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Barbell Reverse Curl

Equipment

Gym Equipment Needed

Muscle Group

Bicep

Setup

Hold the bar in front of your thighs with an overhand (pronated) grip about shoulder-width apart. Arms are fully extended, elbows close to your sides. Set your shoulders down and back, chest up, and brace your core. Keep wrists neutral and stacked over your forearms.

Starting Position

Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and grab the barbell with an overhand grip (palms facing down).

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Execution

Inhale and brace. Curl the bar upward by bending at the elbows while keeping your upper arms mostly still. Maintain a tall posture and avoid leaning back. Continue until the bar reaches upper-ab/chest height, then pause briefly and squeeze. Exhale and lower the bar under control back to full extension, keeping tension through the forearms and biceps (brachialis). Repeat for the desired reps with a smooth tempo.

Tips on doing this exercise

Keep your elbows pinned to your sides—only the forearms move.

Control the eccentric (2–3 seconds down) to load the forearms and brachialis.

If wrists feel strained, switch to an EZ bar and keep grip firm but not death-tight.

Think “curl up, don’t shrug”—shoulders stay relaxed and down.

Stop the set when you start swinging—reverse curls reward strict form.

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Common Mistakes

Using momentum or swinging the torso to lift the weight

Letting elbows drift forward, turning it into a shoulder movement

Bending wrists back or letting the bar roll into the fingertips

Cutting range of motion short or dropping the bar quickly

Using too much weight, causing sloppy reps and wrist discomfort

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Recommended Ranges

Strength/forearm emphasis: 3–5 sets of 6–10 reps (strict, controlled)

Hypertrophy focus: 3–4 sets of 10–15 reps (moderate, full range)

Accessory/pump: 2–3 sets of 12–20 reps (lighter, slower lowering)
Rest 60–90 seconds between sets.

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