If there’s one muscle that demands attention, it’s the biceps. The feeling of your arms getting bigger with every curl is a rite of passage, and no exercise delivers a biceps pump like barbell biceps curls. Why? You can load up to your biceps content, sparking serious gains.
But don’t stop at the standard underhand curl—your arms will swell with pride when you vary grip position, range of motion, and execution style.
Here, I’ll break down the 10 best barbell biceps curls, explaining how each one targets your arms from a different angle for enhanced biceps development. Get ready to train smarter, harder, and heavier. Afterward, you may need to buy some new shirts.
Benefits of Using The Barbell For Your Biceps Exercises
The barbell biceps curls are considered the king of biceps exercises, but you need variety to improve size and avoid overuse injuries. Changing grip positions, body positions, and range of motion enhance arm strength and muscular development. These 10 variations keep your muscles adapting and ensure peak flex appeal by hitting both the biceps’ short and long heads and forearms. Whether you’re chasing size, strength, or definition, these exercises will become your new favorites.
The 10 Best Barbell Biceps Curls
Are you excited yet? Well, you should be. Strap yourself in and arm yourself with the knowledge of these variations to take to the nearest gym with full-length mirrors to admire your handy work.
Standard Barbell Curls
The standard barbell curl is the granddaddy of biceps exercises. It allows you to lift heavier than most exercises, making it a must-have for size and strength. This variation targets the long head of the biceps, adding overall thickness to your arms. Keep your elbows at your sides, avoid excessive swinging, and control the lowering for maximum tension.
Sets & Reps: For size and strength, perform three to four sets of 8-15 reps. If you feel like a challenge, perform 50 reps with an empty barbell in as many sets as necessary.
Mixed Grip Curls
The mixed grip curl combines an overhand and underhand grip, with one hand supinated and the other pronated, creating a challenge for both the forearm flexors and extensors. This variation requires less weight than a standard curl but doubles the reps to train both sides evenly. It enhances grip strength, addresses forearm strength imbalances, and builds forearm and grip strength. Keep your wrists neutral to avoid unnecessary strain, and adjust your grip width for comfort.
Sets & Reps: Three sets of 8 reps per side.
Reverse Barbell Curls
Altering your grip on the barbell curl shifts the focus to the often-neglected forearm extensors, helping build both size and strength. The barbell reverse curl targets these smaller extensor muscles and the brachialis—a vital muscle beneath the biceps that enhances overall upper arm thickness and definition. With this variation, keep your wrists straight, control the lowering, and avoid momentum.
Sets & Reps: Three sets of 8-15 reps.
Fat-Grip Barbell Curls
The fat-grip barbell biceps curl takes a standard barbell curl to the next level by increasing grip demand. By adding fat grips, this variation requires more work from the forearm flexors, brachialis, and biceps, leading to improved arm and grip strength. The increased grip challenge enhances forearm endurance and reduces momentum, making each rep more effective. For added fun, change your grip to an overhand or mixed grip, as explained above.
Sets & Reps: Three to four sets of 12-15 reps.
Drag Curls
The barbell drag curl keeps the bar close to your body as you curl, rather than curling it in an arc. This subtle shift keeps your arms in place, eliminating momentum and placing more tension on the biceps. While you won’t lift as much weight, the drag curl makes up for it with superior muscle activation, requiring your biceps to work harder through each rep. Keep your elbows behind your torso and focus on slow, controlled reps.
Sets & Reps: Three to four sets of 10-12 reps.
Wide-Grip Curls
The wide-grip barbell curl changes the standard curl by shifting your hands wider than shoulder-width apart, emphasizing the biceps’ short head. This change helps build thicker upper arms and challenges your grip and forearm strength more than a standard curl. Whether performed with an overhand or underhand grip, this variation forces your biceps to work from a different angle for enhanced biceps development. Keep your elbows slightly tucked and avoid excessive wrist discomfort by adjusting your grip width.
Sets & Reps: Three to four sets of 12-15 reps.
Unilateral Landmine Curls
The landmine curl challenges grip strength by gripping the end of a barbell. By gripping the fat end and curling it across your body, you’re hitting your biceps from a unique angle and challenging your grip strength. If you want to build bigger biceps while leveling up your grip, this one’s a no-brainer. Stand perpendicular to the landmine setup, keep your elbow close to your torso, and curl across your body.
Sets & Reps: Two to four sets of 15 reps per arm.
Spider Curls
Performed on an incline bench, this variation holds your torso in place, reducing momentum and ensuring constant tension on the biceps through a greater range of motion than many curl variations. By targeting both the long and short heads of the biceps, Spider curls help create thicker, more defined arms. Keep your chest against the bench, use a full ROM, and focus on controlled reps.
Sets & Reps: Two to four sets of 10-15 reps.
Tall-Kneeling Curls
The tall-kneeling curl isn’t all about the biceps—it’s a full-body move that requires you to engage your core and glutes while curling. This variation maximizes biceps involvement by eliminating lower-body assistance while training core stability and hip mobility. With no way to cheat the weight up, this curl keeps your biceps under tension, ensuring better technique that leads to bigger, stronger arms. Squeeze your glutes and core, keep your spine neutral, and focus on strict curls without leaning back.
Sets & Reps: Two to three sets of 15 reps.
Deadstop Seated Barbell Curls
The deadstop seated barbell curl is all about concentric contraction. Starting each rep from a complete stop with the bar resting on your thighs eliminates momentum and requires your biceps to do more work. Performing it seated removes lower-body involvement, keeping the tension on your biceps and isolating them for an enhanced muscle pump. Seat upright and let the barbell relax on your thighs for a few seconds before lifting.
Sets & Reps: Two to four sets of 8-15 reps with 10% less weight than your standard curl.
