EZ Curl vs Straight Bar Curls: Differences, Pros, and Cons

The bicep curl is one of the first exercises anybody picks up, and if you’ve trained for more than a few months you’ve curled a barbell of some kind. The two most common bars for the job are the straight bar and the EZ curl bar, and they curl a little differently.

It comes down to your grip. A straight bar locks your hands fully supinated (palms up), which drives the work straight into the biceps brachii. The EZ bar’s bends let your wrists rotate in toward neutral, which is easier on the joints and brings the brachialis and brachioradialis into it more.

I’ve curled both for years and I grab each one in different situations. This breakdown covers the pros, cons, form, and muscles worked for the straight bar and the EZ bar so you can pick the one that fits your wrists and your goal.

What’s the Main Difference Between a Straight Bar Curl and an EZ Bar Curl?

The main difference is your grip, and that changes which muscles do the most work. A straight bar forces your hands fully supinated (palms up), which loads the biceps brachii hard. The EZ bar’s bends let your wrists turn in toward neutral, which pulls the brachialis and brachioradialis into the lift more.

The equipment differs too. A straight barbell keeps your wrists locked palms-up for the whole set. An EZ bar has a zig-zag bend near the knurling that gives you a few angled grip options to hit the arm from slightly different positions.

Both bars build bigger, stronger biceps. The angled EZ grip leans harder on the brachialis, which sits under the biceps and pushes up the peak of the arm. The straight bar keeps you locked in full supination, so it isolates the biceps brachii the most. For most people it comes down to which grip feels better on the wrists, and if both feel fine, either one works.

Here’s Jim Stoppani with a quick breakdown of how curling with an EZ bar and a straight bar differ.

Quick Tips: Straight Bar vs EZ Curl Bar. Relieve wrist pain and increase your biceps peak.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Straight Bar Curl vs. EZ Bar Curl: Pros and Cons

The best barbell curl for you depends on your experience, the equipment you have, and how a given grip feels on your body. Here’s where each bar wins and where it falls short.

Straight Bar Curl Pros

• Hits both jobs of the biceps. The biceps brachii does two things: it bends the elbow and it supinates the forearm. A straight bar keeps your hands locked palms-up the whole set, so the muscle works hard through the full range. For most people that means more growth.
• Easy to load heavy. You can stack a straight barbell as high as you want, and you can even set it up in a rack to save energy getting into position (as long as nobody actually needs the rack to squat).
• Keeps your form honest. The fixed bar stops your hands shifting mid-set, and once it reaches your thighs you can’t keep grinding out cheat reps with momentum from your legs.
• Builds more than the biceps. Curling a straight bar also taxes your forearms and grip, and it gets you stronger in a fully supinated position.
• No extra equipment. If you train at home or at a bare-bones gym, using the same barbell for your squats, presses, and curls saves money and space.

Straight Bar Curl Cons

• Shorter range for some lifters. The bar can bump into your torso before you’ve fully squeezed the biceps, which cuts the contraction short and can limit how much the muscle works.
• Wrist and forearm strain. Locking your palms fully supinated for a whole set is great for the biceps, but it bothers some people’s wrists and forearms, especially if you’re not used to lifting from there.
• Less brachialis and brachioradialis. The full supination is ideal for the biceps brachii, but it does less for those two supporting muscles than an angled grip does.

EZ Bar Curl Pros

• Easier on the wrists. The bends let you curl with a slightly angled grip, which is a lot more comfortable if your wrists are cranky or short on mobility, and it lowers the chance of a tweak.
• More range of motion. Your hands can travel closer to your body without the bar getting in the way, so you get a fuller squeeze at the top and a better stretch at the bottom.
• More brachialis and brachioradialis. The angled grip does a better job on the brachialis (it sits between the biceps and triceps and pushes the peak up) and the brachioradialis, which connects the upper arm to the forearm. Building those rounds out the arm.
• Less to balance. An EZ bar is usually shorter and lighter, so the plates sit closer to you and you spend less effort keeping the bar steady. That lets you put your attention on the biceps.

EZ Bar Curl Cons

• A bit less biceps brachii. The angled grip is comfier, but you’re not fully supinated, so you don’t isolate the biceps quite as hard as the straight bar does.
• Harder to load really heavy. A straight bar is simpler to pile weight onto. If you’re an advanced lifter, you might not get the EZ bar heavy enough to push your sets close to failure, and training near failure (often tracked with reps in reserve [RIR]) matters for growth in trained lifters.
• Not always around. You’ll find a straight barbell in any gym. An EZ bar, less so, especially if you’re traveling and training somewhere new.

Exercise Form

The only real difference in form is where your hands sit. The bar follows nearly the same path and works the same muscles either way.

How to Do a Straight Bar Curl with Proper Form

1. Stand up straight with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Grab your loaded straight bar with your palms facing up (supinated grip) and your hands roughly in line with your feet.
3. Tuck your elbows in close to your torso and brace your core.
4. Lift the bar towards your chest by squeezing and contracting your biceps.
5. Pause for a second at the top of the curl.
6. With control, lower the bar back to its starting position.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps before resetting at the end of your set.

For a visual, here’s the straight barbell curl done with good form.

How To: Straight-Bar Bicep Curl

Watch this video on YouTube.

Video from ScottHermanFitness.

How to Do an EZ Bar Curl with Proper Form

1. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Grab your loaded EZ bar along the angled section near the knurling.
3. Tuck your elbows close to your body and set your shoulders back.
4. Squeeze your biceps to lift the bar towards you, aiming to bring your forearms up to your biceps for a full contraction.
5. Pause at the top of the curl.
6. Lower the bar to its starting position slowly and with control. Don’t let it bounce off your thighs to create momentum.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

This video from Scott Herman Fitness walks through the EZ bar curl.

