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Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl

A standing barbell curl with hands inside shoulder width that biases the long head of the biceps.

ArmsBarbellElbow flexion

Primary

Biceps brachii

Secondary

BrachialisForearm flexors

Equipment

Barbell

Pattern

Elbow flexion

Setup

  1. 01Stand with feet hip width apart.
  2. 02Grip the bar underhand, hands inside shoulder width.
  3. 03Let the bar hang at arms' length.
  4. 04Pin the elbows to your sides and brace.

Execution

  1. 01Curl the bar up toward the shoulders.
  2. 02Squeeze the biceps hard at the top.
  3. 03Lower the bar under control to full extension.
  4. 04Repeat without swinging the torso.

Checkpoints

  • -Elbows stay fixed at the sides through the whole rep.
  • -Wrists remain straight, not bent back under the bar.
  • -Torso stays upright with no backward lean.
  • -Arms reach full extension at the bottom of each rep.

Common mistakes

  • -Swinging the hips to heave the bar up.
  • -Letting the elbows drift forward at the top.
  • -Cutting the bottom range and keeping constant elbow bend.
  • -Using a grip so narrow the wrists ache.

Programming notes

  • -Use 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
  • -An EZ bar eases wrist strain if the straight bar bothers you.
  • -Alternate with wide-grip curls to train both biceps heads.

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