

The greater a load you place on your muscles, the more muscular development you can expect. Compared to other curling exercises, the barbell curl is unique in that you’ll be able to load more weight onto your muscles than many other curl variations. The biggest reason barbel curls should be a part of your routine is the increase in upper-body mass. Not only will your biceps get bigger with barbell curls, but you should also see a marked difference in forearm size and the strength of your grip. The brachioradialis and brachialis muscles are both also active during elbow flexion, and so they play an important role in curls.Īlthough the forearms aren’t a primary player in this lift, they do a lot to support the biceps during the movement. Since curls rely on elbow flexion and forearm supination, you can expect a well-rounded bicep workout.īarbell curls also engage the forearm muscles to a high degree. However, it’s a little more complicated than that.Ĭurls will hit both the short head and the long head of the biceps, with about an even emphasis on each. This is different from compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, and the bench press which use many different muscle groups across your entire body. Muscles Worked with Barbell Curlsīarbell curls are an isolation exercise, meaning that they primarily isolate the biceps brachii. When done correctly, they can ramp up your gun show to the next level-but the key is to do them correctly. They’re relatively simple to perform and have been tried and tested for decades. But how does one get these sleeve-filling biceps?īarbell curls are the classic choice, and for good reason. Not only is it one of the most noticeable of the vanity muscles, but it can also be one of the most impressive.Ī set of sleeve-filling arms look good on any guy and signals to everyone around that a lot of hard work has been put in the gym. When the topic of working out and getting jacked comes up, the first thing to be flexed is always the bicep.
