EZ-Bar Curl

How to do the EZ-Bar Curl

1. 1Stand tall holding an EZ bar on its angled grips, palms angled up, arms straight in front of your thighs.
2. 2Pin your elbows to your sides; only your forearms should move.
3. 3Curl the bar up until your forearms are close to vertical, without leaning back.
4. 4Lower the bar slowly until your elbows are almost straight, then start the next rep.

Muscles worked

Common mistakes

• Rocking the torso — if your hips swing forward to start the rep, the weight is too heavy; lighten it until only your forearms move.
• Elbows drifting forward — when the elbows rise, the front of the shoulder finishes the curl; keep them by your ribs.
• Cutting the bottom short — stopping with bent elbows skips the stretched part of the curl; lower until your arms are almost straight.

Where it fits in a workout

Use it as the main curl on an arm day, or after rows and pulldowns on a pull day.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Logging the EZ-Bar Curl in SetGrip

SetGrip logs the EZ-Bar Curl as weight and reps. EZ bars weigh different amounts from gym to gym, so enter the bar and plates as one total and add a routine note with the bar's weight; then your records and estimated one-rep max compare like with like.

Variations and alternatives

When to talk to someone

• Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
• Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
• Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

More exercises

• All arms exercises
• All biceps exercises
• All ez bar exercises
• EZ Bar biceps exercises
• Alternating Banded Biceps Curl
• Seated Banded Biceps Curl
• Banded Concentration Curl
• Single Arm Banded High Curl
• Seated Close Grip Barbell Concentration Curl
• Standing Barbell Concentration Curl

Sources

1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.