The standing barbell curl is the cornerstone of many bicep building routines. Grasp a barbell or Olympic bar at around shoulder width apart using an underhand grip (palms facing up). Aim to do five to eight sets of eight to 15 repetitions. Again, perform a couple of warm-up sets until the movement feels fluid and you’re ready to crush your working sets. Barbell Curl Variations Form Tip: Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together and keeping your chest up. Otherwise, you risk slouching forward and disengaging your biceps. Step 4 — Find the Contraction and Hold it The eccentric curl is a way to overload the biceps and creates massive amounts of tension on the tissues. Eccentric training and the eccentric aspect of muscle contraction (lengthening under load) has been shown to result in high amounts of DOMs and muscle growth. To do this, curl the weight up (you can have a partner help you) and slowly lower the load under control, and on a tempo (such as three to five seconds down). Drag Curl The preacher curl is a biceps curl variation that can be done with the barbell, dumbbells, EZ bar, or machine (just to name a few). This exercise has the lifter place the arm at an angle, on a preacher curl bench, with the arm and shoulder supported on a pad (to minimize movement), to help isolate the bicep completely. Chin-Up

It’s hard to have alternatives for 21s because it’s hard to replicate the ‘deep burn’ that 21s create. 4 x 4s are one of those rare exercises that do. First off, why on Earth would you want an alternative to 21s? It’s the best possible curl exercise. Form Tip: Actively flex your biceps throughout the entire movement, especially at the top. Step 5 — Control the Bar on the Way Down

Standing Barbell Curl Instructions

Want bigger arms? Then you need to leave your ego at the door and focus on the contraction. This means lowering the weight on the bar and performing the barbell curl slowly and with intention. A goo rule of thumb is to use a weight that you can perform for two more reps than your target reps.

Form Tip: Squeeze the pinkies on the barbell, like you are going to snap the bar. This will help to activate the rest of your grip. Step 3 — Curl Up and Slightly OutInstead of dragging the bar up the body, think about keeping the elbows slightly in front of the body at all times. Imagine yourself curling from a side view — your elbows should travel slightly in front of your torso. Continue to curl up, focusing on not letting the shoulders come forwards. Your shoulders will slightly — slightly! — come into to play when your elbows drift forward. Remember to primarily curl with your biceps. The point of letting your elbows come forward a bit is to further isolate the biceps. The biceps are responsible for elbow flexion as well as supporting the grip muscles in pulls and loaded carries. Weak and underdeveloped biceps can cause grip issues, strain to the biceps, and in some cases muscle tears. A stronger biceps is a more resilient biceps. Hey, not every benefit has to do with filling out your shirt. 3. Increased Upper Body Mass