Purpose of EZ Bar Curls
The EZ Bar curl is an isolation exercises designed to target both heads of the biceps, without straining the wrists of those who may have limited mobility in terms of their ability to supinate their hand. To target the inner head of the biceps use a wide grip, and to target the outer head of the bicep use a narrower grip.
Equipment Required for EZ Bar Curls
As you would imagine, the only thing required to perform EZ Bar curls is an easy bar, and some weight plates.
Difficulty of EZ Bar Curls
On a scale of 1 to 5, the EZ Bar curl would rank around a 1, as it doesn’t require much stability, or coordination to perform effectively.
How to Do EZ Bar Curls
The EZ Bar curl is generally performed standing. Use an underhand grip, holding onto the bar with a shoulder-width grip, and the knees bent slightly to lower the demand onto the lower back. The curl is initiated by contracting your biceps as hard as you can, without using your legs and back to generate momentum to help get the weight up.
To ensure that stress is maximized onto the biceps, make sure to keep your wrists in a neutral position – don’t allow them to flex. When you reach the end of the range of motion, and your elbows can’t physically bend any further, squeeze your biceps as hard as you can, before slowly lowering the weight back down to the starting position.
You can lower until your arms are entirely straight, or maintain a slight bend to keep the tension on the biceps, before transitioning into the next repetition.
Key Points When Performing EZ Bar Curls
- Use a shoulder-width, underhand grip, maintain a slight bend in the knees.
- Initiate the curl by contracting your biceps as hard as you can.
- Maintain a neutral wrist position.
- Squeeze the biceps hard at the end range before slowly lowering back to the starting position.
How Many Reps for EZ Bar Curls
The EZ Bar curl is an exercise that allows for greater loads to be used safely, at least in comparison to other types of curls that place the body in a more compromising position (ex: preacher curls, incline curls), and because of this, reps as low as 6-8 can be very effective for this exercise.
While this exercise does facilitate the usage of greater loads, only experienced lifters should use this exercise that way – more intermediate, or beginner level lifters should stick to reps in the 8-12 rep range.
Common Mistakes When Performing EZ Bar Curls
Some of The More Common Mistakes When Performing EZ Bar Curls Are:
- Using too much weight – what happens when you attempt to lift as much as you “can,” and not as much as you “should,” is your body will compensate by including muscles in the legs, lower back, and shoulders, to help complete each rep. This dramatically reduces the demand on the biceps, which defeats the purpose of selecting this exercise in the first place.
- Allowing the elbows to stray away from the side of the body – whether using too much weight, or trying to perform extra reps when fatigue sets in, one of the more common mistakes when performing EZ Bar curls is having the elbows flare out to the side to make the exercise easier.
- Failing to take advantage of the constant tension – sometimes people are more concerned with how many reps they are doing, as opposed to why they are doing their reps. In this case, the purpose of the exercise is to direct stress onto the biceps, and failing to do this in attempt to perform more reps defeats the purpose of selecting this exercise in the first place.
Modifications to The EZ Bar Curl
There aren’t a whole lot of modifications you can make to mechanically alter this exercise.
The most practical modification, depending on your goals, would be to simply use an overhand grip – doing so will increase the demand on the brachialis muscle at the expense of the biceps.
When to Do EZ Bar Curls
EZ Bar curls are best suited to lead off a biceps workout, since they allow for relatively greater loads to be used safely.
They can also be used effectively at the end of a bicep workout to subject the muscles to more tension when they’re already fatigued – something you can’t do all that effectively with exercises that don’t allow for as much weight to be used safely.
Alternatives to EZ Bar Curls
Pretty much any type of barbell curl, whether with an overhand, or underhand grip, or with a cable apparatus, would be a good alternative to the EZ Bar curl.
EZ Bar Curls Vs. Straight Bar Curls
The major difference between EZ bar curls and straight bar curls has to do with the degree of supination taking place. With a straight bar, you are force to fully supinate, which can be challenging for those who have limited supination.
In that case, an individual would be forcing themselves into a position their body isn’t currently prepared to be in, which not only reduces the effectiveness of the exercise, but reduces the effectiveness as well.
That particular individual would be better suited for the EZ Bar curl. The primary benefit to using a straight bar, assuming an individual is able to fully supinate their forearms, is that one of the biceps primary functions is supination, so the straight bar curl challenges the biceps in a position that they’re partially responsible for performing.
EZ Bar Curls Vs. EZ Bar Preacher Curls
Both EZ bar curls and EZ Bar Preacher Curls utilize the same “tool” – the EZ Bar – but in one case you’re performing the lift with your arms at your side, and in the other you’re resting your upper arms on a preacher bench.
In both cases you would be holding the barbell in the exact same spot, in terms of grip width, and executing the movement in the same way (wrists remaining neutral), but the preacher bench will eliminate the ability to “cheat,” whereas the standing variation facilitates some momentum which can be used to help complete a rep.
Because of the compromising position of having your arms supported in front of your body when using the preacher bench, you’re not going to be able, or want to use, as much weight for the preacher curl variation, as you would for the traditional variation.
Which variation you choose is entirely up to you, and should be based on your own personal goals, as well as where your own strengths and weaknesses lie.
Summary Of EZ Bar Curls
Primary Muscle: Biceps
Equipment: Barbell
Level: Beginner
Purpose: To target both heads of the biceps brachii muscle (outer/long and inner/short heads).
Execution: Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, grasp a EZ bar with an underhand grip at shoulder width. Curl the weight up all the way up squeezing the biceps and keeping the elbows locked at your side.
Squeeze your biceps at the top of each rep then slowly lower the bar all the way down while resisting the weight. Keep your wrists straight throughout the exercise.
Exhale on the way up and inhale on the way down.
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