Wide Grip Barbell Curl: Muscle Worked & Alternate

The barbell curl is a staple exercise in many weightlifting routines, but the grip used can have a significant impact on the muscles targeted and the effectiveness of the exercise.

The wide grip barbell curl, as the name suggests, involves using a wider grip on the barbell to shift the focus to the short head of the biceps.

In this blog, we will cover the proper technique for performing the wide grip barbell curl, the muscles targeted, the benefits of the exercise, and variations that can be incorporated into your workout routine.

The purpose of this blog is to provide a comprehensive guide to the wide grip curl for both beginners and experienced weightlifters.

Know About Bicep Muscles

Your biceps brachii has two heads: short (inner) and long (outer).

The long head bicep constitutes the majority of your biceps peak, while the short head bicep sits to the inner side, which add thickness.

Using a regular (shoulder-width) grip with the barbell curl, will place approximately equal emphasis on both heads.

Using a narrow grip will emphasize the long head and build the peak of your biceps.

And using a wide grip will emphasize the short head and give your biceps more width.

Muscle Worked During Wide Grip Barbell Curl

The wide grip barbell curl primarily muscle worked are Biceps Brachii muscles.

In addition to its target the bicep the barbell curl has the involvement of several synergist muscles, these muscles include,

• Brachialis,
• Brachioradialis

A handful of other muscles worked or play the role of stabilizer muscles, include your

• Wrist flexors,
• Obliques, and
• Rectus abdominis.

Benefits of Wide Grip Curl

Apart from the obvious advantage of thicker-looking biceps, wide grip barbell curls are a great way to increase general upper-body strength. This makes it a brilliant choice of exercise to train for other weightlifting exercises.

Some of the benefits of the wide grip barbell curl are listed below:

1. Builds bigger and stronger biceps
2. Allows you to use more weight than a narrow grip does
3. Places the primary stress on the short (inner) head of the biceps
4. wide grip barbell curls help with grip strength. It does this by activating a grip muscle called the brachioradialis muscle, which helps to flex the forearm at the elbow.

What is Wide Grip Curl

The wide grip barbell curl is a weightlifting exercise that focuses on the biceps and other upper arm muscles.

The barbell exercise involves holding a barbell with a wider than shoulder-width grip, and lifting the weight towards the chest while keeping the elbows close to the sides.

The wider grip places more emphasis on the inner head of the biceps and the brachialis, leading to increased activation and growth in those areas.

The wide grip barbell curl is a great addition to any weightlifting routine, offering a range of benefits, including improved arm definition, grip strength.

Wide Grip Standing Barbell Curl

The Wide barbell curl is a highly recognizable biceps exercise that builds biceps muscle mass.

It’s a great exercise for seeing results in strength and definition.

A barbell curl is a pull-type, isolation exercise that works primarily on your biceps and also trains the muscles in your forearms.

How To Do It

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grip the barbell with a wider than shoulder-width grip, palms facing forward.
2. Keep your elbows close to your sides and engage your core to maintain a stable posture.
3. Slowly lift the barbell towards your chest, keeping your elbows stationary and close to your sides.
4. Pause briefly at the top of the movement and then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
5. Repeat the exercise for the desired number of reps, taking care to maintain proper form

Wide Grip Barbell Curls Tips

• Your body should remain fixed. Only your biceps should be used to move the weight.
• Lift a weight that you are comfortable with. Do not load the barbell.
• Do not go too fast. This is a common mistake that could lead to muscle strain or worse.
• Pause at the top of the movement and squeeze your biceps.
• The motion should occur at the elbow to isolate the biceps, not on the shoulders.
• Start with fewer reps and increase the number of reps as you go.
• Get into warm-ups that include bicep exercises. This is a great way to get your muscles ready and avoid injuries.
• Your elbow position should not change even slightly during the exercise. Do not just them or attempt to reposition them to ease the tension in your arms. The tension is undoubtedly what you need to isolate and engage your short head bicep muscle.

Best Variation of Wide of Bicep Curl

If you are willing to be a more adventurous lifter, there are several variations of the wide grip barbell curl you might like.

One of the most common variations is the EZ bar wide grip curl.

The EZ bar is a good substitute for the barbell because its ergonomic design helps to challenge and activate the biceps.

They are easier to raise, put muscles through similar range of motion, but do not engage the forearms as much.

1. Wide Grip EZ Bar

If you want to target your inner biceps, then this is a great exercise for you. Here, you can focus on the short head as your hands are wider to each other during the movement.

The straight bar version of this exercise is excellent too. However, it can cause wrist and forearm discomfort for many lifters due to the need to use a fully supinated grip.

How To Do

1. Stand holding an EZ-curl bar using a wide supinated grip (hands wider than shoulder width apart and palms facing upward). Let the bar rest on your thighs.
2. Keeping your elbows fixed to your sides, exhale as you curl the EZ-curl bar up toward your shoulders.
3. Hold for a count of two and squeeze your biceps.
4. Inhale as you lower the EZ-curl bar to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

• Keep your elbows locked to your sides and your body still. Only your forearms should move.
• The motion should occur at the elbow to isolate the biceps, not on the shoulders.

Best Alternate of Wide of Bicep Curl

Wide Grip Dumbbell Bicep Curl

There are numerous possible variations for the wide grip dumbbell bicep curl.

For example, you could perform the exercise while sitting down on a bench and while standing.

You can turn your hands from the position when palms are facing each other to the position when palms are facing upwards.

This movement also develops the biceps along with the elbow contraction.

How To Do

1. Stand up with a dumbbell in each hand being held at arm’s length.
2. Rotate the palms of the hands so that they are facing inward in a neutral position.
3. Curl the weights out while contracting the biceps.
4. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted, and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold for a second.
5. Slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back to the starting position.
6. Repeat for desired reps.

Tips

• Your body should remain fixed. Only your biceps should be used to move the weight.
• The motion should occur at the elbow to isolate the biceps, not on the shoulders.
• For a better stability, you can also do the exercise in seated position

FAQs

How wide should wide grip curls be?

The wide grip for a wide grip barbell curl should be slightly wider than shoulder-width.

This allows for proper activation of the short head of the biceps.

Wide grip barbell curl vs close grip

Both the wide grip and the close grip barbell curl are exercises that target the biceps, but with different focus.

In a wide grip barbell curl, the hands are positioned wider than shoulder-width apart on the barbell, which places more emphasis on the short head of the biceps and the brachialis.

In contrast, a close grip barbell curl involves placing the hands closer together, usually less than shoulder-width, which places more emphasis on the outer head of the biceps and the forearms.

Takeaway

The wide grip barbell curl variation is one of the most popular and highly favored variations. It is done with your hands gripping the barbell in a supinated group wider than shoulder-width.

The wide grip standing barbell curl is one of the few barbell exercises that aim to isolate the inner head or short head.

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