10 Best Ez-bar Curl Alternatives for When You Can't Use an EZ-Bar
If you can't do the Ez-bar curl, use dumbbell curls, hammer curls, cable curls, preacher curls, or incline dumbbell curls to target the biceps while easing wrist stress and fixing imbalances. Keep elbows pinned, control the eccentric, and fully supinate at the top to maximize biceps activation and movement quality.
Original Exercise: Ez-bar Curl
How to Perform Ez-bar Curl
- 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.
Pro Tips
- Category: Strength
- Force: Pull
- Movement type: Isolation
Best Ez-bar Curl Alternatives
1. Dumbbell Standing Biceps Curl
99.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward and arms fully extended.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
- Continue to raise the dumbbells until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
- Inhale and slowly begin to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
2. Dumbbell High Curl
99.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
- Keep your upper arms stationary and curl the dumbbells as high as possible while contracting your biceps.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Ez Barbell Curl
99.4% 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.
4. Barbell Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
99.4% 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.
5. Dumbbell Biceps Curl
99.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward and arms fully extended.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
- Continue to raise the weights until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
- Inhale and slowly begin to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
6. Ez-bar Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
99.4% 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.
7. Dumbbell Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
99.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
- Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary.
- Exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
- Continue to raise the weights until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
8. Barbell Drag Curl
99.2% 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.
9. Close-Grip EZ Bar Curl
98.7% 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.
10. Drag Curl
98.7% 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 Ez-bar Curl Alternative
You might substitute the Ez-bar curl because of wrist or forearm pain, lack of an EZ-bar, or the need for unilateral work to fix strength imbalances. Straight-bar curls can aggravate wrists; dumbbells let you rotate to a comfortable supinated finish to reduce torque on the wrist and increase peak biceps activation. Cable curls keep constant tension through the range, improving time under tension and muscle recruitment. Preacher or incline variations change shoulder angle and shift load between the biceps long and short heads, useful when you need targeted hypertrophy without adding heavy barbell loads. Always cue neutral wrist position and an inward elbow tuck to protect the joint and focus the load on the biceps.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select an alternative based on equipment, pain patterns, and the muscle emphasis you need. If wrist pain is the limiter, use dumbbells and emphasize wrist supination through the concentric; if you lack free weights, choose a single-arm cable curl to maintain constant tension with a neutral grip. For unilateral imbalances, pick alternating dumbbell curls and strict control on the eccentric to force equal loading. To bias the long head use incline dumbbell curls with a slight shoulder extension; for brachialis development choose hammer curls with thumbs-up grip and a stiff forearm. Prioritize movement where you can keep elbows fixed and feel the biceps do the majority of the work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Ez-bar Curl work?
The Ez-bar curl primarily targets the biceps brachii (both long and short heads), with the brachialis and brachioradialis assisting. Keep elbows stationary and supinate the wrists at the top to maximize biceps peak and reduce forearm substitution.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Ez-bar Curl?
A close bodyweight substitute is the underhand inverted row (close grip) to emphasize the biceps; pull from a low bar with palms supinated and lead with your elbows. Maintain a straight body and pull to your sternum to increase biceps loading while controlling the eccentric.
Can I build muscle without doing Ez-bar Curl?
Yes. You can build biceps muscle using dumbbell curls, cable curls, preacher curls, and chin-ups—each allows progressive overload and varied elbow positions to stimulate both heads. Focus on full ROM, controlled eccentrics, and progressive load while keeping elbows pinned to ensure the biceps receive primary tension.
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