Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Stand with feet hip-width apart, grip the barbell with a shoulder-width supinated (underhand) grip, and let the bar hang at arm's length against your thighs.

2. 2

   Brace your core and pin your elbows to your sides, slightly behind the frontal plane of your torso.

3. 3

   Curl the bar upward by flexing at the elbow only, keeping the upper arm stationary throughout the concentric phase.

4. 4

   Contract the biceps hard at the top of the movement when your forearms approach vertical, holding for a brief peak contraction.

5. 5

   Lower the bar under control through a 2-3 second eccentric, resisting the urge to let gravity do the work.

6. 6

   Stop just short of full elbow lockout at the bottom to maintain continuous tension on the biceps before initiating the next rep.

Common Mistakes

• Swinging the torso or using hip extension to generate momentum, especially on heavier sets, reducing biceps isolation.

• Allowing the elbows to drift forward during the curl, shifting work to the anterior deltoid and shortening the biceps' effective range.

• Using a grip that is too wide or too narrow, which alters wrist alignment and can cause medial or lateral epicondyle discomfort.

• Dropping the weight too quickly on the eccentric phase, wasting the most hypertrophically productive portion of the rep.

About This Exercise

The barbell curl isolates the biceps brachii and brachialis through loaded elbow flexion with a supinated grip, allowing heavier absolute loads than dumbbell variations due to bilateral force production. The long head of the biceps is preferentially targeted when the elbows remain behind the frontal plane of the torso. Strict form and tempo control are critical for maximizing time under tension and minimizing momentum-driven compensation.