How To: Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curl

Watch this video on YouTube.

Video from ScottHermanFitness.

Helpful Form Cues

Straight Bar Curl Form Cues

• Tuck your elbows close to the body. Your elbows should be pinned tightly to your torso. Think about keeping them pointed at the ground throughout the set so they don’t splay out, which keeps the work on the biceps.
• Squeeze the bar hard. Gripping the bar tightly with your hands and fingers locks it in place and switches on the forearm and biceps muscles. A tight grip also helps stop the elbows from flaring out.
• Lock in your shoulders. To fully engage the biceps, your shoulders shouldn’t move during the set. Pull them back and down, away from your ears. Letting them ride up strains the upper traps and leads to sloppy reps.
• Hold at the top. It’s easy to start rushing once you get tired, especially on the way down. Pause for a second at the top of the curl and lower the bar slowly and under control.

EZ Bar Curl Form Cues

• Keep tension in the wrists. The EZ bar lets you use a more natural, angled grip, but the wrist is still a delicate joint. Warm it up and keep it active while you lift and lower the bar.
• Keep your elbows tucked and your hands just in front of your hips. Locking your arms in place keeps your shoulders stable through the set. Starting with your hands just ahead of you guides your range of motion and stops you driving the bar with your legs.
• Control the eccentric. Get the most out of the curl by slowing down the lowering phase to give the muscle more time under tension.
• Look straight ahead. Resist the urge to drop your head to watch the bar. Keeping your neck long and your chin up protects the upper spine.

Common Form Mistakes

Straight Bar Curl Form Mistakes

• Cutting the range of motion short. A lot of lifters drift into partial reps on a barbell curl. Aim for a full contraction at the top, and check yourself by filming a set or having someone watch your form.
• Swinging the elbows. Keep the biceps doing the work by not swinging your elbows up to start the lift. Lock them in place so you’re not generating momentum.
• Overshooting the weight. The barbell curl is great for lifting heavy, which tempts a lot of lifters into ego-lifting past what they can curl cleanly. If your form starts to slip, drop the weight.

EZ Bar Curl Form Mistakes

• Leaning back to create momentum. The EZ bar lets you bring the bar closer to your body, which makes it easier to cheat. Don’t lean back to swing the bar up, and don’t rock forward to bounce it off your legs on the way down.
• Doing half reps. The bigger range of motion is one of the EZ bar’s best features, but only if you use it. Start with the bar near your thighs and bring it up high enough that your forearms and biceps make contact.

Straight Bar Curl vs. EZ Bar Curl: Muscles Used

The straight bar curl and the EZ bar curl are close cousins that both target the biceps brachii first. The straight bar pins your arm in full supination and isolates the biceps brachii. The EZ bar’s angled grip puts your hands closer to neutral, which brings the brachialis and brachioradialis into it more.

Straight Bar Curl Muscles Used

• Primary: Short head of the Biceps Brachii
• Secondary: Long head of the biceps brachii, Brachioradialis, Brachialis, Deltoid, Wrist Extensor Muscles and Wrist Flexion Muscles, Forearm Flexors

EZ Bar Curl Muscles Used

• Primary: Short head of the Biceps Brachii
• Secondary: Brachioradialis, Brachialis, long head of the Biceps Brachii, Deltoid, Wrist Extensor Muscles and Wrist Flexion Muscles, Forearm Flexors

When to Do Each

When to Do a Straight Bar Curl

Reach for the straight bar when your wrists are happy in a fully supinated grip and you want to isolate the biceps and curl heavy. It’s the better pick for chasing maximum weight on the biceps. If your equipment is limited, getting comfortable with the straight bar also saves you money and space.

When to Do an EZ Bar Curl

Reach for the EZ bar when a straight bar gives you any wrist, elbow, or forearm pain. You’ll still get a strong biceps workout without risking a tweak that keeps you out of the gym. The EZ bar also has the edge for targeting the brachialis and brachioradialis, which fills out the arm and makes the forearm more stable.

EZ Curl vs Straight Bar Curl: Which Is Better for You?

There’s no single winner here, but there is a right pick for your situation.

Go with the straight bar curl if your wrists handle a fully supinated grip and you want to load the biceps as heavy as possible. It isolates the biceps brachii the most and it’s the easiest bar to keep adding weight to. You’ll build some forearm and grip strength along the way too. If you only own one bar or train somewhere bare-bones, the straight bar is also the one you’ll always have on hand.

Go with the EZ bar curl if a straight bar nags your wrists or elbows, or if you want more brachialis to push up the peak of the arm. The angled grip lets you train through a pain-free range and get a fuller squeeze. It’s also the better call on a preacher bench, where the bottom of the lift is hardest on the wrist.

You don’t have to pick one for good. I rotate both, using the straight bar for heavy strength work and the EZ bar when my elbows have had enough. To hit the biceps from even more angles between the two, work in some cable bicep exercises and other cable arm exercises for the constant tension your free-weight curls can’t give you.

Frequently Asked Questions

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About Emma Lennon

Emma is a Health Science graduate, qualified personal trainer, and writer. She has over ten years of experience in the health, community development, and communications sectors. She is passionate about making reputable information about health, fitness, and resistance training accessible to all.

Emma loves building her own functional strength and fitness outside of work with various training styles, from weightlifting to calisthenics, yoga, and dancing. She advocates for the powerful potential of exercise to improve physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being.