10 Best Wide-grip Standing Barbell Curl Alternatives for Gym & Home
If you can't perform the Wide-grip Standing Barbell Curl, use other elbow-flexion movements that preserve biceps activation and supination. Try dumbbell wide curls, hammer curls, preacher curls, cable curls, or chin-ups. Cue: keep your elbows fixed at your sides, curl through the forearm, and control the eccentric to maximize biceps fiber recruitment.
Original Exercise: Wide-grip Standing Barbell Curl
How to Perform Wide-grip Standing Barbell Curl
- 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.
- 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.
Pro Tips
- Category: Strength
- Force: Pull
- Movement type: Isolation
Best Wide-grip Standing Barbell Curl Alternatives
1. Barbell Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
99.9% 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.
2. Ez Barbell Curl
99.9% 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.
3. Ez-bar Biceps Curl (with Arm Blaster)
99.9% 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.
4. EZ-Bar Curl
99.4% 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.
5. Close-Grip EZ Bar Curl
99.2% 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.
6. Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curl With Band
99.2% 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.
7. Close-Grip Standing Barbell Curl
99.2% 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.
8. Barbell Curl
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 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.
9. Drag Curl
99.2% 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.
10. Barbell Drag Curl
98.7% 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.
Why You Might Need a Wide-grip Standing Barbell Curl Alternative
You might substitute the Wide-grip Standing Barbell Curl for shoulder pain, wrist discomfort, lack of a barbell, or to address muscle imbalances. A wider bar grip can alter elbow mechanics and increase wrist torque; alternatives let you adjust grip, wrist rotation, and elbow position to reduce joint stress. For example, hammer curls use a neutral wrist to shift load to the brachialis and reduce biceps supination, while preacher curls limit shoulder involvement to isolate elbow flexors.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Choose a substitute based on joint tolerance, equipment, and the biceps region you want to emphasize. If wrists bother you, perform dumbbell hammer curls and keep the thumbs-up (neutral) grip to increase brachialis activation. To isolate the biceps and minimize momentum, use preacher or incline dumbbell curls with slow eccentrics and a fixed upper-arm position. If you need unilateral work for imbalance correction, pick single-arm dumbbell or cable curls and focus on full range and peak contraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Wide-grip Standing Barbell Curl work?
The exercise primarily loads the biceps brachii (both heads), with secondary contributions from the brachialis and brachioradialis. A wider grip tends to emphasize the short head and changes elbow abduction, altering the line of pull and reducing range compared to a narrow grip.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Wide-grip Standing Barbell Curl?
A supinated-grip chin-up is the top bodyweight replacement because it combines elbow flexion with high biceps activation. Cue: pull with your elbows, avoid excessive torso swing, and lower slowly to emphasize the eccentric portion and biceps recruitment.
Can I build muscle without doing Wide-grip Standing Barbell Curl?
Yes. You can build biceps size and strength with other elbow-flexion exercises like dumbbell curls, cable curls, preacher curls, and chin-ups as long as you apply progressive overload. Focus on full range of motion, controlled eccentrics, and gradual load increases to stimulate hypertrophy.
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