How to Do Barbell Curl: Muscles Worked & Proper Form

Muscles Worked in Barbell Curls

Primary muscles worked:

• Biceps

Secondary muscles worked:

• Forearm Flexors

How to Barbell Curl

1. Grip a bar with an underhand (supinated) grip, hands about shoulder-width apart.
2. Lift the bar with control, by flexing your elbows.
3. Don’t let your upper arm travel back during the curl, keep it at your side or move it slightly forward.
4. Reverse the movement and lower the bar back to the starting position.

Commentary

For the best training effect on your arm flexors (i.e. biceps) you should probably maintain a strict form, where your muscles are under constant tension. To accomplish this, you could try to avoid letting your elbows travel backwards during the lift, and also keep tension in the muscles in the bottom position.