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Exercises

Barbell bicep exercises: the curls and rows that load your biceps heaviest

Published October 19, 2026

The best barbell bicep exercises are the barbell curl, the preacher curl, the EZ-bar curl and the drag curl, with the reverse curl and underhand row as supporting lifts. A barbell lets both arms share one load, so you can curl more weight than with dumbbells and add it in small steps. Two curls per session, 3 to 4 sets each at 0 to 2 reps in reserve, twice a week, is enough for most lifters.

  1. Barbell Curl Biceps
  2. Preacher Curl Biceps
  3. EZ-Bar Curl Biceps
  4. Barbell Drag Curl Biceps
  5. Underhand Barbell Row Upper Back, Lats
  6. Reverse Curl Biceps, Forearms
  7. Landmine Curl Biceps

Standing barbell curls

These are the main biceps lifts with a bar. The straight bar locks your palms fully up, the EZ bar angles them slightly in to spare the wrists, and the drag curl changes the path so the shoulder stays out of it. Pick one as the first exercise of a biceps session.

Biceps, both arms on one bar

Barbell Curl

Biceps

With both hands on one straight bar, the biceps works at full supination and you can load it heavier than any dumbbell curl. Plates in 2.5 lb or 1.25 kg steps let you progress in small jumps, which is how a curl keeps moving for years.

How to do it

  1. Grip the bar palms up, hands just outside your hips, and stand tall with the bar against your thighs.
  2. Keep your upper arms against your ribs and bend your elbows to bring the bar toward your shoulders.
  3. Stop when your forearms are vertical and squeeze for a moment without letting your elbows drift forward.
  4. Lower the bar until your elbows are fully straight, taking about two seconds.

Cues

  • Elbows pinned to the ribs
  • Stand still, curl only
  • Straight elbows at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to get the bar moving: if the first inch needs a hip thrust, take 5 to 10 lb off.
  • Stopping a few inches above the thighs: that skips the part of the curl where the biceps is longest.

Swap for: EZ-Bar Curl, Dumbbell Curl, Cable Curl

Build a session with Barbell Curl

Biceps, angled grip

EZ-Bar Curl

Biceps

The bends in the EZ bar turn your palms partly inward, which many lifters find easier on the wrists and elbows than a straight bar. The biceps still does almost all of the work, so it is a direct replacement when straight-bar curls hurt.

How to do it

  1. Hold the EZ bar on the inner or outer bends with your palms angled up, arms hanging straight.
  2. Curl the bar up in an arc, keeping your elbows next to your torso.
  3. At the top, your forearms point straight up and the bar sits a few inches from your chest.
  4. Lower it under control until your arms are straight again.

Cues

  • Wrists in line with forearms
  • Upper arms quiet
  • Slow lowering

Common mistakes

  • Rolling the wrists back at the top: keep the knuckles stacked over the forearm.
  • Using the narrow bend because it lets you lift more: if one grip hurts, use the other, not the heavier one.

Swap for: Barbell Curl, Preacher Curl, Dumbbell Curl

Build a session with EZ-Bar Curl

Biceps, shoulders out of the lift

Barbell Drag Curl

Biceps

Sliding the bar up your body while your elbows move behind you stops the front of the shoulder from helping. It is a lighter curl that makes the biceps work alone, and a good second exercise after a heavy straight-bar curl.

How to do it

  1. Hold the bar palms up at shoulder width, resting against your thighs.
  2. Drive your elbows back and let the bar ride up your stomach as you bend your arms.
  3. Stop when the bar reaches the bottom of your ribcage and your elbows point behind you.
  4. Slide it back down the same path to straight arms.

Cues

  • Bar touches your shirt
  • Elbows go back, not forward
  • Chest up

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the bar higher at the end: the top position is mid-torso.
  • Letting the bar swing out in front: if it leaves your body, it is a regular curl.

Swap for: Barbell Curl, Dumbbell Drag Curl

Build a session with Barbell Drag Curl

Curls with your arms supported

A pad or a fixed pivot removes body swing. The preacher bench makes the bottom half hard, where the biceps is stretched; the landmine moves the bar on an arc, so the load stays smooth from bottom to top.

Biceps, stretched position, no swing

Preacher Curl

Biceps

Resting your upper arms on the angled pad makes the curl hardest near the bottom, where the biceps is stretched, and leaves no way to swing the weight up. Training the biceps hard in a stretched position is one of the more reliable ways to grow it.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the preacher seat, armpits snug against the top of the pad and the backs of your arms flat on it.
  2. Take the EZ bar with palms up and start with your elbows almost straight.
  3. Curl the bar up until your forearms are close to vertical.
  4. Lower it slowly until your elbows are nearly straight, without bouncing at the bottom.

Cues

  • Armpits tight to the pad
  • Control the bottom
  • Stop short of lockout

Common mistakes

  • Dropping the bar the last few inches: the stretched part is the point, so slow down there.
  • Lifting your elbows off the pad to finish: lower the weight instead.

