Where Do You Hold The EZ Bar For Bicep Curls? (4 EZ Bar Curl Tips)

Last updated on November 13th, 2022 at 12:58 pm

We all know that curls are probably one of the best exercises for biceps.

Plus, the fact that there is a specific piece of equipment made for curls shows how important they are.

However, the EZ bar is designed in such a way that it has bends in various places.

This can obviously cause confusion as to where exactly you should place your hands and hold the bar.

So, let’s find out.

Where Do You Hold The EZ Bar For Bicep Curls?

There are 3 conventional ways to hold the EZ bar for bicep curls. Firstly, a narrow grip will target the long head of the biceps, which is what produces the peak or the “hump” on the biceps. Secondly, a wide grip will target the short of head of the biceps, which is ideal for thickness or girth. Finally, a reverse grip will target brachioradialis, which will help to increase size and strength in your forearms, as well as improving your grip strength.

1. Where to Hold The EZ Bar For Bicep Peak

One of the most aesthetically-pleasing things about biceps is to have a large peak or “hump”.

Basically, the height of the biceps.

In order to achieve this peak you need to work the long head of the biceps, which is located on the outside of your arm.

In order to hit this “peak” you should have your hands closer together when you curl.

This is actually true of other exercises too.

Take the pull as an example.

If you perform overhand pull ups with your hands closer together you’ll notice that the biceps get stimulated to far greater effect.

However, the closer your hands are together the more stress that is placed on the wrists and elbows.

With that being said, the EZ bar is designed in such a way that the stress is taken off the wrists and elbows during close-grip curls.

You should place your hands on the inner bends of the bar.

You’ll notice that your hands are turned ever so slightly inwards.

So, in effect your index fingers will be wrapped around the top of the bend and your little fingers around the bottom part of the bend.

The narrow grip also happens to recruit the forearms slighter more than a wider grip, so don’t be surprised if you feel this more.

As I say, the narrower grip on the EZ bar is better for activating the long head of the biceps which is what produces that peak.

2. Where to Hold The EZ Bar For Bicep Thickness

You should always train both heads of the biceps to fully develop the muscles.

It just so happens that the wider your grip is the more you’ll hit the short head of the biceps.

These are located on the inside of the arms and are responsible for biceps thickness or girth.

However, the wider your grip the more stress that is placed on the wrists, elbows, and shoulders.

Once again, the same can be said for pull ups.

That being said, due to the outer bend of the EZ bar, yet again the stress is taken off the wrists, elbows, and shoulders.

So, you just grip the bar on the outer bends to perform wide grip curls.

This time you’ll notice your hands are turned ever so slightly outwards.

Plus, now your little fingers will be higher up than your index fingers.

Now, many people may be tempted to stick with narrow grip curls in order to produce that bicep peak.

However, the wide-grip variety is just as important and will give your biceps that full and rounded look.

EZ Bar vs. Straight Bar Curl – Which is Better For Building Biceps?

3. Where to Hold The EZ Bar For Forearm & Grip Strength

Another exercise that I love to perform with the EZ bar is reverse curls.

Reverse curls will require a pronated grip, so palms facing towards the ground.

You should grip the bar on the same bends that you used for wide-grip EZ bar curls.

However, this time your hands are turned slightly inwards and your index fingers are higher up the bend than your little fingers.

Reverse curls will target the brachioradialis, which is one of the main muscles in the forearm.

You’ll also notice that you need to grip the bar tight during reverse curls, and often your grip may give before your forearms are fatigued.

If so, this could be a sign that your grip is weak in relative comparison to your forearms.

However, reverse curls with the EZ bar are a fantastic way to train your grip anyway.

You’ll generally find that performing reverse curls with a straight bar can place stress on the wrists and elbows.

But, the stress is taken off these joints due to how you grip the EZ bar.

Once again, performing reverse curls is an integral part of growing the biceps as a whole, so don’t ignore this fantastic exercise.

4. The EZ Bar Bicep Workout

This workout is one that I perform fairly regularly using just the above exercises.

I typically use the exercises in reverse order (as mentioned above) and as a circuit.

I’ll use the exact same weight and simply move from one exercise to the next.

With that being said, I will place the EZ bar on the floor between exercises and take 5-10 seconds to reset myself.

So, I’ll start off with reverse curls.

The reason for this is that reverse curls are harder than standard barbell curls.

Therefore, you don’t really want to be performing the “hardest” exercise once your arms are fatigued.

I’ll perform 10 reps.

As I say, I’ll then place the EZ bar on the floor, and allow myself 10 seconds of “rest” (if you can call it that).

Next up is the wide-grip curl.

Once again, I perform 10 reps and then place the bar on the floor.

Finally, after 10 seconds “rest” I perform 10 reps of narrow-grip EZ bar curls.

I will usually take 90 seconds rest and then repeat the circuit 2-3 times more.

As for the load, I will typically use a weight that I can reverse curl for 15 reps.

You will feel a fantastic burn in your biceps and forearms following this quick workout.

Plus, I see nothing wrong with performing this quick circuit 2-3 times a week (depending on your goals) as a complete biceps workout.

Final Thoughts

You should hold the EZ bar on the inner bends to perform narrow-grip bicep curls, which will work the long head of the biceps on the outside of the arms. If you hold the EZ bar on the outer bends your grip will be wider and you’ll work the short head of the biceps on the inside of the arms. Plus, you can use a pronated grip to work your forearms, which involves you holding the EZ bar on the outer bends.

Check Out My Review of Lee Hayward’s Blast Your Biceps Training System – The Workout Program to Add 2 Inches to Your Arms in Just 8 Weeks