10 Best Barbell Curl Alternatives for Home, Gym, or Injury
If you can’t perform barbell curls, use dumbbell curls, EZ-bar curls, hammer curls, cable curls, or underhand chin-ups. These movements reproduce elbow flexion and biceps loading while offering different grips, unilateral control, and reduced wrist strain—so you can keep progressing regardless of equipment or joint limitations.
Original Exercise: Barbell Curl
How to Perform Barbell Curl
- 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.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Barbell Curl Alternatives
1. Close-Grip Standing Barbell Curl
99.9% 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.
2. Drag Curl
99.9% 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.
3. Close-Grip EZ Bar Curl
99.9% 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.
4. Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curl With Band
99.9% 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.
5. Barbell Drag Curl
99.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
- Let the barbell hang at arm's length in front of your thighs.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the barbell up towards your chest by contracting your biceps.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Barbell Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
99.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing 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.
7. Ez-bar Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
99.2% 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.
8. Ez Barbell Curl
99.2% 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.
9. EZ-Bar Curl
98.7% 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.
10. Ez Barbell Close-grip Curl
97.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the ez barbell with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary throughout the movement.
- Curl the barbell up towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a Barbell Curl Alternative
You might substitute barbell curls for several reasons: wrist or elbow pain from a fixed barbell grip, lack of a barbell or rack, the need for unilateral training to fix imbalances, or preference for a different stimulus (e.g., pure peak contraction vs. constant tension). Alternatives let you change grip width, forearm rotation, and stabilization demands to reduce joint stress and target different biceps heads. For example, hammer curls bias the brachialis and brachioradialis, while EZ-bar or cable curls lower wrist torque. Choosing a substitute preserves progressive overload and muscle activation without aggravating injuries or sacrificing specificity.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
When selecting a substitute, prioritize joint comfort, movement pattern, and training goals. If wrist pain limits supination, use an EZ-bar or neutral-grip dumbbells to reduce torque. For unilateral imbalance correction, pick single-arm dumbbell or cable curls to monitor and equalize force production. Choose cables for constant tension through the range, dumbbells for improved stabilization and peak contraction, and chin-ups when you want compound overload plus biceps engagement. Also consider loading progression options and exercise similarity to your program—match tempo, range of motion, and volume to maintain overload and adaptation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does barbell curl work?
Barbell curls primarily load the biceps brachii, emphasizing elbow flexion and some short-head activation with a narrow grip. They also recruit the brachialis and brachioradialis as synergists and require core and shoulder stabilization when performed standing.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to barbell curl?
Underhand (supinated) chin-ups are the best bodyweight alternative, providing heavy concentric loading through elbow flexion and strong biceps activation. If you can’t perform full reps, use negatives or band-assisted chin-ups to maintain progressive overload.
Can I build muscle without doing barbell curl?
Yes—you can build biceps mass with many alternatives that produce equivalent elbow flexion and progressive overload, such as dumbbell curls, cable curls, and chin-ups. Focus on sufficient volume, intensity, and progressive loading while selecting exercises that allow safe, consistent progression.
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