Best Barbell Exercises for Biceps — Top 10
Barbell training is heavy compound lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press). Here are the best barbell exercises for targeting your biceps, ranked by effectiveness. The barbell is the gold standard for heavy compound lifting.
Ranked by biceps muscle activation percentage, range of motion quality with barbell, and progressive overload potential.
The barbell curl is the classic bicep builder. It allows heavier loading than dumbbells and targets both the long and short heads of the biceps.
Key Form Cue
Stand with feet shoulder-width, grip the bar at shoulder-width with an underhand grip.
The preacher curl eliminates cheating by bracing your upper arms against a pad. This strict isolation forces the biceps to do all the work, especially targeting the short head.
Key Form Cue
Sit at the preacher bench with your upper arms flat against the pad.
Spider curls are performed lying face down on an incline bench with your arms hanging straight down. This eliminates momentum and provides peak contraction at the top of the curl.
Key Form Cue
Lie face down on an incline bench (45-60 degrees).
The EZ-bar curl uses a cambered bar that places the wrists in a semi-supinated position, reducing wrist strain compared to a straight barbell. It is easier on the joints while still delivering excellent bicep stimulus.
Key Form Cue
Grip the angled portions of the EZ-bar with an underhand grip.
The drag curl keeps the elbows pinned behind the body and drags the barbell up along your torso, eliminating front delt involvement and isolating the biceps peak. It is excellent for building the long head.
Key Form Cue
Hold a barbell with an underhand grip at full arm extension, elbows at your sides.
The barbell reverse curl uses a pronated (overhand) grip to shift emphasis to the brachialis and brachioradialis while still training the biceps. It builds the muscles that make arms look thicker from the side.
Key Form Cue
Grip a barbell with a shoulder-width overhand (pronated) grip, arms fully extended.
Reverse curls use a pronated (overhand) grip to shift emphasis from the biceps to the brachioradialis and forearm extensors. They build the thick outer forearm sweep.
Key Form Cue
Grip a barbell or dumbbells with palms facing down (overhand grip).
The barbell row is the most effective back-thickness builder. Hinge forward at the hips, pull the bar to your lower chest or upper abdomen, and squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top.
Key Form Cue
Hinge at the hips until your torso is roughly 45 degrees to the floor.
The seal row eliminates all momentum by having you lie face down on an elevated bench and row a barbell from a dead stop. It is one of the strictest back exercises for pure lat and rhomboid development.
Key Form Cue
Set up a flat bench on blocks or bumper plates so a barbell can hang at full arm extension below.
The T-bar row allows heavy loading with a neutral grip that is easy on the shoulders. It hammers the mid-back, lats, and traps simultaneously. Use a landmine attachment or wedge one end of a barbell in a corner.
Key Form Cue
Straddle the bar with feet wider than shoulder-width.
Put these exercises into a real program
Revy's AI combines the best exercises for your goals into a personalized training program with progressive overload built in.