Back to library

Exercise Library

EZ Barbell Spider Curl

A curl performed chest-down on an incline bench with an EZ bar, isolating the biceps with the arms hanging vertical.

ArmsBarbellElbow flexion

Primary

Biceps brachii

Secondary

BrachialisForearm flexors

Equipment

Barbell

Pattern

Elbow flexion

Setup

  1. 01Set an incline bench to about 45 degrees.
  2. 02Lie chest-down with arms hanging over the top.
  3. 03Grip the EZ bar on the inner angled sections.
  4. 04Let the arms hang straight toward the floor.

Execution

  1. 01Curl the bar up toward the face.
  2. 02Squeeze the biceps hard at the top.
  3. 03Lower the bar slowly to full extension.
  4. 04Keep the upper arms hanging vertical throughout.

Checkpoints

  • -Upper arms stay vertical; only the forearms move.
  • -The chest stays glued to the bench pad.
  • -Arms reach full extension at the bottom.
  • -No shoulder swing helps the bar up.

Common mistakes

  • -Swinging the upper arms forward to cheat the weight.
  • -Lifting the chest off the pad on hard reps.
  • -Stopping short of full extension at the bottom.
  • -Loading too heavy and cutting the top squeeze.

Programming notes

  • -Use 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
  • -The vertical arm removes all cheating; go lighter than barbell curls.
  • -Pause at the top to strengthen the peak contraction.

Related exercises

Almost there

Coming soon to iOS & Android

GoLightWeight is in the final stretch. Free to download, no account required to start.

Coming soonApp Store
Coming soonGoogle Play