Barbell Curl
A standing biceps exercise where you curl a barbell from your thighs to shoulder height with an underhand grip.
Secondary muscles
How to do it
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and hold the barbell at your thighs with an underhand grip.
- Set your shoulders back, brace your torso, and keep your elbows pinned by your sides.
- Curl the bar upward by bending your elbows until the bar reaches about shoulder height.
- Pause briefly at the top and squeeze your biceps without letting your elbows drift forward.
- Lower the bar slowly back to your thighs until your arms are straight.
Form cues
- Elbows stay by your sides
- Lift with the biceps
- Keep wrists straight
- Control the lowering
Common mistakes
- Swinging the torso to start the bar moving
- Letting the elbows drift forward as the bar rises
- Bending the wrists back instead of keeping them neutral
- Dropping the bar quickly on the way down
Breathing
Exhale as you curl the bar up, and inhale as you lower it back down under control.
