10 Best Ez-barbell Wide-grip Biceps Curl Alternatives for Limited Gear

If you can't perform the Ez-barbell standing wide-grip biceps curl, choose movements that preserve supinated elbow flexion and short-head emphasis. Try close-grip barbell curls, preacher curls, incline dumbbell curls, hammer curls, or chin-ups. Cue: keep elbows fixed at your sides and squeeze the biceps at the top to maximize peak contraction.

Original Exercise: Ez-barbell Standing Wide Grip Biceps Curl

Ez-barbell Standing Wide Grip Biceps Curl
Primary Muscle
Biceps
Equipment
Ez-barbell
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Forearms
How to Perform Ez-barbell Standing Wide Grip Biceps Curl
  1. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the ez barbell with an underhand grip, hands wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary throughout the movement.
  3. Curl the barbell up towards your shoulders by contracting your biceps.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked Ez-barbell Standing Wide Grip Biceps Curl Alternatives

Best Match
Barbell Standing Wide Grip Biceps Curl

1. Barbell Standing Wide Grip Biceps Curl

99.4% Match
Biceps Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, hands wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Keep your back straight and your elbows close to your torso.
  3. Exhale and curl the barbell up towards your shoulders, keeping your upper arms stationary.
  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 Standing Wide-grip Curl

2. Barbell Standing Wide-grip Curl

98.4% 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 overhand grip, hands wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Let the barbell hang at arm's length in front of your thighs, with your palms facing away from your body.
  3. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the barbell upward by contracting your biceps.
  4. Continue to raise the barbell until your biceps are fully contracted and the barbell is at shoulder level.
  5. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
Dumbbell Biceps Curl Reverse

3. Dumbbell Biceps Curl Reverse

98% Match
Biceps Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing down 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.
Dumbbell Revers Grip Biceps Curl

4. Dumbbell Revers Grip Biceps Curl

98% Match
Biceps Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing down 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.
Standing Dumbbell Reverse Curl

5. Standing Dumbbell Reverse Curl

98% Match
Biceps Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. To begin, stand straight with a dumbbell in each hand using a pronated grip (palms facing down). Your arms should be fully extended while your feet are shoulder width apart from each other. This is the starting position.
  2. While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Only the forearms should move. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second as you squeeze the muscle.
  3. Slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back to starting position as your breathe in.
  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Ez Barbell Reverse Grip Curl

6. Ez Barbell Reverse Grip Curl

97.4% Match
Biceps Ez-barbell Intermediate 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.
  2. Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary throughout the exercise.
  3. Curl the barbell upwards by contracting your biceps, while exhaling.
  4. Continue to raise the barbell until your biceps are fully contracted and the barbell is at shoulder level.
  5. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
Reverse Barbell Curl

7. Reverse Barbell Curl

97.2% Match
Biceps Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up with your torso upright while holding a barbell at shoulder width with the elbows close to the torso. The palm of your hands should be facing down (pronated grip). This will be your starting position.
  2. While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. 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 as you squeeze the muscle.
  3. Slowly begin to bring the bar back to starting position as your breathe in.
  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Reverse Plate Curls

8. Reverse Plate Curls

97.2% Match
Biceps Other Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start by standing straight with a weighted plate held by both hands and arms fully extended. Use a pronated grip (palms facing down) and make sure your fingers grab the rough side of the plate while your thumb grabs the smooth side. Note: For the best results, grab the weighted plate at an 11:00 and 1:00 o'clock position.
  2. Your feet should be shoulder width apart from each other and the weighted plate should be near the groin area. This is the starting position.
  3. Slowly lift the plate up while keeping the elbows in and the upper arms stationary until your biceps and forearms touch while exhaling. The plate should be evenly aligned with your torso at this point.
  4. Feel the contraction for a second and begin to lower the weight back down to the starting position while inhaling
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Barbell Standing Reverse Grip Curl

9. Barbell Standing Reverse Grip Curl

96.4% 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. Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary.
  3. Exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps, bringing the barbell as close to your shoulders as possible.
  4. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
  5. Inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
Ez Barbell Close-grip Curl

10. Ez Barbell Close-grip Curl

96% Match
Biceps Ez-barbell Intermediate 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, hands shoulder-width apart.
  2. Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary throughout the movement.
  3. Curl the barbell up towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Ez-barbell Standing Wide Grip Biceps Curl Alternative

You may substitute the Ez-bar wide-grip curl for several reasons: wrist or elbow pain from the bar angle, lack of an EZ-bar, or a need to shift stimulus for hypertrophy. A wide grip biases the short head of the biceps; alternatives let you target the same muscle with different torque curves and ROM. For example, preacher curls limit shoulder compensation, cue: brace your upper arm on the pad and flex the elbow without swinging, to isolate biceps peak contraction. Other substitutes (hammer curls, chin-ups) recruit the brachialis and brachioradialis, preserving elbow flexion strength while reducing stress on the wrist.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on equipment, pain patterns, and the specific biceps head you want to target. If you lack an EZ-bar, use dumbbells or a straight bar and maintain a supinated grip to emphasize the short head; cue: rotate the wrist so the palm faces up at the top of each rep. If you have wrist irritation, choose hammer curls or neutral-grip pull-ups to shift load to the brachialis. Prioritize full range of motion, progressive overload, and tempo control, use a slow eccentric (3–4 seconds) to increase time under tension and motor unit recruitment for hypertrophy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Ez-barbell Standing Wide Grip Biceps Curl work?

The exercise primarily targets the biceps brachii, with a bias toward the short head due to the wider grip. It also engages the brachialis and brachioradialis as elbow flexors; cue: keep elbows pinned to your sides to minimize shoulder involvement and maximize biceps activation.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Ez-barbell Standing Wide Grip Biceps Curl?

A supinated-grip chin-up is the top bodyweight alternative because it loads elbow flexion under full-body resistance and heavily activates the biceps. Cue: pull your chest to the bar with elbows driving down and back to maximize biceps recruitment and scapular retraction.

Can I build muscle without doing Ez-barbell Standing Wide Grip Biceps Curl?

Yes, hypertrophy requires progressive overload, tension, and sufficient volume, not one specific exercise. Use alternatives like preacher curls, incline dumbbell curls, and weighted chin-ups while applying slow eccentrics and progressive load to stimulate the same biceps fibers.

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