Standing or sitting barbell curls for biceps: which options are better for training?

Technique for standing biceps exercises with a barbell

The exercise is performed with a straight bar with a medium grip:

Standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent (relieve the load from the knees).
Grasp the bar from below, slightly wider than your shoulders.
Exhale: bend your arms, lifting the barbell using the efforts of your biceps.
Inhale: smoothly lower the barbell down.

It is important not to rock your body! To avoid this, you can rest your back against the wall, moving your feet slightly forward.

To work with heavy weights, you can slightly tilt your body forward, raising your elbows slightly with the help of deltoids, for maximum contraction of the biceps.

Total 4x8-12.

Narrow grip

Works the long head of the biceps , involves bringing the palms closer to each other so that the hands are located on the front surface of the thighs (the joints of the hands are narrower than the shoulder joints).

Wide grip

Designed to train the short head of the biceps. The palms are located significantly wider than the shoulder joints so that the elbows are not pressed against the body.

Also read how to do bench presses on a Scott bench →

Technique for performing biceps exercises with a barbell

Standing biceps curl. Probably the most basic exercise that works directly on the desired muscle. The technique of execution in this exercise is the most important thing. Don't take a single step away from her. Let's look at the technique in detail and discuss all the pros and cons of the exercise. For beginners, the following program is optimal:

For women: 2 – 3 sets, 12 – 15 repetitions with 10 – 12 kg.

For men: 3 – 4 sets, 15 – 18 repetitions with 15 – 20 kg.

Get ready to work with the weight that is optimal for you. Don't exaggerate the possibilities. In the exercise, cyclicality and commitment of all approaches are important. The weight should allow you to do at least 10 repetitions.
Grab. The width of your grip matters. Already grip - the outer head of the biceps works, grip wider than the shoulder - the inner head actively works. Choose for yourself what is more relevant at this time.
Feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, choose a position that is comfortable for you.
Hold the bar with a medium grip. The pussies are slightly moved forward. Elbows should be pressed to the sides. Shoulders are motionless.
Raise the bar toward your chest using tension in your biceps. The back should be static. You should not bend your arm all the way; it is important to feel the maximum tension of the muscle and fix it . Don't help yourself by bending over, don't swing.
At the top point, tense your biceps as much as possible and hold at this point.
Lower the bar slowly, without jerking. To end . Watch your elbows - your forearm should be perpendicular to the floor.
Perform the required number of approaches, carefully assessing the load for yourself. Do not start training with heavy weights, this risks injury and a long recovery process that will deprive you of the gym for a long time.
Technique for performing barbell curls while standing

Lifting the barbell with a reverse grip. He is also an overhand grip. The exercise is designed to strengthen the forearm (Read: How to pump up the forearm at home) and the brachialis muscle, and it is necessary for the development of the shoulder as a whole and working out the muscle under the biceps. Most often performed at the end of a workout to “finish off” all the muscles. Essential exercise! Let's look at the technique, and of course, the optimal program for beginners:

For women: 2 – 3 sets, 10 – 15 repetitions with 7 – 10 kg.

For men: 2 – 3 sets, 10 – 15 repetitions with 15 – 20 kg.

The grip is shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower. This will help maximize the use of your biceps.
Here you also need to not bend your arms completely; at the top point there will be the strongest tension. Extend your arms completely!
Keep your elbows close to your sides, your shoulders motionless, your back straight.
Do the exercise last.
An example of performing a biceps exercise with a reverse grip

Biceps blaster (aka art blaster). Many athletes appreciate this gadget and actively use it in training. What is it for? It is good because it fixes the elbows in a static position, which increases the share of the load directly on the biceps.
Which is exactly what we would like! New fitness accessory – lever blaster

The technique is the same as for standing biceps curls, but is greatly simplified by the fact that you don’t have to watch your elbows. More likely a useful thing than unnecessary.

Scott Bench EZ Barbell Raise . The exercise is quite complex, but it will not allow you to simplify and shy away from precise execution. You should not abuse it if the technique has not yet been developed. It is worth learning the correct exercise with an assistant nearby. You can vary this exercise with dumbbells. And so, we consider the technique and the program for beginners:

For women: 2 – 3 sets of 10 – 15 repetitions with 6 – 10 kg.

