Barbell Spider Curl

Setup

1. 01Set an incline bench to about 45 degrees and lie chest-down against the pad.
2. 02Let the arms hang straight down holding a barbell with an underhand, shoulder-width grip.
3. 03Plant the feet on the floor and press the chest into the pad.

Execution

1. 01Curl the bar toward the face while keeping the upper arms pointing straight at the floor.
2. 02Squeeze the biceps hard at the top of the rep.
3. 03Lower under control until the elbows are fully extended.
4. 04Keep the chest glued to the pad throughout.

Checkpoints

• -Upper arms stay vertical and motionless; only the elbows bend.
• -Full elbow extension at the bottom of every rep.
• -Chest and shoulders stay on the pad, not lifting to heave the bar.

Common mistakes

• -Swinging the upper arms forward to shorten the range.
• -Cutting the eccentric short instead of reaching full extension.
• -Loading so heavy the torso pushes off the pad.
• -Letting the wrists collapse backward under the bar.