for Strength
- Close-grip bench press: 3 sets x 4-6 reps with 2-4 RIR
- Bent-over row: 3 sets x 4-6 reps with 2-4 RIR
- Overhead press: 3 sets x 4-6 reps with 2-4 RIR
- Laying triceps extension: 3 sets x 6-8 reps with 1-2 RIR
- Biceps curl: 3 sets of 6-8 reps with 1-2 RIR
This full-body curl bar workout includes EZ curl bar exercises with lower reps and a higher number of reps in reserve. Only a couple of isolation movements are included to maximize building strength.
Sample Workout for Hypertrophy
- Close-grip bench press or overhead press: 3 sets x 8-12 reps with 2-4 RIR
- Bent-over row: 3 sets x 8-12 reps with 2-4 RIR
- Front raise: 3 sets x 8-12 reps with 0-2 RIR
- Laying triceps extension: 3 sets x 8-12 reps with 0-2 RIR
- Biceps curl: 3 sets of 8-12 reps with 0-2 RIR
In this hypertrophy curl bar workout, the curl bar exercises are shifted toward promoting muscle gain. The repetition ranges are higher to help you accumulate more total reps (volume).
There’s also a slight shift toward the isolation lifts to build more definition in the targeted muscles and lower RIR ranges, so you can push the limit on these movements.
Sample Workout for Strength and Hypertrophy
- Close-grip bench press: 3 sets x 4-6 reps with 2-4 RIR
- Bent-over row: 3 sets x 4-6 reps with 2-4 RIR
- Overhead press: 3 sets x 4-6 reps with 2-4 RIR
- Front raise: 3 sets x 8-12 reps with 0-2 RIR
- Laying triceps extension: 3 sets x 8-12 reps with 0-2 RIR
- Biceps curl: 3 sets of 8-12 reps with 0-2 RIR
This sample workout features the best curl bar exercises for strength and hypertrophy.
The workout starts with compound lifts using lower reps and a less fatiguing RIR range, so you can accumulate the volume needed to push your strength gains forward.
Then, the workout swings in favor of isolation movements to help make those show muscles pop. Higher reps are programmed with a range of 0-2 RIR, allowing them to get targeted with enough work at a high enough intensity — without you needing to spend hours in the gym.
What Are the Different Hand Placements on the Curl Bar?
If you’re new to working out or have only used dumbbells or a barbell before, you may not know how to use a curling bar. It’s important to remember that you can use various hand placements on the curl bar.
Although the curling bar workouts I mentioned above have an ideal hand placement, this is usually just for comfort or to target a different muscle group.
That said, feel free to experiment to see if another hand placement feels better for you — a slight change of grip might even help you work around a stubborn ache or pain.
Here are the different hand placements on the curl bar:
- Close underhand
- Close overhand
- Medium underhand
- Medium overhand
- Wide underhand
- Wide overhand
What Is an EZ Curl Bar?
An EZ curl bar is a shorter specialty barbell with multiple angles to offer more grip options. Its curved design makes it joint-friendly and used primarily to work your triceps and biceps.
| Length | Handle Diameter | Weight | Sleeves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typically 47” | About 27-29 mm | Usually 20-25 lbs | Fit 2” Olympic weight plates or standard 1” plates, depending on the diameter of the sleeve |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Curl Bar Better Than Dumbbells?
No, a curl bar isn’t necessarily better than dumbbells. A curl bar is moved by both of your arms, so you can lift more weight and save time compared to curling two dumbbells, one at a time. However, dumbbells offer more freedom of movement, which can be better for isolating certain muscles.
Can You Use a Curl Bar for the Overhead Press?
Yes, you can use a curl bar for the overhead press. You’ll have to reverse curl the bar to your shoulders, but then you can perform a normal overhead press. When the weight gets too heavy to reverse curl safely, you should switch to using a barbell in a power rack.
Is a Curl Bar Better Than a Straight Bar?
In some situations, a curl bar is better than a straight bar. For those with elbow pain, a curl bar can give you enough joint relief to still train your biceps hard. A curl bar also tends to be shorter than a straight barbell, so it’s ideal for small training spaces.
Can You Squat With a Curl Bar?
You can squat with a curl bar. Reverse curl the bar to your shoulders, then press it upwards and guide it behind your head onto your back. You can then perform a squat. Keep in mind, this will become much too difficult when the weight gets heavy, and you'll be better off using a barbell in a power rack at that point.
Final Thoughts
The curl bar is an excellent specialty barbell that is great for training your upper body muscles. And despite what many people believe, there are many curl bar uses besides bicep curls.
The best workouts with a curl bar are ones that allow you to isolate a single muscle or target multiple muscle groups at once while letting you load the exercise incrementally.
All 14 of the curl bar exercises above fit the bill, so give them a try today to spice up your upper body training!
About The Author
Kent Nilson is an online strength coach and copywriter, residing in Calgary. When he’s not training, coaching, or volunteering on the platform at powerlifting meets, you’ll likely find Kent drinking coffee or enjoying his next Eggs Benedict.
