Should You Use the EZ Curl Bar in the Gym?

If you’ve spent any time in a commercial gym, you’ll inevitably have run across weird, malformed pieces of metal that other people seem to think are normal pieces of equipment. This ranges from a host of different grips for cable exercises (strange triangles, V’s of knotted rope, knurled bars only a foot long) and barbells that seem to have been run over by strange tractors, their forms all bent and warped. What are all these bizarre devices, and should you investigate them further, learn how to use them? One in particular gets a lot of usage, and that’s the EZ Curl Bar, the warped and twisted barbell. You’ll see people doing bicep curls with them all day long. Should you?

The EZ Curl bar is meant to be used as an alternative to the barbell for the express purpose of doing curls. As such, the section where you would normally grip is twisted so that your hand need not turn outwards so much. Instead of raising the bar with your palms facing the ceiling, your palms rise at a 45 degree angle. Does this make for a stronger curl, does this stress your bicep more? The answer is quite clearly: no.

Think about how curls work. Your biceps distal end attaches to your ulna. Your ulna is the longer of your two arm bones, and lies beneath your radius. Your bicep is responsible for the movement in which your hand is turned palm up; when this happens, your bicep pulls on the ulna, and rotates your forearm. Therefore, the more the palm is rotated up, the more your bicep is activated. Palm facing straight toward the ceiling activates the most bicep, and doing a curl with your palm thus rotated is the most challenging form.

Therefore using the EZ Curl bar robs you of the benefits of doing a proper curl. While it might feel more comfortable or technical or whatever reason you might wish to give for using the bar, the truth is that it robs the exercise of its full benefit. Try this if you don’t believe me: clench your hand into a fist, and tense up your bicep. Now, hold your fist palm down, and then slowly rotate it palm up, with your other hand pressed to your clenched bicep. Notice how your bicep gets shorter and rounder as you rotate your fist up? No coincidence.

Does this mean the EZ Curl bar is useless? Not quite. You can use the EZ Curl Bar in the lying triceps extension, wherein you lie flat on your back on a bench, loaded bar held directly up with straight arms, and then carefully bed the elbows so as to lower the bar toward you face, lowering it past your head and level with the bench, before raising it to straight arm once more. Since the triceps muscles involved are not affected by the rotation of your hand, the use of the EZ Curl Bar makes sense in this case, and is more comfortable.

About the Author

If you’re interested in learning about how to blend capoeira with dance and calisthenics to acquire a lean, toned body, including the best way to perfect your booty, check out the
Brazil Butt Lift Workout
, and learn about specific details and the secrets of TriAngle Training. Check out the
Brazilian Butt Lift workout
homepage today!

Weight Lifting Exercises : Weight Lifting Exercises: EZ-Bar Narrow-Grip Curls

Body Solid BB23 Bicep Bomber $25.00 Bulk up your biceps each time you grab a workout bar with the Body Solid Bicep Bomber. Consisting of a webbed nylon belt, a thick, oversized neoprene neck pad, and dense elbow pads, the Bicep Bomber isolates your arms and shoulders while you perform dumbbell or barbell curls. As a result, your back and elbows stay locked in the perfect curling position, resulting in an efficient, ergonomically cor…

Marcy Diamond MD 389 Standard Bench with Butterfly $94.49 Marcy Standard Bench with Butterfly offers you a multi – station workout. Save tons of cash on a gym membership, and get your workout done in the comfort of your own home! This Standard Bench with Butterfly allows for a full-chest workout… comes with incline, flat and pec fly accommodations. Plus, a dual-unciton leg developer and preacher curl highlight two of the many other options! It’s easy o…

Champion Rotating Straight Bar (20-Inch) $15.99 * 20″ Rotating Straight Bar*?SOLID STEEL BAR* HIGH-POLISHED CHROME FINISH* EASY TO ATTACH* MADE FOR LAT MACHINE…

Chrome Curl Bar with Rubber Ergo Grips Revolving 28 $39.00 Chrome Curl Bar w/ Rubber Ergo Grips Revolving 28YORK offers a complete assortment of cable-machine attachment bars. Each bar features a hard chrome coating and a 35mm rubber grip ergonomically designed for extreme comfort and control. These quality attachments undergo an injection mold process that impregnates the metal shaft with rubber creating a solid adhesion Product photo may not exactly mat…

Cable Attachments & Accessories – 28 Multi-Purpose Curl Bar with Swivel (Pic B) $137.46 (In Stock) – 28″ Multi – Purpose Curl Bar with Swivel (Pic B) – (Accessory ONLY…System/Unit sold separately) – Durable, chromeplated steel accessories. Use to target specific muscle groups with specialized grips. – Rolyan products are internationally licensed & manufactured for home & clinical use. Most of their products offer a lifetime warranty….

curl bar pulley exercisers $40.00 curl bar pulley exercisers The handle is mounted chest high on the single handle unit; chest and floor height on the double handle unit; and chest, floor and shoulder height on the triple handle unit (ceiling height of 10 feet is needed). Order unit with 10, 20 or 30 pounds of weights per tower. Additional 2-pound weight blocks are available. Select resistance by inserting “pin” into w…

Redmon Fun and Fitness Exercise Equipment for Kids – Weight Bench Set $89.99 The Fun & Fitness Collection is the latest of innovative products for children to get and remain active. This collection of durable equipment keeps children moving with healthy activity based recreation. Children’s exercise should be safe, productive, and fun. The Fun & Fitness Collection will inspire children to lead an active lifestyle.Product Measures: 31×15.75×6Recommended Ages: 3 Years – 8 Ye…