Home / Exercises / EZ Bar Seated Close Grip Concentration Curl
EZ Bar Seated Close Grip Concentration Curl animation

How to do the EZ Bar Seated Close Grip Concentration Curl

BicepsEZ-BarIntermediate

The EZ Bar seated close grip concentration curl strips away momentum and forces your biceps to work in near-total isolation, making every rep count twice as much. Master this movement and you will build the kind of peak and density that straight-bar work alone cannot deliver.

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Muscles worked

Primary
Biceps
Secondary
BrachialisForearms

Step-by-step

  1. Sit at the edge of a bench, feet flat and wide, and brace the back of both upper arms firmly against the inner thighs just above the knees.
  2. Grip the inner angled handles of the EZ bar with a close supinated grip, arms fully extended and elbows pointed toward the floor.
  3. Curl the bar upward in a strict arc by squeezing the biceps, keeping your upper arms pinned and your torso completely still until the bar reaches chin level.
  4. Lower the bar under full control back to the start, achieving complete elbow extension on every rep before initiating the next curl.

Common mistakes

  • Rocking the torso to initiate the curl adds deltoid and back drive that removes tension from the biceps, so plant your upper arms against your thighs and move nothing but your forearms.
  • Gripping the outer angled handles widens your grip and reduces the concentration effect, so always use the inner handles to keep the stimulus tightly focused on the biceps peak.
  • Cutting the eccentric short by stopping above full extension eliminates the stretch-loaded portion of the rep where growth stimulus is highest, so lower completely every single time.

Pro tip — At the top of each rep, rotate your pinkies slightly outward to maximize supination and fully recruit the short head of the biceps before you begin the descent.

Sets & reps by goal

Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps

Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.

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