10 Best EZ Barbell Curl Alternatives for Home Gyms

What can I do instead of EZ Barbell Curl? Try dumbbell concentration curls, hammer curls, cable curls, preacher machine curls, or supinated-grip chin-ups. Each shifts forearm position and joint angle to emphasize the biceps long head, short head, or brachialis; cue: keep elbows pinned and control the eccentric to maximize biceps activation.

Original Exercise: EZ Barbell Curl

EZ Barbell Curl
Primary Muscle
Biceps
Equipment
Ez-barbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Forearms
How to Perform EZ Barbell Curl
  1. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the ez barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
  2. Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary throughout the movement.
  3. Exhale as you curl the barbell up towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale as you slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked EZ Barbell Curl Alternatives

Best Match
Ez-bar Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)

1. Ez-bar Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)

99.9% Match
Biceps Ez-barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the ez barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
  2. Place your upper arms against the arm blaster, keeping them stationary throughout the exercise.
  3. Keeping your elbows close to your body, exhale and curl the barbell up towards your shoulders.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, squeezing your biceps.
  5. Inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
Barbell Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)

2. Barbell Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)

99.9% Match
Biceps Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
  2. Place your upper arms against the arm blaster, keeping your elbows close to your torso.
  3. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
  4. Continue to raise the barbell until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level.
  5. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
Dumbbell Biceps Curl

3. Dumbbell Biceps Curl

99.9% Match
Biceps Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward and arms fully extended.
  2. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
  3. Continue to raise the weights until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
  4. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
  5. Inhale and slowly begin to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Dumbbell Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)

4. Dumbbell Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)

99.9% Match
Biceps Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
  2. Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary.
  3. Exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
  4. Continue to raise the weights until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
  5. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
Standing Inner-Biceps Curl

5. Standing Inner-Biceps Curl

99.9% Match
Biceps Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up with a dumbbell in each hand being held at arms length. The elbows should be close to the torso. Your legs should be at about shoulder's width apart from each other.
  2. Rotate the palms of the hands so that they are facing inward in a neutral position. This will be your starting position.
  3. While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights out while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Your wrist should turn so that when the weights are fully elevated you have supinated grip (palms facing up).
  4. Only the forearms should move. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Tip: Keep the forearms aligned with your outer deltoids.
  5. Hold the contracted position for a second as you squeeze the biceps.
Weighted Standing Curl

6. Weighted Standing Curl

99.9% Match
Biceps Weighted Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
  2. Keep your elbows close to your torso and exhale as you curl the weights up to shoulder level.
  3. Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale as you slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Wide-Grip Standing Barbell Curl

7. Wide-Grip Standing Barbell Curl

99.9% Match
Biceps Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up with your torso upright while holding a barbell at the wide outer handle. The palm of your hands should be facing forward. The elbows should be close to the torso. This will be your starting position.
  2. While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Tip: Only the forearms should move.
  3. 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.
  4. Slowly begin to bring the bar back to starting position as your breathe in.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
EZ-Bar Curl

8. EZ-Bar Curl

99.4% Match
Biceps Ez-barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. 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.
  2. Now, while keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps. Focus on only moving your forearms.
  3. 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.
  4. Then inhale and slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Dumbbell High Curl

9. Dumbbell High Curl

99.4% Match
Biceps Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
  2. Keep your upper arms stationary and curl the dumbbells as high as possible while contracting your biceps.
  3. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Dumbbell Standing Biceps Curl

10. Dumbbell Standing Biceps Curl

99.4% Match
Biceps Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward and arms fully extended.
  2. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
  3. Continue to raise the dumbbells until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
  4. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
  5. Inhale and slowly begin to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

Why You Might Need a EZ Barbell Curl Alternative

You might substitute the EZ bar for several reasons: wrist or elbow irritation from the bar angle, lack of an EZ bar at your gym, or a need for unilateral correction and varied muscle emphasis. Alternatives change wrist rotation and elbow mechanics to shift load between the biceps brachii and brachialis. For example, a hammer curl uses a neutral grip to recruit more brachialis and reduce forearm supination stress; cue: keep a neutral wrist and pull through the elbow, not the shoulder.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Choose a substitute based on grip position, joint stress, available load, and desired muscle emphasis. If you have wrist pain pick neutral-grip hammer curls or cables with a rope to lower supination torque; cue: maintain a straight wrist and steady tempo. For unilateral weakness use single-arm concentration or incline dumbbell curls to force symmetry and full range of motion. If you need consistent tension throughout the set, choose cable curls and emphasize controlled eccentrics to target the biceps long head.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does EZ Barbell Curl work?

The EZ bar curl primarily targets the biceps brachii (long and short heads) and secondarily the brachialis and brachioradialis. To feel these muscles working, keep elbows fixed at your sides and supinate the wrist through the concentric while controlling the eccentric.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to EZ Barbell Curl?

A supinated-grip chin-up is the best bodyweight option because it loads the biceps under significant resistance while engaging the lats. Cue: pull through the elbows, lead with the chest, and pause with a peak squeeze to maximize biceps activation.

Can I build muscle without doing EZ Barbell Curl?

Yes, you can build comparable biceps size using dumbbell, cable, machine, or bodyweight variations combined with progressive overload. Focus on full range of motion, controlled eccentrics, and matching intensity (sets, reps, and load); cue: slow the lowering phase to increase time under tension.

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