Bar Biceps Curl

How to do the Bar Biceps Curl

1. 1Stand or sit facing a secured bar set at roughly waist-to-chest height, gripping it underhand (palms facing up) at shoulder width.
2. 2Lean back and walk your feet forward so your body forms a straight line and your arms are fully extended, supporting your weight through the bar.
3. 3Brace your core and keep your elbows fixed close to your sides as your reference point.
4. 4Curl your body up toward the bar by bending only at the elbows, squeezing your biceps as you rise.
5. 5Pull until your hands are close to your shoulders and your biceps are fully contracted.
6. 6Lower yourself under control back to the fully extended starting position, resisting the descent for two to three seconds.
7. 7Complete your reps, then step your feet back under your body and release the bar safely.

Form tips

• Keep your elbows pinned in place throughout the rep so the biceps do the work instead of your shoulders or back.
• Move your feet closer to the bar to make the curl easier and step them further away to make it harder.
• Control the lowering phase rather than dropping fast — the eccentric is where much of the biceps growth happens.
• Keep your wrists neutral and aligned with your forearms to avoid straining the wrist joint.

Common mistakes

• Swinging the hips or arching the back to heave the body up, which shifts work off the biceps and strains the lower back.
• Letting the elbows drift forward or flare out, which turns the curl into a shoulder movement and reduces biceps tension.
• Cutting the range short by not fully extending the arms at the bottom, which limits the muscle work each rep.
• Dropping quickly on the way down, wasting the eccentric portion that builds the most biceps strength.

Frequently asked questions