How To Perform The Barbell Curl With Proper Form

The barbell curl is one of the first muscle building exercises that most people are introduced to when they begin working out. While there are probably at least 10 free weights exercises that will allow your arms to grow quicker than barbell curls alone, a lot of people think that they need to be performing crazy bicep workouts that include set after set of isolation style bicep exercises in order to make their arms grow.

If you need a good solid bicep specific exercise that will allow you to gain muscle mass and improve the shape and size of your arms, there is no better movement to stick into your training routine than heavy basic curls. While I usually like to promote multi-joint compound exercises for building muscle mass, I don't consider the barbell curl to be a compound movement. It is in my opinion, as close as you’re going to get to a compound exercise that specifically targets your biceps.

Aside from utilizing the muscles in your biceps, the barbell curl also involves various muscles in your chest, shoulders and back, as well as a bunch of stabilizer muscles. While most of these additional muscles have limited involvement in moving the weight through the complete range of motion of this exercises, simply getting a few of the bigger muscle groups in your upper body involved at the same time will produce a more anabolic environment in your biceps and will definitely lead to bigger arms over time.

The biggest benefit to performing basic curls is that you can train with a very heavy weight, which in turn stimulates new muscle growth with each workout. Even with perfect form, you'll be able to hit your biceps with a much heavier weight than you would with any other bicep exercise. Just in case you haven't caught on yet, training with heavy weights through a complete range of motion is the best way to encourage new muscle growth and increase your strength levels - so stick with what works and focus on hitting your biceps hard and heavy!

I always make it a point to include heavy straight bar curls into each of my bicep workouts so that I can make sure and stimulate new growth every time I blast my arms. In order to get the most out of this exercise, design your biceps workout so that you're performing heavy straight bar curls before you jump into any isolation exercises. This will allow you to make sure that you are targeting your arms with heavy enough weight to make them grow before even think of incorporating any lighter weight isolation exercises. Typically, I will perform anywhere from 1 - 4 sets of straight bar curls followed by 2 - 3 sets of any other isolation style movement in order to complete my bicep workouts.

How To Perform The Barbell Curl

In order to build bigger biceps, you need to learn how to perform the barbell curl with proper form and technique. If you compromise on your form you will eventually wind up hurting yourself and you may not be able to lift at all. So make it a point to learn how to train with good weight training form.

In order to perform the straight bar curl:

1.) Spread your feet out about shoulder width apart
2.) Bend at the knees and grasp the barbell with an underhand grip
3.) Stand upright with the barbell hanging in front of you
4.) Hold your back straight with your shoulders back
5.) Curl the bar up to the top of your shoulders
6.) Pause for a second and then lower the barbell (under control) back down to the starting position

If you really want to build big biceps and you want to do it quickly, then the simple barbell curl should be a staple in your everyday bicep workouts. While there is certainly nothing too exciting about performing barbell curls, over time you will be able to pack on some serious size to your arms.

Hopefully this quick introduction into how to perform the barbell curl will help you achieve your muscle building goals. If you enjoyed these tips and you're serious about building muscle mass naturally, you'll love the practical advice found in the Muscle Mass Advantage, check it out today and learn how to gain muscle mass and strip off body fat naturally!