EZ Bar Curl

Directions:

Preperation/body position

1. Load EZ bar with correct weight. Put on safety collars.
2. Grasp bar with an underhand, shoulder width grip, where the bar is curved.
3. Keep torso erect and back straight, with upper arms and elbows stationary at your sides.

Excution/Movement

1. Just using flexion of the elbow, contract the bicep brachii and other elbow flexors to curl the bar up. Keep elbows stationary throughout exercise.
2. After peak contraction, slowly lower the bar to the start position, maintaining good body posture and stationary elbows.
3. Repeat for desired number of repetitions.

Comments

Similarly to the barbell bicep curl, the EZ bar curl recruits the biceps brachii, and also the brachioradialis to an extent during flexion of the elbow.

The EZ bar allows for a grip that is somewhat between a supinated (palms up) and neutral (palms facing each other) grip, because of the shape of the bar. This can be welcome relief for those who have issues with their wrists when performing the barbell bicep curl, as it does often put the wrist under some stress.
Due to the nature of the grip, both recruitment of the biceps brachii and the brachioradialis is present.

Remember, our aim is to stress the target muscle and not include recruitment of unnecessary secondary muscles. Therefore, the elbows and torso should remain as stationary as possible during the execution of the exercise. Do not cheat the weight up, bringing in anterior deltoid involvement. If you struggle to curl the weight up for the desired number of reps, simply lighten the weight.

For hypertrophy 6-12 reps will likely yield the best results, providing optimal time under tension. This will provide adequate stimulation for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, and acute response to anabolic hormone concentrations, compared to that of lower rep ranges.