10 Best Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl Alternatives for No-Barbell Setups
If you can't perform the Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl, use exercises that preserve supinated elbow flexion and short-head biceps loading. Good options include supinated dumbbell curls, underhand chin-ups, cable low curls, preacher single-arm curls, and hammer curls. Cue: keep elbows pinned to your sides and control the eccentric to maximize biceps tension.
Original Exercise: Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl
How to Perform Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, hands close together.
- Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary throughout the movement.
- 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 bring the barbell back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl Alternatives
1. Ez Barbell Close-grip Curl
98.4% 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.
2. Drag Curl
97.2% 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.
3. Barbell Curl
97.2% 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.
4. Close-Grip Standing Barbell Curl
97.2% 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.
5. Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curl With Band
97.2% 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.
6. Close-Grip EZ Bar Curl
97.2% 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.
7. Barbell Drag Curl
96.7% 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.
8. Barbell Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
96.4% 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.
9. Ez Barbell Curl
96.4% 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.
10. Ez-bar Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
96.4% 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.
Why You Might Need a Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl Alternative
You may substitute the close-grip barbell curl because of wrist pain from the narrow bar position, lack of barbell access, or to reduce bilateral dominance. A narrow supinated grip increases short-head biceps and forearm flexor stress, which can aggravate tendinopathy. Alternatives let you adjust grip supination, reduce pronation torque, or use unilateral loading to correct strength imbalances. For example, switch to a supinated dumbbell curl to preserve biceps peak while allowing natural wrist rotation; cue: rotate the dumbbell into full supination at the top to maximize biceps brachii activation.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Choose an alternative based on equipment, pain profile, and desired muscle emphasis. If you lack a barbell, pick dumbbells or a cable with an underhand attachment to maintain supinated elbow flexion; cue: keep a 1–2 second pause at peak contraction. If you have wrist or elbow irritation, use neutral-grip hammer curls to shift load to the brachialis and brachioradialis and reduce supination torque. For unilateral weakness, select single-arm preacher or incline dumbbell curls to isolate each biceps and fix asymmetry; progress with slower eccentrics to increase time under tension and hypertrophy stimulus.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl work?
The exercise primarily targets the biceps brachii (both short and long heads) plus the brachialis and brachioradialis. Narrow supinated grips bias short-head activation and increase forearm flexor involvement; cue: keep elbows stationary to focus torque through the biceps.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl?
Supinated (underhand) chin-ups are the best bodyweight substitute because they load elbow flexion under supination, heavily recruiting the biceps. Cue: pull your chest to the bar with elbows driving down and avoid kipping to keep tension on the biceps throughout the range.
Can I build muscle without doing Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl?
Yes—build biceps size using other movements that provide progressive overload, such as heavy dumbbell curls, weighted chin-ups, and cable curls. Use strict form, increase load or volume over time, and include techniques like slow eccentrics to maximize biceps activation and hypertrophy.
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