If there’s one muscle that calls for consideration, it’s the biceps. The sensation of your arms getting larger with each curl is a ceremony of passage, and no train delivers a biceps pump like barbell biceps curls. Why? You’ll be able to load as much as your biceps content material, sparking critical beneficial properties.
However don’t cease at the usual underhand curl—your arms will swell with satisfaction while you fluctuate grip place, vary of movement, and execution fashion.
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 improvement. Prepare to coach smarter, tougher, and heavier. Afterward, chances are you’ll want to purchase some new shirts.
Advantages of Utilizing The Barbell For Your Biceps Workout routines
The barbell biceps curls are thought of the king of biceps workouts, however you want selection to enhance measurement and keep away from overuse accidents. Altering grip positions, physique positions, and vary of movement improve arm energy and muscular improvement. These 10 variations maintain your muscular tissues adapting and guarantee peak flex attraction by hitting each the biceps’ brief and lengthy heads and forearms. Whether or not you’re chasing measurement, energy, or definition, these workouts will develop into your new favorites.
The ten Greatest Barbell Biceps Curls
Are you excited but? Properly, you have to be. Strap your self in and arm your self with the data of those variations to take to the closest gymnasium with full-length mirrors to admire your helpful work.
Normal Barbell Curls
The usual barbell curl is the granddaddy of biceps workouts. It means that you can elevate heavier than most workouts, making it a must have for measurement and energy. This variation targets the lengthy head of the biceps, including total thickness to your arms. Maintain your elbows at your sides, keep away from extreme swinging, and management the decreasing for max pressure.
Units & Reps: For measurement and energy, carry out three to 4 units of 8-15 reps. In the event you really feel like a problem, carry out 50 reps with an empty barbell in as many units as crucial.
Blended 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 either side evenly. It enhances grip energy, addresses forearm energy imbalances, and builds forearm and grip energy. Maintain your wrists impartial to keep away from pointless pressure, and alter 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 focus to the often-neglected forearm extensors, serving to construct each measurement and energy. The barbell reverse curl targets these smaller extensor muscular tissues and the brachialis—an important muscle beneath the biceps that enhances total higher arm thickness and definition. With this variation, maintain 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 stage by growing 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 refined shift retains your arms in place, eliminating momentum and putting extra pressure 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. Maintain your elbows behind your torso and deal with gradual, managed reps.
Units & Reps: Three to 4 units of 10-12 reps.
Huge-Grip Curls
The wide-grip barbell curl modifications the usual curl by shifting your fingers wider than shoulder-width aside, emphasizing the biceps’ brief 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 improvement. Maintain 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 tip of a barbell. By gripping the fats finish and curling it throughout your physique, you’re hitting your biceps from a singular angle and difficult your grip energy. If you wish to construct larger biceps whereas leveling up your grip, this one’s a no brainer. Stand perpendicular to the landmine setup, maintain 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, decreasing momentum and making certain fixed pressure on the biceps by a better vary of movement than many curl variations. By focusing on each the lengthy and brief heads of the biceps, Spider curls assist create thicker, extra outlined arms. Maintain your chest towards the bench, use a full ROM, and deal with 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 technique to cheat the burden up, this curl retains your biceps below pressure, making certain higher method that results in larger, stronger arms. Squeeze your glutes and core, maintain your backbone impartial, and deal with strict curls with out leaning again.
Units & Reps: Two to 3 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, preserving the strain in your biceps and isolating them for an enhanced muscle pump. Seat upright and let the barbell chill out in your thighs for a couple of seconds earlier than lifting.
Units & Reps: Two to 4 units of 8-15 reps with 10% much less weight than your customary curl.