In a new video on the Athlean-X channel, strength coach Jeff Cavaliere CSCS uses an EZ bar to demonstrate a simple training technique that can help you perform bicep curls more effectively. Due to the design of the EZ bar, most people will probably instinctively use an overhand grip when lifting it off the rack. However, this means that the elbow is doing more work than you want in a curl. In order to focus on the muscle you are trying to train, you need to place the grip in supination.
“What you have to do if you want to get more out of this is flip the bar before you grab it,” he says. This means his hand will naturally be in a more supinated position, meaning he will recruit more of the biceps during the curl motion, ensuring a higher quality of contraction.
At the top end of the curl, Cavaliere also recommends that you keep your wrist slightly bent back. “It’s essential,” he says. “We know that an accessory movement to supination is wrist extension.”
This same anatomical principle applies in other variations of the curl, such as a cable version, and can also be beneficial when performing the straight bar curl. By directing the force through the inside of your palm, you can encourage supination and keep your elbows from drifting by making sure they are tucked in to the sides of your body.
When it comes to the dumbbell, Cavaliere explains that you can achieve the same result using an offset grip. “The biceps are the supinator,” he says. “The differentiator between the brachialis and the biceps is their ability to supinate.”
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