For men: 2 – 3 sets of 10 – 15 repetitions with 10 – 18 kg.

Adjust the stand so that the top is at mid-chest level. If it is higher, there is a risk of injuring the tendon and pulling a muscle.
Ask for help with feeding the barbell, and there should also be an assistant who will take it after you finish the exercise.
Under no circumstances lower the barbell all the way; this also risks injury.
At the top point, you do not need to raise the bar all the way, this will reduce the efficiency. Find the maximum working point where the muscles are maximally tense and fixate there.
Technique for performing EZ barbell lifts on a Scott bench

Seated biceps curl technique

To simplify the technique and eliminate unnecessary body movements, you can perform barbell curls while sitting, leaning on the back of a vertical bench. The peculiarity of the exercise is that the arms will not extend completely; it is performed without a relaxation phase - the biceps are always tense. Avoid jerking and swinging. Also, you can perform it with a different grip to work out all the bundles of the biceps brachii muscle.

Sitting on a bench, place your palms on the bar with an underhand grip, without touching your hips, leaving a small distance, about the size of a matchbox.
Exhale: lift the barbell onto the biceps, contracting the muscle as much as possible.
Inhale: lower smoothly without touching your hips.

Also in weight gain mode it is necessary to perform 4x8-12 times.

Types of biceps exercises with a barbell

The best exercises for Biceps:

Lifting the barbell for biceps while standing (consider this type of training as one of the most effective and proven among athletes);
Lifting the barbell with a reverse grip (consider it an exercise that allows your arms to look more impressive);
Biceps blaster (aka art blaster, equipment minimizes cheating and fixing the elbows allows only the biceps to work);
Raising the EZ bar in a Scott bench (consider this type also as one of the easy exercises for biceps);

Reverse grip barbell curl

The exercise is designed to strengthen the hands and forearms.

Athletes often have problems lifting and holding heavy weights precisely because of weak hands and forearms. Therefore, this exercise eliminates this problem.

Standing or sitting, grab the bar with an overhand grip, placing your fingers in a lock, thumbs underneath the bar.
Exhale: bend your arms and lift the barbell.
Inhale: lower smoothly.

Also 8-12 times with optimal weight, 4 sets.

Barbell curls on a Scott bench

This exercise is isolated and serves to raise the height of the biceps (create a peak). It is performed on a special machine called the “Scott bench”.

Technique:

Sit on a bench.
Take a barbell with an EZ bar.
Place your hands on the base of the bench. The triceps should be fully pressed against the machine during the entire exercise.
Take a breath.
As you exhale, bend your elbows, raising the barbell to your chest.
At the top, pause to achieve peak biceps contraction.
As you exhale, slowly lower the barbell down. The downward movement of the bar should be twice as slow as the upward movement.
At the bottom point, straighten your arms completely, trying to stretch your biceps as much as possible.

In this exercise it is more convenient to use a curved bar. This will help relieve stress on your hands and forearms. When using a straight bar, the hands will be turned outward strongly, which can lead to injury.

Since the exercise is isolated, the recommended number of repetitions is 10-12, regardless of body type.

EZ barbell curl

To eliminate pain in the joints , you need to use a curved bar. You can work with any grip (wide or narrow). The exercise technique is similar to ↑ lifts with a straight bar, either standing or sitting. Therefore, feel your body, adjust your grip to the individual characteristics of the structure and sensation . Perform 4x8-12 times.

Reverse grip biceps curl

The exercise is aimed at developing the brachialis, a muscle located under the heads of the biceps and running along the elbow to the forearm. Increasing, the brachialis from the inside raises the outer head of the biceps, giving the arm additional volume.

Brachialis only works when the hand is turned to the side (hammer curls for biceps with dumbbells) or palm down.

Execution technique

In this exercise, you do not need to strive to set strength records. Take a light weight that you can perform 10-12 reps with.

Stand up straight.
Grab the barbell with a medium overhand grip.
Press your elbows towards your body.
Lower your arms down, straightening them completely.
As you exhale, bend your elbows, raising the barbell to your chest.
Pause at the top.
Slowly lower the barbell to the starting position.
Perform 10-12 repetitions.