Swap for: Spider Curl, Concentration Curl, EZ-Bar Curl

Build a session with Preacher Curl

Biceps on an arc

Landmine Curl

Biceps

The bar pivots on the floor, so its path curves with your forearms and the load stays steady through the whole rep. If you have a landmine but no preacher bench, it is the easiest way to add a second curl with a different feel.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing the free end of a bar set in a landmine, and grip the sleeve end with both hands, palms up.
  2. Let your arms hang straight with the bar end at thigh height.
  3. Curl the end of the bar up toward your chin, keeping your elbows by your sides.
  4. Lower it back to straight arms and repeat.

Cues

  • Hands cup the sleeve
  • Elbows stay low
  • Full lowering

Common mistakes

  • Stepping too far back, which turns it into a front raise: stand close enough that your forearms do the moving.
  • Hinging forward at the hips to start the rep: stay upright.

Swap for: Barbell Curl, Cable Curl

Build a session with Landmine Curl

Palms-down curls for the brachialis and forearms

Flipping your grip moves work off the biceps and onto the brachialis under it and the brachioradialis on the forearm. One or two sets after your main curl builds the thickness you see from the front.

Brachialis and forearms, palms down

Reverse Curl

Biceps, Forearms

With an overhand grip the biceps is in a weaker position, so the brachialis and the brachioradialis do more of the lifting. It thickens the upper arm and forearm and suits the end of a session, with a lighter bar.

How to do it

  1. Hold the bar palms down at shoulder width, arms straight.
  2. Curl it up with your wrists straight, so your knuckles lead the bar.
  3. Bring it up until your forearms are vertical.
  4. Lower it slowly to straight arms.

Cues

  • Knuckles to the ceiling
  • Wrists flat
  • Elbows by your sides

Common mistakes

  • Letting the wrists bend down as the bar rises: a lighter bar keeps them straight.
  • Using your curl weight: most people manage about two-thirds of it.

Swap for: Hammer Curl, Zottman Curl

Build a session with Reverse Curl

Barbell rows that count toward biceps

Rows bend your elbows against a heavy load, so they train the biceps while your back does most of the work. The underhand row puts the biceps in its strongest position; the overhand and Meadows rows load it less. Count a hard set of rows as roughly half a biceps set.

Lats and upper back, with heavy biceps work

Underhand Barbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

Rowing with your palms up puts the biceps in its strongest pulling position, so this is the row that gives the most biceps work along with the back. It suits a short session where you want one compound pull before curling.

How to do it

  1. Grip the bar palms up at shoulder width and hinge forward until your torso is about 45 degrees from the floor, knees soft.
  2. Let the bar hang below your shoulders with your back flat.
  3. Pull it into your lower stomach, elbows travelling close to your sides.
  4. Lower it to straight arms without letting your back round.

Cues

  • Flat back, fixed angle
  • Bar to the belly button
  • Elbows brush the ribs

Common mistakes

  • Standing up taller as the set gets hard: keep the same torso angle every rep.
  • Curling the bar with the arms instead of driving the elbows back: think of the hands as hooks.

Swap for: Barbell Row, Chin-Up, Chest-Supported Row

Build a session with Underhand Barbell Row

Upper back and lats, biceps assisting

Barbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

The overhand row is a back exercise first, but every rep still bends the elbows against a heavy bar. If rows are already in your program, their biceps work counts toward your weekly total.

How to do it

  1. Hold the bar palms down a little wider than shoulder width and hinge to about 45 degrees.
  2. Brace your stomach and let the bar hang at arm's length.
  3. Row it to your lower ribs, pulling your shoulder blades together.
  4. Return it to straight arms with control.

Cues

  • Brace before each pull
  • Squeeze the shoulder blades
  • Same angle all set

Common mistakes

  • Jerking the bar with the hips: if your torso bounces, the weight is too heavy.
  • Shrugging the bar up instead of rowing it back: lead with the elbows.

Swap for: Pendlay Row, Underhand Barbell Row, Chest-Supported Row

Build a session with Barbell Row

Lats, one arm at a time

Meadows Row

Upper Back, Lats

A one-arm row on the end of a landmine bar lets each arm pull through a long range, so the biceps on that side works hard too. It needs only a bar wedged in a corner or a landmine attachment.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to the end of a landmine bar, staggered stance, and hinge until your torso is close to parallel to the floor.
  2. Grip the thick sleeve end overhand with the hand nearest the bar, and rest your other forearm on your front knee.
  3. Row the sleeve up past your hip, elbow pointing to the ceiling.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight and you feel your lat stretch. Finish the set, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow high and back
  • Long stretch at the bottom
  • Hips stay square

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your chest open to lift more: keep your shoulders facing the floor.
  • Cutting the stretch short: let the arm straighten fully.

Swap for: One-Arm Dumbbell Row, T-Bar Row

Build a session with Meadows Row

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

One straight barbell, no rack or bench

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentBarbells

You have a barbell and plates at home and nothing to rest it on, so everything starts from the floor or a hang.

