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Barbell Lying High Bench Curl
A strict biceps curl performed lying chest-down on a high bench so the hanging arms remove all body english.
ArmsBarbellElbow flexion
GoLightWeight mediabarbell-lying-high-bench-curl
Demonstration coming soon
Primary
Biceps
Secondary
BrachialisForearms
Equipment
Barbell
Pattern
Elbow flexion
Setup
- 01Set a flat bench high enough that your arms hang straight down without the bar touching the floor.
- 02Lie chest-down with the head past the end of the bench.
- 03Grip the barbell underhand at shoulder width and let the arms hang fully extended.
Execution
- 01Curl the bar up by bending the elbows, keeping the upper arms hanging vertical.
- 02Continue until the biceps are fully contracted near the bench.
- 03Squeeze at the top for a second.
- 04Lower the bar all the way back to a dead hang under control.
Checkpoints
- -Chest stays glued to the bench with zero torso movement.
- -Upper arms hang straight down; the elbows do not swing forward.
- -Every rep starts from a complete dead-hang stretch.
- -The bar moves smoothly with no swinging or bouncing.
Common mistakes
- -Lifting the chest off the bench to heave the weight up.
- -Swinging the bar out of the bottom position.
- -Cutting the lowering phase short of full extension.
- -Using loads better suited to standing curls; this position is much stricter.
Programming notes
- -Use 3 sets of 8 to 12 strict reps with lighter loads than standing curls.
- -The dead-stop bottom makes it a strong choice for breaking curl cheat habits.
- -Progress by pausing one second at the dead hang before each rep.
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