Barbell Curl

The barbell curl allows the heaviest load of any curl; the foundation of biceps development.

• Isolation
• Barbell
• Intermediate

How to do it

• Elbows tucked to your sides, grip at shoulder width
• Bend only at the elbow, curl up to your shoulders
• Lower over 2–3 s to full extension

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 10–15 reps · 0–2 RIR

Tempo: 2 s on the way down, squeeze 1 s at the peak and stay in control, no swinging

Common mistakes

• Swinging your trunk to come up
• Bringing your elbows forward, turning it into a front raise

Muscles worked

Primary

• Biceps

Secondary

• Forearm

Alternatives

• Biceps Curl (barbell/dumbbell)
• Preacher Curl