BicepsEZ barBeginner

How to Do EZ Bar Curls

By Bryan Alger, Co-Founder of Gravitus

· Updated Sep 30, 2026

An EZ bar curl is a biceps curl done with an angled bar that turns your palms partway in. Hold the outer bends underhand at shoulder width, keep your elbows at your sides and curl the bar to your shoulders. It trains the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis. Most lifters do 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps.

Sets x reps 3-4 x 8-15

Median 10-rep weight 6530 lbkg men 32.515 lbkg women

Muscles Biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis

Grip Outer bends, shoulder width

1Start. Underhand grip on the outer bends, about shoulder width. Stand tall with the bar against your thighs and your arms straight.
2Top. Bend only at the elbows and curl the bar to your shoulders, then lower it over 2 to 3 seconds.

Watch 3 video demonstrations

Video 1 of 3

Technique

How to do an EZ bar curl

Load the bar evenly and clip the plates. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Grab the outer angled sections palms up, about shoulder width. The bar sits in your palms, not your fingers, and your wrists stay straight.
Stand tall with the bar against your thighs, arms straight and elbows at your sides.
Curl the bar toward your shoulders by bending only at the elbows. Squeeze for a second at the top.
Lower over 2 to 3 seconds until your arms are straight again.

Grip

Where to grip the bar

DefaultOuter bendsPalms up and turned partway in, about shoulder width. The default for most lifters.

Palms fully upStraight barSlightly more biceps activity. Use it if your wrists and elbows are happy with it.

Close gripInner bendsHands inside shoulder width. The same muscles, and Gravitus lifters log a little less weight.

Palms downReverse gripA reverse curl. More forearm work, and Gravitus lifters log about a fifth less weight.

The biceps bends the elbow and turns the palm up, so the more your palms face up, the more it works. At the same effort, a palms-up grip drew 12% more biceps activity than a neutral grip and 19% more than an overhand grip (Coratella 2023a). The EZ bar sits between the first two: a straight bar drew only 2% more biceps activity than an EZ bar in trained bodybuilders (Coratella 2023b). Palms down, the biceps is at a leverage disadvantage and the brachioradialis takes a bigger share of the work (Kleiber 2015). No study has shown that moving your hands in or out on the bar shifts work between the two heads of the biceps.

Gravitus data

How much weight should you EZ bar curl?

On Gravitus, the median man lifts 65 lb (30 kg) for 10 reps on the EZ bar curl, and the median woman 32.5 lb (15 kg).

Men, typical 65 lb for 10 reps

Most lift: 50 to 75 lb
Top 10% lift: 90 lb or more
Starting out: under 50 lb

Women, typical 32.5 lb for 10 reps

Most lift: 30 to 40 lb
Top 10% lift: 50 lb or more
Starting out: under 30 lb

Men, typical 30 kg for 10 reps

Most lift: 22.5 to 35 kg
Top 10% lift: 40 kg or more
Starting out: under 22.5 kg

Women, typical 15 kg for 10 reps

Most lift: 13 to 18 kg
Top 10% lift: 22.5 kg or more
Starting out: under 13 kg

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 5 lb (2.5 under 40). From 9,537 men and 1,038 women who log the EZ bar curl on Gravitus, computed Oct 14, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	65 / 50 lb	37.5 / 30 lb
Median	85 / 65 lb	45 / 32.5 lb
75th	105 / 75 lb	55 / 40 lb
90th	120 / 90 lb	65 / 50 lb

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 2.5 kg (1 under 20). From 9,537 men and 1,038 women who log the EZ bar curl on Gravitus, computed Oct 14, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	30 / 22.5 kg	17 / 13 kg
Median	37.5 / 30 kg	20 / 15 kg
75th	47.5 / 35 kg	25 / 18 kg
90th	52.5 / 40 kg	30 / 22.5 kg

These are total weights, bar included, so add the bar when you log. EZ bars are not standard: gym bars often weigh 15 to 25 lb (7 to 11 kg), the REP and Rogue curl bars weigh 30 lb (14 kg), and fixed-weight bars have the total printed on the end. At the median, Gravitus lifters log about the same weight for EZ bar and straight-bar curls.

Research

What the research says

Two EMG studies compared the EZ bar with a straight bar in trained lifters. In 12 men curling 65% of their max, biceps and brachioradialis activity differed little between the two bars, and both beat alternating dumbbell curls; the authors called the choice between the bars a matter of comfort (Marcolin 2018). In 10 competitive bodybuilders curling their 8-rep max, the straight bar drew 2% more biceps activity on the way up (Coratella 2023b).

