How to Lift Weights With a Curl Bar
When it comes to weight lifting, there are many different types of bars, handles, attachments and machines. One particular type of bar is a curl bar. These also go by the names "EZ bar" and "preacher bar," but they really all serve the same purpose. They are crafted in a way so that your grip can be angled to increase muscle fiber recruitment and add variation to your workouts. There are various ways that this bar can be utilized.
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Instructions
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Work your biceps. One of the most common exercises done with a curl bar is a biceps curl. You can do this exercise from a standing position or on a preacher bench with your upper arms stationary. To do the standing curl, load the bar with weight plates that are moderate in weight. Grip it with your hands about shoulder width apart and lift it up toward your chest. Slowly lower it all the way down to your thighs and repeat.
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Work your chest. Chest pullovers can be done on a bench or Swiss ball. Doing them on Swiss ball will also work your core. To do the exercise, come into a bench position. Lift your arms straight up in the air; then slowly lower the weight behind you until it is in a straight line with your body. Lift it back up and focus on using the chest muscles to do the work.
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Work your back. The back can also be worked with a curl bar. To do this exercise, place the curl bar on the ground. Stand behind it in about a shoulder-width stance. Grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip and stand up. Now bend your knees and lean forward slightly, but make sure to keep your back straight. Let your arms hang straight down in front of you. Pull the bar up toward the bottom of your chest and feel the lat muscles on the side of your back doing the work.
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Extend your arms. Triceps extensions can be performed on a bench or Swiss ball. To perform this exercise, grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip and lie in a bench position on the ball or bench. Extend your arms straight behind you. Lower the bar downward by bending your elbows and keeping the upper arm still. Lift it back up to the starting point and repeat.
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Reverse your grip. You can also reverse your grip on the curl bar to add a variation to biceps and triceps training. Doing reverse curls will put more focus on the brachioradialis, which is the muscle that runs under the biceps and down the forearm. Reverse grip triceps extensions can be done lying on a Swiss ball. For these, you just basically do a bench press with your palms turned backward.
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Tips & Warnings
When you do the biceps curl exercise, you can also do a wide-grip or close-grip curl. A close grip will focus more on the outside of the biceps, and a wide grip will focus more on the inside.
References
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