Do you want to optimize your biceps training? Are you unsure about what exercises to use? You’ve heard that barbell curls are good, and maybe you’ve heard they aren’t. You’ve also heard about other exercises that claim to be better. In this article, we’ll look at whether Barbell Curls Are The Best Exercise For Your Biceps, and we’ll see how to get more out of your curls, the boxes you need to check to do them right, and finally, what 5% supplements will help.

Barbell Curls - The Boxes That Need To Be Checked

When choosing any biceps exercise, these boxes need to be checked.⁽¹⁾

Bending The Elbow (Elbow Flexion)

One key here is the brachialis muscle, that muscle in the biceps that sits underneath the biceps brachii and is heavily involved in bending the elbow. Hammer curls directly work this muscle, and it’s the muscle that adds considerable overall size to the biceps.

Twisting The Wrist (Wrist Supination)

When we think of supination, what may come to mind is the act of twisting the wrist, as in twisting off a bottle cap. That’s a primary function of the biceps. This means when you do a barbell curl, using an EZ bar can put your hands in a partially supinated position. Depending on how aggressive the EZ bar is, you will have multiple partially supinated positions where you can place your hands. For example, some EZ bars have mild bends, while others have extreme bends and may even have a hammer grip near the middle of the bar. 

Shoulder Flexion

The shoulders are involved in bringing the arm up, so you will want to work through a full range of motion when doing the barbell, or any, curl. 

Keep The Wrists Straight

It’s easy to bend the wrists back when curling. It’s a best practice to keep them straight. 

Exercises That Have Recently Become Popular

When we think of exercises that compete with barbell curls, we think of the old standbys like various forms of dumbbell curls, or 1-arm concentration curls (a Rich Piana favorite). There are also old-school classics like hammer curls, Zottman curls, and all types of cable curls using a rope attachment or D-handles. Lately, there have been several “newer” exercises that have become more popular, such as waiter curls, where you place your hands palms up under a plate on one end of a dumbbell. 

How To Get More From Your Barbell Curls

Despite all these types of curls, there’s no doubt that the barbell curl can stand up to any biceps exercise. It’s the primary mass builder for your biceps, but you have to get your form down. The first thing is to minimize cheating and focus on rep performance. Explode the bar up but do so under control. Bring it to the top and squeeze, then lower slowly - as in 3-4 seconds. About halfway down, stop and hold for a 3 count. You can make multiple stops if you like. Once you fail, go right into drag curls and pump out more reps. 

Of course, you can take the intensity much farther which allows you to get even more out of a set of barbell curls. That’s fine, but it begins with good form and effective rep performance.

What Kind Of Bar?

Use an EZ bar that has aggressive bends and change your hand position with each set.

Constant Tension

The barbell curl has a weak point - the tension drops off at the top. If you want continuous tension, grab an EZ bar attachment for a low pulley and perform cable EZ curls. 

So Is The Biceps Curl The Best Exercise?

The bottom line is that no matter what other biceps exercises are on your list of favorites, the barbell curl remains a cornerstone mass builder that should be in every routine. However, any biceps routine depends on using more than a single exercise. For a complete biceps routine, use 3-4 exercises like Rich did. 

Don’t Forget 5% Nutrition!

Of course, every great workout begins with a 5% pre-workout. When you’re training biceps, no doubt you want a massive pump, so Kill It RTD stacked with Full As F*ck and Core L-Citrulline 3000 is the way to go. Talk about wild pumps! Are you new to working out? Then you want our new Code Red Series of outstanding supplements designed just for you! There’s Code Red PRE, Code Red Aminos, and Code Red Creatine! Top it all off with real food-based Real Carbs + Protein, and you’ll Kill It in the gym!

References:

1. https://study.com/learn/lesson/biceps-brachii-muscle-anatomy-function-location.html#:~:text=The%20biceps%20brachii%20functions%20best,branches%20of%20the%20brachial%20artery.