10 Best Barbell Alternate Biceps Curl Alternatives for Limited Equipment
What can I do instead of Barbell Alternate Biceps Curl? Use dumbbell alternating curls, hammer curls, chin-ups, cable curls, or preacher curls. Focus on a controlled 3-second eccentric, fully supinate the wrist at the top when targeting the biceps long head, and keep elbows pinned to your sides to isolate the muscle.
Original Exercise: Barbell Alternate Biceps Curl
How to Perform Barbell Alternate Biceps Curl
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
- Keep your upper arms stationary and exhale as you curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
- Continue to raise the barbells until your biceps are fully contracted and the barbells are at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
- Inhale as you slowly begin to lower the barbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, alternating arms.
Best Barbell Alternate Biceps Curl Alternatives
1. Band Alternating Biceps Curl
90% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the band with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
- Keep your elbows close to your sides and slowly curl one arm up towards your shoulder, squeezing your biceps at the top.
- Lower the arm back down to the starting position and repeat with the other arm.
- Continue alternating arms for the desired number of repetitions.
2. Barbell Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
89% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
- Place your upper arms against the arm blaster, keeping your elbows close to your torso.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
- Continue to raise the barbell until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
3. Ez-bar Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
89% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the ez barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
- Place your upper arms against the arm blaster, keeping them stationary throughout the exercise.
- Keeping your elbows close to your body, exhale and curl the barbell up towards your shoulders.
- Pause for a moment at the top, squeezing your biceps.
- Inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
4. Ez Barbell Curl
89% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the ez barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
- Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary throughout the movement.
- Exhale as you curl the barbell up towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale as you slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. EZ-Bar Curl
88.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight while holding an EZ curl bar at the wide outer handle. The palms of your hands should be facing forward and slightly tilted inward due to the shape of the bar. Keep your elbows close to your torso. This will be your starting position.
- Now, while keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps. Focus on only moving your forearms.
- Continue to raise the weight until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the top contracted position for a moment and squeeze the biceps.
- Then inhale and slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
6. Barbell Curl
88.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing forward.
- Keep your elbows close to your torso and exhale as you curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
- Continue to raise the bar until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
- Inhale as you slowly begin to lower the bar back to the starting position.
7. Close-Grip EZ Bar Curl
88.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up with your torso upright while holding an E-Z Curl Bar at the closer inner handle. The palm of your hands should be facing forward and they should be slightly tilted inwards due to the shape of the bar. The elbows should be close to the torso. This will be your starting position.
- While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Tip: Only the forearms should move.
- Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second and squeeze the biceps hard.
- Slowly begin to bring the bar back to starting position as your breathe in.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
8. Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curl With Band
88.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Attach a band to each end of the bar. Take the bar, placing a foot on the middle of the band. Stand upright with a narrow, supinated grip on the EZ bar. The elbows should be close to the torso. This will be your starting position.
- While keeping the upper arms in place, flex the elbows to execute the curl. Exhale as the weight is lifted.
- Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second and squeeze the biceps hard.
- Slowly begin to bring the bar back to starting position as your breathe in.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
9. Close-Grip Standing Barbell Curl
88.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Hold a barbell with both hands, palms up and a few inches apart.
- Stand with your torso straight and your head up. Your feet should be about shoulder width and your elbows close to your torso. This will be your starting position. Tip: You will keep your upper arms and elbows stationary throughout the movement.
- Curl the bar up in a semicircular motion until the forearms touch your biceps. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement and contract your biceps hard for a second at the top. Tip: Avoid bending the back or using swinging motions as you lift the weight. Only the forearms should move.
- Slowly go back down to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
10. Drag Curl
88.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Grab a barbell with a supinated grip (palms facing forward) and get your elbows close to your torso and back. This will be your starting position.
- As you exhale, curl the bar up while keeping the elbows to the back as you "Drag" the bar up by keeping it in contact with your torso. Tip: As you can see, you will not be keeping the elbows pinned to your sides, but instead you will be bringing them back. Also, do not lift your shoulders.
- Slowly go back to the starting position as you keep the bar in contact with the torso at all times.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a Barbell Alternate Biceps Curl Alternative
You may substitute the Barbell Alternate Biceps Curl for several practical reasons: wrist or distal tendon pain from repeated supination, no access to a barbell, or a need to correct unilateral strength imbalances. Neutral-grip hammer curls reduce supination torque and shift load to the brachialis and brachioradialis, lowering strain on the distal biceps. Cables maintain constant tension through the range, while preacher curls mechanically limit shoulder involvement to increase short-head isolation. Use tempo cues—1–2 second pause at peak and a 3-second eccentric—and keep the scapula slightly retracted with elbows fixed to maximize biceps brachii activation while protecting the joint structures.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Choose a substitute based on equipment, joint health, muscle emphasis, unilateral needs, and progressive overload options. If you lack a barbell but have dumbbells, perform alternating curls with a 3-second eccentric and fully supinate at the top to bias the long head. For wrist or tendon issues select neutral-grip hammer curls to reduce supination stress and recruit the brachialis. If you want constant end-range tension pick cable curls and pause briefly at 90° elbow flexion to increase time under tension. Track overload via added load, reps, or tempo while keeping elbows pinned to avoid shoulder substitution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Barbell Alternate Biceps Curl work?
The exercise primarily targets the biceps brachii (long and short heads), with secondary contribution from the brachialis and brachioradialis. Supinating the wrist through the concentric increases long-head activation; keep elbows stationary to focus load on the biceps rather than on shoulder flexors.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Barbell Alternate Biceps Curl?
A supinated-grip chin-up is the best bodyweight alternative because it loads the biceps through a full elbow-flexion range while also engaging the lats. Pull your elbows down and back, lead with the chest toward the bar, and squeeze the biceps at the top for maximal contraction.
Can I build muscle without doing Barbell Alternate Biceps Curl?
Yes—you can build biceps without that specific curl by using other movements that allow progressive overload, such as dumbbell curls, cable curls, preacher curls, and chin-ups. Emphasize slow eccentrics (3–4 seconds), full range of motion, and a paused peak contraction with elbows pinned to drive hypertrophy.
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