EZ-Bar Curl
The EZ-bar curl is a biceps curl done with a short, zigzag-shaped bar. Those bends let your hands sit at a slight angle instead of fully palms up. Your biceps do the main job of bending your elbows, your brachialis helps underneath, and your forearms work to hold the bar. If you want one simple, loadable arm exercise that any gym can offer, this is a strong pick for both beginners and advanced lifters.
A straight barbell forces your wrists into a fully turned-out position, and plenty of lifters find that uncomfortable. The EZ bar's angled grip feels more natural in the wrists for many people, while still letting you load both arms together with small jumps in weight. Compared with dumbbells, you lose the freedom to rotate your hands, but you gain a stable bar and easy progress. That makes it a good main curl for tracking strength over time.
Muscles worked
- Biceps (primary)
- Forearms
Equipment
Barbell
How to do it
- Stand tall with your feet about hip width apart and hold the bar on its angled sections, palms facing mostly forward, with your hands around shoulder width.
- Let your arms hang straight with the bar against your thighs. Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes lightly and pull your shoulders back.
- Keep your elbows at your sides and curl the bar by bending only at your elbows. Your wrists stay straight, in line with your forearms.
- Lift until your forearms are close to vertical, or until your elbows would need to drift forward to go further. Squeeze your biceps for a moment at the top.
- Lower the bar over two to three seconds, keeping your elbows still, until your arms are straight again.
- Start the next rep from a dead stop, with no lean or bounce off your thighs.
Common mistakes
- Swinging your torso. A hip thrust at the start of each rep moves the bar with your back and legs. Stand against a wall or take off some weight so your torso stays still.
- Lifting your elbows at the top. Bringing your elbows forward lets your front delts help and removes tension from your biceps. End the rep when your elbows reach the point where they would start to move.
- Bending your wrists. Curling your wrists toward you takes the load off your biceps and tires your forearms early. Hold the bar firmly and keep your wrists flat.
- Dropping the bar on the way down. The lowering half builds your arms too. If gravity is doing that part, the bar is too heavy, so slow down to a two-second count.
Variations
- Close-grip EZ-bar curl : Use the inner bends of the bar when you want a slightly different feel on the biceps or when your forearms feel better with your hands closer.
- EZ-bar preacher curl : Rest your arms on a preacher pad to stop any swing and keep the tension on your biceps.
- Reverse EZ-bar curl : Hold the bar palms down to focus on the brachioradialis and your forearms, using a much lighter weight.
- 21s : Do seven lower half reps, seven upper half reps and seven full reps when you want a hard finisher with a light bar.
Sets and reps to start with
For arm size, do 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps with 60 to 90 seconds of rest and stop with a rep or so left in the tank. For a heavier block, 4 sets of 6 to 8 is fine as long as your torso stays quiet. Beginners can begin with 3 sets of 10 to 12 using the empty bar or small plates. Train biceps directly once or twice a week, on top of what rows and pulldowns already give you. The small 1.25 kg (2.5 lb) plates are your friend here, as a jump of 2.5 kg (5 lb) on the bar is already meaningful for your arms. Move up after every set reaches the top of your range.
Frequently asked questions
Is the EZ-bar curl better than the straight bar curl?
It is usually more comfortable, and it trains your biceps very well. A straight bar puts your hands fully palms up, which gives slightly more biceps supination but feels harsh on the wrists for some lifters. If both feel fine, use whichever lets you train hard with good form.
How much does an EZ curl bar weigh?
There is no single standard, so check the bar at your gym. Many are lighter than a full Olympic barbell, and some gyms label the weight on the sleeve or the rack. Fixed-weight EZ bars show their total load on the end caps.
Should you use a wide or close grip on an EZ-bar curl?
A grip around shoulder width on the outer bends is the usual starting point. A closer grip on the inner bends changes how the bar sits in your hands and may feel better for some people. Differences between them are small, so choose whichever feels strongest and steadiest.
Does the EZ-bar curl work your forearms?
Yes, your forearms assist by bending your elbows and gripping the bar. It is still mainly a biceps exercise. For more forearm work, add reverse curls with the same bar, or hammer curls with dumbbells.
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