Master Barbell Curls for Big Biceps

Barbell curls are the best way to quickly increase the size of your biceps and boost your gains.

It’s usually not hard to convince people to work on their biceps. They are a gym favorite show-off muscle. That doesn’t mean most people know how to work and grow their biceps the right way. They are leaving gains on the table.

The exercise builds muscle and strength in your arms overall. Let’s dive in.

Muscles Worked

Barbell bicep curls primarily target the biceps brachii muscles.

Targeting the long head of this muscle develops the bicep peak. Basically, it gives you that nice developed look when you flex. The short head enhances thickness, which helps you fill your shirt sleeve. The curl also hits stabilizer muscles to grow more muscles in your arms.

The brachialis and brachioradialis are work with the biceps brachii to flex the forearm at the elbow. Developing these form muscles are important for a proportionally developed body when you’re trying to build mass.

Benefits of Barbell Curls

Barbell bicep curls offer several benefits. This is a great way to target a specific muscle that adds a lot to your overall physique. The size gains from bicep barbell curls help overall programs to gain mass.

Also, barbell curls help to improve grip strength and strengthen forearms. This can positively impact performance on a variety of other exercises that require pulling. This includes bent over rows and deadlifts.

You have to use your arms every day for a variety of tasks. Consistent exercise can help to prevent injuries to the muscles and tendons in your arms.

Lastly, because working the biceps is so common and enjoyed at the gym, bicep curls can be a good exercise to help get past mental hurdles in the gym presented by less popular exercises.

Popular variations of the bicep curl include curls with dumbbells, cables, or bands. Barbells allow you to lift more weight than you can otherwise, which accelerates your progress and muscle growth.

Step-by-Step Guide to Perform Bicep Barbell Curl

It probably didn’t take much convincing to get you to try the bicep barbell curl. Here’s how to include it in your routine.

1. Load the barbell with an appropriately challenging weight, but don’t let your ego decide for you. It’s ok to lift just the bar without additional weight.
2. Grab the bar with a supinated grip at shoulder width. This means your palms are up.
3. Stand upright with arms fully extended, chest up, and shoulder blades retracted. Keep your elbows close to your torso. This should be your starting position.
4. Your feet should be shoulder width apart with your toes pointing straight forward.
5. Despite many fitness influencers encouraging you to squeeze the barbell with your hands, you should not do that. The idea came from trying to maximize the forearm workout. However, that squeeze takes emphasis off of the bicep.
6. Exhale and curl the barbell up until it reaches shoulder level. Your elbows should continue to stay at your sides and your upper arms should not move.
7. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement and hold the contraction for one second.
8. Inhale and slowly lower the barbell to the starting position.
9. Repeat.

Tips and Tricks to Maximize Your Barbell Curls

To really get the most from this exercise, there are a couple of tips and tricks, especially regarding proper form to consider.

• Your elbows need to stay in place. People tend to let them drift forward and up. That means the challenge of the weight moves away from your biceps. To build the right habit, try biceps curls with your back and elbows pressed against a wall. They should never leave the wall throughout the entire movement.
• Do not let momentum carry the weight up for you. Don’t swing the weight up and down. Pause at the bottom and control both the curl up and return down by counting one full second for each portion. Controlled eccentric lifts are linked to massive muscle growth, so don’t cheat yourself here.
• Squeeze your biceps at the top of the curl. Pausing alone means nothing if your biceps aren’t working in that position. Squeeze.
• Make sure to breathe properly and practice before going heavy. Exhale when you are curling the weight up and inhale when you bring it back down in a slow controlled motion.
• Don’t allow your posture to slouch during the exercise.
• If you feel wrist pain from barbell curls, try using a different bar, such as an EZ curl bar that is bent. This helps put your wrists in a more comfortable position. Wrist straps or gloves with attached straps can also help.
• Just like any exercise, give your body a chance to warm up by starting with light weights before working your way up.

I hope this post helps you understand everything you need to know about barbell bicep curls!