Barbell Curl

HOW TO DO BARBELL CURL

1. Stand tall with a shoulder-width palms-up grip and the bar hanging at long arms. Ribs down, glutes lightly on.
2. Pin the elbows next to the torso. They can travel a few centimeters; they cannot start a swing.
3. Curl the bar toward the shoulders until the biceps are fully shortened. Wrists stay stacked, not broken back.
4. Lower to a full hang under control. The bottom is a stretch, not a bounce off the thighs.

COMMON MISTAKES

• Turning every rep into a hip cheat. A little body English on a true last rep is one thing. A set of kips is a reverse-grip clean. Drop the load or note “cheat” so the PR is honest.
• Logging EZ-bar curls as barbell curls. The camber is easier on most wrists and usually lets you load more. ez-bar-curl is the other slug. Use it.
• Cutting the bottom in half. If the bar never reaches long arms, you are only training the squeeze. Take the hang.
• Leaning back until it looks like a row. The moment the torso angle changes, the front delts and lower back joined the set. Stand up or go lighter.

VARIATIONS

• EZ-bar curl — Friendlier wrists, same standing curl.
• Incline dumbbell curl — Lengthened biceps, no bar.
• Standing cable bicep curl — Constant tension, easy to micro-load.
• Hammer curls — Neutral grip, more brachialis and forearm.

PROGRESSIONS

1. Empty or light bar, strict tempo, full hang.
2. Working sets of 6–10 where the torso never starts the bar.
3. Add load when every work set stays strict.
4. Cheat or stretch-pause intensifiers only as a programmed last set — put it in the note.

PROGRAMMING NOTES

Main biceps lift: 3–4 sets of 6–10, not a clean-and-jerk. Rest 90–120 seconds if the bar is actually heavy. Chin-ups already tax the biceps; if you curl heavy the same day, make one of them a pump. LIFTAG’s frequency view will tell you if you keep stacking both.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS