How to Do Barbell Reverse Curl to Enhance Forearm and Biceps

Don’t reverse on your fitness goals! While “going reverse” might not be ideal in life, reverse curls are a fantastic exercise for your arms.

Similar to standard bicep curls, reverse curls target your biceps muscles. However, the key difference lies in the grip.

With reverse curls, you use a pronated grip (palms facing down), which emphasizes your brachioradialis muscle, aiding in elbow flexion and grip strength.

Changing your grip width is a simple way to challenge your muscles differently, but it doesn’t have to be a complex climb.

By following proper form, you can reap the benefits of reverse curls without unnecessary struggles.

Benefits of the Barbell Reverse Curl

Reverse curls are often overlooked by some lifters, but the benefits they offer may give you pause for thought.

Stronger Forearms

As one of the primary muscles involved in reverse curls, the forearms bear significant tension due to hand positioning.

While regular bicep curls can also improve forearms over time, they aren’t as focused on forearm development as reverse curls.

More Balanced Arm Development

Keeping every muscle in your arm equal comes with a lot of work and the right exercise.

You have to choose a particular exercise to perform to work a particular muscle.

While this might not seem like a big deal and is actually not a big deal, if there is an exercise that can address muscle imbalance, why not choose it?

Consider the reverse curl: it effectively strengthens both the forearm and biceps, which is awesome for new lifters to gain arm muscle in a better way, and you can even extend your forearm growth by performing this exercise from different angles, which will activate other forearm muscles as well.

How to Do Barbell Reverse Curl

• Stand up with your body fully straight and grasp the barbell with shoulder width apart, pronated grip (palms facing up).
• Lift the barbell slowly, maintain the proper elbow position, and pause for a second at the top to contract your biceps.
• Lower the barbell with your elbows close to your body and lower it with controlled movement.

Equipment: Standard Barbell

Primary Muscle Work: Brachioradialis and Biceps

Grip: Shoulder Width Apart (pronated grip)

Barbell Reverse Curl Tips

• Isometric Holds: Incorporate isometric holds at various points during the movement to increase time under tension and challenge your muscles in different ways. Pause for a few seconds at the top of the contraction or halfway through the movement to intensify the exercise.
• Lowering Phase: Lower the barbell back down to the starting position in a controlled manner, resisting the urge to let it drop quickly. Maintain tension in your muscles throughout the entire range of motion.

Common Mistakes

Prevent these mistakes from happening to enhance your biceps and forearms with more effectiveness.

Using Excessive Momentum

When the end of the set exercise might tackle you to give up, that’s when your brain wants to use your whole body strength to lift the barbell, which causes you to use the momentum.

Using momentum here and there is cool, with a restricted amount—not too much, but not for every reception—as this can lower the effectiveness of the exercise.

Incorrect Grip

Reverse curls, also known as pronated curls, are a straightforward variation of the traditional barbell supinated curl.

However, confusion between these two exercises is common, leading individuals to grip the bar incorrectly. While the concept of a reverse curl may seem simple, for newcomers to the gym, it presents a unique challenge.

Many struggle to grasp the bar correctly, with one hand supinated and the other pronated. This improper grip can result in uneven development of the forearm and biceps muscles.

Using Incorrect Bar Path

Drafting the bar sway from your body midline often occurs due to improper elbow and wrist positioning, as well as grip width.

When this happens, the barbell may shift forward or sideways, posing a significant risk of injury to your wrist and elbow joints.

If that’s you, you better fix it, or you will have to go through some painful reality of exercising (getting injured).

Alternative and Variation

• Ez Bar Reverse Curl
• Concentration Curl
• Drag Curl

Ez Bar Reverse Curl

Using the EZ bar for reverse curls offers ample opportunities to develop your forearm and biceps muscles.

As the EZ bar is designed differently, it stabilizes your wrists and keeps tension on them, which makes the exercise easier to execute.

They cover the same muscle group, but the EZ bar is slightly easier to use than the standard barbell. This can be an adventure for new lifters to exercise their arms without injury.

Concentration Curl

The concentration curl is a straightforward variation aimed at enhancing biceps peak and strength.

Performing this exercise involves sitting on a flat bench, slightly leaning forward, and executing the curl movement. Its simplicity and the support provided by the bench make it beginner-friendly.

With half of your body stabilized on the bench, minimal effort is required, making the exercise more effective and easier compared to other biceps curls.

Drag Curl

They say if you can’t drag it, you can’t brag it.

The drag curl is renowned for its effectiveness in targeting the biceps, brachii, and other arm muscles.

You may have noticed fellow gymgoers performing this exercise with a distinct motion, prompting curiosity about its unique technique.

Unlike traditional biceps exercises that focus solely on lifting the bar, the drag curl requires you to actively pull the barbell close to your body throughout the movement. This engaging technique not only works both heads of the biceps but also engages other arm muscles, including those in the shoulders.

Final Thoughts

The barbell reverse curl is recommended for all lifters who want to gain arm growth and increase strength.

It’s an effective move for your biceps and brachioradialis, which can help you define your arms.

While some lifters may struggle with proper form over time, with practice and tanning, they can acquire the best results from this perfect exercise.

Featured Image Credit BPI Sports/YouTube