You can use both a straight bar and an EZ bar in this exercise. The elbows should remain pressed to the body during movement.

Exercise technique

Grab the barbell from the floor or racks. The weight of the bar should be moderate. The main thing in this exercise is not the kilograms lifted, but the concentration on the working muscles and the constant feeling of their tension. You can use any bar: straight, EZ-shaped or W-shaped.
Grip the bar tightly at about shoulder-width, using a closed grip. Press your elbows to your body. The hand should be slightly bent upward, with the knuckles facing towards you.
Smoothly lift the barbell to your chest, concentrating on the contracting muscles and without changing the position of your elbows - they remain pressed to the body. Spreading your elbows to the sides or moving them forward is dangerous. The rise should be accompanied by an exhalation. At the top point, the angle at the elbow joint should slightly exceed 90 degrees.
Slowly lower the barbell down, inhaling and feeling the stretch in your biceps and forearms. It is not necessary to lower the bar all the way down and come to a complete stop. It is better to work without pauses so that the load on the muscles is constant. This way, blood flow will be much stronger, and you will be able to achieve a good pump, even working with light weights.

Below is a video of lifting a barbell for biceps with a reverse grip, in which the technique of performing the exercise is very clearly demonstrated.

Technique for lifting the barbell while standing

Lifting the barbell using a reverse grip.

Now let's figure out how to pump up your biceps using a barbell. For this you will need an Olympic bar. If it is not there, then lifting the ez-bar is also possible. EZ bars are also used in cases where an athlete experiences severe pain in the wrists when lifting the Olympic bar.

Advice! To get rid of wrist pain, you need to warm up using an empty bar (20 kg). First, do 3 sets with it, and then move on to the workload. This technology helps many athletes.

The barbell press involves following several recommendations:

It is advisable to place the barbell on racks in advance, which will allow you not to lift it from the floor. If this is not possible, and you have to lift the barbell from the floor, then remember to have a straight back. It should be arched in the lower back, and under no circumstances should you round it, otherwise you risk muscle injury.
Grip width. Lifts can be done with a narrow, medium or wide grip. In this case, the load that can fall on the external or internal biceps bundle changes. A narrow grip emphasizes the load on the outer head, and a wide grip on the inner head, respectively.

Lifting the barbell with a narrow grip.

Elbows. If the elbows are pulled forward or parallel to the body when lifting the barbell to the top position, then the internal biceps bundle will work. Lifting the barbell onto the biceps, moving your elbows back, activates the work of the external beam.

Now let’s figure out how to properly pump the biceps with a barbell in a standing position:

To begin, grab the bar with a medium grip. In this case, the palms should face up.
Stand strictly straight, look ahead. It is best if there is a mirror in front of you. Under no circumstances should you look down.
Legs should be parallel to each other. Everyone chooses the width of the stand for themselves, but again, it should not be too wide and not too narrow.
When bending your arms, your elbows must be pressed to your body.
This will be your bottom position. Now take a deep breath and hold your breath while bending your elbows.
Raise the barbell to chest level.

Correct execution of the exercise. Elbows pressed to the body.

Advice! When lifting, do not move your elbows up. By doing this, you are helping yourself by taking the stress off your biceps, and you will not be able to achieve peak contraction at the top. Hands should not be bent at the wrists.

We also recommend studying this topic:

The correct technique for pumping up biceps with dumbbells while sitting

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Hold the barbell at the top for a few seconds and then slowly lower it to the bottom position.
It is very important that you should work within the amplitude, that is, you should not relax at the top point, and at the bottom you should not straighten your arms at the elbows. Thus, the muscles must be constantly tense. If you straighten your elbows completely, you will instantly reduce the load on your biceps, and you can assume that half the effect of the exercise is lost.

In the lower position, the elbows should not straighten.

Raise the barbell a little faster and lower it a little slower. You should not chase weight, as this can negatively affect your technique. Regarding the number of repetitions, everything is purely individual. However, there are certain criteria:

For beginners, it is best to perform 3-4 sets of 6-12 exercises each.
For more experienced ones, the following scheme is desirable: 4 sets of 18-20 exercises.

This material will be perfectly complemented by the following publications:

Arm training for girls in the gym
Training biceps and triceps in one day