If there’s one muscle that calls for consideration, it’s the biceps. The sensation of your arms getting greater with each curl is a ceremony of passage, and no train delivers a biceps pump like barbell biceps curls. Why? You possibly can load as much as your biceps content material, sparking critical positive factors.
However don’t cease at the usual underhand curl—your arms will swell with delight if you differ grip place, vary of movement, and execution type.
Right here, I’ll break down the ten finest barbell biceps curls, explaining how every one targets your arms from a distinct angle for enhanced biceps growth. Prepare to coach smarter, tougher, and heavier. Afterward, you might want to purchase some new shirts.
Advantages of Utilizing The Barbell For Your Biceps Workouts
The barbell biceps curls are thought of the king of biceps workouts, however you want selection to enhance dimension and keep away from overuse accidents. Altering grip positions, physique positions, and vary of movement improve arm energy and muscular growth. These 10 variations hold your muscle groups adapting and guarantee peak flex enchantment by hitting each the biceps’ quick and lengthy heads and forearms. Whether or not you’re chasing dimension, energy, or definition, these workouts will grow to be your new favorites.
The ten Greatest Barbell Biceps Curls
Are you excited but? Properly, you need to be. Strap your self in and arm your self with the information of those variations to take to the closest health club with full-length mirrors to admire your useful work.
Normal Barbell Curls
The usual barbell curl is the granddaddy of biceps workouts. It permits you to elevate heavier than most workouts, making it a must have for dimension and energy. This variation targets the lengthy head of the biceps, including total thickness to your arms. Hold your elbows at your sides, keep away from extreme swinging, and management the decreasing for max rigidity.
Units & Reps: For dimension and energy, carry out three to 4 units of 8-15 reps. Should you really feel like a problem, carry out 50 reps with an empty barbell in as many units as mandatory.
Combined Grip Curls
The combined grip curl combines an overhand and underhand grip, with one hand supinated and the opposite pronated, making a problem for each the forearm flexors and extensors. This variation requires much less weight than a typical curl however doubles the reps to coach each side evenly. It enhances grip energy, addresses forearm energy imbalances, and builds forearm and grip energy. Hold your wrists impartial to keep away from pointless pressure, and modify your grip width for consolation.
Units & Reps: Three units of 8 reps per aspect.
Reverse Barbell Curls
Altering your grip on the barbell curl shifts the main target to the often-neglected forearm extensors, serving to construct each dimension and energy. The barbell reverse curl targets these smaller extensor muscle groups and the brachialis—an important muscle beneath the biceps that enhances total higher arm thickness and definition. With this variation, hold your wrists straight, management the decreasing, and keep away from momentum.
Units & Reps: Three units of 8-15 reps.
Fats-Grip Barbell Curls
The fat-grip barbell biceps curl takes a typical barbell curl to the subsequent degree by rising grip demand. By including fats grips, this variation requires extra work from the forearm flexors, brachialis, and biceps, resulting in improved arm and grip energy. The elevated grip problem enhances forearm endurance and reduces momentum, making every rep more practical. For added enjoyable, change your grip to an overhand or combined grip, as defined above.
Units & Reps: Three to 4 units of 12-15 reps.
Drag Curls
The barbell drag curl retains the bar near your physique as you curl, somewhat than curling it in an arc. This delicate shift retains your arms in place, eliminating momentum and inserting extra rigidity on the biceps. Whilst you received’t elevate as a lot weight, the drag curl makes up for it with superior muscle activation, requiring your biceps to work tougher by every rep. Hold your elbows behind your torso and give attention to sluggish, managed reps.
Units & Reps: Three to 4 units of 10-12 reps.
Huge-Grip Curls
The wide-grip barbell curl adjustments the usual curl by shifting your arms wider than shoulder-width aside, emphasizing the biceps’ quick head. This modification helps construct thicker higher arms and challenges your grip and forearm energy greater than a typical curl. Whether or not carried out with an overhand or underhand grip, this variation forces your biceps to work from a distinct angle for enhanced biceps growth. Hold your elbows barely tucked and keep away from extreme wrist discomfort by adjusting your grip width.
Units & Reps: Three to 4 units of 12-15 reps.
Unilateral Landmine Curls
The landmine curl challenges grip energy by gripping the top of a barbell. By gripping the fats finish and curling it throughout your physique, you’re hitting your biceps from a novel angle and difficult your grip energy. If you wish to construct greater biceps whereas leveling up your grip, this one’s a no brainer. Stand perpendicular to the landmine setup, hold your elbow near your torso, and curl throughout your physique.
Units & Reps: Two to 4 units of 15 reps per arm.
Spider Curls
Carried out on an incline bench, this variation holds your torso in place, lowering momentum and guaranteeing fixed rigidity on the biceps by a better vary of movement than many curl variations. By concentrating on each the lengthy and quick heads of the biceps, Spider curls assist create thicker, extra outlined arms. Hold your chest in opposition to the bench, use a full ROM, and give attention to managed reps.
Units & Reps: Two to 4 units of 10-15 reps.
Tall-Kneeling Curls
The tall-kneeling curl isn’t all concerning the biceps—it’s a full-body transfer that requires you to interact your core and glutes whereas curling. This variation maximizes biceps involvement by eliminating lower-body help whereas coaching core stability and hip mobility. With no option to cheat the burden up, this curl retains your biceps below rigidity, guaranteeing higher approach that results in greater, stronger arms. Squeeze your glutes and core, hold your backbone impartial, and give attention to strict curls with out leaning again.
Units & Reps: Two to a few units of 15 reps.
Deadstop Seated Barbell Curls
The deadstop seated barbell curl is all about concentric contraction. Beginning every rep from a whole cease with the bar resting in your thighs eliminates momentum and requires your biceps to do extra work. Performing it seated removes lower-body involvement, holding the stress in your biceps and isolating them for an enhanced muscle pump. Seat upright and let the barbell calm down in your thighs for just a few seconds earlier than lifting.
Units & Reps: Two to 4 units of 8-15 reps with 10% much less weight than your normal curl.