Four common claims the research does not back:

The EZ bar works the biceps harder than a straight bar. Some guides credit a 2018 study with this, but its advantage for the EZ bar was over dumbbells, not over the straight bar (Marcolin 2018).
A close grip hits the long head and a wide grip the short head. We found no study that measured the two heads at different grip widths on a bar. Both heads bend the elbow and turn the palm up in every curl.
The angled grip works the brachialis more. Neither study measured the brachialis, which sits under the biceps and bends the elbow in any grip.
Reverse EZ curls are the best brachioradialis builder. With no weight, the brachioradialis does more of the work palms down (Kleiber 2015). At an 8-rep load, it was still slightly more active palms up (Coratella 2023a). The reverse curl is mostly a lighter curl.

Anatomy

Muscles worked

Biceps, long and short headBends the elbow and turns the palm up. Both heads work in every grip.

Primary

BrachialisBends the elbow in any grip.

Primary

BrachioradialisHelps bend the elbow, and takes a bigger share with an overhand grip.

Secondary

Forearms, front delts, coreHold the bar, the shoulders and the torso still.

Stabilizer

Compare

EZ bar vs straight bar vs dumbbell curl

Attribute	EZ bar	Straight bar	Dumbbell
Palms	Up and turned partway in	Fully up	Turn up as you curl
Biceps activity	Within 2% of a straight bar	Highest by a small margin	Lower than an EZ bar in one study
Wrists	Easier than a straight bar	Hard on some wrists	Free to rotate
Weight logged	About the same as a straight bar	Baseline	About half per hand

Verdict

Use the bar your wrists and elbows tolerate. The straight bar's edge was 2% of biceps activity in one study (Coratella 2023b), and a bar that hurts is one you stop adding weight to.

Programming

Sets, reps and progression

3-4Sets

8-15Reps

0-2Reps left

Stop each set 0 to 2 reps short of failure. Sets taken close to failure build muscle across a wide range of reps (Schoenfeld 2021), so pick a range you can keep strict.

A bar lets you add small jumps. Add reps first: when every set reaches the top of your range, add 2.5 to 5 lb (1 to 2.5 kg) in total and drop back to the bottom of the range.

Form

Common mistakes

Swinging the torsoYour back lifts the weight, not your biceps. Go lighter until you can stand still.
Elbows drifting forwardThe front delts start to help at the top. Keep your elbows at your sides.
Wrists bent backThe bar rolls into your fingers and strains the forearms. Hold it deep in your palms with straight wrists.
Gripping the straight middle sectionThat is a narrow straight-bar curl and throws away the angle. Put your hands on the bends.
Stopping short at the bottomStraighten your arms every rep, without letting the bar rest on your thighs.
Dropping the weightLower over 2 to 3 seconds instead of letting the bar fall.

Variations

EZ bar curl variations

Close-grip EZ bar curlHands on the inner bends. The same muscles with a little less weight.

Reverse EZ bar curlPalms down. More forearm work, about a fifth less weight.

EZ bar preacher curlUpper arms on a pad in front of you, so you cannot swing. Loaded at the bottom of the rep.

EZ bar spider curlFace down on an incline bench with your arms hanging straight down.

Drag CurlDrag the bar up your torso as your elbows move back behind you.

Barbell CurlA straight bar for full palms-up, if your wrists allow it.

FAQ

Questions people ask

How to hold an EZ bar?

Underhand on the outer angled sections, about shoulder width. The bar sits deep in your palms with your wrists straight. Use the inner bends for a close grip, or hold it palms down for a reverse curl.

Does EZ bar curl target brachialis?

Yes, as every curl does. The brachialis bends the elbow in any grip. No study has measured it on an EZ bar, so the claim that the angled grip works it more than a straight bar is untested.

What part of the bicep do EZ bar curls work?

Both heads, plus the brachialis underneath. No study has shown a grip width that favors the long or short head.

Is the EZ bar curl better than the straight barbell curl?

Not for the biceps; they are close to equal. A straight bar drew 2% more biceps activity in one study (Coratella 2023b), and another found little difference (Marcolin 2018). The EZ bar is easier on the wrists, so pick the one you can train without pain.

Why do EZ bar curls hurt my forearm?

Usually the bar has rolled into your fingers with your wrists bent back, which loads the forearm muscles. Hold the bar deep in your palms, keep your wrists straight, try the other bends and go lighter.

How much does an EZ curl bar weigh?

There is no standard. Gym bars often weigh 15 to 25 lb (7 to 11 kg), and the REP and Rogue curl bars weigh 30 lb (14 kg). Fixed-weight bars have the total printed on the end.

How much weight should I EZ bar curl?

For 10 reps, the median on Gravitus is 65 lb (30 kg) for men and 32.5 lb (15 kg) for women. The strongest quarter lifts 75 lb (35 kg) and 40 lb (18 kg) or more.

Gravitus See where your EZ bar curl ranks

Log every set and see your percentile on every lift, EZ bar curl included.

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References