EZ-Bar Curl
Move · Resistance Training · Movement, Typed Supps
The bend in the bar exists for your wrists, not for your biceps.
Stage by stage
- Set-up (Cambered grip chosen): The angled grooves let the wrists sit in partial pronation instead of flat supination.
- During the set (Same peak at ninety degrees): Torque still peaks with the forearms horizontal, so the hard part of the rep is unchanged.
- Late in the set (Forearm share rises slightly): Brachioradialis and brachialis take a modestly larger share than on a fully supinated grip.
- Months later (Volume is the real gain): Better joint tolerance usually means more usable sets, and volume is what drives elbow flexor growth.
Muscles trained
- Primary: biceps
- Secondary: forearms
Intensity
3.5 METs (Resistance (weight) training, multiple exercises, 8-15 repetitions at varied resistance).
Time to effect
- Weeks: Most lifters notice less wrist and elbow discomfort in the first few sessions compared to a straight-bar curl, simply from the friendlier grip angle.
- Months: Strength and size gains track a standard barbell curl closely over time, since the target muscles and general loading pattern are the same.
Related supplements
Common myth
"The EZ-bar curl works the biceps differently than a straight-bar curl." In reality: The muscles doing the work are the same biceps brachii and brachialis in both versions - the cambered bar only changes the angle of your wrists and grip, which affects comfort, not which muscle is targeted.
More in Resistance Training
Sources