Without a bench or landmine, the straight bar covers it: the barbell curl is the main lift, the drag curl takes the shoulders out of the second movement, and the reverse curl adds brachialis and forearm work. Session B leads with underhand rows, picked off the floor, so your back and biceps both get a heavy pull. Curls end 1 RIR on the first exercise and 0 to 1 after; the row stays at 2 so your lower back is not the limit. About 9 to 10 sets per session.

Biceps A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Curl1 warm-up set firstPick the bar up from the floor with a flat back. 4 × 6–12 1 90 s
Barbell Drag CurlBar slides up your body. 3 × 8–12 1 75 s
Reverse CurlPalms down, wrists flat. 2 × 10–15 0 1 min

Open Biceps A in the session builder

Biceps B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Underhand Barbell Row1 warm-up set firstTorso at 45°. Palms up. 3 × 6–10 2 2 min
Barbell CurlSlower lowering than session A. 3 × 8–15 0 75 s
Barbell Drag CurlElbows back. 3 × 10–15 0 1 min

Open Biceps B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Biceps A and Biceps B on different days. Either can follow a lower-body or push workout.
How to progress
Add 5 lb to the barbell curl once every set hits 12 reps at the target RIR. Drag and reverse curls move up in 2.5 lb steps, or add reps first.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Gym with an EZ bar, preacher bench and landmine

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentEZ Bar, Preacher Bench, Barbells, Landmine

Your arms are the priority this block, and your gym has the full set of bars and benches.

The preacher curl is the stretched-position lift, the EZ-bar curl the heavier standing one, and the landmine curl a smooth third angle that is easy to push close to failure. The Meadows row replaces a second biceps exercise on day B because its long one-arm pull adds biceps work while training the back. Preacher curls stop at 1 RIR, since the stretch under fatigue is where elbows complain; the landmine and EZ curls go to 0. About 20 biceps sets a week counting rows at half.

Arms Heavy
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
EZ-Bar Curl1 warm-up set firstChoose the grip your wrists prefer. 4 × 6–10 1 90 s
Preacher CurlSlow on the bottom half. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Reverse CurlEZ or straight bar. 2 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Arms Heavy in the session builder

Arms Pump
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Meadows RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Preacher CurlArmpits tight to the pad. 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Landmine CurlBoth hands on the sleeve. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Arms Pump in the session builder

How to run it
Run Arms Heavy and Arms Pump on two non-consecutive days, alongside your normal training.
How to progress
Double progression on every curl: reach the top of the rep range on all sets, then add the smallest plate. Add weight to the Meadows row at 12 clean reps per arm.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Biceps inside a barbell strength program

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets10 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentBarbells

You run a squat, bench and deadlift program three days a week and have 15 minutes left for arms on one of them.

Heavy pulling already trains your biceps, so this plan keeps one row and one curl and nothing else. The overhand barbell row sits at 2 RIR because it shares the lower back with your deadlifts; the barbell curl goes to 1, then a single 0 RIR set of underhand rows at the end loads the biceps and lats one more time without adding a recovery cost your main lifts will feel. Ten sets in one session.

Pull and Curl
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell RowOverhand. Brace each rep. 4 × 6–10 2 2 min
Barbell CurlStrict, no hip drive. 4 × 6–10 1 90 s
Underhand Barbell RowLighter bar, palms up. 2 × 10–15 0 90 s
How to run it
Add it to the end of your lightest main-lift day once a week. Skip the final row set in weeks you test a deadlift max.
How to progress
Raise the curl by 5 lb at 10 reps on every set. Add weight to the overhand row only when your deadlift is not stalling.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is the best barbell exercise for biceps?

The standing barbell curl. It lets both arms share one heavy load at full supination and progresses in small plate steps. Add a preacher curl as your second exercise to train the stretched position.

What exercise peaks the bicep?

No exercise changes the shape of your biceps peak; that comes from where the muscle attaches, which is genetic. A bigger biceps shows more of the peak you have. The preacher curl and barbell curl together train both the stretched and shortened ends of the range.

Is a 20 pound bicep curl good?

On a barbell, 20 lb is a light start, and most lifters can add to it within weeks. Judge the weight by reps in reserve rather than the number: if you finish 10 strict reps with 1 or 2 left, the weight is right for you today.

How long does it take to grow biceps?

Newer lifters usually notice their arms filling out within a few months of training biceps twice a week close to failure. Growth is fastest in the first year and slows after that, so a log of your curl weights and reps shows progress before the tape measure does.

Should I curl with a straight bar or an EZ bar?

Use the straight bar if it feels fine on your wrists, because it supinates the forearm fully. Use the EZ bar if your wrists or elbows ache. The biceps works hard with either.

Do barbell rows work biceps?

Yes. Every row bends the elbows under load, and the underhand row works the biceps most. Count a hard set of rows as about half a biceps set when you add up your weekly volume.