Ever heard of EZ Bar 21s? They’re 7 reps of three different movement ranges, hitting your biceps from top to bottom.
Skipping EZ Bar 21s in your routine means you’re missing out on some serious bicep development. But don’t worry if the 21s sound confusing.
They’re just three simple moves combined into one powerful curl bar exercise.
And you don’t have to stick to exactly 7 reps for each move. You can adjust it to fit your level, like EZ Bar 15s or 12s.
Ez Bar 21s Muscles Work
Because 21s combine different movements, the muscles work from various angles and ranges of motion.
During the first 7 reps, your biceps and forearms get activated.
Although the primary focus of this exercise is on the biceps, both heads still engage the forearm muscles.
In the second phase, your biceps get more activation as you squeeze them constantly.
For the final phase, the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis are all engaged.
While the brachialis and brachioradialis act as secondary muscles during the movement, they still receive enough tension to contribute to muscle mass increase.
How to Do Ez Bar 21s
Equipment: Ez bar
Grip: Shoulder Width Apart w/ Supinated Grip
Primary Muscle Work: Biceps Brachii
How to Do
- Stand up tall and grab the EZ bar with shoulder width apart.
- 1st set: Lift the weight bottom to halfway up then lower it back down.
- 2nd set: Still going with halfway curl but this time you start from the top to midway down then come back up.
- 3rd set: Now, do the full range, starting from the bottom and going all the way up to your chest.
- Squeeze your biceps as hard as you can to feel the burn before lowering the bar.
Pro Tips
- Keep your knees a little bendy; don’t lock out like sticks.
- Don’t lock out your elbow completely; you could damage your joints.
- Holding your Ez bar right in the middle is better for even biceps workouts.
Benefits
The benefits of EZ Bar 21s you should educate yourself on.
Maximize Your Bicep Pump
The time under tension keeps your biceps and other muscles under constant stress, which is an excellent way to keep your muscles activated during any exercise movement.
The more stress the biceps get, the more likely they will increase in muscle mass.
The 21s’ magical 21 reps with a combination of partial reps give you just enough tension to keep your muscles going.
You can also maximize your biceps by perfecting the proper form, which is hard for many lifters.
Enhanced Grip Strength
The importance of grip strength is often underestimated. Without a solid grip, lifting heavy weights becomes undeniably hard.
The reps of 21s require you to hold the bar for a long time, which enhances your grip strength.
Improving your grip can potentially help you with other weightlifting exercises, making them easier and more effective.
A strong grip is essential for maintaining control and stability, ultimately contributing to better overall performance and progress in your workouts.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The common mistakes should be avoided if you want Ez bar 21s to work properly.
Not Maintaining Proper Range of Motion
It’s safe to assume that the repetitions in EZ bar 21s might give some lifters temporary difficulty in getting the proper alignment.
It might seem like it won’t hurt much if you mess up the reps, but the main objective of 21s is the partial reps, as they help you slowly create tension in your biceps to give them full activation.
It’s just a matter of time before you master the exercise and perform it with the proper range of motion.
Consistency and attention to form will eventually lead to better results and more effective bicep development.
Leaning Back
Proper body posture is most important during 21s as your muscles will only work effectively if you have adequate alignment from top to bottom.
Leaning back can be especially problematic during the last few repetitions.
Even slightly bending your body could shift the tension to different muscles.
Even though this exercise has more reps than usual biceps exercises, you can still maintain proper posture by performing beside the wall for support, which will give you proper alignment in your body.
Ez Bar 21s Variations
Dumbbell 21s
The Dumbbell 21s is a great exercise to help you place your biceps under continuous tension and strengthen your arm.
Similar to the EZ bar 21s except for the equipment difference and the way your arm moves each repetition.
The way dumbbell 21s are done keeps your arm moving freely, which gives your biceps and other muscles to grow at the same pace.
Add this intense, burning exercise to your routine and see how your muscles grow.
Barbell 21s
If you’re a barbell lover (which most of us probably are), performing a barbell curl is your favorite thing to do during exercise.
Well, if you’re in love with the barbell curl, adding a little repetition and a little shift in the range of motion won’t hurt.
The barbell 21s is an excellent piece of exercise that enlightens your biceps with intense tension.
It’s similar to any other 21s variation but a little different in muscle work.
The barbell 21s would be great for people who just want a blasted pump in their biceps.
Ez Bar 21s Alternatives
Ez Bar Curl
If you struggle to perform regular curls with equipment like a barbell or dumbbell, you should definitely hop onto the EZ bar from today on.
The bar makes not only a standard bicep curl but any exercise less to no discomfort due to the curvy external look on the bar.
And you can imagine the pump you will get on your biceps because your hand position slightly changes.
You can knock out some reps you want and see the results gradually.
Ez Bar Preacher Curl
The EZ bar preacher curl isolates your biceps with greater functionality than the main exercises fail to provide.
The movement of the exercise mainly contributes to the biceps burn as the preacher bench is positioned in a tilted way.
Many tend to love the preacher curl, as you can also perform it while seated on the bench, which can help reduce the effort you have to put in.
The bench also reduces the stress on your joints, making it ideal for building biceps.
Final Thoughts
Unlike other bicep curls where you just perform in one range, EZ Bar 21s stands out differently in the world of Ez bar exercise.
It creates tension in your biceps in three ranges, making your biceps work on the short head, long head, and forearms.
But there are things you might not know that could lead you to different outcomes of this exercise.
Not to worry, we mention everything about this amazing exercise that you can learn to increase your biceps growth potential.
Featured image by Adobe Stocks edited by SA
